water parameter question

[my69shelby]

Our tank has been up and running for 39 days now, on day 32 our ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate were all at 0. I have been monitoring very closely because in the beginning our ammonia went off the chart high. I have been testing water myself and taking to the LFS for testing about once a week and we have been getting the same readings. Well on day 35 I took a sample to one of the LFS and the guy told me that my PH was at 7.0, I am still getting the 7.8-8.0, so I became very concerned and purchased a new test kit (Red Sea Test Lab) and at this time thought I should start to get the calcium levels where we want them before adding corals, I had the same person check the calcium and he told me it was at 350 ( I remembered that he added 5 drops), so I also bought the same brand calcium kit, I check this and the PH tonight. Well, I again came up with the 8.0 PH and I did the calcium test coming out with 450 ppm. Is it normal that the calcium could be at the right level without having added anything to it? I also mention that he added 6 dropps because if that is correct he calculated wrong and came out with the same 450 that I did.

So I just want to know if it is possible for my calcium to be correct without adding anything first?

Also, I want to add a PH Buffer, being new at this I am not sure that I should use what they sold me so I want to get someone elses input about it, the LFS employee told me to use Kent Marine Superbuffer-dKH, is this good or should I take it back and get something different? and if I take it back what should I get?

And one last question, probably most important at this point, my ammonia has went back up to about .2 ppm, what could have happened? and what to do to get it back under control?

We have
55 gal. 48" x 13" x 20"
80 bls. live sand
29lbs live rock
Ammonia .2 ppm
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
PH 8.0
cal. 450

livestock
1 domino damsel
1 four stripe damsel
2 yellow tail damsels
2 blue devil damsels
2 pep. shrimp
3 blue leg hermitts
2 algae snails
1 emerald crab

We used the damsels to cycle the tank ( I know I shouldn't have but at the time this was the advice of the LFS and I had not found this site at the time) added the 2 snails, then about one week later 1 pep. shrimp, then one week later the 3 blue leg. and another pep. shrimp and 1 emerald crab. The last addition was day 33.

Sorry about the how long this is but wanted to get everything in that might help tell me what the problem is.
Thanks to all.

 

[GnG]

Your calcium level may depend on what brand of salt you are using. 450 wouldn't be that unusual for a reef salt. The Kent Marine is fine. That's what I use. They are all basically all the same, sodium bicarbonate and sodium carbonate. If you are going to be doing corals, you probably need an alkalinity test kit too. If my alkalinity is where it needs to be, I don't usually run pH.

Its not unusual to see small spikes in ammonia in a new tank. Do you have a protein skimmer? Are you feeding meat to your fish? Are you overfeeding? If you don't have a protein skimmer and continue to have spikes, try using carbon occasionally. A couple days every month, especially before a water change, would be OK.

Good luck,
Gary

 

[my69shelby]

I used instant ocean salt. I do have a protien skimmer. I also have an Alklinity test and it came out in the normal range. We have been feeding flake food and about every 2 or 3 days brine shrimp. I had been feeding twice a day until about 2 weeks ago and the LFS employee (they are very wise at this store) told me to start feeding once a day because my levels where still quite high, after that I started once a day feeding and about a week later the levels were all 0.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Mikef1]

Its is very common to have a high calcium in a new tank for a little while eventually it will start going down. The 2 tanks I set up all had 450 calcium in the begining.

 

[Anonymous]

fwiw:

don't add anything else to the tank for a month or two(if you 'push' a new tank too quickly, you can crash it-'new tank syndrome') :wink:

let the bacterial fauna develop, and stabilize first

get a good test kit- red sea isn't that reliable

salifert, hach, or lamotte are much more reliable, and accurate

since you added a relatively high amount of organics producing livestock in a relatively short period of time, be prepared for some nice algal/diatom blooms in the not too distant future :wink:


i would also suggest you use kalkvasser as the means to keep up the pH, alk., and Ca levels-after you get some good kits.

good luck, and hth

 

[kevinpo]

I agree with Vitzs. That was a rather quick addition of livestock. Every time you feed the ammonia will rise a little before it's converted into nitrite then to nitrate. Don't feed for a day then measure it should read zero. I would recommend Salifert test kits. They are reliable and readily available. Check your PH at the same time each day as it will fluctuate during the day.

Calcium can be 450ppm at startup.

Unless you have some SPS or LPS corals you shouldn't really need to add calcium or alkalinity additives. All of the aquarium calcium and buffer products are similar and will work.

If your calcium and alkalinity are in balance and the levels are good the PH should also be in a acceptable range (between 7.9 for the low and 8.3 for the high).

HTH,
Kevin
PS: In a small tank I wouldn't add more than 1-2 fish a month to allow the bacteria to keep up with their waste products.

 

[my69shelby]

We at this point don't plan to add any fish, because to add any other fish safely I would have to remove some of the damsels. I think that I calculated that at full growth I would have to delete some of them anyway. So that won't be a problems, as for the test kits we are very limited to the places that carry saltwater supplies and the only 2 that I have to choose from ( both are a 2 hour drive) one didn't have the test kits I need for cal. and PH/Alk, and the other one the Red Sea were the only ones they had at all. That is the reason I purchased theses. So can someone tell me what kind of money I am looking at to buy the Salifert test kits. I just forked out $17.00 each for the Red Sea. so I am probably scared to hear what the good ones will cost.

Thanks

 

[kevinpo]

Here is a link. Buy them online it's much cheaper. If you spend a total of $150 even the shipping is free.

http://www.marinedepot.com/a_tk_sf.asp?CartId=

HTH,
Kevin