Tank Cycled Yet? Are the Diatoms causing calcium depleation?

This seems like very good advice, would you reccomend a particular product to increase the calcium and magnesium etc?

 

I done this cycle on my 265g and it worked great. It seemed like forever but at least I can say there has been no algae problems what so ever and it is going on month 7. I still have my little yellow tail in there and he comes out at feeding time and then he is pretty much gone the rest of the time.
There are many ways to get Ca up, two part solutions, dripping Kalk, or reactors. It is really your choice on how you want to do it. Do you want it automated or done manually and finally how much $$$$ do you have?

 

Well i would be lying if i said i had alot of free cash at the moment lol, so much has just gone on what i have here already.
But obviously if needed i will find the money, otherwise i fear i will just end up killing things, the live rock mainly which will mean an utter waste of money.I do like the idea of a reactor, i think though at the moment i shall have to stick with solutions until i am a bit more flush lol.

Also is it possible to use a skimmer designed for a bbigger tank with one as small as mine? Is there any harm just fitting it up, letting it skim for a few hours and then removing it? Or is this the sdort of thing that really needs to be happenning all the time.

 

For Calcium get your self a bag of snow melt flakes aka calcium chloride and for the buffer make your own mix 4 parts arm and hammer baking soda with 1 part Boraxo 20 mule team laundry booster and mix them well and use just as you do Kent's supper reef buffer or sea chems reef complete stuff And if you need to bump the PH up just add a 1/2 cup of arm and hammer washing soda to the mix. But unless the tank is older or you have a falling P.H problem then the washing soda is not really needed. If you can fit the skimmer in the system it will work just slow it down if necessary to get it adjusted.

 

You might want to test the levels of Magnesium in your water. It has a stabilizing effect on Calcium in a salt water aquarium. If it's on the low side, it's easier to precipitate calcium out of solution, and that may be what's driving your Ca and Alk levels down. It also might be the culprit in the death of your crab, which is what got me thinking along these lines.

From Chemistry and the Aquarium

For now, I would get Kalk, possibly a magnesium supplement, (think small if you plan on doing regular water changes after things stabilize) and an Mg test kit. The Mg tests are a pain in how precise they are, (mine came with a medical syringe!) but I HIGHLY recommend the Red Sea series of test kits as far as design and simplicity.

I agree on the water change advice though... I would avoid changing water until your cycle is well underway, and just use top ups and supplements for now.

As for the use of the Mg test kit later: if you have any of a variety of molting organisms, (this may be what killed the crabbie) maintaining proper Mg levels will help them molt successfully and rebuild their skeleton afterward. It's VERY important if you plan on keeping shrimp, so whatever you get now won't go to waste later. Stony corals also benefit from proper Mg levels, though if you're rigorous about water changes, that won't ever become a problem normally. Every salt supplement on the market (that you should be using anyway) will contain Mg in proper doses. Mg supplementation will however, help you stretch the time between water changes.

 

I am following Tangster's method of cycling right now and it's working wonderfully! So far, not one bit of algae in my 210 gallon tank and all looks great. Go slow....follow Tangsters cycling schedule. One step at a time. In between steps, you can save your $$$ for the equipment and supplies you'll need. Setting up and maintaining a SW tank can be very costly so be prepared! Good luck and welcome to 3reef. Kas

 

Don't do water changes during the cycle. But you can top off what you lose from evaporation. Reminder: salt doesn't evaporate, so top off water doesn't get any salt added. You can add magnesium/calcium to this water if needed.

Welcome to 3reef. These folks rock!