I need some help...

[Reefer37]

Alright guys, I'm getting a little frustrated over dosing and what is going on in my tank.
I'm still pretty new to this as this is my first saltwater tank so bear with me.

So I'll give you all the info I can:

JBJ 45
Lighting: Hydra 52 HD (ran around 30%)
Filtration: Stock media baskets (filter floss, o-rings, and Chemi-pure that I need to switch out this weekend)

Been up and running about 6 months now.
I have a pair of clowns, firefish, Randall's goby/pistol shrimp pair, Melanurus wrasse, and a bicolor blenny.

I usually do water changes once a week of about 5g. This week I was trying out going two weeks to work on getting nitrates up because I never seem to get a reading on my API test.
I use water from my LFS that I trust who used Fritz salt (usually try to shoot for around natural sea water levels)

I have (what I believe to be) a pretty low demand as far as corals go because I don't have a whole lot, but my numbers are telling me otherwise and I just don't know what to do.
I have 2 acans, a favia, 2 torches, 2 blastos, a duncan, hammer, frogspawn, bunch of zoas and mushrooms, a toadstool and that's really about it.

So I've been trying to figure out dosing with this tank.

2 days ago I tested and got the following levels:
pH: 7.8
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 0-5ppm (near impossible to tell on API test)
Cal: 380
Alk: 7.5
Mag: 1290

I am dosing Red Sea Liquid Foundation 3 part solution.
Added 8ml of Calcium, 8ml of Alk, and 30 ml of Mag.

Yesterday I got the following numbers:
pH: 8.1-8.2
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 0-5ppm
Cal: 420
Alk: 8 (hard to tell exactly on API test)
Mag: 1330

So got really good numbers but still a few things weren't too happy. Mostly my acans, and hammer and frogspawn. So I waited till today to re-test before dosing more.

Today here's the numbers:
pH: 7.8 (huge swing and I don't know why)
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 0-5ppm
Cal: 380
Alk: 7
Mag: 1280

I just am at a loss on what could use up that much calcium, alk, and mag in one day?? Maybe I'm just dumb and new to all this dosing stuff but I can't seem to figure it out. Not to mention I imagine most things aren't looking happy due to the pH swing, which I know is because of alk drop for whatever reason.

I attached some shots of my tank and a few corals that have been unhappy.
I'm dealing with a small amount of cyano that I've been working on getting rid of if you see some of that in the pics.
Note, this is probably the ugliest my tank has ever looked as I'm on the last day of this 2 weeks I've been waiting to do my water change.

Can anybody add any insight or help?

 

[ScottR]

Are you using API test kit for all? That could be the problem: testing error. Ca and Mg shouldn’t drop that much. Alk can drop a lot however in just a day.

 

[W1ngz]

This all looks normal to me. Dose what your testing indicates you need. If you find the single day drop is too much, you'll have to split the dose morning and evening or whatever fits your schedule.

because I never seem to get a reading on my API test.

Time to improve your test kit quality. API isn't terribly well regarded and known to be inaccurate at low ranges.

I have (what I believe to be) a pretty low demand as far as corals go because I don't have a whole lot

A young tank consumes all kinds of things from the water regardless of what you eyeball for your coral load. Biological processes and coralline algae can use a lot more than you'd expect.

pH: 7.8 (huge swing and I don't know why)

The drop in alk would explain that. Also could be impacted by how many people were home and for how long. More CO2 in the air = lower pH. Also depends on the time you tested as pH naturally swings high at the end of your light cycle and low overnight.

 

[Reefer37]

Are you using API test kit for all? That could be the problem: testing error. Ca and Mg shouldn’t drop that much. Alk can drop a lot however in just a day.

Yes, this has been all through API. Although my Mag test is Salifert, which I usually find to be pretty accurate.
I want to get Hanna Checkers, probably gonna do that soon if I have a job by the end of all the craziness going on.

 

[ScottR]

Yes, this has been all through API. Although my Mag test is Salifert, which I usually find to be pretty accurate.
I want to get Hanna Checkers, probably gonna do that soon if I have a job by the end of all the craziness going on.

The hanna phosphate and alk checkers are good. The calcium one is tricky and hard to use. Salifert is good. I’ve never used API but the consensus is they’re inaccurate.

 

[Reefer37]

This all looks normal to me. Dose what your testing indicates you need. If you find the single day drop is too much, you'll have to split the dose morning and evening or whatever fits your schedule.


Time to improve your test kit quality. API isn't terribly well regarded and known to be inaccurate at low ranges.


A young tank consumes all kinds of things from the water regardless of what you eyeball for your coral load. Biological processes and coralline algae can use a lot more than you'd expect.



