Having no luck with SPS -- What is wrong?

[Greenstreet.1]

I run two al sol blues with ATI 4x54w t5.

 

[rlman41299]

I am not saying I am an expert but i have the experience. I would agree that the tank is too young for sps. I don't even see the reason why you have started doing B ionic since you don't have a mature system. Regular water changes will do just fine. I have a mature mixed reef with huge colonies of sps and i don't dose just regualar water changes and maintain my parameters with kalkwasser.
Let your tank mature and add a lot of patience which i can sense you are not willing to wait around. We have all been there, patience is the key. 3 months is just too soon to do a lot of things let your tank mature and you'll see what experienced reefers are talking about.

The two issues I see:

A young tank, and possibly too much light.


The "brown algae" appears to be diatoms; indicative of a new tank.

 

[ryecoon]

Thats actually very true. I didnt add sps into my tank until about 9 months. I added my kalk reactor first then monitored for about a month, the added the doser, waited another month, then added a GFO reactor. Testing everyday in between. I think the lights are important but not the MOST important. Get water pars in check first. I suggest adding one sps frag to test out then you can go all out. Dont get me wrong ive killed lots of sps adding them too early but just saving you some money and disappointment. But if you have the money like that, go for it

 

[RonnieBlack]

I don't mean for this to sound jagged. But have you done your home work on SPS? some are a lot easier to keep than others. Get better test kits that test for P04 (Phosphates) looks like you don't have enough current in that tank and if that sand bed is old or has a huge bioload on it, your phosphates (most of them) will probably be coming from there

 

[ryecoon]

i need a better P04 test kit. My nitrate and phosphates always read "0" I usually just determine them by the small algae blooms. Thats when i replace my GFO.

 

[ps2cho]

I have done my research on SPS but it's not like there is a precise formula. The only real things that are common are flow alk ca and mg. Some people run higher po4 and have no issues.

I am dosing because the tank needs it. If I don't doze my alk drops 1dkh over 5 days and my frags STN...I found this out after a week vacation.

I will let the tank mature more before I add any further SPS and just spend the cash on further equipment such as the dosing pumps and another apex power bar.

 

[ryecoon]

what number does it drop to? after 1dkh drop?

 

[ryecoon]

because its not necessarily the number that kills its the "swing"

 

[trido]

IMO there is no such thing as a tank too young for SPS. I've started every tank off with them. The Value LED might not have the right spectrum of lighting to keep the corals healthy. HOw do your corals look when you turn the blue up and the white down?

I quit running GFO or phosban. I've never had anything but bad luck with those products I have a large refugium though.

 

[ps2cho]

Well I went on vacation for 8 days. When I left it was 9.1dkh, when I returned it was 7.5 and I had tissue loss on a few frags.

That is why I am dosing. Ever since I started doing 7.5ml alk and 3ml ca per day, my alk and ca are rock solid.

 

[ryecoon]

Trido's Tank is amazing. If anything i would listen to that guy for sure! lol

 

[Greenstreet.1]

Just try and keep everything stable and all will be good. When just starting with sps you will go through problems we all did slow and steady is the key.