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Water Chemistry

C

ClimberChris

Well I just did a full range of tests and this is what I am getting:

calcium 420
nitrate 0
nitrite 0
phosphate 0
High Range pH 7.4
DKH 3
gravity 1.023

I do have a hair algae outbreak at the top level of my tank and although it has not grown, it hasn't died off yet either. I switched media 2 weeks ago and started using carbon and phosguard by Seachem. Before the switch I had my nitrates at 20ppg. Should I be expecting to see a die off soon? Is my DKH and high range pH too low? I use RO/DI water, and drain about a quarter of my tank every week. I am fairly new to the hobby so any help would be great :)
 
C

ClimberChris

I have read about the false positive readings which is why I started testing my RO/DI water. I have been trying to identify the source of the nitrate/phosphate that could be the source of the bloom, but no luck :(

I have a 46g bowfront with about 60lbs of liverock. I use a fluval 305 with Seachem Matrix media, Seachem Phosguard, Seachem carbon and Fluval polishing pads. I also have an Acqua C remora. As far as livestock goes I have 2 cardinals which are small, 2 clowns, sand sifting star fish and a spikey black urchin. I have about 8 turbo snails, 2 large mexican turbos and 5 naserith snails dug into the sand. I am very careful with not overfeeding as well and I am currently using mysis and pellet food. As for lighting, I have 2 month old PC lights by Acquatic Life and they are on for a total of 10 hours. I hope this extra info helps paint a picture of the setup :)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PIIQxqnidM&feature=channel_page - Tank before algae bloom after rearranging the rock.
 
Hawkeye

Hawkeye

stupid question but how frequently do you change your water? The fluval media might be too efficient at changing ammonia to nitrite to nitrate. What I mean is that it's generating nitrate faster than you change water to dilute it.

nitrates are a perpetual issue in this hobby. I've got no answers for you other than possibly checking the TDS of your RODI to see if maybe that is introducing nutrients. The tank does not sound overstocked at all to me.
 
R

roxsburyrage

How often do you change your Fluval polishing pads.The can collect alot of crap and turn into nitrates after a week or so.Any media that is collects debris needs to be cleaned frequently.
 
C

ClimberChris

I change the polishing pads and rinse media bags in RODI water about ever 10 days. The pads are usually not that dirty. As far as water changes go, I do at least 15% every week. It seems that the snails I bought ate a lot of the hair algae and it hasn't returned in those areas. I am even starting to see bits of it floating and it doesn't look as green as it used to so maybe it is dying off.
 
C

ClimberChris

I just did a DKH test on water I made this week through my RODI system which is only 2 months old and it was a 4. This explains my DKH problem.. Is it normal for new water with salt to only be 4?
 
D

Dave

I made up new water in the last two days for a comparison test between my old salt and new salt.

My old salt came up as 11 DKH and my new salt came up as 16 DKH.

I am using salt intended for a reef set up.

What salt are you using?
 
C

ClimberChris

I am using Reef Crystals and I just tested my water again and this is what I came up with.

Tap Water DKH: 11
RO/DI Water: 4
Tank: 4

Interesting...
 
P

pgordemer

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
ClimberChris said:
I am using Reef Crystals and I just tested my water again and this is what I came up with.

Tap Water DKH: 11
RO/DI Water: 4
Tank: 4

Interesting...
Click to expand...

FWIW, DKH and PH measurements in RODI water can be discarded. With hobby grade test kits, it is almost impossible to get accurate results in RODI water as there are not enough ions in the water to allow the tests to work with any accuracy. This is especially true of PH.
 
C

ClimberChris

Interesting, but once that is mixed with my reef crystals salt, left for a day and then added to the tank, how would I be able to get an accurate reading?
 
P

pgordemer

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
ClimberChris said:
Interesting, but once that is mixed with my reef crystals salt, left for a day and then added to the tank, how would I be able to get an accurate reading?
Click to expand...

Once you mix salt, then readings become accurate - its just if you are trying to test for something in RODI water with nothing in it, the tests are inaccruate. Only TDS - which should be "zero" is accurate with hobby grade kits.
 
D

Dave

IMO, you should consider purchasing a new test kit, and a different brand.

Test again, and see if your results are different.
 
U

ukman

I had hair algae for months before it came under control.
I have macro algae, phosban, good readings well within range and water changes 10% every week, filter sock changed every 3 days, good skimming. I have tangs, algae blennie.
My point is I tried every avenue of curing the problem including scrubbing my rock and all I can say is that time and good tank maintenance are the only way to get rid of hair algae.
It seems to be part of the normal life of a tank.
 
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