Grrr... new tank, new water

leopard_babe

leopard_babe

Active Member
So I filled my new tank with r/o water with added satl/let the filters run. I tested the ph alk, and salinity (i am working on refractometer, one new investment at a time) here it goes
ph 8.0
salinity 1.021
alk low
So If I add more salty water to my tank and bring the salinity to 1.023, which was where I used to keep it, that will bring the ph up and the alk... right......
I never used ro water to fill my tank. I never had a problem with ph when I filled my other tanks. lol
Thanks
 
mr. limpid

mr. limpid

Active Member
It depends on the salt mix you are using. Some are better than others for added buffers. And yes if you add more salt than you are adding more buffers. Yes work on getting that refractor best investment I ever made. My old swing arm was 3 points off. Also RO water has diff. readings depends on the system it was made from and often the filters are changed. They have a TDS meter for measuring the amount of disolved minerals in the water, 0 reading is perfect. Good luck you are on the right track, testing your water, using RO and getting a refractor.
 
leopard_babe

leopard_babe

Active Member
Yeah getting back into the hobby was not as expensive as getting into it. Right now I am buying what I need to get started. lol
i am using instant ocean. I will mix more and see what I can do.
thanks
 
aztec reef

aztec reef

Active Member
Ma, forget about alk,ph, parameters for now .. First you want to cycle your tank, which takes about 3-4 weeks, in the meantime check for Ammonia ,Nitrites,Nitrates.
your tank will be cycled when ammonia reads 0ppm.. Heres when u start the weekly water-change rituals and start tweaking the rest of parameters..
As a side note: don't fall into the bad habit of singleling out parameters. Just keep up with the ro waterchanges @(1.024-1.026) and everything should fall into the chemistry balance..
Hydrometers just reads inaccuratly 2-3 points Lower than a refracto.
So you're actually alright in salinity as of now..(assuming you're using a Hydro
)
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
+1 with just testing for the ammonia, nitrites and nitrates for now. Don't get hung up on the Ph and Alk at this point, it will balance out. The thing I am not sure of is the "Hydrometers just reads inaccuratly 2-3 points Lower than a refracto" statement.
I would take a sample of water to a LFS that can test it with a refractometer for you to get a good reading.
JMO
 
leopard_babe

leopard_babe

Active Member
I added my liverock yesterday from SWF. I have 3 large beautiful pieces of rock. I never cycled any of my tanks that way so I was worried about the waer parameters harming the beneficial bacteria on the rock. I have a "glass floating hydrometer".
I had to get some supplies from the lfs and they checked my levels.
Thanks for the help. I want to do everything right this time from the start. LOL
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Pictures Pictures Please oh Please!!
Hey what city in Michigan anyway? What LFS do you go to?
 
leopard_babe

leopard_babe

Active Member
I have a thread with pix. Called from start till...
I live Downriver, Woodhaven at the moment. I usually go to tropicorium for live stuff, and Fish Doctor for quick dry goods.
Those are the 2 closest 2 me. lol I saw that you lived in MI too!!
 
leopard_babe

leopard_babe

Active Member
Yes it is my favorite. I used to spend half my paychecks there when I had my reef. lol
They were very helpful to me when I was a beginner. I think I might try the online ordering this time around. I was a little nervous before, but I am warming up to the idea
 
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