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There’s more to the equation than nutrient levels. There are many things that a RO/DI removes that you can’t measure for. A big reason we no longer see so many threads on reef forums titled “why do none of my corals thrive, my water is fine?” Or “why do all my invertebrates die suddenly?” is...

dprids, I’m am little perplexed by your plumbing system as it seems untraditional. I can’t really tell from your pictures or text as to exactly what is going on. Do you by any chance have a diagram of your current plumbing system?

There are no solid blue strains that I know of. Pinoy, various Philippines, Brazilian glitters, blue pearlscale and others all have blue coloration to a degree. Some on the fins, some on the body, some both. Each individual specimen will vary and, as you have said, other factors such as lighting...

A little more info would be helpful, exactly describing the tank set up before the switch and to now. Listing your water parameters exactly would be helpful. Not everyone is aware of the basics, like cycling an aquarium, so describing everything from the bottom up would be helpful...

Angels and kribensis definitely prefer slow moving waters.

As long as any species in the tank are fine with the increased flow rate, there’s really no harm. Also, flow rates on filters aren’t entirely accurate, they tend to be a bit slower than advertised. Plants, decor, aquarium dimensions and the output method of the filter all are contributing...

That’s a difficult answer and there’s quite a few variables. The titration method is based on a sample of titrates with a known composition (the reagent) interacting with with the analyte (the aquarium water). When the analyte in question deviates slightly from the intended use the reagents are...

Your gH, alkalinity and pH won’t all be near marine conditions since your salinity is only hovering at 1.005/1.006sg. Natural seawater alkalinity is about 125ppm/7dKh/2.5meqL, so 40ppm sounds about right for your current salinity. That being said, alkalinity is rather important soley for pH...

That would be a problem. What test kit are you using?

Quite unlikely. Even if your GH was at 20 you would still be fine.

For right now, I would say you are very likely fine. If you measured seachem replenish to raise general hardness to 10GH and then added instant ocean mix theres little chance that you’d be out of range, even if you can’t accurately test right now. Like Colin_T said next time add your replenish...

Of course not, no product anywhere is 100% safe. I think a lot of things we use for aquaria in regards to safety could be looked at more subjectively. The siliconed aquarium itself, any submersible electronic, pressurized c02, chemical additives, they all can pose a risk for misuse and or...

The “pack” behavior in some canids parallels some piranha species as one collector said years ago to me, interesting stuff. As far as your own situation goes, clearly housing a single red belly in 80G tank isn’t ideal as you’ve said. There are other piranha options for your particular...

maxaal22, That particular ozone generator is very safe for your aquarium. It produces about 0.0005g of 03 per hour, a minuscule amount. A mass marketed product, particularly by a name like Philips, wouldn’t be made available to the public if it were a high risk to easily endanger the user. That...

Just curious, are you testing general hardness for any specific reason? Importantly, what salinity are you aiming for? EDIT: Also, I might be misinterpreting, you are using a remineralizing product and a marine salt mix?

Red bellies can get really large, up to 16” in some cases. They’ll typically max out around 12”. The minimum I’d do for a school is a 135, and if they get really large probably a 180. Red bellies don’t typically wait in one position, they slowly move around in the open.

I strongly suggest not keeping a red belly by itself. They are shoaling species and need to be kept in groups of 6 or more, a single red belly piranha is very skittish and will hide all day. They don’t randomly cannibalize each other. Red bellies are most often available as tank raised, this...

Brands like Hikari, Repashy, Xtreme Aquatics, New Life Spectrum, NorthFin, Tropical (the one from Poland), Discusfood, Excalibur (geared towards show quality flower horns), OceanNutrition and Fluval BugBites all are considered high quality. If you could list specifically what species you are...

You might get very lucky, they’re only $40 new for a 25 foot model, used I could imagine them being $10 or so. I have also seen some rather clever DIY pythons floating around over the years.

Again sorry to hear that. Would you have access to a used python? That wouldn’t require any lifting or bending during water changes. I did water changes successfully by myself after a stroke left me paralyzed on my dominant side. I couldn’t have done it without a python though.

Sorry to hear that. Would doing small water changes daily be an option for your condition? A single gallon weighs about 8 pounds.

Just curious, what is the obstacle for large percentage water changes? There might be some helpful suggestions with some background on the situation. What about making a modified paludarium? This would allow a smaller volume of water (IE 12g for example) to be changed at a higher percentage (IE...

$55 for 40 pounds seems like a very good deal. That would be a good option as any savings at any alternative source (which probably wouldn’t be much) wouldn’t be worth the risks involved.

Most reef-keepers nowadays are completely eschewing live rock for dry rock. Dry rock, broadly, could be rock pulled from the ocean and dried, land-based rock that has been quarried and cleaned or aragonite rock that has been treated with polymers and such to manufacture realistic looking porous...

I’m not familiar first hand with JBL test kits, but given their price and methods used I would consider using Hanna Instruments instead. They are tried and true tritiation test modules for professional industries but as an off shoot aquarists use them regularly. The price seems very similar to...

Either method would be fine.

That’d work well, particularly if your are collecting some intertidal specimens. Temperate marine species are a beautiful little study in home aquaria.

JuiceBox52, Do you happen to a have a constant supply of natural seawater? There are a lot of interesting sealed jar or vase pico reefs that are kicking around nowadays, even successfully keeping acropora species in as little as a quart. Here is just one link of many referencing “micro” reefs...

From what I could tell in the video, albeit my eyesight isn’t the greatest, the anatomy of those specimens looks very nice. Did you breed and hatch these specimens yourself?

I will agree to disagree on instant ocean until NaCl levels in the order of 0.048mg/L are proven detrimental to fish health, because there are simply no such studies at that low of a level. Many freshwater waterways may have similar levels already. As I have said many times previously, almost...

Not to argue for the sake of debate, but instant ocean is safe for home freshwater aquaria. If it is safe in a lab setting, the same dynamics play out in home aquaria, simply measure the amount of salt and results will be exactly the same. I’m not saying the remineralizing products available...

I did pick up on the lab connection within seconds, as I first pointed out, of reading the OP’s original post. For someone with my background it was crystal clear. There is no additional need for sodium chloride, that is not being debated. The point is, the distilled water needs to altered...

I have never said it is essential to add salt to any freshwater aquarium, you are not comprehending correctly. The point is the OP is using instant ocean in distilled water. Please understand there is a wild difference between distilled water and tap water. You have not shown, and can not...

Simply because similar hobbyists have come to a different opinion, based on personal opinion, doesn’t mean it is correct. As a degreed chemist, albeit not practicing, I find your logic extremely flawed. NaCl is not absent from nature in freshwater, it exists in varying levels. Just as c02 in...

Yes, most any hermit crab species is reef safe.

Because it simply does not show data for NaCl levels at 0.048g/L as the OP is using. It shows a much different set of data based on a tap water using a different product (pure NaCl). The distinction of numbers is vital because, for example, c02 levels in your home at 1,000ppm are much different...

What type of crab species?

I’ve read the above article. It does not show anything regarding NaCl levels on fish health that the OP is using at approximately 0.048mg/L. It only shows NaCl being used at levels almost 10 times higher in tap water, not distilled water. This distinction is vital. Not to mention, as already...

I think the distinction needs to be made: Does your article cite any sources studying the effects of NaCl at the levels the OP is using (60mg/L)?

There are many sources that cite using instant ocean at 60mg/l, I cited a source as did the OP. Unless you can cite a scientific study, not your personal opinion, I think it’s worth everyone’s while to engage in a discussion. Shutting down others because you don’t agree with their logic is the...