Tank chemistry

[saltie]

Using CAD 100 skimmer and have @ 20lbs of live rock, phosphates are 0, nitrites 0 and ammonia is 0, magnessium 1150

[denny_C]

Originally Posted by saltie

Using CAD 100 skimmer and have @ 20lbs of live rock, phosphates are 0, nitrites 0 and ammonia is 0, magnessium 1150

what are you testing with?

[saltie]

Hagen , the complete kit

[saltie]

Just in process of taking all the rock out of sump and rinsing off, cleaning pump and skimmer and rearranging to get more flow through rocks do detritus doesn't settle, would it be an idea to put crabs and snails in sump

[denny_C]

that will be a good idea , i would also invest in better quality test kits too

[saltie]

What would you recommend for testing?

[denny_C]

Originally Posted by saltie

What would you recommend for testing?

i would personally get a hanna or salifert for po4 , i prefer elos for calcium , salifert for mg , salifert or elos for nitrates, hanna or salifert for alkalinity.


i keep different brands of each and if i get a wonky reading ill compare using a different brand.

before adding anything to your tank ( including alk) you need to know if the tests are true, and all test arn't created equal.

start with a log book and find out how much alk your tank uses each day , start dosing large amounts to bring your tank to proper levels ( user a reef calculator) then using your log book find out your daily dose ( or weekly)

as for nitrates , theres alot of variables in play and most reefers use an asst of tools to keep it low.

carbon dosing, skimming, water changes, denitrator coils etc are a few ways to do so