Reesy's 20 Gallon Reef Adventure

[Buddyboy67]

First off...wow !! great aquascaping job mate, looking really well !!!

The ammonia will go off the scale soon, spike, then nitrites followed by nitrates...the journey to reefing has certainly begun...

To drop your sg remove a small amount of water and replace with unsalted ro..leave half an hour and check sg..
Do this a few times until you hit the majic 1.026

 

[Reesy1989]

Thanks for the comments guys, glad its finally underway.

I still have some RO Water left in the containers in my garage so i'll have to do that tonight.

How oftern do I test every day or every other day?

 

[jtnova13]

I tested every day until my cycle was over. Now i check every couple of days or right before i go to the LFS to get a new inhabitant!

I'd test it every day until it finds it's equilibrium, but if you can't check everyday, every couple of days will be fine especially since you have no livestock in there

 

[Reesy1989]

every couple of days will be fine especially since you have no livestock in there

Think of the mini Shrimps! They might be tiny but until I buy livestock they are the tank inhabitants! (iI'm a lil excited about it if you cant tell)

I'm going to be testing everyday after work before I do anything else so that the cycle will be well documented, even got myself a little spreadsheet at home ready to be filled with data.

What is the best kits to buy then? The kit I have only tests for Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite and PH but I suppose thats all i'll really need for now?

Quick question, when I eventually get corals what would I be needing to test for as well as the test I have already got?

Cheers,

Reesy

 

[Buddyboy67]

Best value for money are the salifert kits..d&d being more accurate, but a lot more expensive....

Above , about sg...this shows why it is best to mix salt 24 hours before using..as it completely dissolves over this period the sg can fluctuate either way, but usually up..

Best kits for a reef are..

ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, calcium, phosphate, alkainity, magnesium and finally ph

 

[Reesy1989]

Thanks Buddyboy,

I think thats its going to be a while until I go down the coral route, not for financial purposes more the fact that I dont want to spend money on a coral that will not suvive, just waste of money and of a corals life. When I do get them i'm going to have to get a saliferts kit i think.

How expensive are we talking now?

Also I'm going to do a water change tonight to try and get the SG level down abit to 1.026.

Cheers,

Reesy

 

[Buddyboy67]

Saliferts kits all come as individuals, ranging from arond £9 up to around £15, depending on which one...
Check online as many stores sell complete sets at bargain prices..I got mine online from mark at cockfields for £60 for a full set of 8 kits...

 

[Reesy1989]

£60 for 8 kits? I suppose that isn't to bad but how many tests can you actually do with that amount bout 40 - 60 isit?

 

[jtnova13]

I use the API saltwater master test kit. It is accurate enough for my purposes. I suppose if you have thousands of dollars of livestock you may want to get d&d, but i haven't found much of a difference between salifert and API, besides price.

I test ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate, ph. I will be getting alkalinity and calcium once i start racking in the corals.

The API saltwater kit cost me about $30, wheras a salifert equivelant would have cost $70, and there is also a reef master kit which includes hardness, calcium etc. which is similarly priced.

One thing i will mention is that if you mix the tubes, sometimes you may get a false nitrate reading, so mark the tubes and use the same one for each test every time.

 

[Reesy1989]

Hey Guys quick update.

Did another set of tests last night and they are good but having a problem with the SG fluctuating from 1.027 to 1.023 in the space of one day without any water being added or taken away. Tests are as follows.

PH: 8.4
Ammonia: 0.6
Nitrate: 0
Nitrite: 0
SG: 1.023

Can anyone suggest a reason for the fluctuations of the SG levels? Also How do I get the Ammonia to 0 is there something I have to do or will the natuarally come don when the tank is ending its cycle?

Anyone post a set of perfect result that I should aspire to?

Cheers,

Reesy

 

[Anguilla82]

are u testing the sg with a hydrometer or a refractometer as the former is notoriously inaccurate!

 

[jtnova13]

evaporation? since it's only 20g, evaporation could cause big fluctuations in SG.

Or as mentioned, maybe your hydrometer needle is getting stuck or something. Wash it out with RO water, then try again.

ammonia will go away when your cycle is finished. you should read 0 ammonia and a spike in nitrite.

 

[Reesy1989]

Thanks for the info guys,

Unfortunately I'm using a hydrometer at the moment, in the process of waiting for funds for a refractometer

Hopefully the tests tonight should be relativly the same.

Bit of a newbie question but what occurs in the tank to cause a nitrate increase (spike)? Is it the die off from the LR?

 

[Buddyboy67]

Check e bay..some bargains on there for them...just bought one for the first time on mon and was shocked to find it and my hydrometer were spot on..both reading 1.026

 

[Reesy1989]

I'll have to get online and have a proper look, I know LFS dont sell them

Dont reli like the guy at my LFS when I first went in asking him about the LR and stuff he was talking down to me like he was a teacher and i was a naughty student, wont b going there again except for LR!