Patience?

[innomen/dennis`]

Well, this hobby and especially this forum has taught me the value of patience. It has been over a month since the conversion to a reef tank and i am still waiting for my parameters to become optimum. With the advice of moe i have expanded my testing to phosphates and calcium. I realize that my numbers are not optimum but they have improved. As of this morning:

PH 8.0
ALK 3.2
NO2 .5
NO3 .6
Ammonia .05
Phosphate 5.
Calcium 900.

Thanks to erwin my phosphates should be coming down with the source he gave me for RO/DI water versus the distilled water i am currently using.

I am also clueless about the calcium number.

With this in mind. Is it feasable to bring on anything beyond the Live Rock and the three fish?

[Pyrojon]

Originally posted by innomen/dennis`


PH 8.0
ALK 3.2
NO2 .5
NO3 .6
Ammonia .05
Phosphate 5.
Calcium 900.



I am also clueless about the calcium number.

With this in mind. Is it feasable to bring on anything beyond the Live Rock and the three fish?

Wow I have never heard of such a high ammount of calcium, you should have seen the calcium precipitate out of solution a long time ago with an ALK like that. (I think) Maybe you could take your water to your LFS and have them test your calcium. Better yet, take some to several LFSs and take an average. Calcium tests are hard to read, it's possible that you are just doing it incorrectly.

As for the others Ammonia, Nitrate and Nitrite. I can't imagine why they would still be so high after a month. Are you doing water changes? Do you have enough live rock? Are you feeding your 3 fish heavily? Something is strange there also.

Good luck
Jon

[moe_k]

I'd wait Dennis.

You'll have to do a bunch of water changes to get the PO4 under control.

[innomen/dennis`]

I could not understand the calcium deal either. Perhaps i am doing it wrong. I will attempt to do it again. Actually these numbers have greatly improved. Since the tank has been in operation (4 weeks) i have only done one 25% water change two weeks ago. When i did it then i was told that i should have waited for the tank to completely cycle.

I feed the 3 fish once a day, a pinch of "Nutrafin". I also have a couple of crabs and a shrimp to clean up the uneaten pieces. I have about 25 lbs of live rock in a 29G tank.

I take it from your responses, mushrooms or polyps or some other reef items are still out.
:(

[Pyrojon]

I think I would wait a few more weeks and try to do a big water change or two in the mean time. (Whoever told you not to do water changes during cycling is giving you bad info.)

Sounds like you probably have enough rock in there and your feeding sounds ok, though you could stand to feed every other day while cycling. The fish will do fine and it will lower your nutrients a bit.

As for mushrooms I can't honestly give you a good response. When I setup my first reef it cycled in about a week. But I was so intrested in seeing all the life in the rock itself I didn't add any corals or anything else for months. (The rock was Florida rock, back when it was still legal to collect it, most life I have ever seen on live rock)

Don't sweat it, you will have plenty of time to spend money on things like mushrooms and polyps. :)

Good luck
Jon