Mandrake the newbie

[Mandrake]

I am a new reefer and have a 30 gal.with 40 lbs live rock,bak pak skimmer,17000k white and 420/460nm actinic lighting and eheim2222 cannister filter.I am keeping 1 maroon clown,1small yellow yang and 1 small royal gramma. 6 hermits,4 snails,1 fire shrimp,1 cleaner shrimp,and 3 peppermint shrimp,1 green open brain,1yellow polyps about 2 in. 1 green star polyps 4in. 1frag of pulsing xenia, 1 frogspawn.and a small orange sea mat. My water parameters are SG 1.020,ammo 0,kh 240,temp 77,PH 8.4 about,calcium 300,nitrite 0,nitrate 20ppm. I also have 1 buuble tip anemone who is hosting clown. What do you think? how do you get single digit kh readings? Everyone appears healthy I am concerned about low calcium.

 

[Anonymous]

:welcome:

I would say your tank is a bit on the small side for a tang. For the calcium I would look at a two part additive like b-ioninc or similar powered aditives like seachem reef advantage calcium/reef builder combo.

 

[Mandrake]

I have made every mistake in the book,wrong tank included but I am hooked big time...now that I am a thousand bucks into it .I have been up for four months, how do you get alk numbers from dkh or is that a seperate test kit? I am flooding myself with books by Sprung,Palletta and Fenner.Say I start over with a 150 gallon and use my existing skimmer and filter,I cant stop thinking reefs...

 

[clydescove]

^ lol reefer madness

 

[jdeets]

I have made every mistake in the book,wrong tank included but I am hooked big time...now that I am a thousand bucks into it .I have been up for four months, how do you get alk numbers from dkh or is that a seperate test kit? I am flooding myself with books by Sprung,Palletta and Fenner.Say I start over with a 150 gallon and use my existing skimmer and filter,I cant stop thinking reefs...

You are definitely hooked!

There is a mathematical formula to convert from dkh to meq on the alkalinity--it's the same test kit. I don't remember the formula but it's out there if you search for it.

I'd say get something bigger for sure, 30G is too small for a tang.

Heck, if you're going to do 150, go ahead and get a 180! They are usually wider from front to back and give you more room for aquascaping!