chemistry ?

[aharvey]

ok here are my readings as of tonight
Ammonia .025
Nitrite .025
Nitrate 0
Alk normal to slightly high?
PH test kit says 8.0-8.2 while both probes have it around 7.85
Carbonate 143.2
GH off the scale tried it twice and it never (after 30 drops changed from orange to green.
Calcium 380

My star polyps and tube corals haven't opened in a couple of days.
I know calcium is real low
I have been adding Seachem calcium and carbonate 1 capful twice a week for the last couple of weeks.
Unfortunately I tried to sleep through chemistry in college.
I have tried reading the chemistry forum and I am just a country boy.
So can somebody splane dis to me real gooood!

zoos leathes Xenia and frogspawn all look ok still.

[bshumake]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8085785#post8085785 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by aharvey
ok here are my readings as of tonight
Ammonia .025
Nitrite .025
Nitrate 0
Alk normal to slightly high?
PH test kit says 8.0-8.2 while both probes have it around 7.85
Carbonate 143.2
GH off the scale tried it twice and it never (after 30 drops changed from orange to green.
Calcium 380

My star polyps and tube corals haven't opened in a couple of days.
I know calcium is real low
I have been adding Seachem calcium and carbonate 1 capful twice a week for the last couple of weeks.
Unfortunately I tried to sleep through chemistry in college.
I have tried reading the chemistry forum and I am just a country boy.
So can somebody splane dis to me real gooood!

zoos leathes Xenia and frogspawn all look ok still.
Listen up Lucy, you crazy redhead.
I'm thinking you're using the testkits you got from the deal. Before you trust them outright, callibrate them. Or borrow some from another member. Correct me if I'm wrong here but GH and carbonate should be the same thing. NH4 and NO2 are probably zero. At levels as low as your detecting with the color comparison thats probably human error. I'm guilty of the same thing and I make a living off comparisons. Look up online for the pH of vinegar and bleach. Use those to test your pH probes to make sure their in range.

[aharvey]

OK Ricky,
Nope I have calibrated both PH probes.
One using 7.0 and 10 from Kermits
The other is calibration fluids from 225 buy.
The GH and KH both brand spanking new never opened before tonight.
I know they should be the same so ....
My regular test kit for water is from Red sea and I have had it for about 9 months.

[neuroslicer]

My star polyps will go into a retracted period once every 6 weeks or so. The first time that happened I thought they had kicked the bucket, but after about 4 or 5 days they came out as if nothing had happened.

My guess is your water is fine (although I'd like to see your Ca up a bit and get a more precise Alk test kit like salifert's). You might also want to invest in a Mg test kit.

[aharvey]

Well I am set to do a water change tonight anyway.
I Guess I'll just have to mosey down to Kermits, the greatest reef store in our area and make another purchase.
Their knowledgeable and oh so helpful staff can surely assist me in purchasing these test kits!
I might even be allowed to see the great Marsupial himself, and glean pearls of wisdom from him?

[neuroslicer]

I really like the Salifert ALK test kit. Easy and very accurate. The added expense is worth it in the long run when you think of what's at stake.