Unstable chemistry

[Leo_ian]

So my 20 gallon cube has been unstable since i got it. I get my water from a shop because my dad thinks its a waste of space and time to have a full salt mixing unit. My alk is always unread on my sailfert dosing kit. (is there a hanna for this?) I want to do an acropora tank but my parameters are constantly unstable. My chiller wasn't pumping for five days? so my tank was about 31C for very long. When i fixed it, my stylo started bleaching, my recovering montipora started detiorating again. How do i get my tank on its feet? My dad also doesnt allow me to change my filter sock twice a week, so when i change it, the tank parameters go all crazy. Can i get some help?

[ReefGoat]

Theres nothing you can do about your parents not letting you make your own salt water at home. So just make sure the water you're getting is legit. Check the salinity first and foremost. Some LFS have been known to sell sub par water. As far as the filter sock goes most of them aren't one and done. Arent they washable? You can clean it weekly. My advice is since your Dad is so gung ho about regulating your reefkeeping hobby. Maybe you should try and keep it more simple until you're older. Try a softie tank and build your skills off of that sucess. By the time you're old enough to make your own way and pay for your own gear. If that tank is still running and sucessful. Use that aged rock to seed your acro tank. Something to consider. 

[ReefGoat]

Second....those test kits are finicky. You have to make sure that you're doing it correctly or you won't get a good reading. 

[mcarroll]

19 hours ago, Leo_ian said:

My alk is always unread on my sailfert dosing kit.

Not likely to be correct.  Either there is something wrong with the test kit (expired?  check the date on it) or with the way you're using it.

 

What do you get if you test some tap water?  (What is your tapwater source?  Is it treated water?)

 

19 hours ago, Leo_ian said:

My chiller wasn't pumping for five days? so my tank was about 31C for very long.

Corals ought to be fine in temperatures even a little higher than that.  Where you are, just for efficiency sake, I wouldn't keep them any cooler than 29.5C or so.

 

The fact that your corals had a problem tells me that something else in the system was "off kilter" in addition to the temperature.

 

19 hours ago, Leo_ian said:

How do i get my tank on its feet?

If you are tracking nitrates and phosphates, what have those tests been like?  If not, start testing those parameters and let us know what you get for test results.

 

My bet is that your tank is "on zero" for one parameter or both....this is a problem.

 

Don't worry about the filter sock...it shouldn't even be necessary unless the tank's flow is bad and/or the tank is being overfed.  As long as it's not inhibiting flow through the filter, it's fine.

 

[Leo_ian]

My nitrates are zero and my phosphates at 0.25 the last time i tested, i will be raising them both because my lps don't seem to like it

[mcarroll]

Nitrates being low isn't always a problem for coral, so make sure there isn't another problem at work like poor flow, or even some kind of antagonist bothering the coral like a fish or shrimp keeping it stressed. 👍

 

But if you're doing anything to directly apply downward pressure on nitrates, such as running an algae filter or carbon dosing scheme, I would cease.

 

In any case like that where nitrates have been systematically removed, I would try dosing nitrate for at least a short time to get things growing.  Phosphate levels will probably drop a fair amount when that happens, so at 0.25 ppm the tank right now is ready for it.

 

I wouldn't do anything more than a protein skimmer for filtration.

 

If you are being moderate in you feeding, then there's probably room to feed the tank a little more.