Some direction for a newbie. Kinda.

Hi everyone.

So I've had a FOWLR for 2 years now. The tank has been great, no deaths. I've managed to keep everything going well.

I've had major algae problems, but feel I now understand why.

I've started a new tank. A 90G. The tank has been up for 3 weeks now. I believe the cycle is almost complete. No fish. No light as of now. (T5 will be coming in next week)

However, I want to start getting used to checking more than just ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, and pH, as I was with my 29g.

Today I tested the water and got the following values in the 90G;

CA: 360
KH: 107.4 (or 6DKH)
PH: 8.2

My goal with this new tank is to get the water ready for some softies. So my CA and KH are both somewhat low, correct?

What do I do to raise them? Do I need to raise them? I'm going to do more research, but some pointers would be great.

 

idk ur salinity but a reef tank needs to stay around 1.025-1.026..doing this is also gonna give u higher numbers..

at 1.026 with coralife salt, my water tests at ca 530, alk 10, mag 1530..and i love these numbers, i no longer have to dose my tank..

 

If all you want is softies, you may not need to dose any Ca or alk or mg. Water changes with quality salt will do it. However, if you are thinking of adding any LPS or SPS, you will need to dose Ca, Alk, and Mg. BRS (bulk reef supply, one of the sponsors here) sells a great package of this, and has great instructions on how to use it.

One last note. If your tank was only set up for 3 weeks, your cycle is not complete. You may now have bacteria to convert ammonia to nitrite and nitrite to nitrate, but with each new addition to your tank it will need to re-cycle. Go slowly with additions, and best of luck with the set-up.

 

You could bring up the alk with a buffer, but I would like to see a magnesium level before you start dosing the tank with anything. Just a decent size water change after the cycle will probably help to bring up the alk, then retest and see where you stand.

A consistant dkh 8 would suffice for soft corals. Your calcium and pH level are find where they stand right now.

The tank is new so I think you can expect to see some shifting in the big 3 values as it becomes more established.

 

Switching to a quality reef salt and weekly 10% water changes will bring your numbers up. Keep in mind that most soft corals don't need high ca, alk values but it is good to get them up to optimal for stabilty because you will eventually want to get more challenging corals as you go. Here is a link to the optimum levels. HTH

Reef Aquarium Water Parameters by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

 

Saints Fan, I love you man. lol. You're always answering questions for me.

Yep, I forgot to list my Salinity. It's spot on brooo 1.025.

I've been using reef crystals.

Yeah man. I realize it's not completely finished. I've always been very very slow about adding livestock, and won't be any different with this tank. I'm going to let the tank run for at least a week after my lights get in, hopefully I'll get some diatom blossoms. Then I'll order a CUC from John at reefkeepers, give them a week, and then transfer my mated pair of clowns into the tank. We're looking at at least 3 more weeks before that water is going through any gills. ;-)

 

make sure to use RO/DI water only if you want to minimize algae problems also. Running a cheap reactor with some GFO will also help any algae issues by keeping the PO4 level below 0.

The more thorough you are in the beginning will def help you down the line.

 

Yeah. My first tank really was a learning experience.

As of now I have a spectrapure RO/DI. 60GPD. I had read / heard great things about the company before I placed my order, and have to say I'm quite satisfied.

I will be ordering a "2 little fishes" phosban reactor once I get my sump built for this tank.

I'm excited about this new setup!

 

Excellent, I also have a SpectraPure unit, they're the best IMO. It sounds like this tank will do just fine, def post pics once it's fully up!

 

Good to hear!

I'm big about pictures... Here is my build thread. (http://www.3reef.com/forums/show-off-your-fish-tanks/brews-90g-build-105491.html)

and here is a pic of the tank as it sits right now: (it has a single fluorescent bulb on it right now. I can't wait for the t5's to get here!)