water parameters

[WiDE]

i have about 5 kg of live rock in my DT and i'm in the middle of cycling it..

i just wanted to know what are the best water parameters for everything that needs to be tested.....

was hoping to keep some coral maybe a fish or two... i just want to know what you guys max/min testing results :question:

 

[Wes888]

During cycling, the only tests you need are Ammonia and Nitrite. Once both are zero, then you can start testing Nitrate and do water changes. That's the quick and simple answer to it. :)

 

[OmegaOmega]

I would also keep a monitor for Phosphates, at least initially.

After you've cycled and are settled, what you test for depends on what you'll have in. I've got a full reef w/ fish and test for the following:

Magnesium: 1400-1500ppm
Calcium: 450ppm
Phosphate: > .2ppm
Alk: 2.5-2.8
pH: 8.4-8.6 (I'm finding it hard to stabilize my pH)

I keep a low temp because the higher the temperature, the more difficult it is to maintain dissolved oxygen/saturation and being that I don't have a sump in a BioCube, I can't add to the gas exchange, so I keep the temp around 75-76F.

I also keep salinity between 28-30 because I travel a lot for work and when I have evaporation I don't want to have a dangerous increase in salinity - again, this also limits the type of corals I can have in some instances.

Ultimately it seems to be a personal preference - different tank owners have different opinions and ways they like to keep their tank.

 

[Wes888]

hmm.. no fish, no feeding and still cycling. I don't see why need to monitor Phosphate.

Also, while cycling, higher temperature allow the bacteria to grow faster. Even you want to keep the temperature at 78F later on, I would have it at 80-82 for the nitrifying bacteria to work better.

No need to worry about Magnesium or Calcium initially. Those only need to be monitored when your tank have lots of coral. That of course is 6 month to a year down the line. After the cycling, just regular weekly change is enough to replenish the Calcium, Magnesium, and the other trace element.

 

[winyfrog]

+1 wes

 

[OmegaOmega]

The live rock I bought from the LFS came with a 'boat load' of it. It's not something to check daily, but if it isn't an established system and you've just purchased pounds of LR, I think it would be prudent to check before you start stocking the system.

Additionally, if you're using tap to fill you can get higher amounts of phosphates as well - assuming someone would, against better advice, still use tap/city water. I understood WiDE's questions to be general operation, not only for starting/cycling.

 

[Wes888]

The thing is, after the cycling is complete, while Ammonia and Nitrite is zero, the Nitrate is high enough to kill anything. You need to do major water change at that point. (I did 70% water change so that there were just enough water still covering the LR.) Whatever phosphate or whatever whatever, will be changed out. Why bother testing it when you know you need to dump them all out after the cycle. :)

 

[dcantucson]

Wes has got you covered.

 

[Bifferwine]

pH, alkalinity, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, salinity and temperature are the basics you'll need to watch.

 

[Wes888]

oh yea. lol. Salinity, pH, and temperature are the most basic need and I have meters monitor them 24x7. I didn't even aware that I had to mention it. It's like what you need in a fish tank... hmm... water? :D

 

[WiDE]

pH, alkalinity, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, salinity and temperature are the basics you'll need to watch.

:frustrat:as i understand what you need to test for i still want to know e.g what the highest tep you will let your tank get to.... the highest PH etc .... i have read a lot of these threads and a lot of other info from other sites and they still seam to be different e.g

Fiji Cultured Live Rock - Fully Cured
(Scleractinia pcs.)

QUICK STATS
Lighting: Moderate
Water Conditions: 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, sg 1.023-1.025
Color Form: Purple, Red
Supplements: Calcium, Strontium, Iodine, Trace Elements
Origin: Fiji

i mean my temp is 76 ° F, and my ph is 8.23 etc i know mine is near the middle but if my temp swings between 72-78 is that ok? i just want to know what your willing to let your tank swing before you take action ...... hope this clears up any confusion......:bounce:

 

[Bifferwine]

A temp swing of 72 to 78 within one day is a lot. You want to get that down to a 3 or 4 degree difference, maximum. Stability is more important than extremes, i.e. a tank at a constant temperature of 83 to 84 is better than one that swings between 72 and 80 every day, even though the 72 to 80 may sound like a healthier range.

Same with pH. You want to try to minimize pH swings, although it's normal for pH to drop at night (so it should be lowest when your lights first come on in the morning). It's not unusual for pH to drop down to 7.8 or so at night, so that's nothing to be alarmed about. 7.8 to 8.4 is a good range.

 

[WiDE]

A temp swing of 72 to 78 within one day is a lot. You want to get that down to a 3 or 4 degree difference, maximum. Stability is more important than extremes, i.e. a tank at a constant temperature of 83 to 84 is better than one that swings between 72 and 80 every day, even though the 72 to 80 may sound like a healthier range.

Same with pH. You want to try to minimize pH swings, although it's normal for pH to drop at night (so it should be lowest when your lights first come on in the morning). It's not unusual for pH to drop down to 7.8 or so at night, so that's nothing to be alarmed about. 7.8 to 8.4 is a good range.

ok what about S.G, mag, cal etc.... thanks biffer.....

 

[yote]

S.G. should not swing at all.Thats one that really needs to be dead stable,though it will increase just a tad as the water evaporates.Making sure the tanks topped off daily or even a coulple of times a day will take care of that.
For magnesium,calcium,alkalinity and such,stability is still key,but you can get by with it if they happen to drop off some,depending on the kinds of corals thats in the tank.