reef parameters

[i love picotopes]

i have been doing some research and have come up with the few parameters to keep in check....calcium,alkalinity,ph,magnesium,phosphate and ammonia.i want to noe which of theses r the more important ones.

[squirrelieygrrrl]

when you are just starting out during your cycle the important ones to watch are ammonia, nitrite, and ph. you can watch nitrate too though in a new tank its not as important as you shouldnt have the nutrients in the system built up to the point where it would be a concern.

 

once the tank is established a bit more and you have no more ammonia/nitrite spikes. then alk, ph, and nitrate should be observed. at the very least. though some people prefer to run the whole shebang of tests for the first few months.

 

once you start observing relatively stable params then you can start adding critters.

 

really mag, calcium, and phosphate are only important if you start adding more sensitive things to the tank like clams or sps (which shouldnt be added for at minimum of 8 months better to wait a year) in a lightly stocked tank you shouldnt have to work at maintaining these as long as your using a high quality salt designed for reefs. as these elements will be replenished with regular water changes.

 

in terms of phosphate its easier to observe in an established tank by watching how quickly and how thick the film algae grows on the glass. if it develops rather quickly then you know you need to amp up the water changes.

 

phew! rather large question you have there. these links may help, http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-03/rhf/index.php, http://www.chucksaddiction.com/waterquality.html

 

do keep in mind that these articles are geared towards the larger aquarium and that many of the dosing practices are not needed in nanos. mostly due to the fact that with the small volume of water these elements are replenished via water changes and do not need to be supplemented. especially in a new, lightly stocked aquarium.

 

hth.

 

~squirrel

[disaster999]

in addition to what squirrel said

 

when starting out, and during the cycle, nitrite, nitrate and ammonia is probably the most important. this will tell you when your cycle is over.

 

when cycle is over and starting to add stuff to your tank, nitrate, ph and phosphate becomes more important. you want to monitor your bioload and make sure you dont overload it too quickly. also you want to keep the phosphate to a minimum to prevent algae outbreak

 

as your tank matures, calcium, alk, and mg are the most important parameter to check. you want to make sure you keep everything in check inorder for good coral growth. i never check for ammonia anymore. rarely check my nitrates and ph, occasionally check my phosphate but regularly check calcium, alk and mg.

[squirrelieygrrrl]

lol.

 

thank you disaster. hard to put reef chemistry into a quick couple paragraph synopsis.

 

 

ultimately im probably the worst person to be giving advice on testing. in the year ive had my current tank set up ive never tested it once. not even during its cycle. im just a huge proponent of water changes if something dosnt look right. i rarely dose except for a two part. even that i do sparingly.

 

however on my first attempt at a nano i tested religiously, until i was able to know what the signs were of different deficiencies/raised levels of different params.

 

other things that have helped me to better understand reef chemistry was the purchase of 'water chemistry for the marine aquarium' by john tullock. it has been an invaluable resource and i still refer to it occasionally to this day.

[i love picotopes]

when you are just starting out during your cycle the important ones to watch are ammonia, nitrite, and ph. you can watch nitrate too though in a new tank its not as important as you shouldnt have the nutrients in the system built up to the point where it would be a concern.

 

once the tank is established a bit more and you have no more ammonia/nitrite spikes. then alk, ph, and nitrate should be observed. at the very least. though some people prefer to run the whole shebang of tests for the first few months.

 

once you start observing relatively stable params then you can start adding critters.

 

really mag, calcium, and phosphate are only important if you start adding more sensitive things to the tank like clams or sps (which shouldnt be added for at minimum of 8 months better to wait a year) in a lightly stocked tank you shouldnt have to work at maintaining these as long as your using a high quality salt designed for reefs. as these elements will be replenished with regular water changes.

 

in terms of phosphate its easier to observe in an established tank by watching how quickly and how thick the film algae grows on the glass. if it develops rather quickly then you know you need to amp up the water changes.

 

phew! rather large question you have there. these links may help, http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-03/rhf/index.php, http://www.chucksaddiction.com/waterquality.html

 

do keep in mind that these articles are geared towards the larger aquarium and that many of the dosing practices are not needed in nanos. mostly due to the fact that with the small volume of water these elements are replenished via water changes and do not need to be supplemented. especially in a new, lightly stocked aquarium.

 

hth.

 

~squirrel

i have had the tank for 5 months now.and there is a clown fish and a blue devil in it.now i plan on adding some corals,,,thats why i ask parameters for a REEFtank.by the way my tank is only 4.5 gallon with a aquaclear 50(unmoded).im using 'redsea'salt(not coral pro)...and i dont realy change my water much....is that ok?

[squirrelieygrrrl]

lol! srry for all the newb info then. might wanna be more specific next time. if your ready to start adding corals i reccomend switching to the coral pro or another brand intended for reef tanks. i used reef crystals for years with no need for dosing. if you dont switch you will end up chasing mag and ca. it will make it more trouble than its worth.

 

hows your algae? thats really the first thing to consider. also in my opinion you are over stocked. the damsel might be ok, but that clown is going to need space to roam as its gets older. from what i understand about pico's you should really only have one small fish. like a goby.

 

with the stocking you have, nitrate is going to be the most important to monitor, in addition you should monitor alk, ca, phos, and mag.

 

have you checked out some of the other peoples tanks on here who have been successful? i like to read the monthly reef profiles to get ideas. it may help you to understand what it takes to have a successful tank. this link might also help. El Fab's Simple Guide to Pico Tanks

 

start with something simple. like zoas, mushrooms, ricordeas(make sure they are attached and not free floaters), or lps like a hammer, gsp, etc. there are lots of beginner corals that are hardy to choose from. stay away from the more challenging ones till you get this down pat.

 

your water changing schedule is determined on how much you feed and what you have in the tank. any signs of algae are indicators that you need to amp up the water changes.

 

also almost all sea critters use alleopathy of some sort, so in a pico it is especially important that you keep up on the maintenance. to avoid problems. it will be especially important when you start adding corals.

 

phew! lulz. thats enough for now my friend. hth once more.

[lakshwadeep]

This is a good article that gives a basic list of all reef aquarium parameters and their normal ranges. Note that there is the assumption you will have many stony corals and clams, where things like calcium/alkalinity/magnesium are important.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php

[sandcruiser]

temp, specific gravity and pH are the things most likely to cause issues when you are first starting out

 

I don't really believe in testing for ammonia unless something is looking messed up-- just let the tank cycle for at least 3 weeks without any fish (just LR and sand) and you'll be ok w/ ammonia and nitrite.

 

take some water to your LFS to confirm that the cycle is over before you proceed, then proceed slowly.

 

the money you don't spend on an ammonia/nitrite kit you can use to buy a refractometer instead, which will be more useful over the life of the tank, imo.