got my refractometer/help me with it

[tax lady]

o.k., as per everyones suggestions I finally got a refractometer. If i did it correctly it measured 1.020 on the left side and 30 on the right side. In the meantime, have lost lots of stuff. My long tenacle polip and frogspawn fially hit the bucket. Can/t believe it but my olive snail, Steve even died this morning. Thin k all my candy corals are gone too. And

my beautiful open brain finally died all the way. So is this the cause? What do I do? How do I raise the sg? My lfs guy told me that I had lots of flow in my 24 gal aquapod., should I try to put more, If so, where and what>?? I know I have asked these questions before but really do not understand what you think I should do.?? Need help desperately befor I throw it all away. Oh, and brought water to lfs and he tested it and the nitrates were off the chart.but said that everything else was o.k. ph was low. 7.8. Apparently my test for nitrate is not accurate. Is there another kind that is better? After he told me about the nitrates I changed the 4 gallons water. got some more and will change 6 gallons tomorrow.
on a good note, things that survived and are still surviving are my nemos, diamond goby, lta, star polyps and yellow polyps, 1 large snail. Duncans are not looking good, but still alive.*even had a hermit crab kicked the bucket today, go figure. thought those were indestructible..
Any help would do me a world of good...
thanks,,,
audrey

 

[cedarreef]

well it sounds like there are a lot of things you need to do. first off, you need to raise the sg by either topping off with saltwater instead of fresh or mixing an extra salty refill after a water change. sg should be around 1.024. Next, add some pH buffer to raise your pH to some topoff or replacement water from the water change. Remember, always TEST FIRST. Don't just dump buffer and expect it to be perfect. I don't have any info about your flow so I can't help you there. Next, if your trates were "off the chart" that could have easily killed corals and inverts. I would try to find the cause of the problem as well as doing a good water change to try to save the rest of your livestock. I hope everything else stays fine. Hope this helped!

 

[posiden]

I think it sucks you have lost live stock. I think when this is all over you and your tank will be stronger. I would not throw it all out just yet, as long as you understand this will not just fix itself.
We need to figure out why your nitrates are so high. What does your test kit say against the stores test? What test kit do you have?
My refractometer told me to use distillied water to calibrate it. It needs to read zero with a pure water source. Do you use distilled or ro water? If you haven't zeroed it out then I would not trust that reading.
How are the rest of your water params.
Cal.
alk.
ect. What ever you have the tests for.
Oh yea, You must raise the salinity slowly. Too much will be just as bad as it being too low. It got low over a period of time and it needs to be raised over a period of time. I like to run mine at 1.025 to 1.026. Probily gonna take two to three weeks.

 

[tax lady]

Gonna give a good water change tomorrow. Also will try to raise the salt content. Now that I have a refractometer I can at least tell what it is. I had tried adding salt before when using the tester with the hand and it kept reading 1.022, but guess that was wrong.
a few days ago testing was like this
400 calcium
7.8 ph..can't seem to get that up... need advice on this.
nitrate said 2., but lfs had it off the charts when I brought sample. My test kit is Salifert. It uses 2 day powders. My lfs tested with his-was a liquid. I need to know what kind to buy.
nitrite 0
cant tell how to do the new test I bought, kh/alk and Ammonia.
I researched adv for 24 gallon Aquapod. It says 290 gph pump.
I will post tomorrow after I do water change. (Usually late when I get on here.).
Thanks for the info.

 

[cedarreef]

For the pH, get a buffer. Those are usually sold in LFS. Just go in and explain your problem. They should understand and get you what you need.

 

[posiden]

Originally Posted by Tax lady
http:///forum/post/3107590
Gonna give a good water change tomorrow. Also will try to raise the salt content. Now that I have a refractometer I can at least tell what it is. I had tried adding salt before when using the tester with the hand and it kept reading 1.022, but guess that was wrong.
a few days ago testing was like this
400 calcium
7.8 ph..can't seem to get that up... need advice on this.
nitrate said 2., but lfs had it off the charts when I brought sample. My test kit is Salifert. It uses 2 day powders. My lfs tested with his-was a liquid. I need to know what kind to buy.
nitrite 0
cant tell how to do the new test I bought, kh/alk and Ammonia.
I researched adv for 24 gallon Aquapod. It says 290 gph pump.
I will post tomorrow after I do water change. (Usually late when I get on here.).
Thanks for the info.

