Nano chemistry questions

[Strad12]

Hi all,

Got a few questions for how I can remedy some chemical imbalances in my 12 gallon nano reef.

First, parameters:
Ca: 500
Mg: 1550
Alk: 7.3
Salinity: 1.025
Phosphate: .18
Nitrate: 30-40

1. Low pH
the pH consistently is between 7.9 to 8.0
I'm dosing Tropic Marin All-For-Reef, and in an effort to keep my tank as simple as possible, I'm not super interested in adding more chemicals to my dosing regimen. I have 2 clown fish and a shrimp goby in the tank, which probably accounts for a fair amount of CO2 production.

2. Zero trace elements
I sent an ICP test to Fauna Marin a week ago and just got the results. They marked "n.n." (which I assume means 0) for Manganese, Iron, Chrome, Cobalt. Molybdneum, Nickel, and Vanadium were also below the recommended range. Major elements all tested high (calcium, magnesium, boron, sulfur, and strontium), possibly as a result of high salinity, or that my dosing pump was accidentally adding too much AFR for about a week or two, boosting levels of everything. Potassium, Bromine, and Iodine within the recommended range. No elements were considerably outside of the recommended range, just a little high.

3. High Tin reading
Tin tested as 13.54 µg, slightly higher than the >10 that is recommended

The corals all seem happy and are doing well (I lost one Millipora last week, and a pink lemonade frag shed some skin, but it has since stabilized), although I would like it better if they grew faster. I'm wondering if I should maintain my current maintenance of biweekly 10% water changes and AFR dosing, or if I should pick up the K+ and A- trace elements solutions from Tropic Marin to give those trace elements a boost and then let the AFR maintain the replenished levels.

My ideas to raise the pH are to install a refugium in the back chamber of my AIO and run the lights either 24 hours per day, or opposite of my current light cycle. I was also considering buying an airstone and connecting it to a CO2 scrubber and leaving it in one of the back chambers to dissolve some more O2 into the water and hopefully bring the pH up. I don't run a protein skimmer on my tank.

My questions are as follows:
How much of a pH boost can I expect from a refugium? The middle rear chamber houses about a gallon of water.
Should I boost those low trace element values or leave them alone?
Does the airstone with CO2 scrubber sound like overkill for correcting pH?
Would it be better for my system to start with a refugium since it will lower some of those nutrient levels as well?

 

[xxkenny90xx]

If your corals are happy then you are fine! Personally for a tank that small I wouldn't dose anything. Large weekly water changes with a quality reef salt should keep everything in balance

 

[WV Reefer]

^1
totally agree with the above.

I think you are doing too much. In most nanos water changes are all you need. As for ph, I wouldn’t chase a “better” number.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I'd personally start with some trace element dosing. pH 7.9-8.0 is OK.

I doubt that level of tin is a substantial concern. I'd just watch to be sure it does rise.

Is that high magnesium intentional?

 

[Nano sapiens]

Curious what salt are you using? As mentioned above, water changes of 10% biweekly should be sufficient to provide trace elements (I do 5% biweekly (10%/wk), on the same sized aquarium and ICP testing showed no deficiencies of any concern). Higher Tin levels seem to be quite common for reef systems in the US (mine was somewhat high, too), but I don't know how high it would have to be, to be an issue.

I personally wouldn't worry about 7.9 - 8.0 pH. My system runs around 8.2 - 8.4 pH, but that's due to using Kalkwasser.

Looks like your corals are doing well, so you could just carry on as is. If you feel like tinkering, you could lower Mg, PO4 and NO3 to more reef-normal levels.

 

[Strad12]

I'd personally start with some trace element dosing. pH 7.9-8.0 is OK.

I doubt that level of tin is a substantial concern. I'd just watch to be sure it does rise.

Is that high magnesium intentional?

The elevated magnesium and calcium is from my own error in calculating the dosage amount. I'm letting it go down slowly.

 

[Strad12]

Curious what salt are you using? As mentioned above, water changes of 10% biweekly should be sufficient to provide trace elements (I do 5% biweekly (10%/wk), on the same sized aquarium and ICP testing showed no deficiencies of any concern). Higher Tin levels seem to be quite common for reef systems in the US (mine was somewhat high, too), but I don't know how high it would have to be, to be an issue.

I personally wouldn't worry about 7.9 - 8.0 pH. My system runs around 8.2 - 8.4 pH, but that's due to using Kalkwasser.

Looks like your corals are doing well, so you could just carry on as is. If you feel like tinkering, you could lower Mg, PO4 and NO3 to more reef-normal levels.

I was using Instant Ocean Reef Crystals, but I recently switched to Tropic Marin Pro Reef since it has a lower alkalinity and seems to be of a higher purity and quality. I was running the tank as an LPS dominated for around 2 years with a 20% weekly water change of reef crystals, but I've since decided to focus more on SPS and Acropora specifically, which is why I'm trying to mitigate alk spikes from water changes.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I was using Instant Ocean Reef Crystals, but I recently switched to Tropic Marin Pro Reef since it has a lower alkalinity and seems to be of a higher purity and quality.

What is "higher purity and quality" about it?

 

[Strad12]

No residue or crust in at the bottom of the mixing jugs

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

No residue or crust in at the bottom of the mixing jugs

OK, but that is not an indication of impurity or quality. It happens with high alkalinity salt mixes. The high alkalinity and pH drives precipitation of calcium carbonate.

 

[Strad12]

I had no idea. Thanks for the info.

I was feeding my corals today and noticed that my AquaVitro Fuel has a lot of the trace elements that my water is lacking. Should I start dosing a little Fuel (like 1-2mL) every day with the fish and coral food to boost some of those trace element levels?

 

[Strad12]

Just wanted to update the thread. I installed a BRS Co2 scrubber run off of a Cobalt rescue pump and a lime wood airstone into the back chamber of my AIO earlier this afternoon to hopefully boost the pH. I'll probably make a build thread for my tank while I'm at it and post some more more detailed photos. Thanks everyone for the help and friendly advice.

 

[blasterman]

I hate to be buzzkill, but you will not keep successfull SPS in a 12gal with nitrate levels at 30-40 and phosphate pushing .2

Unless that tank is many years old and you have large mature corals they will eventually RTN or you will start fighting annoying algae blooms.

My suggestion is to stop fussing with flat earth trace element nonsense and get those nutrients under control if you want to keep the SPS that you have.

Salt mixes dont have any standard of trace elements and the industry cant agree what to define as a trace element. I am a bit perplexed that high nitrate and phosphate reading in such a small tank doesn't get more comments.

 

[Strad12]

the tank is just under 6 years old. I've had a Monti and birds nest colony that have been growing in there for the last 3 years, even through periods of neglect. There isn't any algae in the main display, thus no competition for available nutrients in the water.