Starboard Reef is up and running

[Aquaticman74]

Originally posted by NoSchwag
I hope my tank comes out half as nice as joes

Ditto!

[joefish]

Originally posted by NoSchwag
You guys like my signature?

I do , but that's a different thread .

[joefish]

My tank was no fluke , I had a great teacher . Even if he's no expert .

Folow the advice given here and you guys will be fine .

[Aquaticman74]

Originally posted by joefish
My tank was no fluke , I had a great teacher . Even if he's no expert .

Folow the advice given here and you guys will be fine .

I think that's why some of us come to this thread, well at least myself anyway. I know either the teacher or one of his students will give me the right answers. Plus a lot of very smart reefers come here to help as well.

[sherm71tank]

Every time I get an email about a reply to this thread I get a little hopeful tingle that Bomber has replied. Anyone else?

[Aquaticman74]

Originally posted by sherm71tank
Every time I get an email about a reply to this thread I get a little hopeful tingle that Bomber has replied. Anyone else?

Definitely!

[joefish]

Have faith in the staff here . No matter what Bombers postition , he's a valuable peice of information to this BB .

Let's stay on topic though so we don't loose this thread too .

[sherm71tank]

Speaking of nitrates. Is Salifert still the best kit? Not to sound repetitive but . . . Since I've gone BB and cooked my rock I have 0 nitrates and phosphates. Still no HA either. I battled that stuff for months pulling it out by hand and using AZNo3 and Po4minus. Nothing I did worked. Thankfully I kept running across these types of threads about rock cooking and the bb method and gave it a shot. So glad I did! I also re-read a few books I had cause I thought I remembered reading about BB's somewhere before. One of them gave instructions on how to set up a reef tank with an undergravel filter as the only way to do it! ( my very first SW fish only tank had an UG filter ). Sorry guys, didn't mean to ramble.

[Weatherman]

Originally posted by sherm71tank
I also re-read a few books I had cause I thought I remembered reading about BB's somewhere before. One of them gave instructions on how to set up a reef tank with an undergravel filter as the only way to do it! ( my very first SW fish only tank had an UG filter ).

When I first got into the hobby, sand beds were considered potentially lethal. You needed an undergravel filter in order to prevent the buildup of hydrogen sulfide (at least that was the theory at the time).

It's amazing how much has changed in the past 30+ years.

[joefish]

What amazes me is PaulB s RUGF tank . it's been running for 30 years .

[sherm71tank]

Hey guys! I have a confession. That being since I went BB I havent cleaned the orp or ph probes in my sump. Well, yesterday my ph monitor read 6.4!!! I look at the tank just to reassure myself. No way it is 6.4. So I clean off the probes in some vinegar and brush them off with a toothbrush. There was a bit of build up on them both. I put them both back in the sump. This morning when I check them out I see my orp is down from 426 to 380, no big deal there. But my ph is 9.0!!! Good grief! I didn't think it was right so I checked some fresh saltwater I have mixed and my 7.0 solution and it is right. What is going on here!

I read over this thread http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...hreadid=722006 about higher ph and alk in BB systems. I dont' get alot of what is being said. I am gong to do a calcium test in a minute, I have a feeling I know what it is gong to be - off the friggin chart! I have 30 gallons of SW mixed up for a change and I'm gong to do it this afternoon. Looks like it is time to re-evaluate my kalk top off and my 2 part additions.

[Weatherman]

Originally posted by sherm71tank
Hey guys! I have a confession. That being since I went BB I havent cleaned the orp or ph probes in my sump. Well, yesterday my ph monitor read 6.4!!! I look at the tank just to reassure myself. No way it is 6.4. So I clean off the probes in some vinegar and brush them off with a toothbrush. There was a bit of build up on them both. I put them both back in the sump. This morning when I check them out I see my orp is down from 426 to 380, no big deal there. But my ph is 9.0!!! Good grief! I didn't think it was right so I checked some fresh saltwater I have mixed and my 7.0 solution and it is right. What is going on here!

I read over this thread http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...hreadid=722006 about higher ph and alk in BB systems. I dont' get alot of what is being said. I am gong to do a calcium test in a minute, I have a feeling I know what it is gong to be - off the friggin chart! I have 30 gallons of SW mixed up for a change and I'm gong to do it this afternoon. Looks like it is time to re-evaluate my kalk top off and my 2 part additions.

The thing you need to check for is alkalinity. There is a direct relationship between alkalinity, CO2 and pH. If you don't have an extreme deficit of CO2, then a pH of 9 would correspond to very high alk.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-03/rhf/index.php


And, yes, I do warn people to be extremely careful not to overdose their tanks with alk when they remove their sandbed. Alkalinity demand can drop dramatically. The exact cause is not clear.

[sherm71tank]

My calcium tested fine, 480-490 ppm with Salifert test kit. My Alk kit is a Red Sea kit, alkalinity is at 3.2 milli-equivalents. According to instructions a 2.5 is desired and natural sea water level, so my alk is high as well. My change water is heating up and I'll do it as soon as it reaches temp.

Doh! Lights on now and the ph is 9.1. Should I turn the lights off until I do the water change?

[Mike O'Brien]

Did you verify that ph reading?

[Weatherman]

Originally posted by sherm71tank
My calcium tested fine, 480-490 ppm with Salifert test kit. My Alk kit is a Red Sea kit, alkalinity is at 3.2 milli-equivalents. According to instructions a 2.5 is desired and natural sea water level, so my alk is high as well. My change water is heating up and I'll do it as soon as it reaches temp.

3.2 meq isn't high at all. It's about 9 dKH.

What's the pH of your change water (I'm thinking something may be wrong with your pH probe)?

[sherm71tank]

My change water is Kent Marine and IO mix and it is 8.1.

[sherm71tank]

Originally posted by Mike O'Brien
Did you verify that ph reading?

Checked some fresh SW mix and a 7.0 solution.

[photobarry]

Is your meter a one point calibration type, or a two point? How old is the probe? (I don't know about aquaria, but for lab work they need to be replaced yearly due to an unacceptable loss in accuracy.)

[sherm71tank]

It is a Milwaukee SMS120 ph monitor. The probe is about 1 1/2 years old. It reads at 7.0 with the 7.0 solution I have and at 8.1 with my new sw mix. The ph is now 9.3 in my tank. I'm turning the lights off.

[Weatherman]

That's really strange.

With that high a pH and your calcium and alk readings, you should be having a snowstorm right now.

[Aquaticman74]

Oh my Sherm... You're starting off this New Year with some bad luck.

[melev]

Ignore your pH reading. It isn't correct. Either you have a battery needing replacement, or there is stray electricity in your tank.

If you had pH 9.3, all your SPS would be sloughing off tissue and your fish would be acting abnormally.

[photobarry]

I agree with melev. Try an old fashioned chemical pH test and see how it compares with freshly made SW.

Edit: Or just put some tank water in a clean cup and measure it outside of the tank.

[Doug]

Hi Sherm71tank,

Do you have a pH test kit that you could try?

[Doug]

Jinx Barry and I posted that the same time.