Aquarium Chemistry Question? Ask the Doctor!

[beesnreefs]

What parameters do you recommend routinely testing in a mixed reef with fish? On what sort of schedule (daily/weekly/monthly/something else)?

Newish reefer. I've read some of your articles on water chemistry and am grateful for the work you are doing to help us all be better reefers. Appreciate you, @Randy Holmes-Farley!

Apologies if you've covered this somewhere and I just couldn't find it. Currently, I test my water weekly during weekend maintenance. Using Aquaforest's Component 1+ 2+ 3+ and doing the Balling method.

I test the following each week:

1. Salinity (using a refractometer)
2. pH (API)
3. Alkalinity (Hanna checker)
4. Calcium (Hanna checker)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

pH and calcium can be tested less frequently than that. The others seem good.

Occasionally testing nitrate and phosphate can be useful.

Nothing else is critical, IMO.

 

[beesnreefs]

pH and calcium can be tested less frequently than that. The others seem good.

Occasionally testing nitrate and phosphate can be useful.

Nothing else is critical, IMO.

Thank you!

 

[Futuretotm]

Howdy experts. Please give my ICP a look over.

Only thing that catches my eye is the Zinc, Lithium, Aluminum - I threw in Cuprisorb, will this be enough?
Is this due to something rusting?

Others ie: Sulphur, Bromine, etc might be high due to my salt mix Reef Crystals
Iodine is high, but thats my fault, blind dosed Betadine...

Anything jump out at you?
SPS: some happy and growing, others not even showing PE
LPS: some happy some not
Zoas: multiplying like rabbits

 

[dvgyfresh]

I need help on what to do ... I had a couple aptasia and I think I went a little overboard with lime juice , my ph is usually a around 8-8.2 but after killing some aptasia with lime juice and checking my ph it was 7.6 -7.4 any tips to bring PH back up? Should I increase alk / Calc? Or would a water change clear things up? It is a 40 gal tank

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

You literally used lime juice? Not "limewater" which raises pH?

I would wait a day or two then measure alkalinity and pH to see if there is anything you need to do.

 

[dvgyfresh]

You literally used lime juice? Not "limewater" which raises pH?

I would wait a day or two then measure alkalinity and pH to see if there is anything you need to do.

I literally used juice lol from a lime. My ph is a bit better now at 7.8 I would still like a little higher and alk is at 9.8

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I literally used juice lol from a lime. My ph is a bit better now at 7.8 I would still like a little higher and alk is at 9.8

The pH is controlled by the CO2 level in the water and the alkalinity. The CO2 level in the water is often strongly impacted by the CO2 level in the air surrounding the tank. pH 7.8 (as a daily low) is OK, but if you want it higher, you need to act to lower the CO2 level, which can be accomplished in a variety of ways, such as opening windows in the room, an outside air line to a skimmer intake, a CO2 scrubber on a skimmer intake, more photosynthesis in the tank (like with a lit refugium) or using very high pH alkalinity additive when you need alkalinity (you do not, at the moment).

This has more:

pH And The Reef Aquarium
http://www.reefedition.com/ph-and-the-reef-aquarium/

 

[Futuretotm]

Howdy experts. Please give my ICP a look over.

Only thing that catches my eye is the Zinc, Lithium, Aluminum - I threw in Cuprisorb, will this be enough?
Is this due to something rusting?

Others ie: Sulphur, Bromine, etc might be high due to my salt mix Reef Crystals
Iodine is high, but thats my fault, blind dosed Betadine...

Anything jump out at you?
SPS: some happy and growing, others not even showing PE
LPS: some happy some not
Zoas: multiplying like rabbits

Anyone, thank you again.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Anyone, thank you again.

FWIW, this is not really the best place to post questions. It works far better to start a new thread for each question.

Lithium is often elevated and is no concern.

Your aluminum level is not high enough, IMO, to be a concern. In my tests it too hundreds of ppb to start having issues. Unless you have issues with leather corals being closed up, I'd ignore it too.

Zinc is fairly high. Do you dose any trace elements? Any metal parts of any kind in the water or above it that might get wet with condensation?

 

[Futuretotm]

FWIW, this is not really the best place to post questions. It works far better to start a new thread for each question.

Lithium is often elevated and is no concern.

Your aluminum level is not high enough, IMO, to be a concern. In my tests it too hundreds of ppb to start having issues. Unless you have issues with leather corals being closed up, I'd ignore it too.

Zinc is fairly high. Do you dose any trace elements? Any metal parts of any kind in the water or above it that might get wet with condensation?

no dosing, my ats LED has a painted metal base which is showing some rust (but I thought GFO = rust) I will paint it over. Will cuprisorb pick it up?

Again thank you @Randy Holmes-Farley

 

[Garf]

no dosing, my ats LED has a painted metal base which is showing some rust (but I thought GFO = rust) I will paint it over. Will cuprisorb pick it up?

Again thank you @Randy Holmes-Farley

what the heck is that doing in the water? I assume a none event.

 

[Futuretotm]

what the heck is that doing in the water? I assume a none event.

it’s close to the water line

 

[SeeFu]

I've noticed that after about 5 months of using kwalkwasser, the bottom of my ato has a layer of while sludge. I'm assuming this is just unmixed kwalkwasser? If I were to just add rodi water into my container w/o the addition of new kwalkwasser, will that old stuff get mixed up? What should I do w/ that build up if anything?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I've noticed that after about 5 months of using kwalkwasser, the bottom of my ato has a layer of while sludge. I'm assuming this is just unmixed kwalkwasser? If I were to just add rodi water into my container w/o the addition of new kwalkwasser, will that old stuff get mixed up? What should I do w/ that build up if anything?

It will be undissolved calcium hydroxide, and useless/undissolvable calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide.

I cleaned mine out less than once a year.

 

[Damdeno]

Not sure if this question has been asked before but is there a possibility I could negatively Affect my tank if I choose to dose soda ash since my tanks dkh and ph have been relatively low lately
dkh 7.4
ph 7.8≈
- Hector

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Not sure if this question has been asked before but is there a possibility I could negatively Affect my tank if I choose to dose soda ash since my tanks dkh and ph have been relatively low lately
dkh 7.4
ph 7.8≈
- Hector

That will be fine.

I discuss alkalinity and calcium dosing options here:

The Many Methods for Supplementing Calcium and Alkalinity - REEFEDITION

 

[Jenbob]

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Thanks!

Need help y’all I keep getting g different answers I have a lot of hair algae what should my parameters be I was told to keep phosphate at .5. What about nitrates ?
and I think I have some dynos my tank was great then something g happened ? Help

 

[mattgsa]

Question. I have a 300 gallon aquarium, and I can't get my nitrates above two. I have my Neptune DOS set to dos 600 mls of sodium nitrate, even after that my test came out to 2. Here is a picture

Other than filter socks, and live rock there is really no filtration in place. I have a skimmer but it is turned off, and I only clean the sock when they start over flowing. I do have one marine pure block in the sump.

 

[Lp1977]

Have you tried another test kit for comparison? That sure seems like a lot to me. Maybe your not mixing a strong enough solution? I started using ESV Bionic Nitrate and love it. I hated trying to find the right mix ratio for powdered solutions.