Water params.....
No not anything inparticular unfortunately. I took a water sample into the lfs today. Okay, fyi, I've been trying to skim by on test strips (I know...), but I do have a decent calcium kit and I knew that there had been a bad change in PH (yes from the test strips). So, I got all the info, and the guy (hanging out there helping with testing, etc.) told me that there was a site on reef central or reef frontiers up at the top or in the new to reefkeeping or somewhere that had charts. The charts are supposed to tell you "what to do to correct it", when you show a low or high problem you want corrected.
Oh well, here is what I have ended up with:
Spec Grav 1.028 (my floating glass hygrometer said 026)
PH 8.2 (I had corrected my ph drop-strip says 8.4)
Calcium 360 (yes I added Kent Liquid Calcium)
Nitrates 50 (yes I already knew these were a problem, doing weekly waterchanges "now" to try and correct)
Amonia .5
Phosphate .2 - which I know nothing of yet.
I have ordered the Red Sea Kit and calibrated my calcium kit to give me correct results. Also calibrated hygrometer.
I have a crappy protein skimmer, but good news, a coralite super skimmer 175 is on the way!
I will no longer be adding weekly doses of:
Seachem Reef Complete
Seachem Trace Elements
Seachem Essential Elements
Aragamilk (by CaribSea)
I do feed:
Frozen mysis everyother day
alternating with
Pellet Food (spectrum Thera+A) everyother day
Seaweed daily
Brine shrimp (spirulina enriched) 1-2 x per week.
Blood worms - once in a great while - just to get rid of
Now for the rest of the story:
I do not have a dsb, yes the dreaded crushed coral bed.
I do not have a sump or wet/dry.
I'm told I don't have enough filtering or current.....
Is that enough info???
This is plan.
I have to move my tank anyway (got a stand). Cant decide on dsb, cc or bear bottom.
DO SMALL WATER CHANGES MORE FREQUENTLY
DO SMALL WATER CHANGES MORE FREQUENTLY
DO SMALL WATER CHANGES MORE FREQUENTLY
DO SMALL WATER CHANGES MORE FREQUENTLY
With water ro/di water purchased, 5 gals per week. Until I get ro/di.
Boy this is tiring just to try and explain myself.
And by the way, do you still have the 4x65 retro. I assume this is the guts I would need if making my own hood and mounting lights inside it...?
I think I asked you about this light or kit whatever, a couple days ago.
Thanks much for listening to my whining...
BJ