Giving up on SPS?

[CrunchyBananas]

Have you checked those parameters with other test kits to ensure your trident is accurate? I sold mine because of consistent inconsistencies. None of your parameters stand out other than a bit higher alk (which I'd double check with salifert or a similar kit to ensure you're in the same ball park as the trident.)

Generally, burnt tips are the results of high alkalinity with too low of nutrients, which is part of the reason I'm stuck on really pinning down where your alkalinity is truly at.

What salt are you using? Are you doing regular water changes?

 

[Oregon Grown Reef]

The most important question has yet to be asked. What does your flow look like? SPS need crazy high flow. When you think you have enough, add just a little more. Will you get us a front and side shot so we can see the powerhead placement and rockwork? Please also post the intensity you have them at.

 

[dwest]

If I had your tank I would:
1. Keep alkalinity between 7-8 dKH with kalk
2. Do weekly 10% weekly water changes
3. Only dose to keep nitrates and phosphates measurable (don't worry about high numbers, only dose if low)
4. Celebrate any acro growth

 

[SBB Corals]

Ok...after a year of unsuccessfully trying to keep SPS..i might just have to throw in the towel. Would love some last minute advice before I officially concentrate on growing coralline algae which grows fine.
I recently purchased a nice sized shipment from @SBB Corals. some of the most amazing pieces I have ever seen. After two short weeks, my tips are already suffering from STN.

Parameters:

1. Trident: Alk 8.8 and pretty steady.
   1. Has fluctuated by +/- 0.3 over the course of daily cycles of dosing being on and off and periods of photosynthetsis, etc.
2. Trident: Calcium 480 (yeah, i know, a little high)
3. Trident: Magnesium 1344
4. Hanna: Phosphates 0.05
5. Hanna: Nitrates 25.4 (yeah..i know, a little high)
6. Refractomer: Salinity 1.026
7. Trident Par Module: 300-400 Par
8. Trident: PH night time minimum 7.8'ish DayTime maximum 8.1

I am using an AquaticLife T5 hybrid with NooPsyches.
NooPsyches are on 50% of royal blue, UV, GreenBlue and Light blue. 0% on Coolwhite and Red
T5s are 4x54watt. 3 blue, 1 Actinic

Any help / indications would be appreciated.

don't give up yet! A few things come to mind..

do you make your own rodi water? and if yes when is the last time you changed the membrain and cartridges?

also when is the last time you send in a triton ICP test there is many other things to test for and sending in a triton is the best way to check for these..

do you know what your Iodine levels are?

do you do weekly water changes?

what salt do you use?

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

don't give up yet! A few things come to mind..

do you make your own rodi water? and if yes when is the last time you changed the membrain and cartridges?

Yes. three months ago

also when is the last time you send in a triton ICP test there is many other things to test for and sending in a triton is the best way to check for these..

Looks like I will be ordering one this week

do you know what your Iodine levels are?

Nope..but When I do my icp, i will find out.

do you do weekly water changes?

Bi Weekly

what salt do you use?

IO Reef Crystals

 

[spsick]

don't give up yet! A few things come to mind..

do you make your own rodi water? and if yes when is the last time you changed the membrain and cartridges?

also when is the last time you send in a triton ICP test there is many other things to test for and sending in a triton is the best way to check for these..

do you know what your Iodine levels are?

do you do weekly water changes?

what salt do you use?

Good shouts here Shane. The next thing I was going to ask about was RO status and ICP.

 

[spsick]

Yes. three months ago

Like the membrane or all filters? On my 75g tank with a 7 stage I have to replace my sediment and first carbon block every 2 months or Chloramines start blowing through. You’re probably fine but in the sps dying realm we have to exhaust all options…

 

[sculpin01]

Burnt tips are usually due to too high alkalinity relative to phosphate. If you bump your phosphate up to 0.15 and keep alkalinity in the 7-8 range, your colors may be slightly less vibrant but you won’t have any tip burn. Nitrate on the other hand, I like in the 5-10 range. My 6 year-old tank runs phosphates in the 0.2-0.4 range and is my incubator for all new frags. Literally don’t lose any except when crabs or snails knock them into the abyss.

There has been some excellent science done that shows that aquaria are not equivalent to the ocean (likely due to the absence of zooplankton) and running ocean equivalent parameters leads to increased coral mortality and decreased growth.

YMMV

 

[SBB Corals]

Yes. three months ago

Looks like I will be ordering one this week

Nope..but When I do my icp, i will find out.