The drop in alk would explain that. Also could be impacted by how many people were home and for how long. More CO2 in the air = lower pH. Also depends on the time you tested as pH naturally swings high at the end of your light cycle and low overnight.

Yeah I figured the drop in pH was Alk related. As far as it dropping that much I just am surprised I guess because I haven't added much new that would take up Alk in awhile and been getting by on water changes.

I got a Jebao doser in the mail and have yet to set it up, trying to do that ASAP so it can do all this for me and take out my human element.

As far as the test kit goes, I want to get Hanna Checkers, but just haven't had the chance yet.

 

[Reefer37]

The hanna phosphate and alk checkers are good. The calcium one is tricky and hard to use. Salifert is good. I’ve never used API but the consensus is they’re inaccurate.

I might end up just getting ULR Phos, Alk, and Nitrates cause API doesn't ever pick up on that.

Any ideas on why the magnesium level would have dropped that much in a day? Seems like a lot and I know a lot of people who don't even dose it so I was surprised.

 

[ScottR]

I might end up just getting ULR Phos, Alk, and Nitrates cause API doesn't ever pick up on that.

Any ideas on why the magnesium level would have dropped that much in a day? Seems like a lot and I know a lot of people who don't even dose it so I was surprised.

I’m almost certain it’s not possible. I have a tank that is picked with all kinds of corals and my weekly Mg will drop only slightly. I rarely dose. When you get numbers like that, take another reading and see if perhaps it was your error. I’m assuming API uses titration to measure. There’s so much room for human error.

 

[Copingwithpods]

Yeah sounds like a test kit error. Api will give you ballpark numbers, expect errors that big with them. Also try to get into a schedual of testing at the same time everyday. Any time really but pick one and stick to it. Right before your lights turn on your pH will be low your all, mag and cal will be high, an hour after lights out your pH will be high and your mag, cal and alk will be low (being consumed during the photo period) so Its these differences day to day we want to measure not hour to hour as they constantly fluctuate.

 

[Reefer37]

I’m almost certain it’s not possible. I have a tank that is picked with all kinds of corals and my weekly Mg will drop only slightly. I rarely dose. When you get numbers like that, take another reading and see if perhaps it was your error. I’m assuming API uses titration to measure. There’s so much room for human error.

What's weird was the magnesium test was Salifert.
I'm doing a water change tomorrow and gonna start fresh and hopefully get some Hanna checkers here soon and set up this doser.

 

[Reefer37]

Yeah sounds like a test kit error. Api will give you ballpark numbers, expect errors that big with them. Also try to get into a schedual of testing at the same time everyday. Any time really but pick one and stick to it. Right before your lights turn on your pH will be low your all, mag and cal will be high, an hour after lights out your pH will be high and your mag, cal and alk will be low (being consumed during the photo period) so Its these differences day to day we want to measure not hour to hour as they constantly fluctuate.

Yeah I always try and test the same time every time, right after I get home from work around 9pm.

I'm gonna try and get some Hanna checkers and maybe sub out some Salifert tests for the other tests I don't get the checkers for. It's been very frustrating trying to figure out exact numbers from this thing.

 

[ScottR]

What's weird was the magnesium test was Salifert.
I'm doing a water change tomorrow and gonna start fresh and hopefully get some Hanna checkers here soon and set up this doser.

Just curious, did you do a water change in between testing?

 

[Copingwithpods]

Yeah I always try and test the same time every time, right after I get home from work around 9pm.

I'm gonna try and get some Hanna checkers and maybe sub out some Salifert tests for the other tests I don't get the checkers for. It's been very frustrating trying to figure out exact numbers from this thing.

Don't stress about it, you have maxed out the accuracy of your current test kits and it's just time for better ones. I wouldn't even test until then. Just do normal water changes and you'll be fine

 

[Reefer37]

Just curious, did you do a water change in between testing?

No I haven't done one in two weeks. I've been doing them weekly and was trying out going two weeks. I'm doing one tomorrow.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I might end up just getting ULR Phos, Alk, and Nitrates cause API doesn't ever pick up on that.

Any ideas on why the magnesium level would have dropped that much in a day? Seems like a lot and I know a lot of people who don't even dose it so I was surprised.

Test error. Magnesium never gets consumed more than 1-2 ppm per day or so.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I’d stop measuring pH for now. It’s not critical and pH kits are not very reliable.

 

[Rybren]

FWIW, I have used API Alk and Calcium test kits for a dozen or more years and found them to be very consistent and close to the Salifert tests. Granted, they don't have the resolution of the Salifert tests, but I really don't care if my alk is 8 vs 7.9 or 8.2 or if my Ca is 450 or 460 or 440.