KH & GH TEST KIT

[Bigworm]

I have a KH & GH test kit made from Aquarium Pharmaceuticals. I am getting a reading of dkh of 12 and kh of 214.8 is this o.k. or do I need to lower this. The booklet says 11-22 is on the high side. But from reading in this forum alot of pep keep their tank 10-12 DkH. My calcium is 440 and my ph 8.2 or so. Do I need to lower this or ride it out? Thanks for any help

[Ninong]

Hi Bigworm, welcome to Reefland!

Your numbers are fine! In fact, they are great!

The alkalinity of natural seawater (NSW) is approximately 7-8 dKH but it is wise to maintain alkalinity in reef aquaria above NSW levels to provide an extra measure of safety. I like to keep my alkalinity around 10-12 dKH and my calcium around 425-475 ppm. Calcium and alkalinity are tied together in a complex chemical balancing act.

Delbeek & Sprung (1994) recommend a range of 7-12 dKH as ideal. Levels below 7 dKH will result in retarded calcification in corals. Levels much above 14 dKH may result in lowered calcium levels. I would not be concerned about alkalinity being "too high" unless it climbed above 16 dKH.

[Bigworm]

Thanks For your help. I have had my 30 gal.tank up for about a month now. I have add three damsals and a clown and 5 1/2 pounds of rock lately. Right now my ammonia has risen a little to .25 and my nitrites are at .25 and my nitrate 10 am I o.k at this stage. I do have 2 back packs on my tank. 25 sails and 25 pounds of live sand. everything seems to be going ok right now do you have any recomendations. Thanks BIG worm

[Ninong]

Thanks For your help. I have had my 30 gal.tank up for about a month now. I have add three damsals and a clown and 5 1/2 pounds of rock lately. Right now my ammonia has risen a little to .25 and my nitrites are at .25 and my nitrate 10 am I o.k at this stage. I do have 2 back packs on my tank. 25 sails and 25 pounds of live sand. everything seems to be going ok right now do you have any recomendations. Thanks BIG worm

It would have been better to wait at least four or five weeks BEFORE adding any fish at all. You should have started up your tank with just the sand and live rock and then waited until after both your ammonia and nitrites had dropped down to undetectable and your nitrates had fallen to a reasonable level before adding any fish.

Ammonia of 0.25 ppm and nitrite of 0.25 ppm are a problem for any fish. Chances are your damsels and clownfish will be able to tolerate this but this is still not good. It means that your tank has not finished the initial cycle yet.

Another thing you have to consider is whether you want to keep any damsels at all in a 30-gal tank. Damsels are usually quite aggressive and most people end up wishing they had never bought them in the first place. That's entirely up to you but you need to recognize the fact that the damsels will limit your choices of other fish for your tank, especially in a 30-gal tank, which is on the small side. You might want to try to remove all three of the damsels now and return them. That's what I would do. That's because I don't like damsels. Then you could get another clownfish of the same species as your existing one so that you would have a pair.

However, you should not add anything more to your tank until after your ammonia and nitrite come down.

[Bigworm]

I hope my fish make it though the cycle How long will it take and Can I do anything to lower these or do I just ride it out. Thanks Worm

[Ninong]

I hope my fish make it though the cycle How long will it take and Can I do anything to lower these or do I just ride it out. Thanks Worm

It is possible that the four fish that you have right now are more than your "system" can handle at the present time. This all depends what you have for filtration. For example, 5-1/2 lbs of live rock is a good start but it that's your total amount of live rock, it's insufficient for a 30-gal tank. You would probably want somewhere between 20-40 lbs of live rock for a 30-gal tank.

Are you running a protein skimmer? A decent hang-on skimmer would be very worthwhile for your size aquarium.

[Bigworm]

I have a skilter 250 aerating power filter and protein skimmer all in one 250 gallons per hour flow,And the power filter that came with the tank. I am going to go with about 30 pounds of rock total. Do I need to add rock now or wait. It looks likes I may have started to add livestock to fast. The guy at the Pet shop told me With the sand I was adding I may not get a spike in ammonia. So I add two damals at first I have had them for about 3 1/2 weeks with no trace of anything. So I thought he was right. So I went out and got 5 1/2 of live rock and couple of more fish and snails now I am rising in all three. I am running my lights about 12 hrs. a day is this o.k. I am starting to get alge growth on the glass and sand. Thanks WORM

[Ninong]

Algal growth is just part of the cycling process in a new aquarium. It is to be expected.

It is possible that the 5-1/2 lbs of live rock that you recently added is causing the ammonia. Perhaps it wasn't fully cured or perhaps it is experiencing a certain amount of dieoff due to being out of water during transport to your home???

Yes, it would be a good idea to increase your live rock to a total of 30 lbs. The live rock should be fully cured if you are going to add it directly to your tank.