pagoda cup not opening up.

[Jellymolly44]

Here the parameters I know so far.

Nitrate-0ppm

Phosphate-0ppm

Calcium-460ppm

KH-12ppm.

I'm thinking that maybe my calcium is too high. I don't have a test kit for ph yet. I'm gonna give a sample ofmy water tommorrow at my LFS store to get the ph. I might go ahead and get a ph test too to maintain my ph. If somebody else has something else I might want to try, let me no.

I also feed phytoplankton once a week in a 12 gallon nano cube.

 

[Jellymolly44]

I checked the parameters again. The calcium is around 400-420 ppm and the alkalinity is 9. Both phosphate and nitrate are still good. I still have to check ammonia, nitrite and ph. I may get a good answer tomorrow.

 

[Conski]

ive been told you dont want 0 phosphate but i dk about that one! your other params are fine but what kind of testing are you using?!

it may just be getting used to your tank give us lighting specs, and other details and we can help ya out. how long has the tank been up

 

[Jellymolly44]

The tank has been up for about a month now and that is about as long as I've had the pagoda cup. It just recently (about 3-4 days ago) that it closed up completely. It's out a little today though. The lighting is two 24 watt bulbs with half being 10,000K while the other half being 7100K (Blue actinic bulbs in other words). I think my problem is ph and salinity. My ph is 8.0 and am lightly using a buffer to help get it up to 8.3. My salinity is between 1.020-1.021. I think the salinity is my bigger problem and would like to know the best way to raise it up to 1.024. That's all I can give for now.

 

[Conski]

yeaaaaaa! get that salinity up to 1.026 gradually.. i bet its that but well see! keep me updated haha

 

[Jellymolly44]

Well, today the pagoda cup is all the way out. I think it's messing with my head or something. But I'm still glad it's fully open today. Thing is about the salinity, the water hardly ever evaporates and I really don't know what to do about that. Could I get some saltwater, change about 10% of the water once a week till it gets to 1.026? Is the ph too low? I measured it myself and it was 7.8. I put a little buffer in yesterday but nothing has changed. What can I do about my ph? I can't afford lime water machines and all of that.

 

[Conski]

Leave it alone i never test my ph or bother trying to alter it. just leave it be! the pagoda is just being a coral haha they love to scare ya! just do 50% water once a week and raise it by .01 each time if you want it higher! you can even do .02 i doubt anything will mind at all

 

[Cerianthus]

I would not leave pH 7.8 alone for reef. what type of substrate do you have?

What kind of buffer do you use and how do you add buffers to tank? You probably wont see much permanent changes in pH with just buffer!

 

[DoctaQ]

7100k is not actinic.

so im guessing you have power compact lights? your lighting might not be suffucient.

 

[Cerianthus]

7100K is probably actinic bulb.