Jestersix

Water Params

goldielocke76

goldielocke76

Supporting Member
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So we tested the water for the first time because I noticed that some of my LPS bases seem a little brittle. We thought it may be the calcium, but as the calcium tested out ok, but the other two we tested seemed off, according to LiveAquaria's website. Now, I am not saying that their website it the be all end all, but I thought it would give us a good starting point, then, we can post to see what others thought. :)

We tested for:

Mg: 1420 ppm (a little high)
KH: 6.7 dKH (low)
Ca: 400 ppm (smack dab in da middle)

So, if the two are indeed on the low and high side, how do you correct this in a tank? Sorry all, I am good at figuring out FW, but since this is my first reef tank, some of the water params and ways to lower or increase them is still new and alien to me. Any input is apreciated :)

**Edit**
Water change of ~30 gallons was done on Friday night, and I have no reactors (as of yet, working on that) and I have yet to do any dosing.
 
you might want to dose KH if it doesn't go up with water changes, I was using kent salt mix & my KH was constantly low and had to dose a lot to adjust it, I switched to reef crystals and now I dose very small amounts to balance my KH, I'm not suggesting you use Reef Crystals but KH is one of those things that's going to vary and ultimately you'll have to dose to keep it balanced so maybe kalkwasser or some other method in the long run will keep your KH up.

As far as everything else goes the answer has already been provided, weekly water changes :)
 
Are there any alternatives to water changes? Can dosing fix the problems? I'm wondering what other option(s) she may have, if any.

I've seen others do water changes once a month and that's something I was hoping to follow with my tank setup when the time is right.
 
Check on phosphates if you aren't running gfo or similar yet. It can inhibit the corals use of calcium, so even if it is high enough on a test the coral could have effects similar to low ca.
 
denzil said:
Are there any alternatives to water changes? Can dosing fix the problems? I'm wondering what other option(s) she may have, if any.

I've seen others do water changes once a month and that's something I was hoping to follow with my tank setup when the time is right.
Click to expand...
Yes, dosing pumps or ca rx or manual addition of 2 part plus probably mg. maybe even some trace minerals if you only do once a month. Best skimmer you can afford and fit etc...Also, depending on bio load of course, run lots of gfo and probably carbon. Maybe checkout biopellets to keep nitrates down. Definitely doable if done the right way
 
denzil in her case she needs to strictly follow a weekly water change schedule so she can find out her baseline numbers (KH, Calcium, etc) before she can dose, KH & calcium will drop over time (depends on stocking) so waiting one week before a water change will give you a different KH reading over waiting 2 weeks. If I change my water once a week I can pretty much predict my KH readings based on how much KH I've dosed.
I would have to say maintaining smooth parameter curves is going to be tough with monthly water changes unless you have a super solid dosing setup/regiment, also you need a very very well established tank before it can handle a month between water changes. No solid rules to what I'm saying but every tank is different.
 
Coral reefer said:
Check on phosphates if you aren't running gfo or similar yet. It can inhibit the corals use of calcium, so even if it is high enough on a test the coral could have effects similar to low ca.
Click to expand...

+1 on checking PO4, particularly if you are feeding moderately to heavily.

Relying on water change to maintain parameters becomes increasingly challenging as your stocking of corals and fish increases, and is not fun with anything but nano tanks. Kalkwasser is great at replenishing alkalinity but not so effective at replenishing calcium. It has the added advantage of precipitating phosphorus and heavy metals. Otherwise, consider doing sodium carbonate or sodium bicarbonate. The magnesium at 1420ppm is not out of the stratosphere and will be naturally depleted over time.
 
lattehiatus said:
Coral reefer said:
Check on phosphates if you aren't running gfo or similar yet. It can inhibit the corals use of calcium, so even if it is high enough on a test the coral could have effects similar to low ca.
Click to expand...

+1 on checking PO4, particularly if you are feeding moderately to heavily.

