What keeps my Parameters Up would really like to figure this out.

[Dragon52]

Just save up your pennies and get an RO unit. Any one will work and almost every single part is universal so expanding or improving it down the road is a piece of cake. I wouldn’t even mess with a DI unit at this point to keep the price down. Easy to add on later. Also don’t forget, you don’t need an aquarium specific RO unit, they’re all the same. Check eBay or Amazon and compare to the other reefing sites, I’ll bet you save a big chunk. As for salt, I’m probably opening Pandora’s box here but I’ve been in the aquarium game for 30 years, 16 of them salt and I simply use whatever salt is on sale. I have used them all and can’t notice any difference at all other than the $$$$. Last batch I got was Kent brand for 34$ for a 200 gallon box with free shipping from DFS. You can’t go wrong with that. I would seriously think twice about all these fancy tests, total up their costs and compare it to a bucket of salt and an RO unit. You already know the water is out of whack, the minutiae of it isn’t going to solve your problem. Good quality water is, for sure!

Will check all sights & go from there.
Thanks

 

[Dragon52]

My County uses Chlorine so that's good.

 

[Dragon52]

Just realize if you buy livestock from them, that unpure water is likely what they use in their own systems.

I haven't bought Fish from there in yrs.

 

[Dragon52]

I agree your numbers are high. As far as growth goes have you checked your par readings. Looks like you have a Current Orbit type light, may not be enough power. From the pictures your tank looks to be 20-24 inches tall. Orbit lights are not very powerful. Maybe see if a local reef club or your LFS has a par meter to loan/rent.

The Tank is 60"Lx24"Dx30"H 185/gls
I had 2 48-60" Current Lights, Now have 3 Kessil A360WE Tuna Blues setup with up to 10/70% Color & 10-40% Intensity. I May add another in the future.
I don't have a PAR Meter (will see if I can borrow one) but I get almost 30,000 on a LUX Meter for each of the lights. The Lights are 6.5" from the surface of the water.
As noted above the parameters will straighten out on their own for a few days to a wk (Have talked to some of other reefers here) but go back up again without me doing anything but add water by way of the ATO so after the discussion so far I really need to get me a RO/DI System.
Any other responses are very welcome so please continue.
Thanks

 

[Dragon52]

Another thing to possibly help is my Tank Load. Tank is fed once a day with a mix-up from day to day Frozen Mysis, Frozen Brine shrimp, LRS Foods, Pellet food & Nori 3-4 times a wk. Also add Reef Roids for the coral

Fish
Melanurus Wrasse 1
Red eye Wrasse 1
Flame Angel 1
Lemonpeel Angel 1
Coral Beauty 1
Blue-throat Trigger 1
Maroon Clown 1
Wheelers Gobies 3 or 4 Only see 3 at any one time
YellowHead Jawfish 1
Midas Blenny 1
PJ Cardinal 2
Chevron Tang 1
Lemonpeel Mimic Tang 1
Hippo/Regal Tang 1

Corals
Torch 2
Hammer 2
Kenya Tree 1
Zoas 4
Octospawn 1
Misc 3

Inverts
Fire Shrimp 2
Cleaner Shrimp 2
Feather Dusters 4

CUC
Snails Many varieties
Hermit Crabs many varieties
Fighting Conchs 2

 

[Cory]

Im curious if your dsb is somehow adding alk and calcium. How deep is it?

 

[Dragon52]

Im curious if your dsb is somehow adding alk and calcium. How deep is it?

it varies from 2-5" depending on the Maroon fluttering around or whatever it is he's doing & how much bigger the yellowhead makes his house.

 

[Gino]

Hi:
I got a 90 gal tank and it's going to be two years maturing next February 2019, and I don't do water changes neither since I build up. I don't use Rodi water for my ATO, not even at the first filling. I just add Seachem Prime and there it goes. (No issues with algae or nutrient. Just now because my sump light broke on me and the macro algae died. No algae in the rocks just on the back wall, it's doing his job to maintaining nitrates and phosphate in check plus feed my angels, not good looking, but it's temporary, however my Wifie likes the way it looks, it swing side to side with the water flow, just some trimming once a while) I got a setting very similar like yours but, I haven't upgraded the lights from the Current Marine. I don't have tons of corals because I thru some testing softies and they are hanging there but no grow at all. So I'm waiting till new lights, this year coming up. Saying so, my parameters are some like yours. I don't bother to reach numbers because corals can adapt to their environment and thrive like no bundurys. The key is stability. I could suggest, as many over here, is to set your lights to the right spectrum and par, (because you're tank is tall and this high tech lights aren't just plug and play, they need to be tweet to meet your requirements). You will need a par meter, check were you live if is any other reefer that had one, so you don't have to buy one and after use it, it will be in a closet for ever.

About your PH probably you have high concentrations of CO2 in the room were the tank is, from all your family and pets breathing, saturating the air. Try to run an air line from outside your home to feed the protein skimmer with fresh air, that could give you those few numbers your are looking, but right now you are within acceptable range. Also you could improve your water movement (agitation) at the surface of the thank to help with CO2 exchange.

About your nitrates, remember that you got a deep sand bed. It could be a double blade sword if is not manage adequate. (It's better not to disturb, but if you are going to clean it, just do 1/3 at a time, within weeks). If you are aiming for SPS like all of us lowering that nitrate could help, but as I mentioned. "Corals adapt to their environment, if is stable").

I'm no expert but I'm an school reefer, that just came back after many years. Remember to keep stable your water parameters and be patient because nothing in this hobby happens from night to day.

By the way... A RoDi unit is a well investment gadget. Will give you some peace of mind.

Good lock and KEEP ON REEFING

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Don’t bother with the voodoo tests. Start making your own water. Spring for a bag of salt and an RO unit. It is absolutely mandatory for success. Don’t assume your store is testing water. They aren’t. Buying mixed water is 100% for beginners so up your game. I promise you won’t regret it.

Voodoo? Chemistry is not voodoo. It is the key to all things good. lol

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

There are various process in reef tanks that can (do) add a small amount of alk and calcium even if you never add any. one is slow dissolution of sand and rock in the pH areas where organics are degrading. Long term reefeers sometimes have to add sand (Larry Jackson once calculated the amount he added over the years, but I forget the numbers).

Such small contributions may maintain alk and calcium if demand is sufficiently low. At lower pH, the demand will be lower than if the pH was higher.

The water from your LFS may also have more in it than you think.

 

[Softhammer]

Not the chemistry! I meant the hyper tests that we lived just fine without for so long!