Balance alk and Calc.

Boomer what would you suggest on getting SG up while not elevating the calcium and alk

 

man . boomer just spanked me!! i have not touched the tank in sometime now. it is over a year so not sure what cycle everyone keeps telling me that i missed. i do have a skimmer and have increased circulation by adding another power head. this has also helped to eliminate the skim on water surface. i can get the SG up by not adding any top off water until it is at 1.025 will that be ok? i dont want to add any saltwater unless told to do so by naut or you, AS I AM NOT TOUCHING THE TANK!!!!!! lol *rubs bum where boomer spanked*

and nitrates have come down to 0, but am sure they will go up again without water change, i have also only been feeding one flake per fish per day now for a week.

 

Your trates are coming from saltwater changes and over feeding that why it is 0 right now.

When you keep doing saltwater changes then this will interupt the first cycle and it starts again just after your watechanges so this is why we want you to leave it alone to settle down so then we can start anew the correct way.

A sump would help you out. do you use a 2 part additive cal alk ?
what were the compound additives you were using? sorry if posted already but it is bed time here and don't have time to search.

 

your ammonia is what now? if it is also 0 then cycle maybe over or tank is settling down.

let one of the power heads barely hit the surface to make small wave as this help the gases escape the tank

 

quick question what is the temp of your tank when taking sg readings and have you adjusted the scale for that? What device are you using to test sg?

And now to hijack the thread slightly: can someone tell me what magicly happens at 1.025 sg in a reef with fish tank? I have run different tanks at different sg and never saw anything that makes me say it has to be this number. Consitency and if any changes make them gradual has been more important then a magic number.

 

well i know my tank had cycled originally because it has been FOWLR for over a year and i did water changes 5gal every 2 weeks is all.  sometimes not even that often.  

i used a 2 part additive C-balance, but have not used any in a few weeks.  temp is 78-80 depeinding on time of day and how worm my house is.

i am going to make a sump real soon.  just trying to find out where to get the acrylic real cheap.  what is the difference with a tank that has a sump and one that does not?  if i had a 30 gal tank with a 20 gal sump then that is a 50 gal tank , relativly speaking.  now i have a 50gal and no sump.  i do have the power heads right at water surface doing a real good job too.

i use the plastic SG meaters that you buy anywhere.  nothing fancy, nothing expensive.

i doubt the acuracy of my amonia test though. i cant remeber the name of it, but it comes with the nitrate, nitrite, ph and amonia in one. has the little round viles with the white line on the middle of it to fill to, with the color cards. every test i have ever done, weather fresh water, salt water, newly mixed salt water, or saltwater in tank. usually the test is always .25. never have i seen it at 0 EVER.

i think i answered the questions.

 

when you test your saltwater for ammonia the tes comes out cloudy doesn't it? It sounds like tha aquarium farms kit we use at the stroe and if it is that one, every salt water ammonia test clouds up and sometimes lokks a different color then what the true zero is. I use the dry tab kit and like it much better.

 

yea thats the one i have and yes it comes out cloudy.. real cloudy. ill go pick up some dry tab tests. i actually might have some laying around. this kit is mainly convience.

 

I know that if cost is a factor a 20 gallon tank for a sump may be cheaper than making one out of acyrlic. most of the time you can get them for 20 bucks at petsmart.
Sump are for some filtering and a way to hide your equipment and will give you more water mass which IMO is better to have, You can also add a mini refugium in the sump if you wish.

 

oh those swing arm SG testers are cr@p. mine said 1.023 when the real reading was 1.025.