Relying on water change to maintain parameters becomes increasingly challenging as your stocking of corals and fish increases, and is not fun with anything but nano tanks. Kalkwasser is great at replenishing alkalinity but not so effective at replenishing calcium. It has the added advantage of precipitating phosphorus and heavy metals. Otherwise, consider doing sodium carbonate or sodium bicarbonate. The magnesium at 1420ppm is not out of the stratosphere and will be naturally depleted over time.
Click to expand...
I thought Kalkwasser was great for replenishing calcium and alkalinity while providing a great pH buffer? I guess I'm still a little unclear about how Kalkwasser works. So I guess doing a two-part would make more sense or do I have it backwards?
 
denzil said:
... Are there any alternatives to water changes? ...
Click to expand...
The simple answer is yes.
You need to add the missing nutrients and minerals. Testing + Dosing. (Not just dosing)
You need to remove the pollutants. Various biological and/or chemical ways to do that.

Complicated. Bad things happen if you make a mistake. But possible.
Recommended when first starting : NO.
Easier/Harder : Always a fun debate.
 
rygh said:
denzil said:
... Are there any alternatives to water changes? ...
Click to expand...
The simple answer is yes.
You need to add the missing nutrients and minerals. Testing + Dosing. (Not just dosing)
You need to remove the pollutants. Various biological and/or chemical ways to do that.

Complicated. Bad things happen if you make a mistake. But possible.
Recommended when first starting : NO.
Easier/Harder : Always a fun debate.
Click to expand...
I'm open to a challenge. It'll just force me to understand the chemistry behind it which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Yay for learning!
 
denzil said:
rygh said:
denzil said:
... Are there any alternatives to water changes? ...
Click to expand...
The simple answer is yes.
You need to add the missing nutrients and minerals. Testing + Dosing. (Not just dosing)
You need to remove the pollutants. Various biological and/or chemical ways to do that.

Complicated. Bad things happen if you make a mistake. But possible.
Recommended when first starting : NO.
Easier/Harder : Always a fun debate.
Click to expand...

I'm open to a challenge. It'll just force me to understand the chemistry behind it which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Yay for learning!
Click to expand...

Well, pick a method, give it a whirl.
Everyone gets something different out of this hobby. I like the engineering and chemistry as much as the fish.
Heck : You started this thread.
http://www.bareefers.org/home/node/14967
 
rygh said:
denzil said:
rygh said:
denzil said:
... Are there any alternatives to water changes? ...
Click to expand...
The simple answer is yes.
You need to add the missing nutrients and minerals. Testing + Dosing. (Not just dosing)
You need to remove the pollutants. Various biological and/or chemical ways to do that.

Complicated. Bad things happen if you make a mistake. But possible.
Recommended when first starting : NO.
Easier/Harder : Always a fun debate.
Click to expand...

I'm open to a challenge. It'll just force me to understand the chemistry behind it which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Yay for learning!
Click to expand...

Well, pick a method, give it a whirl.
Everyone gets something different out of this hobby. I like the engineering and chemistry as much as the fish.
Heck : You started this thread.
http://www.bareefers.org/home/node/14967
Click to expand...
Yep and I still plan on following through with it. I just need to get my 40B set up first. :)
 
denzil said:
rygh said:
denzil said:
rygh said:
denzil said:
... Are there any alternatives to water changes? ...
Click to expand...
The simple answer is yes.
You need to add the missing nutrients and minerals. Testing + Dosing. (Not just dosing)
You need to remove the pollutants. Various biological and/or chemical ways to do that.

Complicated. Bad things happen if you make a mistake. But possible.
Recommended when first starting : NO.
Easier/Harder : Always a fun debate.
Click to expand...

I'm open to a challenge. It'll just force me to understand the chemistry behind it which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Yay for learning!
Click to expand...

Well, pick a method, give it a whirl.
Everyone gets something different out of this hobby. I like the engineering and chemistry as much as the fish.
Heck : You started this thread.
http://www.bareefers.org/home/node/14967
Click to expand...
Yep and I still plan on following through with it. I just need to get my 40B set up first. :)
Click to expand...

Hmm. That might be a bit small for playing around with no water changes.
Step 1 : Mega Sump.
 
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