A Few Questions.

[GSD OWN3R]

I would like a little help as I do not have to much time to graze the vast bank of answers like I used to be able to.So I will ask specifics, please be patient with me as I'm sure this is all basic knowledge to you all.
First question is, with the crushed coral, can I add it all at once?My PH, without even testing, I know is low, for I have wood and a bunch of emergent plants that do this.So how long does that CC disperse it properties?Is the buffering steady enough to add this 15lbs to my 40 breeder?

Second question, can I go off of the formula on the instant ocean , just downsize it?Meaning, if 1.5 LBS makes 5 gallons 1.022, then can I take a determined fraction and get it to that new SG?I can weigh it accurately, this is why I ask.

THANK YOU!

EDIT:I'm actually only going to be making 5 gallon batches, so how many tablespoons raises 5g of FW either .001 or .002?
SECONG EDIT:Hows this sound, 60 teaspoons to make 30G .002? That's what Iv'e researched and have concluded.

[bertie 83]

Ok, different salts vary, so do batches of the same brand. You need a hydrometer to measure the sg accurately, the guidelines on the back of the tub are just a guide. Welcome to the forum. Tell us a little about your set up and where you are aiming to go with it and we will help you as accurately as you need

[GSD OWN3R]

Well, my setup is one 1.5 inch "rescue" GSP, from petco.I know buying from those situations only supports their cause, but this guy needed some intervention, as I'm sure you can imagine.
It is in a 40 breeder, 3 feet long, 18" wide. Good for a while for one specimen.
Cleaning and adding the CC as we speak, it is in a transfer tub with heater and air.Taking out old substrate, adding the cc, then adding 5 gallons of 20 tablespoons of Instant Ocean. Enough for what I've researched to make 30 gallons of FW go to.002.
It is an eager little eater, taking brine shrimp right from my feeding tongs.
If i collect baby shellfish locally, then freeze them, will that make them safe to feed?Or should I start farming snails now! And if so, which ones.Like I said, I can't sit on these forums and browse until the weekends, which are STILL very busy for me.So I ask many questions.
Thank you.

[bertie 83]

If you are keeping this fish at f/w keep it that way until your substrate change is complete. Don't add too many variable in at once. For a 40 breeder you want to mix 20 g at 1.004 and perform a 50% wc and go from there increasing by 0.002 per week until you get to your desired sg

[GSD OWN3R]

For a 40 breeder you want to mix 20 g at 1.004 and perform a 50% wc and go from there increasing by 0.002 per week until you get to your desired sg

Yeah, I did it the long way, also only did 30 worth to accommodate for displacement
And just add the substrate now?Ok, I'll put this batch of water I made to the side until next week.

[J-P]

that is a confusing post

plants and SW don't mix neither does the wood.

Raise the SG a little at a time. get the correct tolls and test equipment for the job.

Once you have gathered all the necessary materials then we can walk you through the procedure.

[RTR]

+1 to J-P's comments.

Crushed coral is not quick, do not fret about it causing stress or shock.

You are wise to consider displacement. it is hard to guestimate a tank's working volume, but I promise you that a 40 will not hold anywhere near 40 gallons, even with no substrate. Most such set-up with substrate and decor will hold less than 30 gallons working volume.

HTH

[GSD OWN3R]

that is a confusing post

plants and SW don't mix neither does the wood.

I know this, thank you though.I was mentioning it as part of the setup that is getting changed out. Those plants are already back over my other tank.Just had them in there to strip out bad stuff in the water a bit when it was in there...These were emergents also, meaning the foliage was above the water line, roots under.Pothos, Dracena...it does wonders.
Also, how about slate pieces, can I have them in brackish or salt?I know they have to be devoid of chemicals and such. Wanted to lay some around to make overhanging caves.

[RTR]

A bit off topic...

Don't worry - very few folks here would ever dare argue against emerse veggie filters. Most know that I would cloud up and rain on them. Pothos is effective, but my personal favorite is emersed Crinum, except when it flowers. Its fragrance is too much indoors.

[GSD OWN3R]

This crushed coral really takes a while to filter out/settle down.I rinsed well past when they said to pretty much stop. Meaning this package said rinse to cloudy after milky, do not over rinse.
This guy is definitely an ambassador for his species and species alike though.I do want one for my 90 just after having this for a few days!

