beefbroccoli

Experienced Reefer
Location
queens
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hi guys, jsut check the water, ammonia and nitrite is 0, but nitrate is about 30, and ph is 8.4. are they too high? how can i lower them?
i use saltwater master liquid test kit to check the water.
also, is it normal to have algea on the rock and sand? i added a PC (2x65w) lately, then the green algea starts to grow. i do use tap water, but added some prime water conditioner to it. will that really help to control the algea?
i have couple frags and 2 damsel in the tank right now, can i add more coral or fish?
thanks
 
Location
Howell, NJ
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ummmm problemooo beefbroccoli... tap water no mater where u are is a no no. when it comes to marine or even freshwater tanks.. rodi is the way to go.. i would stop using tap and go get yourself a rodi unit immediatly.. it will save u a bunch of headaches. with enough water changes and once u get rid of the nitrates ur algae will eventually go away... umm what are your tank specs.. everything we need to no.

size of tank
lighting
ph
alkalinity
lbs of live rock
lbs of sand (what kind of sand did you use)
silicates in the tank (theres a tester for this also another cause of algae)

give us all the information (more than what i listed) to help us help u better..

thanks anthony
 

R32Brightliner

Senior Member
Location
Westchester, NY
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Tap water is bad. Get yourself an RO/DI unit. Tap water along with your high nitrates is what is most likely contributing to your algae problem.

What are your tank specs and parameters and lighting?

Also, how old/established is this tank?
 

jackson6745

SPS KILLER
Location
NJ
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beefbroccoli said:
hi guys, jsut check the water, ammonia and nitrite is 0, but nitrate is about 30, and ph is 8.4. are they too high? how can i lower them?
i use saltwater master liquid test kit to check the water.
also, is it normal to have algea on the rock and sand? i added a PC (2x65w) lately, then the green algea starts to grow. i do use tap water, but added some prime water conditioner to it. will that really help to control the algea?
i have couple frags and 2 damsel in the tank right now, can i add more coral or fish?
thanks

Beef, read the sticky post for beginners on the top of this forum. You really need to provide more info it you want helpful advice.
 

beefbroccoli

Experienced Reefer
Location
queens
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thanks guys, thaks for the help, here is something i know:

tank--- 20 gallon tank, set it up about 5 weeks, i had fresh water fish in this tank before, but i wash it
PH---8.4
ammonia---0
nitrite---0
nitrate---between 20-40
test kit---saltwater master liquid test kit
lighting--- 2x65w PC, put it on about 10 hrs/ day
live rock--- 25 to 30lbs
sand--- 30lbs, got it from a lfs, forgot what brand/type
salinity--- 1.04
temp. --- 80 degrees
alkalinity/Phosphate/Calcium/Magnesium--- don't know, just ordered some of them
livestock---i currently have 2 damsel and 2 frag, a zoo in the tank for about 10 days. b4 i add all this, the PH was about 8.0, also, i added 10 snails 2 days ago to eat the algea. is this the reason the ph went up?

also, i have a skimmer for about 2 weeks. b4 i have the skimmer, i jsut use a regular hang on the back filter to filter the water, and i did use tap water, but i added some water conditioner in it, this water conditioner claim can remove ammonia/nitrite/ nitrate from tap water, also i used some starter kit by Kent to speed up the cycle

thanks

jason
 

Deanos

Old School Reefer
Location
Bronx, NY 10475
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While some hydrometers are known for their inaccuracy, a salinity reading of 1.034 is something to be very concerned about. If possible, have it double-checked by a LFS using a more reliable method, i.e. a refractometer.
 

Deanos

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Bronx, NY 10475
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cali_reef said:
Deanos, I have not walked into a LFS in NY that uses a refratometer yet. The dudes at FT don't even know what it is.

Grrrr...that's true :grumpy:

Beefbroccoli, I'm sure some member from Queens, local to you, would gladly test your water :eek:
 
Location
Howell, NJ
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yea 1.024-1.026 is what u wanna shoot for.. if it really is 1.034 thats really high...

-ph is low at 8.0.or was it 8.4(which one u have both there)..
enough salt water changes can buffer the ph as well..

-dont use tap with that conditioner anymore.it makes ur life harder more work for no reason.lolz. get yourself a rodi unit off of ebay aquasafe is what alot of members here use...
 
Last edited:

herman

Moderator
Location
Weehawken, NJ
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Tonyscoots84 said:
yea 1.024-1.026 is what u wanna shoot for.. if it really is 1.034 thats really high...

-ph is low at 8.0.or was it 8.4(which one u have both there)..
enough salt water changes can buffer the ph as well..

-dont use tap with that conditioner anymore.it makes ur life harder more work for no reason.lolz. get yourself a rodi unit off of ebay aquasafe is what alot of members here use...

Tony when giving advice to people you have to remember that not all problems can be tackled by water changes. Not all problems are nitrates. And not everyone can get a RODI unit. The things are not cheap to begin with and not everyone can install therese things in their homes.

Important is to find the cause of the underlying problem and not cover it up with waterchanges etc.
 

Deanos

Old School Reefer
Location
Bronx, NY 10475
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In response to some of your other concerns, Beefbroccoli, remember that your tank is still maturing. Your sand/rock may not yet have developed enough, to begin reducing the nitrates generated by the tank's cycle. Various forms of algae blooms will be occuring in the early months of the tank's life. While frequent water changes will help combat the high nitrates, it does not solve the problem of an immature tank.
 

Deanos

Old School Reefer
Location
Bronx, NY 10475
Rating - 100%
194   0   0
hermangareis said:
And not everyone can get a RODI unit. The things are not cheap to begin with and not everyone can install therese things in their homes.

LOL....Tony's RO/DI unit still has that "new car smell"; it's around a month old.
 

jhale

ReefsMagazine!
Location
G.V NYC
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52   0   0
BB your tank would be the perfect candidate for real salt water :)

check out the catalina company,

http://www.catalinawater.com/

you can buy the water at petco.

I would do a complete water change with the natural sea water.
then for top off water to replace what evaporates, you could use poland spring distilled water, or great bear reverse osmosis bottled water.
this is not the best solution, but it may be eaiser than getting an ro/di unit.
 

cali_reef

Fish and Coral Killer
Rating - 97.3%
36   1   0
BB, Fish Town also sells the bottled salt water in 5 gallon pails if you want to go that route.

What brand\kind of skimmer are you using?

Nitrate at 30 can also mean you are at the end of your "cycle" and you just need to wait a few more days\week for it to drop, if everything else is okay.
 

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