My Little Piece Of The Ocean... 46g Bow Front Build

flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by phillyboi http:///t/391191/46-gallon-bow-front-build#post_3468211
checked the specific gravity today and got 1.021 so i am going to add some more salt to get it up a littile more...what is the ideal specific gravity is it 1.024
Ideal is ocean...which is 1.026.... HOWEVER...the water in the tank evaporates but the salt remains. Each day the water line will drop, and you will have to add a little RO water to bring it back up to the correct water line. This is called "topping off". When the water line drops the SG rises because there is more salt than water when you read the last SG. By having your SG at 1.024 you allow some wiggle room so the SG will not rise too high. If you have an auto top off unit, then the water would be replaced as it evaporates and then you could set the SG at the exact ideal level.
 
phillyboi

phillyboi

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///t/391191/46-gallon-bow-front-build/20#post_3468212
Ideal is ocean...which is 1.026.... HOWEVER...the water in the tank evaporates but the salt remains. Each day the water line will drop, and you will have to add a little RO water to bring it back up to the correct water line. This is called "topping off". When the water line drops the SG rises because there is more salt than water when you read the last SG. By having your SG at 1.024 you allow some wiggle room so the SG will not rise too high. If you have an auto top off unit, then the water would be replaced as it evaporates and then you could set the SG at the exact ideal level.
thanks flower i'm going to try to get the sg between 1.024 and 1.025 and i still have some room for when the water evaporates since i don't have an auto top off unit
 
sagxman

sagxman

Member

checked the specific gravity today and got 1.021 so i am going to add some more salt to get it up a littile more...what is the ideal specific gravity is it 1.024

I keep mine at 1.025. I think the general consensus is between 1.023 - 1.027.
 
phillyboi

phillyboi

Member
got my sg up to 1.025
now comes the waiting game for the water to cycle...i will test every couple of days to make sure i get a spike in the cycle
 
S

siptang

Guest
those are nice but you have to watch out because they use cheap thermometer. It's good to have separate thermometer on the side to monitor it properly.
Heater malfunction is a big issue in tank crashing. ;)
well looks nice and please keep us updated with more pictures!
 
phillyboi

phillyboi

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Siptang http:///t/391191/46-gallon-bow-front-build/20#post_3468558
those are nice but you have to watch out because they use cheap thermometer. It's good to have separate thermometer on the side to monitor it properly.
Heater malfunction is a big issue in tank crashing. ;)
well looks nice and please keep us updated with more pictures!
i will keep you guys updated as i go along...
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by phillyboi http:///t/391191/46-gallon-bow-front-build/20#post_3469242
is it normal for the water to be cloudy while still in water cycle
Ammonia can make a tank cloudy. . I would add some bacteria....they will feed on the ammonia and help clear things up. The best culture I ever used was from Aquaripure, the stuff used to seed the filter is fantastic and potent, better than anything I ever purchased at the LFS. Just get on the aquaripures site and look at products for a 4 OZ bottle, it tells you on the bottle to add it to the tank for that first cycle. Hold your nose...it really stinks.
 
phillyboi

phillyboi

Member
third water test
ph - 8.2
ammonia - 0.50
nitrate - 80
nitrite - 0
phosphate - 0
calcium - 460
just put in my new powerheads and getting good water flow even behind the cave doesn't look like i have any dead spots but i could be wrong i'll see as i go along
 
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