Water parameters plus Sea Slug ????

[tampavii]

I have 225 reef tank which is 3 weeks old .
I have DSB using southdown sand and 200lbs of live rock Aerofoamer 624 skimmer and bio balls in sump .I will be changing bio balls in few weeks and add some live rock into sump Any suggestions

My water parameters last few day where
2/4/03 i used Salfert test kit
Temo 80.1
PH 8.2
Mag 1330
cal 475
KH /ALK KH= 13.2 Alk = 475
NO2 = .5
NO3 = 0
Sal 1023 sg

2/5/03 light where on when testing 3 250 MH plus VHO attinic
Temp 81.5
PH .8.2
Mag 1380
Cal 470
KH/Alk Kh-=14.5 Alk = 5.20
NO 3 =.5
NO 2 = 0
I have few tang and few shrimp and star and snails in the tank. I have no algae problem and my live rock is starting to come live.

i am new to reef setup .So how does my water paramters look?
I did add alittle SeaChem Reef Advantage .This might be reason for higher reading today. Any suggestions are welcome .

Also I have a small reef tank 55 gallon that i purchased from a guy that has some small red worms and I guess a sea slug the slug is the size of a quarter and is black with white line on his back. Is this good or bad to add to my 225.
Thanks GB

 

[AF Founder]

GB,

The fact that you still have a nitrite reading there's probably still some ammonia present. I would wait longer to put in any fish, at least until you don't get a NO2 reading.

 

[tampavii]

Made mistake No Nitrite reading just Nitrate 5
Thanks
how does other paramters look
GB

 

[JTW]

Unless it was a typo, it looks like your levels of Nitrite (NO2) have dropped off and your levels of Nitrate (NO3)are starting to go up. This is normal, although you observed this change in one day, so you may want to test your levels again in a few days. Keep in mind that this is a prime time for your levels of nitrate to go up. This is because all of the ammonia and nitrite that is being produced has to go somewhere. So, unless you have a fair amount of macro algae, then you may think about a partial water change if the level of NO3 goes above 25ppm. It normally takes longer to establish the bacteria responsible for denitrification (these convert nitrate to nitrogen gas). So be sure to keep an eye on your NO3.

Your temp. is getting up there. As you start to get past 81-82F things (some bad) happen a lot faster. So you may want to add some fans to keep this in check.

Your Alk (5.2meq/L) is a bit high. It should normally be @2.5-3.5meq/L.
Yours will probably come down as the tank matures some, but if you are adding anything that would be raising your Alk then ease up.

Advancedaquarist.com can give you some good insights.
J.

 

[tampavii]

Thanks for reply
Yes I will keep eye on the Nitrate. I think because i added alot of sand from my old 110 this helped. I have no algae problem just some nice purple and some green growing.
My LFS told me to run my UV light .Should I run it 24/7 or just maybe at night . My temp going down to 78 at night and then over 10 hrs up to 81.5. I am going to have to add fan to canopy and stand. If I leave door open on the stand temp stays down. i might try drill few holes first. I have fan running in the light fixture but not in the canopy.
I havent added my glass tops would this help or make it worse.

 

[JTW]

If you add the fans and you can keep your system temp. below 82, then you can run the UV 24/7. If you are not having problems with disease and it will be a while before you get the fans, running the UV at night is fine.
In the future, unless you have problems with disease then you don't have to run the UV at all. Some people believe that any plankton or phytoplankton that (might) end up in the aquarium is good for the animals. Remember the UV kills the good and the bad.
As far as your glass tops go, they will help and hurt depending on how you look at it. They will reduce the evaporative cooling (bad) and as they become covered in salt and calcium deposits they can block some light. One the good side, they will greatly reduce the amount of evaporation and can help with fish jumping. My advice... Vent your stand, leave the tops on but try to keep them clean or you can just cover the back of the tank and (if you have a canope) leave the front open.
Good luck, J.

 

[tampavii]

JTW
Thanks for your suggestion
How does my water parameter look.
What is best way to tranfer coral from one tank to other. Best to do it at night of doing the day with just Atinctic light on.

 

[JTW]

Tampavii-
It depends on the type of coral. My prefered method is to submerge a clean plastic container that is large enough to hold the whole coral. place the coral in the container. This way the coral can stay submerged at all times. This is very important for fleshy corals that can hold a lot of water and could tear if the animal if lifted out of the water. It is good to move them in the evening, but as long as you use the container method you can do it with the lights on. Then, if you want to be very good, drip acclimate that coral to the next tank.
J.