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water parametersNewbies to Reefing If you are new to reefing and have any questions from setup to stocking this is your place to ask questions. |
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#1
May 16th, 2008, 10:30 PM
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water parameters
came home early from work today and did some testing here is what i came up with
my calcium seems a little low input please im thinking about getting a zoo this weekend and want to make sure its safe Current Aquarium(s) Description: 90 gallon, 30 gallon sump, nova extreme pro Experience in Saltwater & Reef Aquarium Hobby: 2 months in Other Intrests: corvettes, yard work, family fun 
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#2
May 17th, 2008, 05:17 AM
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Re: water parameters
I've had my pH that high a few times and it doesn't seem to hurt anything. Did your pH get this high from adding buffer? If so you can do a water change or just let it decrease on it's own. Definitely add some calcium to at least 400. I use Kent turbo calcium, works real quick without clouding your tank unlike purple up. You really want to keep you calcium at about 450 if your trying to keep stony corals, also good for optimal coralline growth. Watch your salinity that it doesn't drop below 1.022. It's all personal preference but 1.023-1.025 is good a number.
__________________
I have a better solution. You keep me on the payroll as an outside consultant and in exchange for my salary, my job will be never to tell people these things that I know. I don't even have to come into the office, I can do this job from home. Current Aquarium(s) Description: 55gallon Reef Experience in Saltwater & Reef Aquarium Hobby: 14 years fish only 3 years reef Other Intrests: scuba diving & traveling to exotic islands
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#3
May 17th, 2008, 02:23 PM
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Re: water parameters
i think it is high from adding a buffer
i will let it go for the weekend and see if it drops a little i also read that adding some seltzer water will drop the ph im slowly bringing my salinity up by topping off with salt water Current Aquarium(s) Description: 90 gallon, 30 gallon sump, nova extreme pro Experience in Saltwater & Reef Aquarium Hobby: 2 months in Other Intrests: corvettes, yard work, family fun
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#4
May 17th, 2008, 02:24 PM
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Re: water parameters
Carbonated water. Unflavored. It is just carbon dioxide in water. It quickly becomes carbonic acid. It will lower the pH. Use just three or four ounces at a time. If you have a sump pour it slowly either where your over flow water enters or where your return pump inlet is located. No sump then pour slowly in the area in front of a power head. Remember if you have any photosynthesis going on then your pH will be highest at around midday (light cycle wise). Usually by about 0.2 pH points. Your calcium is fine for a fish only or for soft corals. Unless you are growing a lot of stoney corals it is easiest to just keep your calcium at the level of your new water or around 350ppm. I would do a water change to see if it helped the pH or calcium before I did anything else. If the water change makes no difference to your pH I would deal with it before I worried about the calcium. Lots of calcium levels are only around 350 for aged newly mixed water. It takes a heavy stoney coral load to warrant the hassles of trying to balance out carbonate parameters with calcium levels of 450ppm. If lowering the pH also lowers the alkalinity a little that is OK, if it lowers the akalinity to much it is esay to raise the alkalinity without again raising the pH, just use SeaChem Reef Carbonate.
Current Aquarium(s) Description: 120g SPS Mother Colony Tank, 40 g sump, back wall overflows, 2 closed loop circulation circuits 59X Experience in Saltwater & Reef Aquarium Hobby: 35 years in marine aquarium trade and managing LFS's, 10 years with coral. Other Intrests: Coral Propagation, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cabinetry, and Reef Systems Development
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#5
May 17th, 2008, 06:53 PM
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Re: water parameters
I also agree with Fatman to leave the calcium alone where it's at, unless you have lots of SPS. Calcium in the 300's is fine for everything else and not worth the trouble of trying to balance it out with pH and alkalinity, IMO.
__________________
"If we went to a Halloween party dressed as Batman and Robin, I'd go as Robin. That's how much you mean to me... " Sarah 
Current Aquarium(s) Description: 240-gallon reef with a 55-gallon sump and refugium Experience in Saltwater & Reef Aquarium Hobby: 5 years
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#6
May 18th, 2008, 11:50 AM
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Re: water parameters
Call me old, does IMO mean "in my own opinion?"
Current Aquarium(s) Description: 120g SPS Mother Colony Tank, 40 g sump, back wall overflows, 2 closed loop circulation circuits 59X Experience in Saltwater & Reef Aquarium Hobby: 35 years in marine aquarium trade and managing LFS's, 10 years with coral. Other Intrests: Coral Propagation, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cabinetry, and Reef Systems Development
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#7
May 18th, 2008, 02:56 PM
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Re: water parameters
all sounds good to me
i wanted to stay away from additives anyway because the more i read, it seems like you get stuck in a cycle of improving 1 thing but depleting another although i may try some carbonated water to get the ph down a little im more concerned with my algea right now planning a wtaer change tomorrow or tonight tank is cloudy as hell im going to go with the advice you all gave chemjoey in his thread Current Aquarium(s) Description: 90 gallon, 30 gallon sump, nova extreme pro Experience in Saltwater & Reef Aquarium Hobby: 2 months in Other Intrests: corvettes, yard work, family fun
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#8
May 18th, 2008, 03:49 PM
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Re: water parameters
Quote:
Current Aquarium(s) Description: Empty 180 gal Future Reef 29 gal Planted Freshwater 90 fal Distant Future Project Experience in Saltwater & Reef Aquarium Hobby: Newbie to Salt, 2 years planted, Freshwater Forever and a Day! Other Intrests: hunting outdoorsy things, cars motorcycles anything that goes fast drag cars
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#9
May 18th, 2008, 04:01 PM
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Re: water parameters
If any body wants to have tank water that is really hard to adjust, use municipal water from somewhere where they do lime softening. Picture dumping in huge amounts of calcium hydroxide to neutralize any free acids that may be present in the water. That means adding enough calcium hydroxide to increase the pH of the water to 10.3. This causes precipitation of calcium carbonate. Then you add even more lime to raise the pH to 11 which removes the hardness due to magnesium. Then to remove the carbonate hardness additional carbonate is added in the form of soda ash. This leaves us with water that will let soap lather but what a chemical mess. The final step is usually to pump a bunch of carbon dioxide into the water to lower the pH to a safe drinkable level. At least this water has had the phosphate precipitated out. Is it now more understandable why RO and RODI filters are recommended now. And this does even cover he potassium permanganate they add to oxidize the iron in the water or the polymers they add to aid in flocculation. Thats is forming particles large enough to filter things out. They floc together. That is a pun, really. Then there are the disinfectants such as chlorine and chloramines and many more under strange new names coming out constantly. And I go to school to learn to do this stuff. Whoopee, I can design water treatment and sewer treatment systems.
Current Aquarium(s) Description: 120g SPS Mother Colony Tank, 40 g sump, back wall overflows, 2 closed loop circulation circuits 59X Experience in Saltwater & Reef Aquarium Hobby: 35 years in marine aquarium trade and managing LFS's, 10 years with coral. Other Intrests: Coral Propagation, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cabinetry, and Reef Systems Development Last edited by fatman; May 18th, 2008 at 04:03 PM.
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#10
May 18th, 2008, 09:52 PM
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Re: water parameters
well so much for the water change
hose popped out of the trash can and shot 30 gallons of fresh RODI salt water all over my garage im sure some feel my pain Current Aquarium(s) Description: 90 gallon, 30 gallon sump, nova extreme pro Experience in Saltwater & Reef Aquarium Hobby: 2 months in Other Intrests: corvettes, yard work, family fun
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