HELP!!! I can't take it anymore.

[tate1]

So here is my issue. I have lost a ton of SPS and LPS over the past several months. What is left is a reddish brown. Sometimes you can see the polyps wanting to extend but barely brakes the surface. Actually, I do have a small blue colony of SPS that is still blue. It was growning fine but has now stopped and has a little bit of STN. It's polyps are usually extended but not as much as they should be. Why this one colony is still blue is beyond me. When I added my AI SOL blues EVERYTHING looked great. Soon after the browning started.

My numbers are stable and within normal range. However (and very importantly I understand) my KH can go up or down several points. I am assuming that when I lost several corals in 3 different waves that I had a spike.

I have a kalk reactor and a calcium reactor to try to keep things steady but I still find my KH going up (at one time up to 14).
From what I have read, not enough light will make SPS turn brown. I started my LED's low and worked them higher with some success but now the tiny bit of blue that some sps were showing have gone away and the polyps are not showing again. I have used the same settings people here have had great results with.

I know there is no easy answer and I'm sure there are several opinions so I welcome them all.

The few zoas I have in my tank are doing well.

Thanks

 

[Reef Breeders Verified Sponsor]

alk of 14? test your params now. How old is the system? sounds like messed up params to me, leds should not cause this.

 

[ritter6788]

Alkalinity is most likely the culprit. 14 dkh is way too high IMO. I've experienced alk burn and STN/RTN when my alk was 12. The swinging up and down, even if within acceptable ranges, can cause RTN/STN/browning also. I've had very few sps problems caused by lighting. Most of the time when my sps start to look bad the first thing I check is alkalinity then phosphates.

 

[tate1]

That was where I was leaning (KH). Would the kalk reactor be the issue? Can excess co2 cause these types of issues?

My system is about 8 months old. I might also add that I never had these issues when I used 2 part. I would like to think I'm not the oly reefer out there that can't figure out how to get a reactor to work right.

Can excess co2 cause these issues as well?

 

[VegasRick]

Tell us a little more about the system. Filtration, carbon dosing, gfo, refugium, deep sand bed etc
I have never had too little light, well not since the early 90s, but in my exp brown acros is a nutrient issue. Too much light will bleach them. Check polyp extension at night.
I have had my alk drift way above 14 without issue. Its the sudden changes that damages them. Work on getting your reactor dialed in correctly.

 

[ritter6788]

I'd simplify it a bit and go with either kalk or calcium reactor and get that one thing dialed in perfectly. In the mean time possibly take both offline do lots of water changes to get stable parameters again. Test often as you can and go with either the kalk or calcium reactor once things stabilize and corals start to grow again.

How big of a tank do you have and how heavily stocked with sps or clams?

 

[tate1]

Tell us a little more about the system. Filtration, carbon dosing, gfo, refugium, deep sand bed etc
I have never had too little light, well not since the early 90s, but in my exp brown acros is a nutrient issue. Too much light will bleach them. Check polyp extension at night.
I have had my alk drift way above 14 without issue. Its the sudden changes that damages them. Work on getting your reactor dialed in correctly.

I have a 90g rimless. My lights sit about 10" above the surface of the water. I sue filter socks and a well tuned skimmer. I use a BRS carbon/GFO reactor. I do not have a refugium (no space). For the past 2 weeks + I have had a cyno issue. I am a little worried about adding the cyno killer. Not to mention it isn't stopping the problem that is causing the cyno. I was overfeeding (GHA) but now have only a couple of fish in that tank.

 

[tate1]

I'd simplify it a bit and go with either kalk or calcium reactor and get that one thing dialed in perfectly. In the mean time possibly take both offline do lots of water changes to get stable parameters again. Test often as you can and go with either the kalk or calcium reactor once things stabilize and corals start to grow again.

How big of a tank do you have and how heavily stocked with sps or clams?

LOL...exactly what my wife has been saying.

Which is better; a kalk reactor or a calcium reactor?

I have a 90g tank that is sparcely stocked with SPS and a few zoas. I do have 1 clam in there that I'm getting worried about just because of the issues I'm having. So far it looks healthy. He is sitting on my sand bed.

 

[ritter6788]

Which is better; a kalk reactor or a calcium reactor?

I have a 90g tank that is sparcely stocked with SPS and a few zoas. I do have 1 clam in there that I'm getting worried about just because of the issues I'm having. So far it looks healthy. He is sitting on my sand bed.

In a 90 gallon tank with only a few sps and a clam you may not need to run either. IMO I'd try a little while without the kalk and the calcium reactor and test, test, test and see how things go.

Another thing that I've run into is when I run GFO my alk needs to be lower (7-9 dkh) or I get alk burn on my sps.

 

[tate1]

In a 90 gallon tank with only a few sps and a clam you may not need to run either. IMO I'd try a little while without the kalk and the calcium reactor and test, test, test and see how things go.

Another thing that I've run into is when I run GFO my alk needs to be lower (7-9 dkh) or I get alk burn on my sps.

Sounds good. Guess I'll go back to the bare basics. I'll keep the GFO in mind as well.

 

[VegasRick]

Honestly if you are fighting cyno and hair algae, the decaying material will use up your alk. Maybe you can keep up with only water changes maybe not. I would add some kalkwasser to your top off. Stop the ca reactor and check your alk every day for the first few days. Change your gfo more frequently. Change the di cartridge in your ro system. Make sure your water changes are made with ultra pure water.
When the sps died did they lighten up like they were bleaching? Or did they brown out like from excess nutrients?

 

[tate1]

Honestly if you are fighting cyno and hair algae, the decaying material will use up your alk. Maybe you can keep up with only water changes maybe not. I would add some kalkwasser to your top off. Stop the ca reactor and check your alk every day for the first few days. Change your gfo more frequently. Change the di cartridge in your ro system. Make sure your water changes are made with ultra pure water.
When the sps died did they lighten up like they were bleaching? Or did they brown out like from excess nutrients?

Most went from brown, to no polyp extention to holes where the polyps used to be then they just died. Some (not most) either RTN or STN. The LPS disintegrated or the skin shrunk up until the skeleton was popping out. The last piece of sps I lost bleached but in trying to figure out what to do I ended up putting it too high. By the time I saw it bleaching and moved it, it was too late.

I'm replacing my DI cartridge now. The TDS was showing 1 now anyway.