Back in the hobby and having trouble

[Rarnold]

Ok so 10 years ago i set up a 10gal reef tank and had great success, mostly on accident. Fast forward to scoring a free biocube 32 led a year ago. When I started the tank everything seemed normal. Now about 10 months in I have decent coraline growth but corals won't open. GSP, cloves, acans, palys, zoas are all closed and my candy cane has been losing flesh. Only my RFAs are thriving it seems. Yesterday's parameters were:

PH- 8
Alk- 11.5
No3- .25ppm
Po4- .04ppm
Temp- 79.5-80°

Tank is lit by a Nicrew 50w Hyper Reef white at 5% blue at 20% on at 8am off at 7pm, this is new to the tank. Having a low PH issue, tank usually test around 7.6-7.8. Using reef ab+ and NoPox as advised, feed pellets daily, feed frozen reef plankton and coral gumbo 1-2 times per week and reef roads 1 time weekly. I attached pics of the corals.

 

[Jekyl]

Not an expert on that light but seems really low to me. Is nitrate 25 or .25? If .25 as listed that is really low. Why dose nopox at that level?

 

[Ultra Aquatics]

Alk is too high for that low of nutrients, target 9dkh and get nitrates to 5-10. Things should improve. Based on your alk I’m assuming you use reef crystals salt?

 

[Dburr1014]

Calcium?
Magnesium?

 

[hsosa]

you probably want to cut down on feed on such a small tank . and run carbon probably the soft corals are putting out toxins .

 

[Jekyl]

you probably want to cut down on feed on such a small tank . and run carbon probably the soft corals are putting out toxins .

Never heard of warfare from any of those corals. Running carbon will increase the nutrient deficiency.

 

[Tamberav]

Ok so 10 years ago i set up a 10gal reef tank and had great success, mostly on accident. Fast forward to scoring a free biocube 32 led a year ago. When I started the tank everything seemed normal. Now about 10 months in I have decent coraline growth but corals won't open. GSP, cloves, acans, palys, zoas are all closed and my candy cane has been losing flesh. Only my RFAs are thriving it seems. Yesterday's parameters were:

PH- 8
Alk- 11.5
No3- .25ppm
Po4- .04ppm
Temp- 79.5-80°

Tank is lit by a Nicrew 50w Hyper Reef white at 5% blue at 20% on at 8am off at 7pm, this is new to the tank. Having a low PH issue, tank usually test around 7.6-7.8. Using reef ab+ and NoPox as advised, feed pellets daily, feed frozen reef plankton and coral gumbo 1-2 times per week and reef roads 1 time weekly. I attached pics of the corals.

Doing too much... low nutrients while dosing to bring/keep them low and high alk.

Bring alk down and nutrients up. Stop nopox.

 

[Rarnold]

Calcium?
Magnesium?

Dont have a test for Mg at the moment, calcium at last test was 700 on an API test kit, so I'm not taking that as accurate. I'm waiting for these to arrive but the winter weather here messed up deliveries

 

[Rarnold]

Not an expert on that light but seems really low to me. Is nitrate 25 or .25? If .25 as listed that is really low. Why dose nopox at that level?

Nitrate is 0.25ppm. Honestly, following "reef recipes". But seems like I shouldn't be, so I'll stop.

 

[Jekyl]

Nitrate is 0.25ppm. Honestly, following "reef recipes". But seems like I shouldn't be, so I'll stop.

Should be aiming for around 5 nitrate. I stop using nopox when mine get to 10 for fear of going too low.

 

[Rarnold]

Doing too much... low nutrients while dosing to bring/keep them low and high alk.

Bring alk down and nutrients up. Stop nopox.

Alk is too high for that low of nutrients, target 9dkh and get nitrates to 5-10. Things should improve. Based on your alk I’m assuming you use reef crystals salt?

Yes, I was mixing to 35ppt. I've switched to using premixed from my lfs where I purchase most of our corals anyway. They mix reef crystals to 1.020 or 26ppt I think what I measure all my water changes at.

 

[Rarnold]

Not an expert on that light but seems really low to me. Is nitrate 25 or .25? If .25 as listed that is really low. Why dose nopox at that level?

Following "reef recipes". Light is new to the tank and was told to start low and gradually increase to the desired levels

 

[Jekyl]

Yes, I was mixing to 35ppt. I've switched to using premixed from my lfs where I purchase most of our corals anyway. They mix reef crystals to 1.020 or 26ppt I think what I measure all my water changes at.

You're going to need to add your own salt to that mix. It would be fine for fish but not coral.

 

[Rarnold]

Doing too much... low nutrients while dosing to bring/keep them low and high alk.

Bring alk down and nutrients up. Stop nopox.

Alk has been dropping slowly, but I'm currently doing w/c with r.c. premixed to 26ppt to match the lfs I purchase from. Believe yesterday's salinity test showed 33ppt

 

[Rarnold]

You're going to need to add your own salt to that mix. It would be fine for fish but not coral.

They have a fairly large system of corals and frag tanks and they seem to be doing quite well. I was sure to ask multiple times what their systems are kept at. I have reef crystals but if I'm trying to lower alk levels wouldn't mixing higher salinity raise other levels too?

 

[Jekyl]

They have a fairly large system of corals and frag tanks and they seem to be doing quite well. I was sure to ask multiple times what their systems are kept at. I have reef crystals but if I'm trying to lower alk levels wouldn't mixing higher salinity raise other levels too?

Bringing your nutrients up to the proper levels will actually increase the consumption of alkalinity in the long run. Alkalinity is the number one thing needing to be dosed in reef tanks. Right now you don't have the food (nitrate) available that causes alkalinity to be used up. Focus on one change at a time though. Keep salinity stable, don't allow it to go lower. In the mean time, stop dosing nopox. Check nitrate again in a few days or a week and see if it is improving. Slow and steady, one change at a time, allow a week or 2 before effects will present themselves.

 

[Rarnold]

Bringing your nutrients up to the proper levels will actually increase the consumption of alkalinity in the long run. Alkalinity is the number one thing needing to be dosed in reef tanks. Right now you don't have the food (nitrate) available that causes alkalinity to be used up. Focus on one change at a time though. Keep salinity stable, don't allow it to go lower. In the mean time, stop dosing nopox. Check nitrate again in a few days or a week and see if it is improving. Slow and steady, one change at a time, allow a week or 2 before effects will present themselves.

I have nitrates and phosphates premixed since I have planted freshwater tanks. Should I dose or do nothing and wait for levels to raise naturally?

 

[Jekyl]

Slow changes. For now just stop with nopox. Maybe skip a water change since nutrients are low and everything else is high.

 

[Rarnold]

Slow changes. For now just stop with nopox. Maybe skip a water change since nutrients are low and everything else is high.

Ok. Thanks a ton

 

[Dburr1014]

Alk has been dropping slowly, but I'm currently doing w/c with r.c. premixed to 26ppt to match the lfs I purchase from. Believe yesterday's salinity test showed 33ppt

Let's get this straight 1.020/1.026? Or do you mean 26ppt or 26 sg? I'm just some what confused.
Salt water should be 35ppt or 1.026 sg.
I once let my salt drop to 1.021 and my coral were very sad and started to bleach. I was unaware and corrected it and didn't have any losses.
So if you have 1.020 and raise it, other things like alk and cal will also raise. And it could explain why the corals are not doing well.

EDIT: 26 ppt is 1.0196 @ 78F
Not good for coral... Can you please verify.