please help on water quality problems...

therealcreel

therealcreel

New Member
i have a salt and my chick has a fresh both 55gl. what do we both need to watch out for in the water. so far i have heard nitrites, nitrates, ph, calcium, and a few others. is there a good read on what is needed and how to do it. i just havent run across ithere if there is.
My chick just got ick on a 5 fin cat shark that we've had for only three days and we are taking care of it now in the hospital tank.
also what testers test all of this? im not afraid to jump in head first with the water quality reading i just need to know where it is.
also is there any basic amount and then the seperate amount of reading that is a little too in depth.
thanks for all your help as usual.
-The New Guy, Brian
 
therealcreel

therealcreel

New Member
bump...
the ickfish died, the lfs guy said tank was too cold so were gonna heat it up to at least 79...? i was told buy someone here thats too warm. that was the temp i was told to run salt water tank at.
opinions?
thanks
-Brian
 
chuckcac

chuckcac

Member
a good master test kit for Marine Aquaria is essential-
Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, and pH are basic necessites... i'd start with those.
also Salinity/Specific Gravity - i reccomend investing in a good reftactometer. (hydrometers are chaep - but notoriously inaccurate)
Asyou get more involved with the hobby (a reef for example) you may find you need to test for calcium, phosphate, copper, iodine, silicate, stronium, magnesium... and so on and so forth...
remember... never add anything to your water you cant(dont) test for...
As far as temperature...
72-78 is what you'll find as typical - (i keep mine at 76)
but remember.... always find out what the specific species' requirements' are... some require cooler temperatures... others prefer warmer... for example; a catalina goby would require between 68-75 VS. a watchman goby that needs between 72-78...
also, i would recommend investing a couple of bucks in "the conscientious marine aquarist" by robert fenner. Great book...
 
therealcreel

therealcreel

New Member
Originally Posted by chuckcac
a good master test kit for Marine Aquaria is essential-
Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, and pH are basic necessites... i'd start with those.
also Salinity/Specific Gravity - i reccomend investing in a good reftactometer. (hydrometers are chaep - but notoriously inaccurate)
Asyou get more involved with the hobby (a reef for example) you may find you need to test for calcium, phosphate, copper, iodine, silicate, stronium, magnesium... and so on and so forth...
remember... never add anything to your water you cant(dont) test for...
As far as temperature...
72-78 is what you'll find as typical - (i keep mine at 76)
but remember.... always find out what the specific species' requirements' are... some require cooler temperatures... others prefer warmer... for example; a catalina goby would require between 68-75 VS. a watchman goby that needs between 72-78...
also, i would recommend investing a couple of bucks in "the conscientious marine aquarist" by robert fenner. Great book...
what about fresh? thanks
-Brian
 
trigger11

trigger11

Member
All you should really need for fresh is PH and ammonia. Possibly General Hardness (GH) depending on the water quality from your tap water.
 
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