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I'm currently cycling my 240gallon marine tank with liverocks. When the tank is cycling, what should the ammonia level be. I've got about 100kg of liverocks. thanks.

It depends on how far into curing the rock is, and how porous it is. The less porous and the closer it is to being cured, the less ammonia you'll see. If you have stuff with a lot of nooks and crannies, expect higher amounts of die-off and ammonia.

You could be seeing levels from .25 ppm to over four. Since you have no fish, it isn't too important how high the ammonia levels are at this stage, only after you're cycled.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

yeh my ammonia level is off the chart of the testing kit i have.. I still have some brittle starfish and some little critters still moving around.. I tested my PH level.. and its gone done to 7.8.. what should I use to buffer my PH level back to 8.2

If your test kit is accurate, you might want to do a water change. It would bring the ammonia level down temporarily, and the new salt will help buffer pH if it is one of the brands that does so. Otherwise you could simply add a marine pH buffer such as the one that Seachem makes.

Just be warned that if you have a dip test kit, it isn't very accurate.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Get a pH probe, you're going to need to be taking pH readings quite often and it's a lot easier than dealing with test kits over and over. Not to mention more accurate as well.

That pH isn't at a toxic level, but it would be nicer if it was a bit higher.

What salt brand are you using? What does the pH of your tap look like?

What's your alk reading?

You shouldn't need to mess around with buffers so much. I'd maybe drip some kalkwasser or add a 2 part calcium/alkalinity supplement. Keep on top of your water changes and you should be okay.

Remember, the best water conditions aren't always the textbook perfect ones...they're the stable ones.

Also, keep in mind that depending on what time of year it is for you, and whether or not you're relying heavily on AC/heat can have a drastic impact on the pH of your tank. I know my tank runs lower in the summer due to the air conditioners. And like I said, 7.8 isn't totally dangerous...I wouldn't worry unless it keeps dropping and is 7.6ish, especially if you haven't stocked the tank yet.

-Formerly known as the Ferretfish