Test Results and questions abotu them

[silverdak]

alright first new thread for me in a couple months at least. It feels like I am falling out of the hobby just because I have been so busy with other stuff lately. but this morning I decided to turn on some music and clean up my tank which meant testing my water.
I have nothing to hide from anyone and I haven't tested my water since October. no need to judge me or tell me I am not mature enough blah blah blah. I don't like what happened but it did, no need to dwell on it

so here are some test results from this morning tell me what you think.
test time- 9:48am
PH- 8.0-8.2
Nitrite- 0ppm
Nitrate- 0ppm
Ammonia- .25 ppm *
salinity- 1.030 **
Temp- 76*
*- last time I tested it was 0ppm, I am correct in thinking a water change should lower that back to 0ppm correct?
**- seems high? I usually try and keep my salinity around 1.026-1.027. the water in my bucket for my water changes is at 1.027 like it should be. does the salinity rise and fall on its own without the adding of salt?? I didn't think it could but I could be way off in thinking that.
I have maybe 2 gallons or so and I am thinking I am going to do a water change in a little while today, last time I did a water change I believe was 3 weeks ago or so? again I know its not good and I dont condone doing this at all, but it happened and its done with.
now some of the things I am seeing in the tank, my turbo snails seem to keep falling and landing on there backs, so I turn them back over and the next day they are on there shells again? really? lol I haven't had issues with this before at all but now all of a sudden it seems to keep happening. My shrimp seems to be doing great and eating and moving all over the tank, my 2 clowns also seem to be doing great as well, eating and swimming all over the tank. now my corals.... my green mushrooms don't seem to be opening up as much as they use to, my starry polys on my top rock aren't spreading as much as they use to. my fire and ice zoa's seem to be doing great but my RDE have stopped spreading and dont seem to open up as much. my devils hand has 80% of its redish color back (it bleached out right after I got it) and my trumpets seem to be doing just fine. is this high salinity starting to hurt the corals?? or do you think it is a calcium deficiency? I added buffer a week ago and calcium last night to try and perk them up a bit.
sorry for the long read, but any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!

-Collin

 

[spanko]

Originally Posted by SilverDak
http:///forum/post/2890541
alright first new thread for me in a couple months at least. It feels like I am falling out of the hobby just because I have been so busy with other stuff lately. but this morning I decided to turn on some music and clean up my tank which meant testing my water.
I have nothing to hide from anyone and I haven't tested my water since October. no need to judge me or tell me I am not mature enough blah blah blah. I don't like what happened but it did, no need to dwell on it

so here are some test results from this morning tell me what you think.
test time- 9:48am
PH- 8.0-8.2
Nitrite- 0ppm
Nitrate- 0ppm
Ammonia- .25 ppm *
salinity- 1.030 **
Temp- 76*
*- last time I tested it was 0ppm, I am correct in thinking a water change should lower that back to 0ppm correct?I would be suspect of this reading and would check it again and get a LFS to check it also. Unless you have had something die or have overfed by alot does not seem to me you should have an ammonia reading at this point in the tanks life.
**- seems high? I usually try and keep my salinity around 1.026-1.027. the water in my bucket for my water changes is at 1.027 like it should be. does the salinity rise and fall on its own without the adding of salt?? I didn't think it could but I could be way off in thinking that.Are you topping off the water with fresh RO|DI or Distilled? If not you are increasing your salinity from the evaporation of water from your tank. Only water evaporates, the salt stays and increases the salinity of the water that remains.
I have maybe 2 gallons or so and I am thinking I am going to do a water change in a little while today, last time I did a water change I believe was 3 weeks ago or so? Do it, it cannot hurt and will probably help.again I know its not good and I dont condone doing this at all, but it happened and its done with.
now some of the things I am seeing in the tank, my turbo snails seem to keep falling and landing on there backs, so I turn them back over and the next day they are on there shells again? really? lol I haven't had issues with this before at all but now all of a sudden it seems to keep happening. My shrimp seems to be doing great and eating and moving all over the tank, my 2 clowns also seem to be doing great as well, eating and swimming all over the tank. now my corals.... my green mushrooms don't seem to be opening up as much as they use to, my starry polys on my top rock aren't spreading as much as they use to. my fire and ice zoa's seem to be doing great but my RDE have stopped spreading and dont seem to open up as much. my devils hand has 80% of its redish color back (it bleached out right after I got it) and my trumpets seem to be doing just fine. is this high salinity starting to hurt the corals?? or do you think it is a calcium deficiency? I added buffer a week ago and calcium last night to try and perk them up a bit.
sorry for the long read, but any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!

-Collin
Do not dose anything that you cannot or do not test for. Your Ph is goo according to the above reading so why add a buffer?
Hope this helps a little. Some TLC should bring things back to normal. Then it is a matter of keeping up on it.

 

[silverdak]

only thing that died was a small little coral, a maxima I believe. it wasn't doing too good when I got it so I put it way up high right under the lights, but it seemed to do worse so I moved it lower thinking it might need less light, then moved it back up top and i just took it out today so that might have been it?

 

[silverdak]

I am leaving in a few to go get a calcium test to see what my levels are at. I woudlnt be suprised if it was super low and thats why nothing it growing or opening up, so we will see. that and a new cleaning thing and a couple more snails cuz i am not a fan of the magfloat for some reason, doesnt seem to do a good job cleaning

 

[spanko]

I don't see anything in your tank list that would use up calcium faster than it could be replenshied by a good water change plan. The magfloat is a good tool if used fairly regularly so the glass does not build up beyond the ability of the tool to keep up. The small coralwould not have spiked your ammonia. Take a sample of water with you when you go to get the calcium test kit and have the LFS do the tests to compare for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.

 

[silverdak]

ya i did take a sample all there tests came back the same as mine did. I just tested for calcium with the test i just bought.... 740ppm! I am attributing that to the calcium supplement I added yesterday tho.
so maybe phosphates? I didn't bring enough water to test everything

 

[silverdak]

and to answer your question of my top offs, generally I dont have to top it off because it is hooded and doesn't lose water too fast, I usually just do a water change with my own mixed RO water, which is mixed at 1.027

 

[silverdak]

phosphates anyone?
any idea's? water is cloudy looking but once again I am going to blame the calcium

 

[silverdak]

anyone?