Can’t seem to keep any SPS

jstncoffman · Jul 10, 2020

Chaswood79 said:
0.031 po4 too high????!!! I couldn’t disagree more. 0.031 po4 is too low for sps frags

I agree, that level is suoer super low, but every tanknis different

t5Nitro · Jul 10, 2020

Aero175 said:
I had the exact same thing happen for almost 2 years. Did you start with dry rock? I think that was the cause of all my problems. I dosed prodibio for a while, which I think increased my bacteria maybe that helped? I wrote about it in my build thread. I also brought my ALK down to 7.5 I’m not sure if that’s a factor too, but my current test sps have encrusted, and been alive over a month now.

I think OPs tank and numbers look similar to mine. Numbers are all rock solid stable although my tank is only 7 months old rather than 2 years. I did start with all dry rock and bare bottom and I have a very similar experience with sps living for about 1 month and then the STN sets in and they all have died. I wonder if it is just the dry start ups having these major problems. The more I've read others have had similar problems.

Also another poster above recommendation daily water changes which I have done from the beginning. I change 1g daily as well in a 75. Great system and stable but I dont think that's the key to sps success.

I'll look into more on prodibio!

Djhype97 · Jul 10, 2020

jstncoffman said:
I feel something isn't right, I keep my levels as so
Alk 8.6
Cal 500
MG 1350
Nitrate 8
P04 .12
Sal 35
Temp 78
Feron 1ppm

Me too. I bought a Frag of a tri color stag on 6/26 to try out again. It did well for the first week into the holiday weekend, then BOOM on Monday night/Tuesday morning I started to notice the pale color

jstncoffman · Jul 10, 2020

Djhype97 said:
Me too. I bought a Frag of a tri color stag on 6/26 to try out again. It did well for the first week into the holiday weekend, then BOOM on Monday night/Tuesday morning I started to notice the pale color

And your tanknis 2 years old ? Correct?

jstncoffman · Jul 10, 2020

pale color can also be a acclimation deal, what is the light diffrence between your LFS and your tank,

Charlie’s Frags · Jul 10, 2020

Djhype97 said:
for flow I have 1 jebao sine wave pump and a Aqamai kps wave pump

for lighting (sorry i should have posted that since it’s important for sps) I’m running 2 AI prime16 HD. I’m using a variation of the ab+ schedule at about half the intensity.
I make my own RODI water using a BRS 150gpd system with 0 TDS

I’m guessing you haven’t par mapped your tank bc 2 prime 16s on ab+ are not enough light for your sized tank. I have a prime 16 over a 7g 12” cube frag tank at 95% intensity and it’s barely enough par (275) half way down, for sps.

jstncoffman · Jul 10, 2020

I ask because I keep a higher light spec in my display and even higher in my frag tank then my LFS I get a brown out for a month then they acclimate and come back after a 6bweek period

Djhype97 · Jul 10, 2020

jstncoffman said:
And your tanknis 2 years old ? Correct?

That’s right. 2 years this Fall

Crustaceon · Jul 10, 2020

FWIW, the reason I run .08ppm phosphates is that at .02ppm or lower, I get stn like clockwork. People will say that level is really high but I honestly would be completely comfortable with .1-.2ppm. I don’t have nuisance algae either and I don’t run a fuge/algae scrubber or any phosphate remover for that matter.

Djhype97 · Jul 10, 2020

Chaswood79 said:
I’m guessing you haven’t par mapped your tank bc 2 prime 16s on ab+ are not enough light for your sized tank. I have a prime 16 over a 7g 12” cube frag tank at 95% intensity and it’s barely enough par (275) half way down, for sps.

No I haven’t mapped par in my tank. You could be right. I run the lights 9” off the water FYI and I’ll post the schedule at some point, maybe get more info from everyone.

jstncoffman · Jul 10, 2020

It seems a light issue, i keep my sps around 300 par, milis around 250 but I run ecotech lights used to run metal halide, but sps rely on light Kelvin and par, the zoozathelle needs proper light for the coral to thrive " keeping it simple " maybe par check your light at different levels

jstncoffman · Jul 10, 2020

and flow is also super important, high flow but flow that is turbulent, not direct, can blow the tissue right off

shadesatsetbreak · Jul 10, 2020

I think nutrients are fine. My vote is for lights or unknown water contamination. Send in for water test which may lead you to try a different salt, and add more light. Maybe a t5 hybrid fixture. My parameters are **** and swing everywhere but my lights are decent, so everything keeps growing. And sometimes I do 50% water changes just for ***** with no ill effects to livestock. So it's not your minor swings that are doing it. 0tds water is also unnecessary. These are red herrings.
Water test and more light and I bet you'll solve whatever issue you're having.

jstncoffman · Jul 10, 2020

Here is a pic in my nano, love this mili, he sits at 278 par , tabulate flow and is 8 months old

Charlie’s Frags · Jul 10, 2020

Djhype97 said:
No I haven’t mapped par in my tank. You could be right. I run the lights 9” off the water FYI and I’ll post the schedule at some point, maybe get more info from everyone.

7 gallons

Charlie’s Frags · Jul 10, 2020

Op your corals are starving from not enough light and not enough throughput. Get more light, more fish and feed them. That little tank is plumbed to my 50 gallon display wirh 2 hydra 52 HD’s with 15 fish and 40+hermits and snails and I feed 3 cubes of frozen, zoo and phyto and nori everyday.