Hi there i want to start adding corals but have to get my water correct first i have a saltwater aquarium with reef safe fish but need to know what to do and what to purchase for the water. i have lights and all... just a little help on the water situation. :roll:
ADDING CORAL
- Thread starter victoriar
- Start date
what kind of corals you looking to get? softies? SPS? LPS? zo's etc... if you're getting hard corals, I would recommend ESV's B-Ionic two part calcium and alkalinity.. althoough i don't use it right now, i plan to once my kent's two part runs out. ESV's supposedely supplements with other trace elements.. Right now i add magnesium, strontium & molybdenum, and iodine... if you're looking to get goniopora/alveopora there's belief that iron and manganese may be important.. if you're looking for softies, zo's, or mushrooms, the calcium part doesnt become as important, but it's still important to maintain a good alkalinity and ph level for your inhabitants.
victoriar":1f5kj6aw said:
What do you mean by correct? Is there some specific water parameter you're having a problem with? If you can tell us a bit more about your setup and your water parameters we could give better advice...
Generally speaking I would recommend you don't add anything to your system beyond basic Ca and Alk supplements, pure top-off water (perferably RO, RO/DI, DI, distilled, etc.) and food for your fish. Some hobbyists dose specific additives for a specific reason, but generally they test for and monitor those additives.
Also, mushroom corals are VERY hardy, and don't require any special attention or feeding IME. Just feeding your fish should provide the system with enough nutrients.
Oh, and BTW...
Mushroom does not need any calcium if you do regular water change. Iodine is a iffy additive, but many people just dose it like witch putting newt's tail into a kettle...
My suggestion is to test the water and see what is insufficient. If you use good water and good salt, there is usually little need for additional work to get the saltwater to ready for coral.
My suggestion is to test the water and see what is insufficient. If you use good water and good salt, there is usually little need for additional work to get the saltwater to ready for coral.
Thank you... No i have no problems with my water now. I used to have Puffers and loved them that is the reason why i never got into corals. My puffer dies about 3 months ago and i have a friend who have a reef and it is beautiful. She has offered some clippings to me but i do not want to add them until my water is ready as far as calcuim, iodine etc.,
Personally I've never used iodine and mushroom corals have always done well in my systems (a little too well at times in fact!
).
As mentioned above, calcium isn't really a critical parameter when you're dealing with soft corals like mushrooms.
With no stony corals in the tank, the modest Ca/Alk demands of stuff like coralline algaes can often be replenished by water changes alone, or some kalkwasser evaporation top-off.
HTH
).As mentioned above, calcium isn't really a critical parameter when you're dealing with soft corals like mushrooms.
With no stony corals in the tank, the modest Ca/Alk demands of stuff like coralline algaes can often be replenished by water changes alone, or some kalkwasser evaporation top-off.
HTH
If you have not did not do regular water change, I recommand you check your water's nitrate parameter and see if you need to lower it to less than 5ppm for the mushroom.
Other than keeping an eye on the nitrate, there is nothing that you need for the mushrooms besides moderate amount of light.
Other than keeping an eye on the nitrate, there is nothing that you need for the mushrooms besides moderate amount of light.
My husband used to take care of the tank and i have permanatly gournded him from it. Due to fish loss and his lack of care and time. I am the fish keeper now. I have been doing water changes of 10 gallons every other week for the past month now. I just tested my Nitrate and it looks like it is really high..... about 30 using a fastest kit
1.024 is your specific gravity (SG) not your alk. Your SG is fine. Your water change regimen sounds fine too.
If you describe your setup a bit more (filtration, fish load, feeding regimen, etc.) we can probably help you diagnose the nitrate issue. Also, what are you using for a water source?
BTW, the best purchase you can make at this point is a good book or two. It will save you a lot of time, money and aggravation down-the-road. IMO, a great intro book for reefkeeping is Natural Reef Aquariums : Simplified Approaches to Creating Living Saltwater Microcosms by John Tullock. Check out the link in my sig for more...