On your PH it could be a gas exchange issue.Not sure where you live but, about this time of year houses are all closed up with the AC going. Likewise in the winter(The heat is on) this will lead to an increase of carbon dioxide in your home. This will not allow sufficent oxygen into the tank and will cause a low PH. Another thing is simply photosynthisis. If you don't have enough going on in your tank it won't produce oxygen causing a low PH. This is just my first guess.
On your swingarm, it could be stuck or gummed up with crusties not allowing the arm to move freely. On top of the fact that they are pron to be inacurate.
As for the nitrates, Do you still run the foam block, bio balls, and the ceramic media that came with your aquapod? If so, how are you taking care of it?

 

[tax lady]

Swing arm is free, not clogged up. Just testing wrong. that is if I am doing the refractometer correctly.
No, took all that stuff out. I was reading on the Aquapod that if it is a marine tank, you should not use the (looks like little dog bones)..stuff. And the bio balls I did not know they were in there, took them out one day and was told that they are no good after they are out of the water for some time. Still have the 2 large foam things that does the filtering. When I change water i usually rinse one off in the bucket with the tank water.
Did not have time to do a water change today, but will do tomorrow. My frogspawn and long tenacle polyp died. don't know if I mentioned that or not.
will be back tomorrow with reading after a water change.

 

[tax lady]

Finally did water change.
here are the params
25 nitrates, (may be higher since my testing doesn't seem to agree with the lfs.
0 Ammonia
440 Calcium
8.0 Ph
0/0.25 Nitrite
sp 1.22on the swing arm thing
BUT with my new refractormeter it seems like 1.28 or 1.30.
Dont know how to work
Phosphate,,from Tropic Marine
Ah/Alk from salifert
Will someone help me or teach me how to work these?
Don't know how my tank is doing now since most everything died, as stated in last post.
Wht are your feelings and ideas on all this.??
Thanks for the input...
a

 

[tizzo]

All right, I'm skimming here, so I'm only gonna address what I feel should be your first priority... Salinity.
You gotta get that right first..
First, throw away that "swing arm thingy" AKA hydrometer. It's apparently useless.
Second, clean off the glass on your refractometer and remove any residual salt that was left from the last time you used it... Same with the little eye dropper thing you use to add water...
NOW test the salinity and tell us what you get.

 

[socalnano24]

FYI, I had a salinity crisis a few weeks ago. I accidentally added a fresh water water change instead of saltwater, (due to a mistake by the LFS water refill), anyways it dropped my SG to 1.020, two weeks later I'm just now getting it back up to 1.024, by adding saltwater instead of fresh from evaporation, and from doing two water changes since. It'll take time but you'll get it up eventuallly.

 

[socalnano24]

and I agree with Tizzo, make sure your refractometer is clean, rinse out the dropper, and make sure you look at a REALLY bright light when looking through it. ALSO insure no bubbles on the lens when the plastic is closed over the refractometer. Let us know what you get

 

[posiden]

Did you calibrate the refractometer? You never answered that Q eairlier. Yes I agree with the others we should get the salinity nailed down to a proper reading. Then we can correct it from there. This will take a couple of weeks to get it balanced out to the proper level.
As for the nitrates, From what you have said you don't have any current way of exporting them. We need to look at a way to export them that will suit you ie..macro algae, or media ect...
Oh, and please put in the 0 in your salinity readings. It looks to me at first glance that it is so high it will not support life. I know what you mean but it is confusing when it is read.

