55 gallon conversion

[leebca]

I'm very surprised by the Alk. However, that mixture is not too helpful in how much of it does what, you know. Anyway, not to worry. Let it come down on its own.

Before you do a water change, I would bring the new water up to 1400 magnesium. Do water changes with newly prepared salt water that is reading near 1400 Magnesium.

That is the only adjustment to do at the current time. Let all the other numbers settle and come down naturally. There is another way forward, if you want:

Do a 50% water change. But don't throw out the 'used water.' Hold it. The water you add back in should be new salt water that has magnesium at 1400 ppm. The water you hold off to the side will be used to raise the alkalinity in the future. This is not such a great idea though. The water you are 'holding' has a shelf life of only about a couple of weeks (stored in a container that doesn't let any light in). This holding suggestion is really more useful in a running aquarium where the alkalinity is being depleted routinely. Since yours isn't and may not ever get to that stage, this isn't such a useful approach. But it is one which would more likely end up you dumping the water on hold.

It should be noted though that you were relatively very accurate. You were accurate in measuring out the Epsom salts; you were accurate in estimating the volume of water in your system; and you were accurate in measuring the magnesium level. It would be hard to do one or more of these things wrong and still come out right. So the odds are that you did all this correctly.

[killianaquarium]

Glad I quarantined those snails. Looks like little white feces or worms that have came off in the QT. 2011-11-05_08-54-16_593.jpg picture by killianphotobucket - Photobucket

[leebca]

Glad you did, too. You just never know. . .

[killianaquarium]

I'm very surprised by the Alk. However, that mixture is not too helpful in how much of it does what, you know. Anyway, not to worry. Let it come down on its own.

Before you do a water change, I would bring the new water up to 1400 magnesium. Do water changes with newly prepared salt water that is reading near 1400 Magnesium.

That is the only adjustment to do at the current time. Let all the other numbers settle and come down naturally. There is another way forward, if you want:

Do a 50% water change. But don't throw out the 'used water.' Hold it. The water you add back in should be new salt water that has magnesium at 1400 ppm. The water you hold off to the side will be used to raise the alkalinity in the future. This is not such a great idea though. The water you are 'holding' has a shelf life of only about a couple of weeks (stored in a container that doesn't let any light in). This holding suggestion is really more useful in a running aquarium where the alkalinity is being depleted routinely. Since yours isn't and may not ever get to that stage, this isn't such a useful approach. But it is one which would more likely end up you dumping the water on hold.

It should be noted though that you were relatively very accurate. You were accurate in measuring out the Epsom salts; you were accurate in estimating the volume of water in your system; and you were accurate in measuring the magnesium level. It would be hard to do one or more of these things wrong and still come out right. So the odds are that you did all this correctly.

I went ahead with the water change. My mixing water was measuring 1390-1400 Mg. We'll see what happens.

[killianaquarium]

11/14 Test results

Gr in the Mixing container was 1.028, so I removed some mixed water and replaced it with RO/DI. Will retest again in 24-48 hours.

Tank:
Gr - 1.025
pH - 8.14 (didn't calibrate monitor)
Am - 0
Ni - 0
Na - ~80
Mg - 1400
Ca - 430
kH - 11.2

Thoughts?

My livestock consists of 14 Cerith snails, 14 Astrea, 4 Turbo, 2 Trochus (hard time getting them here alive), and 26 Nassarius. Got them from reefs2go.com, they are great to work with.

[leebca]

Have you done a check on the alkalinity of freshly prepared salt water? Interested in seeing that when you have it. Your alk seems to remain high dispite the change out.

I would proceed without making any further adjustments. Monitor the three.

[killianaquarium]

Have you done a check on the alkalinity of freshly prepared salt water? Interested in seeing that when you have it. Your alk seems to remain high dispite the change out.

I would proceed without making any further adjustments. Monitor the three.

Results 11/21/11

The kH in the mixing container is 9.0, and the Gr is 1.025... Any suggestions on whats spiking the kH in the tank?

Tank tested:
kH - 11.2
Ca - 500
Mg - 1400

[Reefing Madness]

This might help.
Chemistry And The Aquarium: Solving Calcium And Alkalinity Problems — Advanced Aquarist | Aquarist Magazine and Blog

[leebca]

What is the substrate you're using? Are you putting in any additives?

I'm not concerned at this point, unless one of the above two answers might shed a light on the matter. Your tank originally began with an Alk of 9+ before the additions. It was just that the additive may have been stronger than anticipated by its directions. Maybe it wasn't mixed up enough, or measured correctly, or whatever. It will slowly come down. In the meantime, the creatures there will utilize it into a balanced range in a few weeks.

[killianaquarium]

I am very close to buying my first fish and need suggestions on stocking this tank. My first intentions were to get an eel of some sort and then some fish after that. Any suggestions on stocking this tank? I really like the color of the flame angel and want colorful fish of this sort...

[leebca]

You're now getting to what most hobbyists think is the fun part of the hobby -- the choice of marine life. It is a very personal choice and I don't give recommendations in this area. What you might find attractive, I may not. Get a book of marine fishes and look through it. Go to websites that list ornamental marine fishes. Your tank does not support a Tang, nor one of the full sized Angels. Read up on the fish that attracts your attention and make sure it will get along with the others you like, make sure you can take care of it properly, then you might post your intended list here for others to look over.

I can look at your list and indicate choices you don't want because of compatibility issues or your tank size, or that will require special care, but I will leave it to you to find your own fish.

If you want others to comment on this, then I would start a new thread just for the purpose of getting ideas on stocking.

Good luck!

[killianaquarium]

All of these will be the smaller species of the different species:*Butterfly - Kliens or Copperband*Dwarf Angel - Flame or Yellow Face or Coral BeautyBlennie - of some sortBoxfish - Cowfish*Anthia - Highfin or similarPuffer - Spotted*Definetly intersted The others are questionable. I pretty much determined that I don't have enough swimming room for any type of tangs.

[leebca]

I think all those would be fine choices. Puffers can become a bit demanding and beligerent. Some require extra effort to keep their teeth ground down, so be careful about choosing one and know what it might entail to take care of it properly. Anthias are nice, but in the wild they eat constantly and in captivity should be fed small amounts of food throughout (6+ times) the day. Many will and do adjust to 3 meals a day, but it isn't their 'way.'