Proper PH level
- Thread starter Shipley18
- Start date
Do you have any tank cleaners in there, i.e snails, crabs, etc? It would be a good idea to get some astrea or turbo snails and some hermitt crabs. They will help keep your tank clean, help take care of algae, keep your glass clean, etc. Invest in a SW test kit. API makes a good SW master test kit. It measures high level pH, nitrite, nitrate, and ammonia. I also bought a kit to measure calcium and a kit for KH.
Do you have any powerheads in your tank? I don't see any in the picture in your avatar. Powerheads have many functions, one of which is to move the water to oxygenate it. If you're finding you have swings in pH, it could be that you don't have enough flow in the tank. 
It also looks like you have very little live rock. Most tanks have a pound or a pound and a half per gallon.
It seems like you've added a lot of fish very fast to the tank. I would suggest waiting at least a month to allow the tank to settle before thinking of adding any more.
It also looks like you have very little live rock. Most tanks have a pound or a pound and a half per gallon.It seems like you've added a lot of fish very fast to the tank. I would suggest waiting at least a month to allow the tank to settle before thinking of adding any more.
Uh, not to seem like a retard, but how exactly do phosphate and calcium levels affect a tank? And what's KH? I have had my saltwater up and running for about 2 1/2 months now- I test for nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, alkalinity, and pH, but that's the first time I've heard of that stuff. And yes, I've done quite a bit of reading about saltwater (because I was so freakin nervous about the stuff) before I set up my nano reef. Are those tests critical like the other ones?
Here's a really nice, simple article about basic water parameters: Reef Aquarium Water Parameters by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com