WishNewFish August 17, 2015 Share August 17, 2015 Hi all, I setup my 40 gallon breeder with live sand and live rock (fiji rock), I used ro di water with reef crystals and running it with fish food and some salmon piece in it (for cycling). My salinity is at 1.020 and PH is at 7.5, I definitely know my Ph is not what it needs to be, is my salinity ok? Is my Ph low because my salinity is low? another wierd thing I noticed, my live rock is dissolving/melting - I see new holes appearing and existing holes getting bigger/bigger. I called quantum reef and he is surprised. Does anyone have a clue whats happening? Ph is unaffected after 3 days. Can you tell me whats happening? Nitrite level is 1 ppm and nitrate is close to 0. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khh27 August 17, 2015 Share August 17, 2015 If fish only then no if a reef then yes on salinaty. .025-.027 is where you want for reef. Your ph should raise a little with the increase in salinaty. You didn't use ph neutral sand by chance did you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob A August 17, 2015 Share August 17, 2015 For fish only it is okay but the recommended salinity for fish only is typically 1.021. For reef and corals it's typically 1.026. I have no idea why your rock could be melting... How long has it been set up? It'll take some time for the ammonia to build up then for the bacteria to start making nitrites and nitrates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishNewFish August 17, 2015 Author Share August 17, 2015 no i haven't used ph neutral sand. initially I am planning to keep fish until a month when I introduce corals. can i add salt directly to the tank to raise salinity since there is no fish in the tank? yes, the rock in melting, its porous fuji rock and i couldnt believe it the first day, so on day 2 I clearly noticed it change. since it calcium carbonate rock, i was thinking it is melting into water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunWyrm August 17, 2015 Share August 17, 2015 Don't add salt directly to the tank. Best thing to do is mix in a separate container and then top off for the next few days with 1.026 instead of fresh RO to raise the salinity gradually. Never add salt directly to the tank unless it's completely empty and you're using the tank itself to mix your water for the first time, IMO. As for melting, might just be debris that was on the rock that isn't actually part of the rock, and is now falling away.. Like sand or coral-ish things? Have any pics? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishNewFish August 18, 2015 Author Share August 18, 2015 Too late, I already added 2 cups of salt slowing in front of powerhead. (Yes I shouldnt be doing it once fish or other things are present). Currently its cycling, so I though I can get a pass. Will post pics soon. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WheresTheReef August 18, 2015 Share August 18, 2015 Some type of rock can dissolve. Do a search online and there are many people having a similar issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishNewFish August 18, 2015 Author Share August 18, 2015 Some type of rock can dissolve. Do a search online and there are many people having a similar issue. Yes I did see similar posts, but wonder why only some people are experiencing this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishgate August 20, 2015 Share August 20, 2015 1.020 Salinity is very low. You should have 1.025 even for just fish. You can add salt directly to the tank it will all disolve this is no problem at all as long as it doesn't settle on something that is alive. Since it is still cycling, no issues. 1 month is too soon for corals really. You should wait 6 months or so to let the tank establish more. They will do better in the long run. Don't lose a lot of sleep over pH. PH changes throughout the day and will settle at the right amount when the tank establishes. Aragonite is a natural buffer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishNewFish August 21, 2015 Author Share August 21, 2015 Thanks for the tip. (I am literally dream of my Ph and fish dieing, no kidding). I am starting to realize my pH is low because I didnt aerate my salt water mix and leave it for a while with pump running and the fact that I put fish flakes into the tank for cycling must have driven the pH low. (Since flakes cover the top layer of water). Even sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) didnt seem to help much but after I turned the skimmer it started picking up pH. I already use live fuji rock which I got from LFS (didnt have visible coraline algae though) and live aragonite sand. Another shocking discovery I made: the fish flakes contain copper sulphate! It doesn't say in what quantity/amount but mentions it. Does anyone know or realize if your fish food has copper sulphate or magnesium sulphate in them? Its from aqueon brand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishNewFish August 23, 2015 Author Share August 23, 2015 I got an Alk/kh test kit from Salifert and the results are follows: KH value is 22.4 and Alk is 7.18, I don't understand whats going on. I even used 1.5 cup of sodium bicarbonate dissolved in RO/fresh water two days earlier but it doesn't seem to help. To reiterate: I used reef crystals salt and RO water with TDS showing 12 and used Live aragonite sand substrate, live rock from LFS and some dry cured rock. My PH is still 7.8 What could be a better resolution to this problem? As a worst case resort, does cycling full water change will help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WheresTheReef August 23, 2015 Share August 23, 2015 How are you testing ph? If probe, then is it calibrated? Is your tank in a basement or well insulated room? Could be high CO2 if so. My tank is in my basement and ph stays around the same as yours. You can test by taking a cup of tank water and aerate it inside and outside with an air stone and see if the ph lowers/raises. The following link has some good reading for you. http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/rhf/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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