First Measurements... are these OK?

[vwbortoni]

I bought a 55 gal setup from someone in my area. It came with 1 hippo tang, 3 shrimp, and some hermits.
He also gave me all his live rock (~50 #) and all his stuff.
I also got a 29 gal QT. Anyway, in the transfer accross town I couldn't get enough water to set up the 55 so I set up the 29 with a canister filter. It's been 3 days and now did some tests using stuff he had given me.
This is what I got:
ph 8.4
Sal: 1.0255
Amonia: 0
Nitrates ?
Nitrite ?
I don't know the last 2 'cause I didn't get stuff to test that. I'll buy that and some more RO water tomorrow.
Are the values for ph and sal too high? I think I need to top off, but what about ph?
I hope everything is ok.

 

[vwbortoni]

bumpy

 

[greatfullreefer]

First of, Welcome to the board
A couple of questions. How long have you had the tank set up? Did you use the original water from your friends tank? Additionally i will be the first to say (before the tang police get here) Having a hippo Tang in a 55 is like stuffing a dog in a hamster cage and expecting it to be happy and live a full life. Please if you have any love or compassion, find a new home or get at least a 100 gallon tank.:yes:

 

[vwbortoni]

All but 10 gallons were the original water. The 10 I got from the LFS (saltwater). I've had the tank for 4 days now.
I know about the tang police... the little guy appears ok for now. He's always lived in the 55 (5 years now according to the owner).
I'm going to keep him, since I hope to upgrade my tank in not too long.
I'm curious, is there a relationship between salinity and PH? I'm sure there is. I'm guessing that after I top off, my PH would come down a bit (along with my sal.). Is this correct?

 

[greatfullreefer]

Your PH and Salinity are fine if your tank temp is near 80%. Im sure you already know this but top off water for evaporation has to be fresh water as water evaporates but salt remains in the tank.
I just reread your innitial thread, You only have the 29 set up? Do you have all the mentioned livestock in the 29? or is it still in the 55 at your friends house?
If you dont have enough established water to fill the 55 and have to make new saltwater you will have to cycle the tank, which usually takes 4 - 6 weeks. Do not add any fish or inverts during the cycle.
If you were already aware of this i appologize for my rambling, but better safe than sorry.

 

[vwbortoni]

Originally posted by GreatfullReefer
Your PH and Salinity are fine if your tank temp is near 80%. Im sure you already know this but top off water for evaporation has to be fresh water as water evaporates but salt remains in the tank.
I just reread your innitial thread, You only have the 29 set up? Do you have all the mentioned livestock in the 29? or is it still in the 55 at your friends house?
If you dont have enough established water to fill the 55 and have to make new saltwater you will have to cycle the tank, which usually takes 4 - 6 weeks. Do not add any fish or inverts during the cycle.
If you were already aware of this i appologize for my rambling, but better safe than sorry.
My Temp was ~ 77 deg. I have the 29 set up, the 55 is empty in my living room!

I may fill it and set up most of my live rock in it as well as all the live sand I got. Hopefully this weekend. I was planning to let it cycle, although I hope it won't take that long since the rock and sand are fully cured. Anyway, I'll test every few days before I put anything in.
What about the relationship between PH and sal... is there one? How does PH vary with temp? I haven't put the heater in... should I? I live in South Florida and it's summer... but I do have the AC on most of the time.

 

[greatfullreefer]

If your temp is 77 then your salinity may be a tad high..most on the board keep it at 79 - 81 degrees. Temperature fluctuation will kill fish, i would suggest adding a heater to bring it up a couple of degrees and continue to use the AC.
You will need to cycle the tank if the rock and sand is cured you still need to kick start the cycle(try adding a raw coctail shrimp for humain reasons) You already have established bacteria within your rocks and sand which is a good thing, it will speed up the cycle. Adding the coctail shrimp will create ammonia which is imperetive to start the cycle. I believe 2 weeks and your levels should be down and you can add your livestock. Dont add too much at once or you will experience another ammonia spike which in turn may kill your fish.
PH and Salinity are not connected. 8.4 is fine. Try checking it in the morning and at night before the lights turn off and see if there is any fluctuation.
Never be afraid to ask questions on the board even if they seem trivial. We are all here to help.
Good luck