Reef Keepings

Check Water Level

Look in the back in the middle chamber to see how low the water is. I’ve typically only needed to top it off once a week but it’s a good idea to keep an eye on it.

Check Salinity

Take the lid off the tank and dunk the hydrometer in until it is completely full. The needle should hit between 1.022 to 1.025. It’s a good idea to clean the hydrometer before and after you use it or it might stick and give a false reading. If it sticks fill it with water and try to shake it around a little bit and it should come loose.

Top Off Water

If the water is low top off the water with a mix of fresh water and salt water from the 2 six gallon blue containers. They’re labeled in black sharpie “salt” and “RO.” If the salinity is higher than 1.025, which is usually the case when the water is low, you’re going to want to use a ratio of 3-4 parts fresh to 1 part salt depending on the water level. I use the pink plastic bowl in my bathroom to fill the tank. Just pour the blue containers into the bowl in that ratio until it is full. If it is below 1.025, which is rare, flip the ratio.

Dose with Chemicals

I dose once a week with four bottles in my bathroom in on the wood shelf. One is called Fuel in a white bottle, 2 more bottles that are a two part solution for calcium and alkalinity called Reef Fusion 1 and 2, and the last one is phytoplankton in suspension called phytochrome in a black bottle. I dose in that order. There is a cup on the wood shelf with a plastic syringe in it, fill the cup with water. For Fuel unscrew the lid and with the syringe suck out as much as you can and put it in the tank. When you’re done fill the syringe with water from the cup a few times to clean it out. For Fusion 1 fill the syringe up to 2.5 ML clean and repeat with Fusion 2. For phytochrome fill the syringe up to 2 ML clean the syringe and you’re done.