Fading SPS

[ImGoingCoastal]

I know this has been asked a million times before, but I did research!

Lately my SPS has been losing coloration. There is still plenty of PE but the colors are extremely washed out. Tank has been up for 3.5 months. My parameters are pretty perfect, maybe too perfect. In research, it appears that having zero nitrates and phosphates can prevent SPS from coloring up. I have been ghost feeding (I've got a specific stock list and stocking order in mind and the fish I want aren't available) and skimming. I am also running a fuge with Chaeto. I stopped skimming a week ago but still cannot get my phosphates up. Long story for me to ask if I should ditch the fuge or is there another issue I am missing?

My alk was low a while back so I have been dosing 2 part to bring it back up, also have a slight amount of Kalk left in the ATO tank.

Temp - 7.8
Alk - 8.1
Calcium - 450
Ammonia - 0
Nitrate - 0
Phosphate - 0
pH - 7.97-8.15

 

[Epic Aquaculture]

I know this has been asked a million times before, but I did research!

Lately my SPS has been losing coloration. There is still plenty of PE but the colors are extremely washed out. Tank has been up for 3.5 months. My parameters are pretty perfect, maybe too perfect. In research, it appears that having zero nitrates and phosphates can prevent SPS from coloring up. I have been ghost feeding (I've got a specific stock list and stocking order in mind and the fish I want aren't available) and skimming. I am also running a fuge with Chaeto. I stopped skimming a week ago but still cannot get my phosphates up. Long story for me to ask if I should ditch the fuge or is there another issue I am missing?

My alk was low a while back so I have been dosing 2 part to bring it back up, also have a slight amount of Kalk left in the ATO tank.

Temp - 7.8
Alk - 8.1
Calcium - 450
Ammonia - 0
Nitrate - 0
Phosphate - 0
pH - 7.97-8.15

Nitrate and Phosphate need to be raised. You are starving your corals. Get Nitrate up to 5-10 and Phosphate up to .04-.1 and you should see results.

 

[MelReefer]

I know this has been asked a million times before, but I did research!

Lately my SPS has been losing coloration. There is still plenty of PE but the colors are extremely washed out. Tank has been up for 3.5 months. My parameters are pretty perfect, maybe too perfect. In research, it appears that having zero nitrates and phosphates can prevent SPS from coloring up. I have been ghost feeding (I've got a specific stock list and stocking order in mind and the fish I want aren't available) and skimming. I am also running a fuge with Chaeto. I stopped skimming a week ago but still cannot get my phosphates up. Long story for me to ask if I should ditch the fuge or is there another issue I am missing?

My alk was low a while back so I have been dosing 2 part to bring it back up, also have a slight amount of Kalk left in the ATO tank.

Temp - 7.8
Alk - 8.1
Calcium - 450
Ammonia - 0
Nitrate - 0
Phosphate - 0
pH - 7.97-8.15

Just saying 3 months is still very young and sps like mature systems (1 year) with biodiversity so maybe that’s why

 

[ImGoingCoastal]

Cool, that's essentially what I was thinking. Am I hurting myself by having a fuge with no fish?

 

[ImGoingCoastal]

Thought about this too, though I've seen people successfully keep sps with young systems. They may not have grown rapidly but they still had color.

 

[Epic Aquaculture]

Cool, that's essentially what I was thinking. Am I hurting myself by having a fuge with no fish?

Yes in a way as the fuge is removing NO3 and PO4. Also @Reeftard123 is correct that that is a very young tank, and may not be ready for SPS yet.

 

[basicfisherman]

I have almost the same situation going on in my tank as your describing. The difference for me is just my Cali Tort has taken on a pastel look to it. My plan of attack has been to try and get some more phosphate and nitrate. I have about 5 fish in there so it should be to much of an issue. I also have been dosing amino acids to help.

I would agree from I have read that it would help you to get some of those values higher.

 

[Epic Aquaculture]

When setting up an SPS tank, I always recommend adding your fish first. Fish poop and pee is the best coral food out there, and if you run a tank without fish, you're going to struggle. I'm a firm believer in high input and high export. In other words heavy feeding of a large bio-load and efficient export of excessive nutrients...

 

[ImGoingCoastal]

Yeah, I always thought that running a fishless system would be better for sps. I'm learning that is incorrect. As such, Covid really derailed my stocking plans as no one has any fish in stock that I'd put in my tank long term. Seems like theyre starting to become available again. Now I just have to gradually add fish so as not to shock the system.

 

[ImGoingCoastal]

Plan going forward: I'm going to pull the chaeto and order a new test kit (for verification). May also dose some nutrients to stop this slide of my sps.