Quash Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 Ok so I tested my Amm, and its at 0, trites 0 trates, about 10 ppm, pH prolly 7.8 7.9 alk, 8 dkh. Is it safe to add a cleanup crew? After my WC? Hair algae like a mofo up in the tank. Im into my third week since tank started. Link to comment
audi206rs4 Posted October 1, 2003 Share Posted October 1, 2003 yeah i would do a 2 gallon water change (pick off as much hair algae as possible by hand) and let the tank run overnight then test and add your cleanup crew (they'll thank you and do a much better job of cleanup!) what are you planning to get for your clean-up crew? i recommend 3-4 nassarius, 3-4 ceriths, and 6 astreas, maybe 2 hermits (1 blue, 1 red). have fun! Link to comment
Quash Posted October 3, 2003 Author Share Posted October 3, 2003 Shat, I thought I was done cycling, when I tested my water alk. it was at 6dkh. I guess Im not done until this value goes up Link to comment
Phish Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 Just asking, why soo many snails and soo little hermits, dont trust a crab do you? Link to comment
Orange Crush Posted October 4, 2003 Share Posted October 4, 2003 cycling only has to do with the ammoinia. nitirites, and nitrates. According to those values, your tank is done cycling. dkh acts as a pH buffer. You keep that value up with water changes, and, as necessary, supplementation. Your pH is a bit low, should be 8.4. Also, it depends on the time of day when you test, as pH fluctuates. After you do a water change, check your pH and dKH again. You'll probably see that they've both gone up. Link to comment
Physh1 Posted October 4, 2003 Share Posted October 4, 2003 Originally posted by Quash Shat, I thought I was done cycling, when I tested my water alk. it was at 6dkh. I guess Im not done until this value goes up Not totally the case. The cycling stress will wear down your alk. Alk needs to be supplemented to keep it stable...either through water changes or dosing. It is something that gradually drops as it helps keep pH up by counteracting acidity. It's a consant battle..... Cameron Link to comment
Quash Posted October 4, 2003 Author Share Posted October 4, 2003 I guess what I meant to say was that, I had 9 dkh, and then i did a two gallon water change and then tested the alk, the next afternoon and got 6dkh. I have the tetratest pH test, that ###### damn sux Its hard to align the color with the pH, I would say its at 7.9 yea, but i wont test nothin till this afternoon. What I do notice, I just started to put in some kent marine superbuffer dkh and I notice that the white stuff on my rock begins to go away. alk should be at around 12 right. I link this directly to the low alk leads to white "bleaching" on my rock Link to comment
Physh1 Posted October 4, 2003 Share Posted October 4, 2003 It can. How's your calcium and magnesium? The color change could also just be the rock has recvovered and is cycled so everything is starting to bloom again. Cameron Link to comment
Quash Posted October 4, 2003 Author Share Posted October 4, 2003 Sigh, more test kits? Ill have to pick up those tests and give you params on those. Thanks. Link to comment
Physh1 Posted October 4, 2003 Share Posted October 4, 2003 Well, you need calcium for sure and magnesium is good to have but not ideal. YYou need to keep your eye on ca and alk for sure because levels out of whack can cause "bleaching" of coraline. Cameron Link to comment
rehren Posted October 4, 2003 Share Posted October 4, 2003 why pick any of the hair algae off manually? my crabs and snails loved eating it... Link to comment
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