saltwater
casey & will
@saltwater · 3 weeks ago

Can someone help me or help me create a day by day schedule to help my tank im dosing neophos and prime but my reading are

Salinity 1.024

Alkalinity 15.3

PH 7.4

Phosphate 0

Nitrate 50-100

Nitrite 0.1

Ammonia 0.25

It’s only a 52L tank. I have a frogspawn(closed few days) everything else is fine 2 clownfish urchin torch and mushroom

7

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User Avatar @Bluhuereefs 22d

I would stop dosing immediately Your alkalinity is really high,not good Your phos is zero ,not good Your nitrate is 50-100 , not good This is on the verge of crashing I say a 80% water change will help and I hope everything will stay chill but you shouldn’t stress the corals with this for long or they will rtn or melt

User Avatar @Rtrinidad85 22d

How long has the tank been up? Water change for sure!

User Avatar @loweed244 22d

Really bad parameters, How long has the tank been up?

User Avatar @NocturnalBush46 22d

Yo your alk is super high gotta drop that pronto. Def do a big water change and hold off Neophos till your phos hits at least like 0.03. Also your ph

User Avatar @Ancient_Skipper_66 21d

yo low pH prob stressing corals, fix

User Avatar @reeferguy 21d

Genuinely ask ChatGPT it has helped me heaps

User Avatar @reeferguy 21d

ChatGPT : tank isn’t just “a bit off”, it’s chemically unstable right now. That comment they got is blunt, but not wrong. The combo of ammonia + nitrite present + high nitrate + zero phosphate + high alk + low pH is a messy imbalance, especially in a small 52L. I’ll break it down simply, then give you a day-by-day recovery plan you can send them. ⸻ 🚨 What’s actually wrong (in plain terms) * Ammonia (0.25) → toxic → should be 0 always * Nitrite (0.1) → toxic → should be 0 always 👉 This means the tank isn’t fully cycled or is mini-crashing * Nitrate (50–100) → way too high → stressing everything * Phosphate (0) → also bad → corals need some (0.03–0.1 ideal) 👉 This imbalance = corals starving while algae/bacteria struggle * Alk 15.3 → very high → can burn corals * pH 7.4 → very low → unstable environment ⸻ ❗ First rule STOP dosing NeoPhos and Prime daily * Prime is fine short-term emergency only * NeoPhos right now = wrong move (tank isn’t stable enough yet) ⸻ 🔧 7-Day Recovery Plan (simple + safe) DAY 1 (Today) – Emergency stabilise * 30–40% water change (RO saltwater, matched temp/salinity) * Add Prime (only to detox ammonia temporarily) * No feeding today * Increase flow + surface agitation (boost oxygen → helps pH) ⸻ DAY 2 * Test everything again * If ammonia/nitrite still showing: * Dose Prime again (normal dose) * Light feed (very small amount) ⸻ DAY 3 * 20–30% water change * Start beneficial bacteria (if they have it – Stability, Microbacter etc.) * Keep feeding light ⸻ DAY 4 * Test: * Ammonia should be heading toward 0 * Nitrite dropping * If still present → continue Prime daily (temporary only) ⸻ DAY 5 * Small 15–20% water change * Start watching nitrate drop (goal under ~20) ⸻ DAY 6–7 * Stabilise: * No more Prime if ammonia = 0 * Resume normal feeding slowly * DO NOT dose NeoPhos yet ⸻ ⚖️ After Stabilisation (Important) Once ammonia & nitrite are zero: Fix nutrients properly: * Nitrate: 5–20 ppm * Phosphate: 0.03–0.1 ppm 👉 If phosphate is still 0 then you can lightly dose NeoPhos ⸻ 🪸 Coral note (why frogspawn is closed) That frogspawn is basically saying: “This water is cooked” Likely causes: * High alk swing * Ammonia presence * Nutrient imbalance It should recover once stability returns. ⸻ ⚠️ Big Mistakes to Avoid * ❌ Don’t chase numbers daily * ❌ Don’t dose multiple things at once * ❌ Don’t overfeed trying to raise nutrients * ❌ Don’t ignore ammonia (this is the priority) ⸻ 💬 If you want Send me: * Their filtration setup * How long the tank’s been running * What they’re dosing exactly I can tighten this into a perfect long-term setup plan + stocking + dosing schedule for that 52L 👍

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