Saltwater Salinty

[dazussdj]

Hi I am completely new to Marines and so far been okay but have 180 litre Juwel duo deep 1000 with external filter (rena) , Skimmer (aqua One) 2 power heads (maxijet) what sort of reef setup would work well with this setup please i have standard lighting for the tank but if i upgraded it what would be best please.

Also i had a slinity of 1.023 yesterday put a piece of ocean rock cured in and its shot up to 1.026 how can i get this down to please to 1.023 or 1.024 the local lfs says 1.024 any thoughts?.

I have Roman Ro unit and it has 0007 tds reading im guesing you change some of the tank water like 10% with just pure Ro water that would bring salt down or is there another way please. Would taking some water out and putting just ro water in stress any livestock i dont have nothing in there but some rock.

I know its a Noobie question sorry

Also was given these mushrooms how is best to find out what they are one is greenish colour and other is red colour

thanks

Daz
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[BigIan]

any where between 1.023 and 1.026 is ok. aslong as you keep it constat.
you can bring it down by adding more RO, io usualy use the add and wait method if ours creeps up, simply add a little RO then test the SG 10 mins later to see if you need to add more...

 

[dazussdj]

Thanks BigIan do you add alot of Ro water or little amounts was thinking like 1.5 gallon (half a bucket) size

 

[SkiFletch]

Its best to go slow when reducing salinity. You dont want to shock your livestock .

Is that sea fan in those pics alive?

 

[dazussdj]

No its not alive but im hoping that i can get a real one at some point ;_) just something to look at while the tank is empty. Have managed to get salinity back to 1.024 now so im happy , used 3 gallons of ro water one thing but i forgot to do was warm it up any fish in there would of been abit pissed. Where is best to read up on marines for reef tank then please.

Oh BigIan welldone with the tank have been following your topic very good congrats to your otherhalf to to keep with it I have got ph 7.8 Ammonia 0 Nitrite 0 but nitrate 20

 

[Mr Miagi]

The best place to read about marine is buying a good, up to date book. This thread: The Relm of Knowledge is full of peoples opinions about different sources of information. This thread should give you some basics on keeping and starting marine tanks, all written by people here at TFF!

Your pH is too low, and should be around 8.2. So try and do some more water changes after reading about marine tanks, and see if you cant get it up a little higher. You might need to buy a better salt brand if you cant get your pH higher.

When adding RO, as mentioned, its best to slowly drip it in. That way tank inhabitants dont get shocked, and you dont need to warm it up. Just set up some airline with a valve, start a syphon form the bucket holding RO (which needs to be above the tank) and let it slowly drip into the tank over a few hours.

 

[Lynden]

The sea is actually no where near as constant as one might expect. When snorkeling in Hawai'i, I leisurely basked in the "hot spots" which were as warm as a bath, easily topping 90 Fahrenheit. I was then shocked when I moved several feet ahead, and crossed a distinct, swirling "border" where the water's temperature (and I expect the salinity did as well; all the cold water came from the springs at the shore) plummeted to below 70 degrees. Fish swam readily through this, and stony corals would be bathed with hot, then suddenly cold, water. Many of the animals are also exposed at low tide, such as LPS corals, Limpets, and Hermit Crabs. Perhaps this is unique to Hawai'i, but I can't imagine that it is.

-Lynden

 

[SkiFletch]

Not unique to hawaii at all. Just go snorkeling off the east coast of key biscayne florida near their tidal pools. Lots of massive temp fluctuations. Also, try diving in an old filled up rock quarry in Ontario on May 15th... 60 degrees at the surface and 20 feet down it drops to 35. That'll wake you up in the morning

But I digress

 

[dazussdj]

lol cant say i know anywhere to go diving where i am in the uk all flat land and rivers lol. Drip method hmmm not heard of that one will try it been keeping temp at 24c. Marine is alot more fun then FW you just throw the water in lol. Will look at link thanks im guessing with nitrate at 20 rest 0 means the bacteria in the filter is doing its job.

 

[dazussdj]

Okay update got first fish for tank today as LFS thought water was fine have now got some clown fish ;-) have used ph8.2 buffer product and salinity has kept constant today. Anyone use a Via Aqua skimmer at all i cant seem to get it to just skim waste it seems to be skimming bubbles and filling up the cup in few hours i know you adjust the air thing you push but ummmm help please lol.
meet Nemo
View attachment 39568

PS For best advice check out www.fishforums.net (grovel grovel)

 

[SkiFletch]

Humm, never used a Via Aqua skimmer, anyway you can post pics?

 

[Miss Wiggle]

Oh BigIan welldone with the tank have been following your topic very good congrats to your otherhalf to to keep with it

thankyou!! for the record though, it's better half

 

[dazussdj]

Yeah will post pics asap have been tweaking with the skimmer and so seem to stop it overflowing the cup never had a skimmer in my life lol so not sure. Clown fish seem okay seem to be playing with the skimmer output of the water. Thanks guys for all help to i do appreciate it. I have been buffering the ph everyday with 8.2 powder any reason why the ph drops so much from 8.2 to 7.8 or even 7.2 when i check in the mornings please.

 

[callell]

Buffering with chemicals is a bad idea imo

You really need to understan what effect doing this will have on your other variable(kh, oxygen, mag, calcium)

It is normal for ph value to drop over night hence why some keepers dose kalk over night & not during the day

I would suggest you quit adding chemicals to your tank

 

[dazussdj]

Buffering with chemicals is a bad idea imo

You really need to understan what effect doing this will have on your other variable(kh, oxygen, mag, calcium)

It is normal for ph value to drop over night hence why some keepers dose kalk over night & not during the day

I would suggest you quit adding chemicals to your tank

Yes have done that so what is better way to keep PH constant then with tropical you dont realy have to as its tap water. Was worried about Ph as i dont want to lose my clown fish.