I Need Help With Water Conditions

[Jasontkd]

Hey everyone, I need a lot of help. i am brand new to this whole reef aquarium thing. I am not really sure how to take care of my water conditons. I currently just have a small 10 g with some damsels, 4 lbs live rock, and an external filter. I checked the water quality, and the pH is high, and I really don't know what to do about it. Truthfully, i can test the water, but I don't know what any of it means or what to do and how to fix it. i am in the process of buying a large tank, but I am new and need help.

[ErinGoBragh]

How high is your PH, and when do you check it?

[Geoff]

pH changes throughout the day. low in the morning high right before the lights go off. as long as it is below 8.6 you are fine. are you adding additves? you prolly do not need to if you are. how often do you do water changes?

G~

[Jasontkd]

I just got the tank about a week ago, and haven't done any water changes yet. I don't put any additives in, i am just in the dark about the whole thing. i checked it this morning right after i turned the lights on, and it read as high as it could on the little strips that I used.

[reefBoyDc]

What type of strips are you using? Those Quick dips?

Make sure you are reading the correct scale. Sometimes, there's one for freshwater and one for saltwater. What looks like high pH on the freshwater scale is actually low pH on the SW. In my short but intense experience, I've found it harder to maintain high pH than low pH. I'm always doing stuff to BOOST my pH.

[ErinGoBragh]

Originally Posted by Jasontkd

I just got the tank about a week ago, and haven't done any water changes yet. I don't put any additives in, i am just in the dark about the whole thing. i checked it this morning right after i turned the lights on, and it read as high as it could on the little strips that I used.

since you haven't given a PH number yet, I have to ask the bonehead question first~ what test kit are you using, and are you sure it is for saltwater tanks?

also, What did you use to fill the tank in the first place, RO-DI water or tap water? If you used tap water it may have something to do with it, and you run a good chance of having a tank full of pea soup like mine in the near future.


On a side note, I am fairly new as well, and had I found this site before I bought the tank I would have saved myself a ton headaches. Definetly ask here before you put anything in your tank, also, when your lfs tells you something, check and see if everyone here concurrs (sp?). I was definetly steered in the wrong direction by my lfs and am paying the price now.

[Jasontkd]

I bought a 5-in-1 saltwater quick dip test strip kit. i used pre-mixed salt water that I bought from the store so it would be easier and I could set the tank up quicker. I also bout cured rock from the store.

[reefBoyDc]

I've got those 5-in-1 strips. I use them for my FW tank. I just dipped one in my reef. The result for pH is bright pink [ 8.8 = too high]. My Pinpoint pH monitor reads 8.2.

My advice is, get a better pH test, this one is off.

[my_gs_miranda]

Originally Posted by ErinGoBragh

since you haven't given a PH number yet, I have to ask the bonehead question first~ what test kit are you using, and are you sure it is for saltwater tanks?

also, What did you use to fill the tank in the first place, RO-DI water or tap water? If you used tap water it may have something to do with it, and you run a good chance of having a tank full of pea soup like mine in the near future.


On a side note, I am fairly new as well, and had I found this site before I bought the tank I would have saved myself a ton headaches. Definetly ask here before you put anything in your tank, also, when your lfs tells you something, check and see if everyone here concurrs (sp?). I was definetly steered in the wrong direction by my lfs and am paying the price now.

Question on the pea soup!what did you do to releavate the problem?we have had a looks like i'd say full bloom alaage problem in our tank

[ErinGoBragh]

Originally Posted by my_gs_miranda

Question on the pea soup!what did you do to releavate the problem?we have had a looks like i'd say full bloom alaage problem in our tank

20% water changes weekly, added a redneck 2 liter bottle skimmer with a real one on the way, lights on only 4 hours a day, and switched to RO water for changes and top off's.

And its still a problem.

you can check here:
http://thereeftank.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47073

and these:
http://thereeftank.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48305
http://thereeftank.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49107