 

[tax lady]

Seems like the refractormeter was already calibrated when I got it. It looked like it was on 0. I did clean the glass and tube whenever I tested. As far as the bright light I will have to wait till tomorrow daytime to test again. Don't know if all refractometers are the same but it was hard to tell exactly where it read between the 1.030 and 1.020. looked like it was a little closer to the 1.030, so that is why I said it was 1.028.
Sorry about not putting the 0 in the number. I forget sometimes to do that.
I agree with you all that I need to address the salinity first. I dont' have much left in tank, but all but the duncans seems to be looking o.k. They never did get out and pretty like before.
what I have left are:
2 clowns
1 diam. goby
lta
a few hermits
a large snail and very few sm ones left
Sun Polyps
Star Polyps
some type of brown grass stuff..pretty though
pulsing zenia
some zos, although these are not looking real good either.
Tomorrow in daylight I will take readings again and post them here.
Thanks for the input.
a.

 

[posiden]

I here you on reading the refractometer, it is hard for me to read all the little lines.
The brown stuff, could we see a pic? Do you buy water from the LFS already ready to go in the tank? If so is it sea water?
I ask those questions cause I "think" the brown grass might be turff algae.

 

[tax lady]

Originally Posted by Posiden
http:///forum/post/3109980
I here you on reading the refractometer, it is hard for me to read all the little lines.
The brown stuff, could we see a pic? Do you buy water from the LFS already ready to go in the tank? If so is it sea water?
I ask those questions cause I "think" the brown grass might be turff algae.
No Posiden, it is not turf algae. I had bought it as a small frag. It is spreading and I love it. Forgot the name of it though.
I get water from my lfs and put in my own salt. I think it is RO. Sometimes when I can't make a trip there I will buy distilled water. Says on bottle that it is from RO.

 

[king_neptune]

Originally Posted by Tax lady
http:///forum/post/3109172
BUT with my new refractormeter it seems like 1.28 or 1.30.
the ocean is 1.026
your tank should come close to the ocean.
1.024 is too low
1.025 cool
1.026 is the baby bears bowl of porridge
A lot or people shoot for 1.025 because if water evaporates they have a buffer so it doesn't shoot past 1.026
I like this concept, it is a good one.

 

[posiden]

Originally Posted by Tax lady
http:///forum/post/3110119
No Posiden, it is not turf algae. I had bought it as a small frag. It is spreading and I love it. Forgot the name of it though.
I get water from my lfs and put in my own salt. I think it is RO. Sometimes when I can't make a trip there I will buy distilled water. Says on bottle that it is from RO.
Ok very well, it's not turff. I buy distilled water myself for my tank. There is something about the waste from an RO unit that I don't like. Oh yea, they waste water.
Originally Posted by King_Neptune
http:///forum/post/3110128
the ocean is 1.026
your tank should come close to the ocean.
Nep, I do believe salinity changes as too which ocean you are in reference too. They are not all at 1.026.

 

[tax lady]

Just changed some water again. SG is at 1.024 now with the refractometer. I will get it a little higher tomorrow. The tank is real clear, but don't know what is lurking in there to kill whatever I put in. I am afraid to buy anything for a while.

 

[posiden]

Originally Posted by Tax lady
http:///forum/post/3112374
Just changed some water again. SG is at 1.024 now with the refractometer. I will get it a little higher tomorrow. The tank is real clear, but don't know what is lurking in there to kill whatever I put in. I am afraid to buy anything for a while.
I would not put anything in for while either. Just let things get back to normal. You will have to suffer a set back if you will. I also would not try to increase the salinity tomorrow. That should be done slowly. If you are at 1.024 then give it a week to get the other .001 on the salinity.
Your at a point where I would start looking at what you are going to do for export of nutrients and what is causing the issue.

 

[tax lady]

Originally Posted by Posiden
http:///forum/post/3112384
I would not put anything in for while either. Just let things get back to normal. You will have to suffer a set back if you will. I also would not try to increase the salinity tomorrow. That should be done slowly. If you are at 1.024 then give it a week to get the other .001 on the salinity.
Your at a point where I would start looking at what you are going to do for export of nutrients and what is causing the issue.
What do you mean by "export of nutrients?"