Help I think I need a chemist

[mermaid 11254]

I just got my new Salifert test kits and don't know what I need to do now. I do know things are not right but don't know how to correct them. My readings are...........


PH 8.0- 8.3
Calcium 485ppm
Phosphate .03
Magnesium 1110ppm
Alk 5.43
dKH 15.2

Can someone please tell me what I need to do.. Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

Doesn't look too bad to me...although phosphates at zero are ideal.

Why do you think things aren't right? What's going on in the tank?

 

[mermaid 11254]

Well I really don't have a problem in the tank everything seems to be OK. I just thought Calcium was high and Magnesium was low and the Alk should be around 2.9 I do have a bit of hair algae and I did have a plate coral that I only had for about a week before it died. I also have trouble keeping nitrates down.

 

[Anonymous]

Calcium and alk are a little high, but not crazy high. I find that regular water changes keep my nitrates in check. A phospate sponge might be worth looking into. Good luck!

 

[mermaid 11254]

Thanks for your reply

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

IO salt? My IO test at 1110 ppm. I dose twice weekly to bring my mg level up to around 1250-1300 ppm with Reef Advantage Magnesium.

What's your nitrate reading?

 

[mermaid 11254]

My nitrates are always high like way over 80ppm. I just did three different water changes and it's down to around 30-40ppm now. I do use RO water and it has been tested with a tds meter and it shows a reading of 0.

 

[mermaid 11254]

Oh and yes I do use Instant Ocean Salt

 

[Anonymous]

Do you feed very heavily?

 

[mermaid 11254]

I don't think I do, I only have a pair of gold strip clowns and a six line wrasse in a 30gal tank. I feed mysis shrimp maybe once a week then I might switch over to flake food. I use Marine snow every now and then for the corals.

 

[Anonymous]

Hmmm. Will your LFS test water? It might be a good idea to see if they are getting the same reading that you do.

 

[mermaid 11254]

Well I used two different band tds meters on the Ro water and I got very close to same reading from both of them. To tell you the truth I don't even think our LFS has a tds meter.

 

[Anonymous]

Actually, I was refering to your nitrate test...to make sure that reading is correct. Sorry I wasn't clear on that.

 

[Anonymous]

Is this a reef tank with liferock?

Do you have a good protein skimmer.

You shouldn'tm have that kind of nitrates in a reef tank. In fact, a functioning reef should have very little if any nitrates.

Something is amiss here.

Tell us more.

Louey

 

[mermaid 11254]

It is a reef tank and I do have live rock with lots of purple coralline algae. I have a cpr bak-pak 2R. It does really well. I get lots of thick gunk out. My tank has been running for well over a year and I have always had high nitrates. I am kinda like you about the test kit I am using for nitrates maybe it is bad. I do have a Salifert NitrateTest kit coming soon so can't wait to see what reading I get with it. All other readings I gave were with the new Salifert test kits.