please let me know if this is okay :D

[chridijon]

hello,
i guess i could say i am a newbie, but i think i know just enough to keep me in trouble here are my testing results can you all tell me if they seem okay and if any of them i really dont need to test somethings. thanx in advance

SG - 1.024
Ph - 8.4
Iodide - 0.04 / 0.05 ppm
Iodate - 0.00 ppm
Nitrite - 0.1 ppm
Nitrate - 5 ppm
Alk - 170 ppm
Phophate 2.5 ppm
Magnesium 1290 ppm
Iron (Non-Chelated) - 0.00 ppm
Tron (Chelated) - 0.00 ppm
Calcium - 810 ppm

i have quite a few stoney frags , like 40, in the tank and 11 fish, i can list them all if you all want me to i also have a Ritteri aneome but he doesnt look so good, he looks real stringy on his teneticals but my Ocerillis clwons are still hosting in him ATM. my bigest concern is the anenome. i put him in a kinda high flow area with good light, 2 - 150W 14kMH bulbs and 2 96w atitics, but he moved over to a higher flow area under a rock so he is shaded now thanx again fo any info.
chris

[jenajet]

Welcome to TRT! I hardly test anymore so I would have to look most of that up. I am sure the ones that do test alot will chime in. I don't see an ammonia or sg reading(really main things I test) How old is your tank? Wondering why you have a trite and trate reading.

[chridijon]

the tank is about 6 months old i believe.

also here are some specs:

180 gal 4' x 3' x 2.5' high
40 gal sump with lots of macro algea and 9 mangrove trees in it. fed with a float from my RO filter.
corallife 220 gal needlewheel skimmer
Seaquence Reeflo Wahoo pump putting out around 1200 gph
40 lbs of seafloor special sand in tank and 50 or 60 lbs of sand in sump
about 200lbs of live Hatian rock

here is a bad pic hoping to make camera take better pics, cause you know it aint my fault last pic is sideways....opps sorry

[DevilBoy]

your trites are high should be zero
phosphates are too high should be closer to zero
magnesium is alittle low should be around 1350
calcium is way too high. 400 - 440 is normal


hth....

[Loverotties]

The big problem is your nitrites,you mite have some ammonia too!

[Geoff]

Welcome to TRT!!!



ok, what on earth are you adding to your tank? how did you get your Ca up above 800.

nitrates of 5 are nothing to worry about. why are you testing for iodine? how are you testing for phosphates, and what test kit are you using?

if you are getting any phosphates than this is a problem.

i also think that your skimmer is a bit small for your system.

what are you feeding your tank? how often do you feed?

G~

[Wiskey]

I agree with Geoff, I'm not so worried about your Nitrates, but those phosphates are quite high.

Welcome to TRT!

Whiskey

[Hardhead Cat]

Phosphates are too high, so is the calcium and your nitrates should be zero. You can run phosphate removers but you probably should get to the bottom of why it's high in the first place - caused by non-RO water, overfeeding, phyto overfeeding, etc.

Welcome to TRT!

HHC

[chridijon]

Originally Posted by Geoff

Welcome to TRT!!!



ok, what on earth are you adding to your tank? how did you get your Ca up above 800.

nitrates of 5 are nothing to worry about. why are you testing for iodine? how are you testing for phosphates, and what test kit are you using?

if you are getting any phosphates than this is a problem.

i also think that your skimmer is a bit small for your system.

what are you feeding your tank? how often do you feed?

G~

Calcium is probly from calcium +3, and reef esentials, have stopped adding both for the time being

testing for iodine cuse i read things need it. assume waste of time now

i use Hagen test kits, thats where my results came from, except for the Magnezium and Iodine they are Salifert

i feed Reef Chili about every other night at around 4am, i work nights,
every day i feed a pinch of 3 different dry foods and about 1/2 and ice cube of all combined (brine, myisis shrimp, and 2 other frozen foods) , also has paraGarlic in it also.

[jenajet]

I would cut the feeding back to every 3 days. What kind of salt mix do you use and how often do you do water changes. What inhabitants as far as corals? Unless you have alot of sps or clams you probably dont need to add anything. Keeping up with waterchanges will replenish things. This is why I said I hardly test. I do not add additives so I only test for ammonia and my sg maybe once a month. I used to test everything under the sun but nothing really ever changed because I don't dose. The reason I ask about the type of salt is that some salts are higher in calcium and don't need extra calcium added.

[chridijon]

ok well i just got done with a 10% water change. i hope that helps fix my problem a little ill test it later tonite

the salt i use is Tropic Marin. i like it cause it lists everything in it

here is my corals, long list:

pink stylo
blue acro
yellow tort
birdsnest
bali green slimer
ora green milli
plating acro
ora green poci
montipora confusia
green bubble coral
ranbow and a pink acan enchinata
red montipora digitata
acupora humilis
scarlet sea rod
sea pen - doesnt look good
diplostrea helepora
2 green candycane aka trumpet coral
blue acupora millipora
encrusting gargonian
gonipora
echinophy
blasto wellsi
plerogyra sinuosa
frog spawn
blasto merleti
and 3 other acros
condy anenome
ritteri aneome- its melting right now so soon will be off the list
toadstool leather

here is fish and shrimp:
dragon goby
orange shoulder tang
2 fire fish
2 ocerillis clowns
rainford goby
clown fairy wrasse
foxface
lawnmower benny
flame angel
sea hare
coral banded shrimp
a hitchiker crab in and acro
4 Stomatella varia
LOTS of snails all are Cerith sp. snails , Nassarius Snail , and ILyanassa Obsoleta

[jenajet]

I would start making up water to do a larger water change. The anemones prefer more mature tanks but I would guess it is the ammonia and phosphate. Are you running carbon or phosban? I would do both along with cutting back on the feedings. Once you get the calcium down I would do checks on it often. You do have alot of corals and may use it up more than you can replace with the waterchange but that can be dealt with once the numbers are more stabile. Mostly bumping for ya so the real pro's can chime in. I don't have to do alot with chemistry of the water so I am not the best to advise on this. I love the tank and sounds like you got a lot of stuff in there cant wait for closeups.

[chridijon]

well i did the water change and tested my water. and now i am SCARED !!!!!!!!!!!11

test results:

SG - 1.024
PH - 8.3
Cal - 760ppm down 50ppm
Nitrite - 0.1 same
Nitrate - less than 5 was a solid 5 before
Alk - 170mg/L same and can someone PLEASE tell me how to convert this to dkH please
Phosphate 2.5 same
Ammonia - 0.25 and yes i am terrified

[AdamG]

do you detox your water or use RO water for you new batches of water?
maybe your tap water has a high ammonia content

[chridijon]

i tested my tap water prior to mixing the salt. and i guess i am lucky in that area. 0 ammonia, 0 phosphate and 0 nitrate. i am thinking of going and buying the Kent Ammonia Detox stuff tommorow as well and charcol and ammonia reducing pellets.