Live rock question

[Neno reefs]

Well i orderd my live rock and it was shipped on wednesday and some how it got delayed and now it will have to sit over the weekend :frustrat::frustrat:

Will any of it be alive?


Also my RO water is 5ppm but the water in the tank has a 135 ppm? how is that possible is it because the sand was still makeing the tank a bit cloudy?

 

[bjohanson1234]

Your tank water is at 135 ppm because you added salt into the water.

The TDS reading is total dissolved solids.

 

[Neno reefs]

Your tank water is at 135 ppm because you added salt into the water.

The TDS reading is total dissolved solids.

Cant be, i haven't added any salt yet

 

[bjohanson1234]

Then it is probably from the sand.

 

[little_fish]

You need to make sure you have salt in the water before you put the rocks in there BTW, and there will likely be more die off which is ok because the tank needs to cycle anyways

 

[Neno reefs]

You need to make sure you have salt in the water before you put the rocks in there BTW, and there will likely be more die off which is ok because the tank needs to cycle anyways

Yep, salts going in sunday. I dont have a refractometer but because i am only haveing liverock in the tank, i figure i could just use this
"To reach the recommended specific gravity of 1.024 to 1.026 for reef aquariums, dissolve an additional 2 tablespoons (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp) of KENT Marine Reef Salt per 1 gallon (3.8 L) of purified 78°F water. This will yield a solution with the following properties:
Specific Gravity: 1.024 - 1.026
pH: 8.2 to 8.3
Calcium: 550 to 575 ppm
Magnesium: 1,350 to 1,450 ppm"
(coppied from Saltwater Aquarium Salt Mix: Kent Marine Reef Salt Mix )
My refractometer should be here sometime next week

I hope some brittle worms will make it through the weekend, just love those little guys:D

 

[little_fish]

I dont think that formula is going to work. Can you see if the LFS near you will test your salinity? I remember having to use several cups to make up 5 gallons.

 

[Neno reefs]

Well the problem with that is my LFS is 2 hours away. So it looks like i am just going to have to hope that the formula works untill the refracto meter gets here. I have seen a couple of people say that formula works so maybie it will work for me.

 

[chichimom79]

Good luck. That would make me nervous. Even a hydrometer is better than nothing

 

[salt_for_brains]

I agree since you are cycling the rock won't be a problem but not knowing your salinity could be a problem.
I think I told you this on another post but following directions on any salt mix may not get you the desired results. Good luck!

 

[Neno reefs]

There might be a store that i can get a hydrometer from, i will check saturday or monday morning then atleast i will have some idea.

 

[d2mini]

Where did you order your rock from? Most likely it will be all dead. Especially if it wasn't shipped in water.

And I agree with others, you have to get your salinity right.

 

[Neno reefs]

ok well the refractometer will be here tuesday or wednesday. Any ideas how to get the live rock to last a day or two longer? The store that i was going to get a hydrometer from doesn't have any in stock.

 

[Neno reefs]

Also is it better to have a little to much salt in the tank or a little to less?

 

[Laz]

I'm pretty sure most salt containers mention how much salt per gallon/litre to get a specific level, so if you get a 20 litre tub and measure the salt accordingly, it should be no problem. It's not like you're dealing with coral or fish, it's only live rock and won't have a problem with the salinity level. Anything that was with the rock will be dead anyway.

 

[Neno reefs]

Does any use kent reef salt? If so how much do you usaly use per gallon?

 

[little_fish]

I would start a new thread to answer that question, but its also important to remember that salinity also depends on the temperature of your water

 

[Neno reefs]

ok, can you sort of explane how the temp works with the salt? Like does it depend on the temp of the water i mix the salt in or does it depend on the main tank temp?

 

[little_fish]

it depends on both, so when you do make up salt, I would warm it up to about the temp of the tank before making a final measurement.

 

[d2mini]

Any ideas how to get the live rock to last a day or two longer?

Nothing you can do. Especially when its not even in your possession. What's done is done. Sorry.
And you didn't answer the question about where the rock was ordered from.