If you describe your setup a bit more (filtration, fish load, feeding regimen, etc.) we can probably help you diagnose the nitrate issue. Also, what are you using for a water source?
BTW, the best purchase you can make at this point is a good book or two. It will save you a lot of time, money and aggravation down-the-road. IMO, a great intro book for reefkeeping is Natural Reef Aquariums : Simplified Approaches to Creating Living Saltwater Microcosms by John Tullock. Check out the link in my sig for more...
30ppm for nitrate is a bit high, and you need to find out if it is your test kit, the water, or the thing that you add to the tank.
Check local library for some good reads... but keep in mind that you need to filter thing that you read/heard when it comes to this hobby, and use common sense.
Check local library for some good reads... but keep in mind that you need to filter thing that you read/heard when it comes to this hobby, and use common sense.
Do you have any live rock and/or live sand in the system?
How well is your skimmer working (ie. how much skimmate does it produce)?
What are you using for source water?
What do you feed the tank and how often?
How many and what kinds of fish do you have?
How well is your skimmer working (ie. how much skimmate does it produce)?
What are you using for source water?
What do you feed the tank and how often?
How many and what kinds of fish do you have?
What type of skimmer do you have? I hope it is not SeaClone or the like...
Ohio water is not that bad (from lake MI, right?), but you may want to find out how much nitrate and phos. is in it. You may need to consider using RO water if you have nitrate issue with your tap water.
A lot of time, we need to take nutrient out, instead of adding additive to the water. Sounds like you may not need any additive listed above.
Ohio water is not that bad (from lake MI, right?), but you may want to find out how much nitrate and phos. is in it. You may need to consider using RO water if you have nitrate issue with your tap water.
A lot of time, we need to take nutrient out, instead of adding additive to the water. Sounds like you may not need any additive listed above.
Well, there's a couple of potential sources I can see so far...
You're using city water, as in right from the tap? That could be a source of nitrates (among other things). You should consider investing in an RO unit. Pure source water is going to make your life as a reefkeeper MUCH easier.
Do you have some sort of plastic biobale, bioballs, etc. in the wet/dry filter, or are you just using it for a sump? If you still have the plastic media in there, that could be another part of the problem - that and the built-in skimmer.
The problem with the plastic media in a wet/dry is that it harbors lots of aerobic (nitrifying) bacteria, but no aneraerobic (dentrifying) bacteria. So, it doesn't really come full circle with the filtration and leaves you with an excess of nitrates.
Also, generally the skimmers that are built-in to the wet/dry units don't work very well. A high performance protein skimmer can help eliminate high nitrates indirectly by removing organics before they break down into ammonia, then nitrite, then nitrate.
Test your source water first. If you don't have any nitrates in it, I would next look to the wet/dry filter media and lack of skimming efficieny...
Also, what kind of trigger do you have? Some are not reef safe...
You're using city water, as in right from the tap? That could be a source of nitrates (among other things). You should consider investing in an RO unit. Pure source water is going to make your life as a reefkeeper MUCH easier.
Do you have some sort of plastic biobale, bioballs, etc. in the wet/dry filter, or are you just using it for a sump? If you still have the plastic media in there, that could be another part of the problem - that and the built-in skimmer.
The problem with the plastic media in a wet/dry is that it harbors lots of aerobic (nitrifying) bacteria, but no aneraerobic (dentrifying) bacteria. So, it doesn't really come full circle with the filtration and leaves you with an excess of nitrates.
Also, generally the skimmers that are built-in to the wet/dry units don't work very well. A high performance protein skimmer can help eliminate high nitrates indirectly by removing organics before they break down into ammonia, then nitrite, then nitrate.
Test your source water first. If you don't have any nitrates in it, I would next look to the wet/dry filter media and lack of skimming efficieny...
Also, what kind of trigger do you have? Some are not reef safe...
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