Does my water need to be changed?

[AWiseOne]

I added water, 9 lbs dry live rock, and 20 lbs of Caribsea arag-alive sand (without draining water) to my 14 g tank on Monday in anticipation of my first two clownfish arriving Friday and doing a with fish cycle using Fritz Turbostart 900.

 

When I added the mixed saltwater my alkalinity was 10.0, pH was 8.3, and ammonia was 0.1. Since then, I have maintained a water temperature of 78.0 (76.8-78.4 with heater cycling) and just checked my parameters again in preparation for the fish arriving tomorrow. Alkalinity has dropped to 7.0-7.5, pH is 7.9-8.0, and ammonia had remained at 0.1.

 

Should I do a partial water change to bring the pH and alkalinity back up before the fish arrive tomorrow? I have enough mixed saltwater to almost do a full water change if needed. I just want to make sure my fish are going to be ok. 

[Jakesaw]

Fish cycle typically is started with 1 fish, especially in a smaller tank.  

 

With 2 fish I'd make sure you have a good ammonia test kit ( red sea or salifert or Hanna ) I'd test daily and keep an eye on ammonia and see if you see any detectable levels in the water.  Some extra bacteria like Microbacter 7 or similar product - or extra water changes may be needed with 2 fish to start your fish cycle. 

 

 

 

  

[AWiseOne]

I am using a Red Sea test kit and plan on testing ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates daily. I also have a seachem ammonia alert badge I plan on having in the tank.

 

Is it alarming that the alkalinity and pH have dropped so much over such a short time period? 

[fenderchamp]

what is/was your salinity?

 

 

[AWiseOne]

The salinity of my mixed water prior to adding to the tank was 1.025. It dropped to 1.024 (maybe slightly lower) after I added it to the tank with the sand/sand water. I slightly overfilled the tank, so I set the ato sensor to my desired water level and evaporation brought the salinity back up to 1.025. 
 

I was wondering if the water in the live sand was enough to drop the alkalinity and pH? I didn’t think to check them after I added the water to the tank. 

[aclman88]

You absolutely do not need to chase alkalinity for fish, they don't care and it doesn't affect them like it does for coral.  .pH is not worth chasing either; stability with pH is most important, and again, like with alkalinity, it doesn't matter for just fish.  Regardless, a pH of 7.8 is completely fine.  You will likely cause problems monitoring and chasing pH.

 

The only thing you need to concern youself with is monitoring ammonia. Nitrite isn't nearly as toxic in saltwater so you should not be overly concerned with it and really it is only worth monitoring to ensure your tank is cycling.

 

 

[AWiseOne]

11 hours ago, aclman88 said:

You absolutely do not need to chase alkalinity for fish, they don't care and it doesn't affect them like it does for coral.  .pH is not worth chasing either; stability with pH is most important, and again, like with alkalinity, it doesn't matter for just fish.  Regardless, a pH of 7.8 is completely fine.  You will likely cause problems monitoring and chasing pH.

 

The only thing you need to concern youself with is monitoring ammonia. Nitrite isn't nearly as toxic in saltwater so you should not be overly concerned with it and really it is only worth monitoring to ensure your tank is cycling.

 

 

Thank you for this. Everything I have read says to not chase the numbers, but it's hard not to overreact in the moment. I ended up not changing the water. I eventually want to add some corals, but am happy just keeping the fish healthy for now.

 

I added the fish and Fritz Turbostart today and everything seems happy. I have the Red Sea Marine Care Test kit and will be monitoring Ammonia, Nitrites, and Nitrates to make sure they don't go crazy and that the tank is cycling. I also have a Seachem ammonia alert badge in the tank to monitor the free ammonia between Red Sea kit tests.

 

Thanks again to everybody for all of the advice. 

 

    

[RaymondNoodles]

I would make sure your water is being aerated by surface ripples from your pump. Aeration can also be obtained by maintaining appropriate overflow/waterfall levels (if you have an AIO, that is). When I first began, I had too much water in my tank, which meant the 2 waterfalls built into the AIO of my waterbox cube 20 were not being utilized, which I believe was the cause of my ph being slightly low. At first it was around 7.8, but since correcting water level to allow the water to fall 2" over each waterfall and adding surface agitation it has increased to 8.2. Outside of these simple suggestions and normal maintenance combined with good husbandry, you should not need to chase pH.