i have been getting RO water from the culligan dispenser at wamart for many months now , 33 cents a gallon, and i have a tub with a heater,powerhead and a thermometer in it, i keep 3 gallons mixing at all times 1.so i always have a quick change if needed. 2.i don't like drying out and rewetting the powerhead all the time i was useing a swing arm hydrometer and then got a refractometer off ebay for 40 bucks and holy crap is it right on.............i will neve use a swing arm again and like others have stated i would never trust anyone else to mix or supply my water...if i f*ck up my tank, its all on me if someone else does.....thers an ass woopin commin some where .....lol
sorry for the lose man.........i think something was added accidently to your water......even if you did a regular 10-20% chane with tap water an established tank shouldn't go sterile in 24 hours ....did somoene dump some chem in the mix at the LFS or something like that? tragic lose but interesting situation
Boss
HELP PLEASE!!!
18 posts • Page 2 of 2
-
GradyH6539 - Posts: 5
- Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2008 9:02 pm
You know, I said the same thing, and we never did find anything in the water...I found it suspicious but you know, what can i do? I lost everything practically overnight...and the best explanation was salt.
-
lightsluvr - Posts: 26
- Joined: Fri Aug 08, 2008 12:04 pm
I agree with mixing your own saltwater. Whoever told you that "perfect" salinity is 1.020 is offbase, IMHO. Natural seawater is more like 1.026 or 35ppt.
There's nothing wrong with Instant Ocean - you'll just need to supplement to grow corals... If you have fish only, you won't need to do anything. Buy your RO/DI from a reputable LFS until you can afford your own RO/DI filter.
Before you put another live animal in a tank, I recommend that you purchase the following:
1.) PH meter w/ calibration liquid
2.) TDS meter for verifying RO/DI water is ZERO total dissolved solids.
3.) Portable refractometer for measuring salinity (specific gravity).
4.) High quality saltwater test kits for CA, ALK, MG and PO4. (Salifert is good)
5.) Standard Test kit to measure ammonia, nitrite and nitrate
Test, test, test. Assume that your live rock will cycle again after a tank crash. Wait until ammonia, nitires and nitrate are zero. After the LR is stable, then you can introduce CUC. If they survive, you can gradually start reintroducing livestock and coral... slowly, one at a time, testing your water between each addition.
It's a tough hobby, especially when outside sources muck up your best efforts to maintain a high quality aquarium...
I feel for you. Been there done that...didn't get a T-shirt.
LL
There's nothing wrong with Instant Ocean - you'll just need to supplement to grow corals... If you have fish only, you won't need to do anything. Buy your RO/DI from a reputable LFS until you can afford your own RO/DI filter.
Before you put another live animal in a tank, I recommend that you purchase the following:
1.) PH meter w/ calibration liquid
2.) TDS meter for verifying RO/DI water is ZERO total dissolved solids.
3.) Portable refractometer for measuring salinity (specific gravity).
4.) High quality saltwater test kits for CA, ALK, MG and PO4. (Salifert is good)
5.) Standard Test kit to measure ammonia, nitrite and nitrate
Test, test, test. Assume that your live rock will cycle again after a tank crash. Wait until ammonia, nitires and nitrate are zero. After the LR is stable, then you can introduce CUC. If they survive, you can gradually start reintroducing livestock and coral... slowly, one at a time, testing your water between each addition.
It's a tough hobby, especially when outside sources muck up your best efforts to maintain a high quality aquarium...
I feel for you. Been there done that...didn't get a T-shirt.
LL
