A little SPS help from the experts..

[ihavecrabs]

Thanks to everyone that has responded. It has been extremely helpful and has ignited some thoughts and options.

To start, i'm just going to ease the lights down a bit and observe.

Updates to come

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

Thanks to everyone that has responded. It has been extremely helpful and has ignited some thoughts and options.

To start, i'm just going to ease the lights down a bit and observe.

Updates to come

How many hours are they at peak power

 

[ihavecrabs]

How many hours are they at peak power

Only 3 but it ramps up and down to that point.

 

[ihavecrabs]

Only 3 but it ramps up and down to that point.

This is the new lowered graph. It was 65/30 blue/white

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

Only 3 but it ramps up and down to that point.

So did this all start when you started ramping?

 

[markalot]

Always the case right? I just don't want to change stuff for the few not happy and affect the others that are doing well. Ugh!

Yea, favorites will never do well. I like to pretend I hate them, seems to help.

I've seen super healthy and colorful acro tanks with PO4 up in the .1 and .2 range. As long as you have algae eaters it's generally fine. The thing with the magic .03 number is that while it's a great target to control algae it can stress acros if there's not a lot of food bits in the water. This is my opinion, not sure if it can be proven as fact. Anyway, as a tank ages and gets more sponge growth the water has more and more food and bacteria and all kinds of goodies in it which makes keeping acros easier and it seems like you can do no wrong.

So that said, if the tank is too clean, I like feeding reef roids or the BRS Reef Chili to help put food in the water. You have to stop testing PO4 though because it will appear to drive it up, especially reef roids. I think it's just more microscopic particles in the water, which is great for the acros but bad for the accuracy of the PO4 test. Just remember that high PO4 rarely kills acros, if it does anything they will lose some color but still be healthy. The less I worried about PO4 the better my tank did until I finally kicked the habit. Haven't tested in almost a year now, no clue where it's at.

 

[ihavecrabs]

So did this all start when you started ramping?

It may have exacerbated it. I had this before the light ramping on at least one for sure.

 

[markalot]

Careful changing too much at once, honestly even though I suggested it I would put it back at the old setting and let it ride for a while, or lower it by just a little bit. Less change the better. For all we know they were mad about the last change and are just about to get over it.

 

[ihavecrabs]

Yea, favorites will never do well. I like to pretend I hate them, seems to help.

I've seen super healthy and colorful acro tanks with PO4 up in the .1 and .2 range. As long as you have algae eaters it's generally fine. The thing with the magic .03 number is that while it's a great target to control algae it can stress acros if there's not a lot of food bits in the water. This is my opinion, not sure if it can be proven as fact. Anyway, as a tank ages and gets more sponge growth the water has more and more food and bacteria and all kinds of goodies in it which makes keeping acros easier and it seems like you can do no wrong.

So that said, if the tank is too clean, I like feeding reef roids or the BRS Reef Chili to help put food in the water. You have to stop testing PO4 though because it will appear to drive it up, especially reef roids. I think it's just more microscopic particles in the water, which is great for the acros but bad for the accuracy of the PO4 test. Just remember that high PO4 rarely kills acros, if it does anything they will lose some color but still be healthy. The less I worried about PO4 the better my tank did until I finally kicked the habit. Haven't tested in almost a year now, no clue where it's at.

I do have some reef roids I can start feeding. Maybe I should give up on the PO4 testing or at least be more forgiving when that number creeps up.

Do you normally feed it at night or during the day?

 

[markalot]

I do have some reef roids I can start feeding. Maybe I should give up on the PO4 testing or at least be more forgiving when that number creeps up.

Do you normally feed it at night or during the day?

When I used it I would feed during the day, just a pinch held underwater. Sometimes on the weekend I would make a mix of food and roids all mixed together. Just be careful not to overdo it. A lot of it makes it to the overflow and probably into the skimmer but it still seemed to help.

