Any advice appreciated

[martinmcnally]

Using Instant Ocean, my Alk test kit is useless time for a new one I think. It reads Normal 1.7 to 2.8. Thats as accurate as it gets.

I have 2 Koralia power heads. I thought that was enough but maybe not. One is a large one and one small.

[The Grizz]

I have found that since I have started dosing with Coral Snow that my cyano has totally disappered and the clam's & other coral love it. I also switched to IO Reed Crystals as my Mg was almost non existant. Watching my Ca & Mg levels very closly and using a phos reactor now has really helped. my ALK is at 8.3. Your Ca is low as I have mine at 480 - 500.

[The Grizz]

What size of tank is it?

[martinmcnally]

Tank is 75g I think with prob another at least 10-15 in the sump.

Going to pickup the Mg test kit right now and get a new Alk one while I am at it.

I cleaned the sand bed for the first time the other day took out a lot of yellowish looking gunk along with all the red stuff that was on there. Then yesterday did another water change vacuuming off the rocks (not with the vacuum haha).

[Leah]

You have a lot of fish in there for that size of tank

[The Grizz]

That red stuff is probably cyano, did it look like you could almost peel it off in sheet form. If it was then your nitrate's ( think that is right thing that causes cyano) are high as mine were. I had to cut back on the feeding. This can really kick the crap out of most coral I speak from experience but I am in no way an expert.

[christyf5]

OK well IO can have Mg levels between 900-1100ppm so you might be ok there.

You might want to look into dosing Ca, Mg and an alk buffer now that you have a clam in there using some of that up. I'd do this after you get your water parameters fully tested so you have a baseline.

You might want to put another powerhead in there, or just readjust the ones you have to change up the flow some

I would put atleast 1 more power head in there water movement can stimulate coral growth as they like the movement and it brings more nutrients to them. I have a 55g right now with 5 power heads 3 are on constently they are lower flow and have ocilaters so they sweep back and forth, two are on at opisit times on a timers corallife timer switch. I have no cyano or red slime algae, I did have a very small outbreak of cyano when I started up but that is all I had. The green hair algae was my problem and that I believe was because of a bad timer. It was a digital timer the programming was right but it would turn off when it was suposto turn on and turn on when it was suposto turn off. Fired it in the trash should have broght it back and got my money back ho well.
Bill

[martinmcnally]

The Grizz you were rite on the Nitrate. Its reading 5ppm right now. Thats the first time I have ever seen it not read zero.

I haven't added any fish lately and I don't think I am over feeding but I will cut back for sure and see what happens there. I usually fee once a day either a pinch of flakes or some mysis. Plus the tangs get some seaweed either every day or every other day.

Mg is reading 1100
dKH is 10

Martin

[martinmcnally]

So all my parameters as of now are:
Ammonia / Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 5ppm
Phosphate: 0.5ppm
Calcium: 340ppm
Magnesium: 1100ppm
dKH: 10
Salinity: 0.0025
Temperature: 26-28oC

I lost the reference card for my pH test (ack!) but it looks the same colour as always 8.2 so I guess I need another one of those now (more money )

So would I be right in thinking I should be doing the following:

Calcium: Work on getting that up to around 450ppm (I am using Kent A & B)
Nitrate: Cut back on the feeding and see if I can get that back down to zero.
Phosphate: Keep running Rowaphos and doing water changes to get that as close to zero as possible.
Magnesium: Should I bother trying to raise from 1100 to 1400?

I also need a better light for my sump so I can actually grow something in there except the little shrimp that seem to love it. )