Help with ACROS

Jeff Hollabaugh · Sep 3, 2019

ok wow you have really nice acros I need help i have a 56 gal mixed reef , with a canister filter , media reactor , and a protein skimmer and a real nice 160w light , and i have a tank full of softies and zoes all happy and healthy water perimeters are perfect and i have a full load of fish all happy no problems have had the tank up for about i year, buttt for the life of me i can not keep acros alive at all they live about 30 days then turn black and die HELP

Zach W · Sep 3, 2019

Need more info...
How old is your tank?
What kind of light and what schedule?
What are your actual water parameters?
Do you dose?
How often are you doing water changes?
What are you using for flow?

Journeyman · Sep 3, 2019

You mention canister filter, which I've always had poor luck with in a reef tank. I never recommend any sorry of mechanical filtration because they become detritus traps over the course of time so it's harder to maintain stability.

If you are able to, I would recommend a change over to using biological filtration in the way of either a refugium with chaeto, chaeto reactor, or algae turf scrubber. I think once you have the macro algae growing regularly, your tank should be more stable.

My only filtration is a protein skimmer and refugium with chaeto. I also have an upflow ats in my refugium. I'm SPS dominant with the majority acros.

Jeff Hollabaugh · Sep 3, 2019

Zach W said:
Need more info...
How old is your tank?
What kind of light and what schedule?
What are your actual water parameters?
Do you dose?
How often are you doing water changes?
What are you using for flow?

ok will try my best sorta new at this and learning all the time tank is about one year old, light is a
OCEAN REVIVE ARTIC T247 LED LIGHT . its set for blue 6 hours at 35% and white for 8 hours at 85%
i dont dose
i do 20% water change every 2 weeks
i have a gyre pump
i dont have the actual water parameters written down, but i have tested everything i could and all were in the good range Hope this helps

Other people have told me they think it may be the canister filter, as i have no sump. i clean it out about every 2 weeks and replace the carbon in the media reactor about once a month. My wife and daughter have 37 gal bow fronts and they seem to keep acros alive just not me , and all my other coral is happy and growing

Joedubyk · Sep 3, 2019

Sounds like lighting to me

EW_Fish · Sep 3, 2019

Reverse your % blues and whites. Test your alk dame time daily to see if you have any swings. Make sure your temp is stable. Very low nutrients can kill acros.