bamboofat16

i am planning a 20 gallon nano setup. to start i plan on FOWLR but may venture into corals at some point. but the issue im having is pH. i know ph should be between 8.2 and 8.4 for most saltwater set-ups. im just curious do i need a buffer to make my water more basic or will the salt mix do that job for me? i am still in the planning stages and i just want to be sure on everything before i begin my venture into the saltwater world

dking271

You really have two options...

1 Buy your water from your LFS, they should have it mixed and buffered.

2 Mix your own using RO/DI water then buffer it to the desired PH. With SW, it is important to test both PH and alkalinity (the measurement of anions or buffering capacity to keep the PH stable) If you try to use tap water and salt mix you will most likely see problems.

bamboofat16

ok thank you. i thought it needed to be buffered, but in looking at one saltmix or another it mentioned bringing ph up aswell. so buffer with RO/DI it is. thank you again

au01st

For anything larger than a 5 gallon tank, I wouldn't even consider buying premixed SW from a LFS. Petco sells 4.4 gallons for $13.99 here...

Some LFS's may have it as cheap as $1-$2 a gallon, but you will have to factor in the time to go get it, have a container, have reserves, etc. What happens if you need to do some massive W/Cs if something nukes your tank? Unless it happens during normal business hours, you're outta luck. You can get a 100GPD RO/DI unit and 160 gallons of Seachem Reef Salt mix for $140. The RO/DI from www.purewaterclub.com is what I have (I have a 150gpd unit) and I can fill up my 20 gallon water change container about 3/4 full in just under 3 hours. There's something to be said for not sitting around waiting on water so go bigger than you think you'll need.

The pH stability can depend on the salt mixed use. Reef salts like Reef Crystals and Seachem Reef Salt will have higher ALK levels than Instant Ocean and stuff for FO setups. The higher ALK helps stabilize pH. There is also the matter of CO2 in the household. In the winter time it will be natural for the pH to be a bit lower as homes are more sealed up to keep the heat in, the levels of CO2 in the home will rise, causing the pH to fall. This can be avoided by adding a fresh air intake to your skimmer (if you can reach a suitable sized intake hose outside for fresh air, but this makes things a bit more complicated).

You may need to buffer, you may not. Until you have some water made up and test it, you won't know for sure. I don't buffer my water, but I do regular water changes with a good salt brand and run a kalk reactor (which helps buffer it up further). On small systems, routine maintenance should be able to keep the pH where you want until you start adding tons of corals.

MizRamzi

I bought water from my LFS, cycled sand in a bag and my tank has been right on since day one. The water came from a very well established tank they've had for 10+yrs.