Couple Of Questions

[kenman]

Hi, before i start buying more stuff, i was just wondering a couple of things.

Will i need a saltwater master test kit??? (i allready have a FW one...)

When i get my RO, will i need to de-clorinate it, and do i have to use any special de-clorinaters???

Will i need to add anything else to the RO water (like iodine, as im haveing mushrooms) and how much etc.

 

How much LR would you surrgest for a 4g?

What stocking would you surrgest?

 

Also, if i used an elite mini aquarium filter (220lph) would i have it turned up full, and would i need more than one?

 

Thanks in advance.

[circusordie16]

all you need to add to your ro/di water is the salt. that will have everything in it you need.

 

for a 4 gallon id get maybe 4 pounds of live rock and see how it looks.

[kenman]

Allright then. Thats about 1.5 to 2kg isnt it?

 

Thanks for the reply.

[jg7]

Hi, before i start buying more stuff, i was just wondering a couple of things.

Will i need a saltwater master test kit??? (i allready have a FW one...)

When i get my RO, will i need to de-clorinate it, and do i have to use any special de-clorinaters???

Will i need to add anything else to the RO water (like iodine, as im haveing mushrooms) and how much etc.

 

How much LR would you surrgest for a 4g?

What stocking would you surrgest?

 

Also, if i used an elite mini aquarium filter (220lph) would i have it turned up full, and would i need more than one?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

It wouldn't hurt to add a little de-chlorinator to the RO water.

 

A saltwater master test kit is helpful for testing high range PH etc.

 

4 pounds of live rock should be fine to start with in your tank.

 

In a 4 gallon tank, zoos and mushrooms usually do very well. Stocking is entirely up to you; just make sure you do research before you buy anything. Only put in corals and invertebrates that you can take care of, and you should be fine.

 

You can supplement a little bit of iodine (not too much, only a few small drops) into the tank after it is set up, but the trace minerals that are already in the saltwater should be enough for your mushrooms. I have a 5 gallon mushroom tank of my own, and I only supplement it with iodine 2 times a month. The iodine also helps out the crustaceans in my tank when they molt. Only a few drops should be needed to give your invertebrates a boost. For example, I use Kent Marine Tech-I and 2 capfuls of the stuff can treat 50 gallons so you have to be very careful not to overdose iodine in such a small volume of water.

[kenman]

Yeah, i get your point...

 

I have a master FW test kit, and i can test the RO with that, as when i buy it, it will be not premixed....

Would i really need one?

 

Is the iodine esential?

 

My stocking plans are: 1 or 2 fire/blood shrimp, 3 or 4 hermits, 2 or 3 nerite snails, and is there anything else i could add or take away from that stocking?

 

Thanks alot

[jg7]

Yeah, i get your point...

 

I have a master FW test kit, and i can test the RO with that, as when i buy it, it will be not premixed....

Would i really need one?

 

Is the iodine esential?

 

My stocking plans are: 1 or 2 fire/blood shrimp, 3 or 4 hermits, 2 or 3 nerite snails, and is there anything else i could add or take away from that stocking?

 

Thanks alot

 

Honestly, it seems like you already have all the tests you actually need. Buying a SW master kit isn't really necessary, because the only different test it has is the high range PH test. Ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate are more important to test for in a SW tank... in my opinion. PH is important, but not as important as those three parameters. You also need to know the tank's specific gravity, so get a refractometer or hydrometer.

 

Iodine supplements are not really essential. Performing frequent water changes to replenish the natural trace elements (iodine, calcium, etc.) in the tank are more important than any kind of supplement you could possibly add. For the livestock you want to add, iodine supplements will help out the shrimp when they need to molt. They are not really essential.

 

The live stock you want to add looks ok for a 4 gallon tank. I think that blood shrimp have a tendency of killing their own kind in such small living areas, but I'm not really sure. You might want to look that up. You also don't want to overstock your tank.

[kenman]

Cool, thanks for the help jg7

I do actually have a high range pH test, in the kit, but all these tests are for FW, so will they work for SW too???

Its an API master test kit.

 

Thanks alot.

[jg7]

No problem. If all the tests are clearly marked FW, then they might not give you an accurate reading if you use them on SW.

[klagos]

I test ph, nitrates, and phosphate (for my algae issues) as well as s/g. All of these are saltwater tests. Some of the tests I have say they can be for both sw and fw. You will probably want to test ammonia and nitrites if you are starting a new tank as well. Everything else should be in the salt mix if it is a quality mix. I use Tropis Marin Pro Reef and it ha given me 0 problem. Hope this helps.