Please someone answer some questions.....

kittenboo

kittenboo

Member
Originally Posted by gypsana
http:///forum/post/3031878
I remember your old post. Pictures are the only way to give people some understanding of what might be going on. Without them is like poking around in the dark. Is one of your pieces of equipment emitting micro bubbles?
I would have agreed with that idea BUT I checked all the equipment and as soon as I got the chiller on the tank and the heat went down the bubbles stopped. Putting the skimmer on tomorrow. And ordered another powerhead for water flow. Also have a powerhead breaking the surface of the water for now. Started that last Friday after I got the chiller on the tank and that seemed to help as well. I'll let you know how it goes with the skimmer.
And yes we are planning corals so I will need to do something about the ph. Just ordered a reef test kit.
 
natclanwy

natclanwy

Active Member
Originally Posted by BJLSNEZ
http:///forum/post/3031943
If you are testing the pH at the same time everyday that could be something. pH is at a constant up and down cycle. When you have your lights on for full day measure the pH at mid day because the water is the hottest and it could show you a more accurate reading on your pH. Another way to raise your pH slightly is cause more oxygen in your tank. (Make more bubbles) it will help out a little...
Ph does not cycle up and down in our tanks due to heat, it does so because of the concentration of CO2 dissolved in the water. During the light on period photosynthesis is taking place in the tissues of our corals absorbing CO2 and releasing Oxygen helping to offset the CO2 being produced by resperation in fish and other inverts. When the lights go out photosynthesis stops and the level of CO2 climbs which in turn lowers the Ph of your tank.
You are correct that adding more oxygen can increase your Ph but this only works if there is excess CO2 in the tank. You will never increase the saturation of oxygen or decrease the CO2 sateration further than what is present in air of the room the tank is in. So it is possible to have excess CO2 inside your house as well especially during the winter months when most people have their houses closed up.
Creating bubbles in a saltwater tank is a horrible way to increase oxygenation, not only is it not very efficient it can cause issues with livestock in your tank plus the salt creep that is the side effect of the bubbles popping at the surface can make taking care of a saltwater tank a miserable experience.
 
natclanwy

natclanwy

Active Member
Originally Posted by Kittenboo
http:///forum/post/3032247
I would have agreed with that idea BUT I checked all the equipment and as soon as I got the chiller on the tank and the heat went down the bubbles stopped. Putting the skimmer on tomorrow. And ordered another powerhead for water flow. Also have a powerhead breaking the surface of the water for now. Started that last Friday after I got the chiller on the tank and that seemed to help as well. I'll let you know how it goes with the skimmer.
And yes we are planning corals so I will need to do something about the ph. Just ordered a reef test kit.
Do not get overly concerned abou the Ph, its more important that it is stable than what the actual number is. Have you done the mason jar test yet? Beyond that if your Calcium, Magnesium, and Alk are all within the recommended ranges whatever number you Ph is at will be fine. Also since you are planning on keeping coral you need to increase your SG to 1.025-1.026 and you should do that before testing calcium, alk, and mag as the increase in SG will increase those levels as well.
 
gypsana

gypsana

Active Member
Originally Posted by Kittenboo
http:///forum/post/3032305
Using Oceanic salt and I just went to a drinking water ro place.
If you can afford it I would invest in an RODI unit and a TDS meter. It is hard to tell if those machines are maintained properly and there might be something in that particular water source. I use Oceanic as well, great salt. The only thing that you have not tried yet or you did not mention if you did is a micron filter sock. Keep us updated.
 
oceansidefish

oceansidefish

Active Member
In Riverside I highly doubt that CO2 is causing a huge problem in the tank...Make sure you are getting good surface agitation to increase gas exchange and get your turnover rate a little higher...I think that with the chiller the skimmer and regular water changes you should be doing pretty good in a week or so. There are plenty of good LFS out here in so cal so you don't have to worry. Also get your own RODI system....Water here in socal is crap and it only gets worse during the summer. Plus I would not trust one of those machines.
 
kittenboo

kittenboo

Member
Alright.... so we installed the skimmer. YUCK!!!! The crap that is coming out..... well YUCK! LOL It seems to be clearing the water a little. Doing another water change tomorrow and cleaning the filter. I have a powerhead breaking the surface of the water still and I ordered another one to take care of the dead spots. Still have diatoms but they are way less than they were. So that is where I am at for now.
I do want an RO unit but at this point I have to hold up. The tank is bleeding money right now. LOL I knew it would but dang.
So the RO unit will be next on the list. I'm going to give it a week and see how the water is then.
Thanks to all of you for your help!!!!!
 
kittenboo

kittenboo

Member
Water is crystal clear!!!!!!
We installed the skimmer and we added some filter padding on top of the carbon and it cleared it all up.

Thanks again for everyone's help.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top