Water parameters

[SarahJ]

Hey,

can someone look at my water parameters, they are out of whack.

 

25l nano with 2 turbo snails, 2 zombie snails, 4 zoas and a cleaner shrimp.

 

cycled and could convert 2ppm ammonia in 24 hours and then did water change before adding anything.

 

I added zoas and snails, approximately 10 days prior to adding shrimp.

I did a 20% water change yesterday.

today I’ve measure water and it’s all over the place and I’m not sure where to start.

Temp 76

Ammonia 0

nitrites 0

nitrates 0 API test strip

calcium 240 API liquid

Magnes 1470 SALIFERT

Phosp 0.25 API LIQUID

pH 7.5

kH 40

GH 180

Salinity 1.020 using Hydroneter

 

I used sea water bought from Local Zoa store.

fed Shrimp tiny bit Mysis and 2-3 marine pellets a day.

Also gave zoas a couple of drops of reef complete

 

light is on white 10 hours a day and blue 4 hours a day.

 

Thanks for any help

 

[Murphs_Reef]

I would say the API test strip is out by a mile so don't read anything into that. 

I would recommend before you take action to get a better nitrate and phosphate test kit, Salifert or red sea are great but there are others.

Calcium could well be related to the salinity issue. Your salinity is to low. Aim to slowly bring it up between 1.024 and 1.026. I like the higher value of 026. 

[SarahJ]

Thank you, I tried googling about the calcium and salinity but couldn’t find anything helpful.

I will get on that straight away.

 

[Tamberav]

2 hours ago, SarahJ said:

Thank you, I tried googling about the calcium and salinity but couldn’t find anything helpful.

I will get on that straight away.

 

I believe you also want to get better testing supplies.

 

A refractometer with calibration fluid for salinity. 
 

Salifert or Red Sea are good for the others. 

[Clown79]

I never had an issue with api ca or alk. It was always spot on to red sea, salifert, and hanna.

 

The phos test is useless for reef tanks. Hanna be amazing if you don't wanna guess at colours.

 

Api nitrate reads anything under 5 as 0 so if your nitrates are 2.5, you will not know. 

 

Your salinity is low for reefs and that would account for alk and ca being lower.

 

But plastic hydrometers are notorious for not being accurate. 

 

For alk, ca, mag, and nitrate i like salifert

 

For phos hanna

[Murphs_Reef]

The ca and alk relationship to salinity is tentative, your salt mix contains (you would expect) reef compatible CA, mag, alk etc values at a correct salinity. So if you increase the salinity (ie add more salt mix), you are increasing the other elements by default. 

[SarahJ]

Thank you.

The water I use comes from local store As filtered sea water from what I was told, so I would have expected parameters to be right 🥴

I appreciate the help.

 

[Murphs_Reef]

Has your refractometer been calibrated at all?

[SarahJ]

2 hours ago, Murphych said:

Has your refractometer been calibrated at all?

I have a glass hydrometer not a refractometer

[Murphs_Reef]

Ah ok it may be that isn't displaying the correct value of it's natural sea water. 

 

Don't loss heart , tricky (and expensive) to start. 

[M. Tournesol]

17 hours ago, SarahJ said:

I have a glass hydrometer not a refractometer

You could go to your LFS and see the delta between your glass hydrometer measurement and their salt measurement.

 

Personally, I prefer glass hydrometer. My 30€ glass hydrometer is more precise that my 40€ refractometer.

But glass hydrometers are fragile 😑. It's been 7 months since I have started my reef and I have already broke one ...