Acro Help - Please

[bknapp]

I tend to agree with pickupman here, your numbers look great. You're at ULNS numbers, I don't think a little more nutrients would hurt any. Adding afish or two wouldn'thurt any. I would stay away from raising your alkalinity at all but would consider letting the amount of GFO being used a little. What are you doing for nitrate reduction?

 

[kodiak]

I am no expert, but went through the same thing a few years ago when I first started. All my corals were doing great, so decided to try sps after about 8 months and all the tips turned white and eventually died. I ended up adding biopellets and after a few weeks all my sps were thriving. My tank is now full of SPS and have not lost a single piece since. I ended up taking the biopellets offline after about a year because I felt they were no longer needed. Now I just run gfo and carbon and everything is doing good. This entire time I've kept my alk at 8.
Maybe my tank just needed some extra bacteria, not exactly sure.
Again, I am not an expert, just passing along my experience.

 

[Tahoe61]

This is one of those threads that demonstrates there is more than one way to skin a cat LOL. A lower alk is already running, I do agree more nutrients.

What ever you do make one change at a time, and observe for a difference for a number of days, if you do not see positive results move on to the next change, wait to see how that works. You have two tanks which makes this an interesting experiment for you, make changes to only one tank. You're systems sound good over all, you'll figure it out.

 

[reef. coffee & curly hair]

Might be your led's. I can compile a list of potential problems that may help sometime tomorrow. You should get a 3/4 based out frag of a green bali slimer variant and if you cannot get that to grow then no acro will grow under those led's/setup. It's the most forgiving and flexible acro. I'd start there for your next frag. I wouldn't give up on them. Growing acro's are just trickier(parameters and placement:ie flow, lighting) sometimes and cost more to have an appropriate setup and upkeep. Lots of other good advice already posted. Every tank is different and you may have to try all of them to find what fits.

 

[Badfish83]

I vote pull the gfo

 

[bct15]

When you add your alk supplement everyday do you just pour it in or is it dripped in? Is it possible your acros are having alk rich solution blow across or settle on them? You might want to consider breaking your dosing regiment up into multiple smaller doses throughout the day.

 

[CoryC]

make sure you're dipping them and inspecting closely. had the same problem. discovered it was AEFW. i dont have great extension during the day but killer extension at night and some growth.

 

[dwilliams87]

There have been several people say "pull the GFO". What would be the reason behind this? Would I need another way to reduce phosphates? Also, several have said add biopellets. If my levels are already at ULNS numbers, would this not further decline those levels?

 

[reef. coffee & curly hair]

Tip down STN/RTN/RTD of acro's are normally associated with too much flow, imbalance of elements mostly associated with high alk, carbon dosing (mostly biopellets), and the burning from leds (and other lighting too).

 

[dwilliams87]

Tip down STN/RTN/RTD of acro's are normally associated with too much flow, imbalance of elements mostly associated with high alk, carbon dosing (mostly biopellets), and the burning from leds (and other lighting too).

I have an mp10 on the opposite end of the tank, don't run biopellets/carbon dose, and had the same issue when I only ran t5's. So I would think it has to be chemistry. But my Alk is not to high at 8.5 and is there every evening that I check it.

I do manually does the 2 part alk, but I wouldn't think the shift of .1 would cause this when I've read up to .5 is considered acceptable. I do plan on purchasing a dosing pump, just having yet.

 

[metrokat]

I'm responding to your original post so my apologies if this is redundant. It seems that you are running an ULNS. Your nutrient export is probably more than your nutrient addition. GFO and skimmers work to lower Alk, if any form of carbon dosing is being done, the dip at that time is causing the RTN.

Much as SPS like a clean system, they do equally well in a BALANCED dirty system. Mine, for example is crazy dirty.

If you have crazy phosphates then don't take the GFO offline but maybe lower the amount you are using. If you don't 'feed' your corals, then suggest small particle foods like rotifers, BBS, 0.5micron golden pearls, diluted oyster feast, marine snow, Phyto.

