Calcium/Kalkwasser

Hey T!

The reason we all say go slow...is cause....we done the same exact thing at some time....most of us anyways...

Someone on this forum (I think) said they make the fish store rounds with NO cash or credit cards on them so they won't be tempted to buy stuff on impulse. I also find that temptation very hard to resist.... ;D

I don't think either fish store advice was necessarily wrong...if you had left is alone, the cycle would have worked its way out. But since you had livestock..it is less stressful to do a water change. The cycle may just take a little more time...youre getting there...

I personally don't use any filter media eg..sponges. pads, etc. too much work to clean them every other day or so....
Protein skimming for me and perhaps a pouch of carbon every so often....

 

Howdy Birdlady.

I think I will keep the filter media out from here forward. It is a lot of work to clean every other day or so. I am wondering with as much live rock (70+ lbs) if I even need the bio-balls. I guess now until this next cycle is completed I should keep them in. Once the water has stabilized again, maybe take a handful of bio-balls out each week and eventually rid them all together. Advice on that??

I like the fact that I corrected the problem right away instead of waiting. I feel better about it. I want the livestock to be as happy as possible so I can keep them for years. If anything, they have nice new clean water straight from there home now.

We shall see what the next few days show.

Thanks again Birdlady.

T

 

Todd,

With due respect, your original LFS gave you the right advice and that was to leave it alone for a while so the tank can stabilise.

I also wouldn't recommend putting any liquid bacteria mixture into the tank. There is enough bacteria in there already, it just needs time to populate. Also put your filter material back.

Good idea to turn off the UV though, they are good things to have in a tank but not until it is fully established. The UV will kill and destroy everything that passes through and that is not what you want at the moment.

Birdladys comments were quite correct but do not only apply to fish and coral, there is a lot of biology happening in your tank that you can't see, you just need patience and trust that mother nature will do the right thing, which she nearly always does.

Please don't take any of the above as criticism, because it's not intended to be

John

 

Thank you JohnO for the advice. I never take anything on here as criticism...simply a helping/guiding hand to do the correct thing.

I wanted to trust what my LFS said about leaving the water alone, but my gut said something else so I went with my gut. That's the way I am. May be a bad thing, but I always follow my gut and it has not steered me wrong yet.

I am confused I guess with the filter media. I have heard many say leave it out all together it's not needed. Others, (very few) have said leave it in. I am not sure which route to take with that. As far as the liquid bacteria, I will discontinue that and be patient. I am just afraid I will lose all of what I have in the tank. I nor my wife want that of course. With the exception of a few things, the livestock we picked out was done together and very carefully. Some of the stock was to try and help a friend out.

Am I in a position to worry about my livestock at this point JohnO? Everything is doing better as far as levels which I posted earlier? DO I just sit back now and let the tank do what it is going to do and hope nothing dies? I want to do the right thing of course and make sure this all works out well.

Thank you for your help JohnO.

T

 

Hi John..

Why do you want the filter media put back? As I myself am still learning....

 

I'm at work at the moment and am about to leave for home. I'll respond in full then but in the meantime the filter media is a great place for the bacteria to populate. That was the reason I said to put it back. That doesn't mean you shouldn't pull it out and clean it often BTW

John

 

Thanks John.

As for the filter media...by the time it takes for the bacteria to populate, I would have cleaned the filter already or am I missing something? I usually clean the filters every 2 days to be safe. I find that difficult for bacteria to grow with that short of a time between cleanings.

Maybe I am missing something though.

T

 

Todd

The filter media is just another surface for bacteria to colonise. generally when you clean it, if you don't use some salt water, you will certainly kill off and wash away most of the bacteria and also the unwanted wastes that you filtered out. Don't worry though it will quickly re-populate again. If after a while you want to remove the filter media then do so as it can cause elevations in Nitrate and Phosphate ( notice I didn't say problems )

Stop being safe old mate, just relax, clean the filter weekly, it shouldn't be a problem at this early stage.

In reality Todd, nothing you have done is wrong I guess all I am trying to say is the more you react, sometimes the worse things get.

For example, why are you dripping Kalk?

I know that your Calc levels seemingly dropped but I would wager that it was probably due to a bad test result.

Test and then if it seems low, test again the next day to double check your results. If it's still low and you are confident then add a little bit of Calc powder or whatever you prefer and then test again the next day. If you see an appropriate rise in the Calc level you can be sure that the initial test was correct. Then test the Alk, if that's low supplement that as well. If you use this every other day technique, pretty soon you will know what the tank uses in the way of Alk and Calc and you can set up a Kalk drip system, but until that time you will always suffer problems like snow storms.

Also check your Magnessium level once per month and get it up to 1300-1400ppm, it will help the Alk and Calc levels enormously.

If you do these small things Todd, and take a bit more of a casual approach you will know, just by looking at the tank if there is a problem.

I'm not sure if any of the above helps you in any way, so if you have any specific questions just ask.

Also, don't ever forget, that your LFS is always trying to sell you something. Of all the hobbies that I have been involved in theis is the most marketing driven one.

Always ask yourself why people ( read experts ) want you to do something, always be wary of newer ways to do things, but always trust your friends, family and the people here because they want nothing from you except your company

John

 

Well thank you John. Your time and answers are very appreciated. Your advice makes a lot of sense and I do understand better now what you are getting at.

I guess I am a little "anal" about this and should relax. I just want to succeed is all. Filter media will be back in after this reply.

I will also pick up a magnesium test kit and do that also.

Thanks again John.

Karma for you for being so helpful.

Todd

 

Here are the updated readings...

Ammonia- .1
PH- 8.2
ALK- 3
Calc- 495
Trite- .1
Trate- 0
Salinity- 1.023 (tad over that)
Temp- 79.7

Toadstools are finally showing some life from almost 2 weeks ago...they have sprouted the little feeders or whatever they are...not all are extended , but some are which is new for them...first time they have done that since being in the tank. Hopefully this is a good sign that the water quality is getting better for all inhabitants.

Todd