So I've cycled: is there anything NEXT to do about my water quality?

[Sk8r]

Yes. You've been testing for nitrate and ammonia, and you have no more ammonia and very low nitrate.
1. First---if you don't have to have filters because of large fish (FOWLR), and if you have a sump, and a skimmer, consider getting rid of all filters and sponges. They hold nitrates and make problems. So do sponges, etc. If your fish load matches your live rock (1 lb per gallon) you can almost certainly do without filtration. Enough bristleworms in your cleanup crew and you should not have stray poo wandering your sandbed.
b) you may want to consider a phosphate reactor or fuge if you have a lot of hair algae. This stuff lives on phosphates that come in with your sand and live rock, from fish food---and most of all from non ro/di water. Tapwater is often loaded with it. Especially if you set up with conditioned tapwater---think about that fairly inexpensive (about 50.00) reactor. And the fairly expensive ro/di of your own. Until you get rid of the phosphate, you will have hair algae. And other algae. Lots of algae.
c) if you buy a fish to eat the algae, it will poo the phosphate back into your water---so it will fuel more algae. If you feed the algae-eating fish MORE algae, that you bought because it ate everything in the tank, you will be pouring more phosphate back into your tank. This is why I really recommend something to get rid of the phosphate...to break the loop.
(continued in next post)

[Sk8r]

Next:
And I really recommend this whether you are FOWLR or reef: get serious about water testing in 3 parameters---only one is really critical to a FOWLR, but since maintaining it relies on the other 2 being proper, (more on this in a moment) it's really best to get all 3 as soon as you can afford them.
WRITE DOWN THE DATE YOU BOUGHT THE KIT on the box, and do not use it past a year old. The amount of trouble you can get into with an expired test kit is just unbelievable.
1. First test: alkalinity. DKH scale. A good reading for your fish's comfort, and also for corals (after all, they share the same ocean) is 8.3-9.3. You can go a bit over that, but don't go under it.
2. Second test: calcium. 400-420. Stony coral eats this stuff like its' going out of style. With a lot of stony in your tank, you will go berserk trying to hand dose it, and there is a cheap and easy automated shortcut...kalk. Pickling lime in your topoff water. Ask about it, once you reach the 2 tsp of calcium a day level of consumption.
Another piece of info: don't dose the DkH buffer AND calcium at the same time. You will get a snowstorm of white precipitate. It won't kill anything, but it makes a mess.
3. Third test, and the fussiest to run: magnesium. It should be 3x what you want your calcium to be. Ie, if you want 400 calcium, your mg ought to be 1200.

Here's the kicker: while water changes also help raise your alk and cal to a good level, most salts are, I hear, a little short in magnesium. This can lead to water imbalance over time, and that can make an unhappy tank. So while you don't have to run the mg test often, because it depletes quite slowly, you should check it every time the alk and cal keep falling overnight. These 3 chemicals exist in a 3-way equilibrium, and mg is the stabilizer.


Your salt mix has a salinity of 1.024 at a half cup per gallon of water. Use a refractometer to measure this...especially when acclimating. The major deal with acclimation is to gradually match the salinity within .001. It's so much easier with a refractometer.

I offer this information because alkalinity is one of the most under-suspected culprits in tank problems, and because I would personally hate to try to manage alkalinity without knowing about the 2 other chemicals.

A last hint. If you write down your test results and dose INTO a trend, because yesterday your alk was 9.0, and today it's 8.6, you can prevent it being 8.0 and annoying your critters. A logbook, a simple little sheet you write results and your fixes on, is a great thing to establish. Get into that habit, so when you do have a problem, you have a ready reference on what you did and how the tank reacted. A great help, believe me. I particularly like it when my tanksitter can record her tests, too, and I can come home, look at that book, and figure how things ran while I was gone. She can also look at my record and see for herself whether something is 'off' from normal.

[Maxi]

Nice!

[dwd5813]

another quality post sk8r. you or someone else should really compile all of these threads into a sticky.

[Sk8r]

waterkeeper has been helping collect some, bless him...I'm under-organized.

I'm aware this one is pretty info-dense, especially for someone who's never even looked inside a test kit box. Probably best to print it off and stick it inside your stand door (my favorite place for such info). I swear it will make far more sense once you actually start doing the tests.

And never get so confident in your 'big' tests you totally forget to use those simple nitrate dip-strips just now and again. A situation can creep up on you so sneakily. But if you do these tests you are doing your tank a big favor: your fish will be healthier and your corals will grow like bandits.

Did I mention that keeping that magnesium up will also encourage the spread of coralline? People are always asking about that, and yes, this will almost certainly do it.

[dwd5813]

i've gone with the dual approach, myself. i keep the log book manually and post updates to my thread here. that way, assuming anyone reads the thing anymore, i'll hopefully get feedback if i have a problem and ask about it or if something i post sounds wacky and someone calls me on it.

[Sk8r]

My log book is my brain. I've been known to leave the one I was born with on the last job and totally forget where I was. But with that ready reference, I can remember what I did. I also write down my expiration dates and other critical items. It nags me about water changes, etc.

[WaterKeeper]

C.J.,

If I ever get my internet connection back I'll actually post your thread compendium. Sorry to be away but I have been out of communications with the world for well over a week and I'm still off and on with this connection. The hazard of moving into the hills I suppose.