If you don't wish to feed the corals you will need to use fuels such as amino acids, vitamins, supplements, strontium, carbohydrates. These can be found in products/brands like aquavitro, red sea, Brightwell, Kent etc.

Bottom line, it appears to me that your system is nutrient deprived and the corals are starving.

Whenever you're ready tobtey again, start with seriatopora or montipora.

 

[Peanut]

Might be your led's. I can compile a list of potential problems that may help sometime tomorrow. You should get a 3/4 based out frag of a green bali slimer variant and if you cannot get that to grow then no acro will grow under those led's/setup. It's the most forgiving and flexible acro. I'd start there for your next frag. I wouldn't give up on them. Growing acro's are just trickier(parameters and placement:ie flow, lighting) sometimes and cost more to have an appropriate setup and upkeep. Lots of other good advice already posted. Every tank is different and you may have to try all of them to find what fits.

I went to MACNA and every vendor display looks great under the leds. I asked every one what they use to grow out and all except one said t5s.

I am not saying it cant be done, but I suspect the leds as well.

 

[metrokat]

Regarding bio pellets. Corals feed on the mulm that is created however right now till you get nutrients up, I would not add a BP reactor.

Everyone is suggesting removing or reducing the GFO because it is starving your corals. Corals need phosphates for their everyday processes. Too much and corals brown out, this is where GFO helps. Too little and they die, this is where the balance has to happen.

If you have terrible phoaphates, consider trying to locate the source, whether your rocks are leeching or water or something else like a bad test kit.

 

[bknapp]

Is there a chance you maybe doing the alkalinity test incorrectly and not getting the correct results? Which kit do you use?

 

[dwilliams87]

Is there a chance you maybe doing the alkalinity test incorrectly and not getting the correct results? Which kit do you use?

Hanna Meter - I have checked twice in a row on multiple occasions. I also have used other kits to be sure mine is accurate.

 

[dwilliams87]

Also phosphates are checked with a hanna meter. Its the phosphorus meter that reads downs lower.

 

[bknapp]

The more I think about this the more I feel that the acros are starving. You need low phosphate numbers to get the colors but with the limited number of fish (therfore fish waste) in your systems there aren't enough nutrients to feed off of. Beat way to get more nutrients would be to add fish(es) and use less GFO.

 

[bct15]

What I was getting at is the alkalinity of your 2 part solution is very very high, if your pouring it directly into your system like the solution can be blowing against or settling in your acros and in their eyes they are seeing very brief but extreme alk swings. Try diluting your two part substantially and adding it very slowly since your systems are small.

How much gfo do you use and how often do you change it? You should only change the gfo when you see phosphates climbing above the levels you want them, I like to keep my phosphate between .01 and .03 on my Hannah. I only use 1/2 - 1/3 cup every two weeks in my 200+ gallon of water. I use to use 1 cup every week and had some similar problems to what you are describing. Acros would do good for a few weeks then start to burn after three weeks or so with less and less PE. I also couldn't keep a chalice alive at all. I was running my alk at 9 and my phosphates were always testing at 0. By reducing my alk to 7.8 - 8.1 and lowering the amount and frequency of my gfo, all of my acros got better, grow good, and I can keep chalices now. I also feed my acros once to two times a week at night, and they seem to like it.

 

[dwilliams87]

I actually have a power head in the sump that I pour the solution across to try to mix it in the water column better. How would you suggest diluting it? I only top off less than a gallon a day in the 40 and about half a gallon in the 20. Are we talking about maybe an 8 ounce glass of RO water? And then mix it in? Also I am dosing in the sumps. Not my display.

 

[markalot]

I hate to be the first to mention it, but since I have them I must ask. Have you checked for AEFW by basting the dying corals and seeing if anything flies off? I'm guilty of starving my tank, but acros don't die, they just look washed out. Some closeup pictures of the dying corals would really help.

This is just a guess.