 

[Flippers4pups]

It's tough sometimes with small frags and their health. Some acropora will just struggle till they settle in. I'm not seeing any thing major wrong, but have some questions:

1. Did you dip these frags and have all your corals been in coral dip?

2. Did you light acclimate them ?

3. How long have you had them?

 

[ihavecrabs]

It's tough sometimes with small frags and their health. Some acropora will just struggle till they settle in. I'm not seeing any thing major wrong, but have some questions:

1. Did you dip these frags and have all your corals been in coral dip?

2. Did you light acclimate them ?

3. How long have you had them?

The ones in question I have had since August/September or before.

I did dip and QT all corals

And they spent a few weeks on the sand bed before being moved to their respective locations.

 

[Flippers4pups]

The ones in question I have had since August/September or before.

I did dip and QT all corals

And they spent a few weeks on the sand bed before being moved to their respective locations.

Excellent! Rules out a great deal. Thank you!

 

[Foothill Corals]

You have been given good advice. The Monty is a pretty hardy coral though I am surprised it is affected at the same rate as the across. I would also get an ICP test myself.

 

[ihavecrabs]

You have been given good advice. The Monty is a pretty hardy coral though I am surprised it is affected at the same rate as the across. I would also get an ICP test myself.

Yup, that's why I asked the community. It seems very odd. Thanks!

 

[marlinmon]

Yea, favorites will never do well. I like to pretend I hate them, seems to help.

I've seen super healthy and colorful acro tanks with PO4 up in the .1 and .2 range. As long as you have algae eaters it's generally fine. The thing with the magic .03 number is that while it's a great target to control algae it can stress acros if there's not a lot of food bits in the water. This is my opinion, not sure if it can be proven as fact. Anyway, as a tank ages and gets more sponge growth the water has more and more food and bacteria and all kinds of goodies in it which makes keeping acros easier and it seems like you can do no wrong.

So that said, if the tank is too clean, I like feeding reef roids or the BRS Reef Chili to help put food in the water. You have to stop testing PO4 though because it will appear to drive it up, especially reef roids. I think it's just more microscopic particles in the water, which is great for the acros but bad for the accuracy of the PO4 test. Just remember that high PO4 rarely kills acros, if it does anything they will lose some color but still be healthy. The less I worried about PO4 the better my tank did until I finally kicked the habit. Haven't tested in almost a year now, no clue where it's at.

How about 0.4-0.5 ppm phosphate? Is that negative on sps?

 

[markalot]

How about 0.4-0.5 ppm phosphate? Is that negative on sps?

I've never been that high, but I've seen people that haven't had issues at those levels. I'm more apt to question the testing, are you sure it's that high?

A couple of examples.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/coral-coloration-guess-the-phosphate-and-nitrate-levels.323422/

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2366953

^ Spoiler, above .3

In a tank not full of corals and/or algae eaters Algae will be by far the biggest issues. Also note that some corals, some acros, will not color up unless you can duplicate very low nutrients. I have one maricultured piece like this, but everything else colored up without issue. Stick to the corals that have adapted to tank life IMO.

 

[marlinmon]

I've never been that high, but I've seen people that haven't had issues at those levels. I'm more apt to question the testing, are you sure it's that high?

A couple of examples.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/coral-coloration-guess-the-phosphate-and-nitrate-levels.323422/

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2366953

^ Spoiler, above .3

In a tank not full of corals and/or algae eaters Algae will be by far the biggest issues. Also note that some corals, some acros, will not color up unless you can duplicate very low nutrients. I have one maricultured piece like this, but everything else colored up without issue. Stick to the corals that have adapted to tank life IMO.

Yep I had it that high once. Lost a tenuis colony shortly after. Maybe that was the cause. Hanna checker with calibration check

 

[vetteguy53081]

Eliminate GFO unless absolutely needed. Lights- focus on Blues with a little white for a few hrs a day and vary your flow. I have good flow, and mid afternoon, down to moderate and pulse low in the evening.
Rather than target alk, Ca, etc....keep it steady at its current state. The corals will adjust to those parameters. There is no real perfect parameter in our systems. Go for range rather than number targets

 

[ihavecrabs]

Any thoughts? Na vs Cl ratio off enough to make much of a difference?