[RTR]

Crushed coral is "soft" - not to the touch, but it means that it abrades very easily when rubbed against itself. That means that you could continue rinsing until it was all washed away due to abrasion. The instructions are accurate, rinse past milky, ignore cloudy.

In an original set-up, after adding crushed coral you leave the tank without pumps or filters operating for at least 24 hours, up to ~72 hours. The still water allows the "fines" to settle out or dissolve. Those fines are valuable - they are the part that dissolves most readily and aids in maintaining the desired high pH. But of course you cannot leave an inhabited tank without current or filtration, so have to wait out the initial cloudiness. It will clear, but is a PITA.

If you ever need to set another BW or SW tank, I would advise using aragonite rather than crushed coral. It is more soluble than crushed coral and as such does a better job of buffering the water.

HTH

[GSD OWN3R]

At the sake of making another thread, I do have one last question.
I, ATM , do not have a vessel big enough to do a 50% water change in, so was wondering If I could just do it with a 5 gallons out of 30 formula.Like, I'll mix up 15 gallons WORTH (in a 5 g bucket, not 15 actual gallons) of 1.006 to whack the other 25 gallons in the tank to bring everything to 1.004.I will drip it in so as to make this a gradual process. This thought arose out of practicality and the fact that who the heck has a vessel of adequate size when you have a decent sized tank? You HAVE to make concentrated batches, one would assume.
I just don't understand why you have to do this while removing 50% of your water!

[J-P]

invest in a python I have a love / hate relationship with them. There are other brands (knock offs), but they don't come to mind at the moment.

[GSD OWN3R]

invest in a python I have a love / hate relationship with them. There are other brands (knock offs), but they don't come to mind at the moment.

Oh no my friend, this I know, I've read through your ecstatic entry on your relationship with it.I have one as well.My point is I don't have, or see the practicality in, another container of substantial size.I know how cheap and accessible sterlite and Rubbermaid tubs/totes are, but is this the only way to go about this?Drag the tub out and hope I have enough room to have it near the tank and then what?Powerhead it up to the tank?
THERE MUST BE ANOTHER WAY. Like I said, can't I just drip concentrated doses...OR, is salt cumulative?
Meaning if I only take out 5 will that still disperse correctly over that remaining 25-35 gallons?Or will there be some accumulation considering I ONLY took out five.
Wish I could word this better!

EDIT:I do intend on getting a a nice refractometer, so I'm sure I'll be able to gauge this in real time in any container size...I just want to know NOW before these products arrive.How do the folks with bigger tanks and no mixing tanks or doser's in the next room do it?W-H-Y is the directions for mixing up FIVE gallons on the Instant Ocean?!?
I know you folk are probably not answering because there are stickies on this, well, I've read them. That is why I said I am asking specifics that weren't mentioned they way I'm asking.I kind if need to be taught the way I lead the teacher to teach me, sometimes set lessons plans don't work.
Kind of wished I had asked this YEARS ago so most of you wouldn't be so worn out by now at this simple stuff.

Again, Thanks.

[J-P]

if you are leading up to SW, you might think of an ATO (auto top off) system. It is similar to your bucket and powerhead method. The reason they use "5 gallons" is so that you can quickly multiply that to the correct size. I use a measuring cup and put a black marker line on it for my tanks. 1 line = 1 dose at the correct SG.

If you want to go concentrated you can use an airlift pump and some hose to drip it in. And yes salt levels are cumulative. For example: if you have your 40 gallon tank set at 1.022 and you loose 5 gallons of water to evaporation, you don't add 5 gallons of SW at 1.022. You add 5 gallons of FW at 1.000. That evaporation has actually caused the SG level to increase. That is one of the difficult parts about owning a nano tank. The SG level can spike dangerously in a short period of time as the salt remains, but you have less water volume.

Most of us, raise the SG during water changes simply because it is easier. At the moment I don't have the python hooked up and I use a food grade fermenting bucket that I purchased at our local DIY brew shop. It is heavy, so I got one of those round plant holders with wheels (plant caddy). Fill it up, condition it, let it sit a day and just roll it over to the tank. I also use a juice jug to put the water back into the tank. Not as easy as a python, but good enough for now. Add a powerhead to that and some hosing and you have an ATO system haha

Here's what it looks like:
http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/2 ... ?locale=en

Once you do go full marine, it is certainly worth the investment to get a quality ATO system. With those you can adjust your salt levels, mineral content, and dosing. Even if you had a fully planted tank it would make life much easier.