Acer's build thread ( 3RMAS area)

acer · Mar 8, 2019

yep-changed the GFO as soon as I got home - retest tomorrow. The bottom of that coral may have not gotten any light as I had put it into a hole in the rock - until I decided to glue it, due to my issues with SPS lately - so that may be why the bottom was white.

Jonreefer · Mar 8, 2019

I wouldnt be to concerned with the no3 or po4. I dose them in my tank and I try to keep my nitrate in the 5-10 and phos at .008 if it goes a little higher I dont care. My sps seem to like it growing and keeping color. Dont let it bottom out or you will probably be attacked with Dinos

acer · Mar 8, 2019

.008 vs .27 on phosphates is more than a little difference. I think .27 is too high. I agree on not letting it bottom out though. Not worried about the No3 being 2-4 as that seems acceptable. Watched the tank for an hour last night - no fish picking on coral , but nipping at rock = normal. Maybe the Birdsnest ( picture) was having issues with necrosis and got some algae on it and that is what made the fish nip- "bite marks". Still unsure of why I am losing SPS/acro corals - unbalanced Po4 to ALk has been suggested = as I have lower Alk ( 8.0) but high Po4. Did read that the Zoas/palys, etc. can give off toxins that hurt other types of corals. So hmmm...

Edit : 1 pm Friday Retested today using Hanna ultra low phosphate after 16 hour of running new Gfo = .15

Ca+ = 400 with a new Salifert kit.

acer · Mar 10, 2019

Ok... Update.. I stopped using the Gfo for a day as the phosphate was dropping too fast. Retested po4 at 8 pm last night , 24 hours with no Gfo, an hour after feeding and it was .176. So, I restarted Gfo last night at midnight ...

Tests today 2:30 PM

Po4= 45= .138
ALK= 130= 7.28
Ca+ = 400
No3 = 4-8

Pic is an attempt to show some polyp extension... yeah

So, guess I will stop running GFO again for a 24 hour period. 15-20 gallon water change today as well.

golfer88 · Mar 11, 2019

Very brown

acer · Mar 11, 2019

Best pic I could get , its actually like a rust red color. But for me, any PE is a great sign.

acer · Mar 14, 2019

Well good news, bad news..

Lost another LEAR frag- see pic

But my rainbow bubble nem split. Pic #2.

kevinl · Mar 14, 2019

sps

nem

acer · Mar 17, 2019

I continue to loose LEAR frags ... they are slowly bleaching white . I cant get NO3 or PO4 down slowly. They continue to be way above my old levels : in the past week my parameters are: No3= 4-8, and PO4 =.132-.153, ALk= 8.0-8.3 DKH , Ca+ 400-410. SO guess I will just start doing 10-15 gallon water changes every other day - run both Carbon and GFO switching it out once a week, and go back to filter socks. Dose calcium chloride and soda ash or Kalkwasser solution to got to my old parameters. I figure I have already lost all the LEAR frags anyhow -so going slowly is a mute point now. Hopefully returning to Low No3 (under 1) and low Po4 ( under .1) and medium/high ALK (8-10) with ca+= 450 - which is what I always had good luck with until this past fall. I just cant figure out what changed so my No3/Po4 got so high and wont come down. If this does not produce results than I am out of sps/acros all together and will have a Zoa/LPS/fish/clams/etc. tank with no SPS as the frustration is now past tolerance levels.

BIGGUN · Mar 17, 2019

What lighting schedule and percentages are you running?

acer · Mar 17, 2019

Reefbreeder 24 light starts up at 8 am and ramps up to the 75% around noon then ramp down slowly to 10% by 8 Pm - blues only on till 10 PM for viewing pleasure. XR30 Gen3 on other side also starting on up at 8 AM peak at noon at 73% and down to 10 % by 8 Pm with blues on again till 10 Pm. Have both the LED's running more blue/purple to peak at 100% with white at 50% and the red/greens at about 35%. Going by Memory on specifics colors and % - but I am pretty close. Also have T5 blue/purple bulbs running across the front of tank angling toward the middle of tank to reduce shadows from LED's that come on at 10 am and off at 6pm.

BIGGUN · Mar 17, 2019

The lighting should be sufficient to support higher nutrient tank I would think. How about turbulence and flow?

acer · Mar 17, 2019

About 2500 GPH from sump downstairs split up into several sprayers , A MP40 on one side ramp up /down mode and the Jeboa smaller wave pump as well on/off every 5 seconds. I may pull the Jaboa pump as maybe it is putting a toxin or a trace current into the system?? grasping at straws now?