Bi Weekly

IO Reef Crystals

3 months ago is a long time- was that all filters? if so you are way overdue and this could be the main issue.

we change them out every month and membrane every 2 months.

take a picture of your canisters and post here are they black?

please order on asap get the triton icp one

 

[Oregon Grown Reef]

3 months ago is a long time- was that all filters? if so you are way overdue and this could be the main issue.

we change them out every month and membrane every 2 months.

take a picture of your canisters and post here are they black?

please order on asap get the triton icp one

This may be the case for someone who uses a ton of water, but in my instance I make maybe 5 gallons of rodi water per week. I have very clean source water at 20ppm TDS measured with the HM TDS meter. I flush out the membrane once every week or 2. I can go for a long time without having to change out anything.

How to Know When to Change your RO/DI Filters

A RO/DI system is your aquarium’s best defense system, filtering harmful contaminates from entering your aquarium water. That’s why it’s so important to regularly maintain your RO/DI filters. The biggest challenge hobbyists’ face is not knowing when to change out their filter cartridges. But we...

aquaticlife.com

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

This may be the case for someone who uses a ton of water, but in my instance I make maybe 5 gallons of rodi water per week. I have very clean source water at 20ppm TDS measured with the HM TDS meter. I flush out the membrane once every week or 2. I can go for a long time without having to change out anything.

How to Know When to Change your RO/DI Filters

A RO/DI system is your aquarium’s best defense system, filtering harmful contaminates from entering your aquarium water. That’s why it’s so important to regularly maintain your RO/DI filters. The biggest challenge hobbyists’ face is not knowing when to change out their filter cartridges. But we...

aquaticlife.com

I MAY make 200 gallons a month and that is pushing it. I do change the setiment and carbon filters every three..the membrane gets flushed every month. TDS meeting on my unit is still reading zero before and AFTER the DI stage.

 

[Jekyl]

This may be the case for someone who uses a ton of water, but in my instance I make maybe 5 gallons of rodi water per week. I have very clean source water at 20ppm TDS measured with the HM TDS meter. I flush out the membrane once every week or 2. I can go for a long time without having to change out anything.

How to Know When to Change your RO/DI Filters

A RO/DI system is your aquarium’s best defense system, filtering harmful contaminates from entering your aquarium water. That’s why it’s so important to regularly maintain your RO/DI filters. The biggest challenge hobbyists’ face is not knowing when to change out their filter cartridges. But we...

aquaticlife.com

Agree. However I flush before every use.

 

[Oregon Grown Reef]

I MAY make 200 gallons a month and that is pushing it. I do change the setiment and carbon filters every three..the membrane gets flushed every month. TDS meeting on my unit is still reading zero before and AFTER the DI stage.

So you're pushing about 800 gallons of water through the system per month. 3 months would be the max you'd want to run the filters then because that's reaching close to the mentioned 3,000 gallons and you'd want to replace them before they are exhausted.

 

[Oregon Grown Reef]

Agree. However I flush before every use.

That is the recommended approach to it. I don't because I forget or I'm too lazy.

 

[Jekyl]

That is the recommended approach to it. I don't because I forget or I'm too lazy.

I see my TDS get as high as 250 when flushing. Burns my DI if I dont.

 

[Miami Reef]

I see my TDS get as high as 250 when flushing. Burns my DI if I dont.

Exactly! Flushing is so easy! I always flush my RO/DI. The only time I turn on my RO/DI unit is to either make a water change, or to fill my ATO, so it’s not hard to flush into a bucket prior to use.

 

[Dburr1014]

Exactly! Flushing is so easy! I always flush my RO/DI. The only time I turn on my RO/DI unit is to either make a water change, or to fill my ATO, so it’s not hard to flush into a bucket prior to use.

Mine gets flushed for a minute before and a minute every hour through my Apex programming.
I didn't see an answer on the flow in your tank. Need lots of flow. Also, I'm not familiar with those lights but maybe somebody with more knowledge on them can comment on his lights.

 

[adsf430]

My guess here is it’s the PH and Alk. I killed SPS for a year, just always slowly died. Now my tank is thriving (knocks on wood). Differences were bringing Alk down below 8 (seems to cause less issues) and never letting PH dip below 8. I’ve found RTN is 100% correlated to PH drops below 7.8 so if you let it get below 8 it’s a huge risk a swing lower could cause STN. I recommend adding a CO2 scrubber to prevent swings overall as it’ll keep the PH more stable. PH swings cause huge instability in Alk and your corals absorb far more Alk in higher PH. For example, my tank inhales double the Alk with PH being 8.6 vs 8.3

 

[biecacka]

I would think bringing NO3 down a bit might help. Other than that, things look normal so as others have suggested and you agreed to do an ICP.
I attached a picture of my TSA Fuzz, you will notice the right side of it looks bone white. I seen that and panicked but went down one evening after the lights went off and seen polyps coming from that area. Just a rather large growth tip. Your white ends could be the same. Maybe check it after the lights go off.

corey

 

[Yellowsound]

Another thing to check: have you recently (or ever) calibrated your refractometer?