'listening' to your specimens---or at least 'reading' them.

Sk8r · 06/13/2019, 10:13 PM

One reason I find reefs easier than fish-onlies is simple: corals tell you clearly when they're unhappy.

OTOH, fish do too, just that we don't always listen. Say you have two fish suddenly going at each other. Is it sex asserting itself? Or is your alkalinity tanking? Test your alk, and if it's not around 8.3, fix it. Likewise fix your magnesium, which LETS the alk decline if mg is less than 1200. keep it around 1300-1400.

Fish hiding. Again, check the alk.

The alkalinity seems to affect slime coat; and slime coat is your fish's second skin, his protection against parasites and bacteria. It's life and death for clowns, because they use that to protect themselves against the nem's stings. (Never dip a clown and then return him to 'his' tank, or the nem can sting him to death.)

On a very basic level, watching your specimens can tell you it's time to test the water. Mushrooms shriveling, fish fighting each other, zoas closing, coral polyps tucking up, anemones shriveling---time to test. 'Pretty good parameters" for a reef are: mg 1350, alk 8.3, cal 420, on the Salifert tests or anything that gives you precise numbers on those items.

Look at your tank daily. And 'listen' when you're getting a distress signal. Test the water. Fix it.

HTH.

HumbleFish · 06/14/2019, 11:08 AM

Great info, as always! One reason I came back to RC is the great info provided by @Sk8r

Uncle99 · 06/14/2019, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HumbleFish

Great info, as always! One reason I came back to RC is the great info provided by @Sk8r

Yup, this is the real stuff, the stuff that moves us all forward

divetoday · 06/16/2019, 04:01 PM

So true! I have caught myself forgetting to just sit and look at my tank. I remember to do the maintenance but forget to “listen.”

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

newbcube · 06/24/2019, 07:09 AM

Looking for a bit of advice before chasing numbers. I have a 75g display with 20g sump and light bio load(clown pair, goby, gramma, skunk cleaner shrimp, few frags of LPS) with a reef oct 110 skimmer. I've been neglecting my tank the last few months but everything looked out and open for the most part. Nothing seemed negatively impacted by the lack of attention, including water changes. I finally tested my parameters Saturday before my first of 3 planned 20g water changes (Alk 5.6, Calc 420, Mag 1360), using Red Sea Foundation Pro test kit.

My questions are, do the numbers make sense? Can the Alk be that low and still have reasonable Calc and Mag?

If so, will stacking a few largish water changes with reef crystals together correct the alk or will i need to dose something to get there?

zheka757 · 06/24/2019, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sk8r

Test your alk, and if it's not around 8.3, fix it. Likewise fix your magnesium, which LETS the alk decline if mg is less than 1200. keep it around 1300-1400.

HTH.

im confused about when you mention alk dropping with low magnesium!
the last routine test i did on my tank my alkalinity was at 7.0 my mag-1470 and cal-470 ph-8.0 im looking at my corals and fish and not anything unusual.
i started this tank a year ago with alkalinity at 12.6 highest, and gradually it was dropping to 7.0 now. this is in 500 gallons total water volume.
is it possibly something consuming alk only? or is it just my reading from tests

Sk8r · 06/24/2019, 08:35 PM

First thing to suspect when you have tests that don't make sense is expiration of your test kits, and alk is one that does go bad. Look at your date of issue. I renew my kits about every year.

06/13/2019, 10:13 PM	#1
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	'listening' to your specimens---or at least 'reading' them. One reason I find reefs easier than fish-onlies is simple: corals tell you clearly when they're unhappy. OTOH, fish do too, just that we don't always listen. Say you have two fish suddenly going at each other. Is it sex asserting itself? Or is your alkalinity tanking? Test your alk, and if it's not around 8.3, fix it. Likewise fix your magnesium, which LETS the alk decline if mg is less than 1200. keep it around 1300-1400. Fish hiding. Again, check the alk. The alkalinity seems to affect slime coat; and slime coat is your fish's second skin, his protection against parasites and bacteria. It's life and death for clowns, because they use that to protect themselves against the nem's stings. (Never dip a clown and then return him to 'his' tank, or the nem can sting him to death.) On a very basic level, watching your specimens can tell you it's time to test the water. Mushrooms shriveling, fish fighting each other, zoas closing, coral polyps tucking up, anemones shriveling---time to test. 'Pretty good parameters" for a reef are: mg 1350, alk 8.3, cal 420, on the Salifert tests or anything that gives you precise numbers on those items. Look at your tank daily. And 'listen' when you're getting a distress signal. Test the water. Fix it. HTH. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%. Last edited by Sk8r; 06/14/2019 at 05:38 PM.

06/16/2019, 04:01 PM	#4
divetoday Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL Posts: 63	So true! I have caught myself forgetting to just sit and look at my tank. I remember to do the maintenance but forget to “listen.” Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk __________________ ******************************** DiveToday: It's not a suggestion. ;-) Current Tank Info: 150 Gallon Mixed Reef

06/24/2019, 08:35 PM	#7
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	First thing to suspect when you have tests that don't make sense is expiration of your test kits, and alk is one that does go bad. Look at your date of issue. I renew my kits about every year. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

06/14/2019, 11:08 AM	#2
HumbleFish Moved On Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 4,757	Great info, as always! One reason I came back to RC is the great info provided by @Sk8r

06/24/2019, 07:09 AM	#5
newbcube Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2016 Posts: 25	Looking for a bit of advice before chasing numbers. I have a 75g display with 20g sump and light bio load(clown pair, goby, gramma, skunk cleaner shrimp, few frags of LPS) with a reef oct 110 skimmer. I've been neglecting my tank the last few months but everything looked out and open for the most part. Nothing seemed negatively impacted by the lack of attention, including water changes. I finally tested my parameters Saturday before my first of 3 planned 20g water changes (Alk 5.6, Calc 420, Mag 1360), using Red Sea Foundation Pro test kit. My questions are, do the numbers make sense? Can the Alk be that low and still have reasonable Calc and Mag? If so, will stacking a few largish water changes with reef crystals together correct the alk or will i need to dose something to get there?