Help with browning SPS

[19frank90]

Need help with keeping SPS. Can't seem to do it. Bought a montipora frag last week and it seems to be browning on the edges already (see pictures).

My setup is a Reefer 425XL as follows:

Lights: 2 Radion xr15 Pros set to the AB+ template at 60% (was running 50% but bumped it up after reading too low of light can cause SPS to brown out)
Waterflow: 2 MP40s (synced) in reefcrest or gyre and generating approximately 4500 gph flow
Return Pump: 1 Vectra M2 return pump at 45% (or 900 gph)
Heater: 2 Finnex heaters which show 85 on the controller but the tank only reads 70 degrees. I'd appreciate recommendations for replacement heater(s).
Mechnical filtration: Reefmat fleece roller
Skimmer: Reef Octopus, which I don't currently have running

Water chemistry as follows:
Ammonia - 0.0
Nitrite - 0.0
Nitrate 12.1 ppm
Phosphate 0.003 ppm
Alkalinity - 9.9 dkh
Calcium - 546 ppm
Salinity - 1.024

Can't recall my last water change as my levels stay pretty consistent. The only things I dose are Red Sea AB+ (25 ml 2-3x per week) and Tropic Marin All-for-Reef (also 25 ml 2-3x per week).

 

[coral reeftank]

Your Phosphates are too low which is most likely your issue. Your calcium is slightly elevated too, but that should not cause this issue in my experience.

 

[blaxsun]

1. Lights - I don't know if you have the G5 or G6 Radions, but I run my custom template @75%.
2. Powerheads - Ideal (supplemental) flow is in the 10-20x range (of tank size).
3. Return pump - With head height, etc. you're probably getting about half of the flow you think (~450Gph).
4. Heaters - Innovative Marine Helio if you want reliability/accuracy.
5. Parameters - see above comment from @coral reeftank.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Need help with keeping SPS. Can't seem to do it. Bought a montipora frag last week and it seems to be browning on the edges already (see pictures).

My setup is a Reefer 425XL as follows:

Lights: 2 Radion xr15 Pros set to the AB+ template at 60% (was running 50% but bumped it up after reading too low of light can cause SPS to brown out)
Waterflow: 2 MP40s (synced) in reefcrest or gyre and generating approximately 4500 gph flow
Return Pump: 1 Vectra M2 return pump at 45% (or 900 gph)
Heater: 2 Finnex heaters which show 85 on the controller but the tank only reads 70 degrees. I'd appreciate recommendations for replacement heater(s).
Mechnical filtration: Reefmat fleece roller
Skimmer: Reef Octopus, which I don't currently have running

Water chemistry as follows:
Ammonia - 0.0
Nitrite - 0.0
Nitrate 12.1 ppm
Phosphate 0.003 ppm
Alkalinity - 9.9 dkh
Calcium - 546 ppm
Salinity - 1.024

Can't recall my last water change as my levels stay pretty consistent. The only things I dose are Red Sea AB+ (25 ml 2-3x per week) and Tropic Marin All-for-Reef (also 25 ml 2-3x per week).

You have some water concerns as well as pics hard to see with blue lighting (best under white lighting)
Generally with very high CA, there is lower alk. CA range is best 400-450 even up to 480. You are closing in on 600
Phos if correct bottomed out and even if you meant .03 is suggesting low nutrients and may be from insufficient feeding, excess maintenance, high skimming or insufficient skimming although I see you have it off in which nutrients should be rising. Salinity can go up one point to 1.025
Assure moderate water flow and moderate to medium light.
False readings may also be a possibility with no3 and po4

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

how do you accurately test phosphates into the thousands?

I like vett's break down, agree

I'll add that I think 70° is on the low side, I run at about 78°

good luck

 

[19frank90]

how do you accurately test phosphates into the thousands?

I like vett's break down, agree

I'll add that I think 70° is on the low side, I run at about 78°

good luck

Hanna Phosphorous checker. Then Hanna has a phosphorous to Phosphate conversion. Checker registered as "1" for phosphorous and their conversion is 0.003 ppm phosphate. I do have Brightwell NeoPhos which I'll start dosing with Microbacter.

 

[19frank90]

1. Lights - I don't know if you have the G5 or G6 Radions, but I run my custom template @75%.
2. Powerheads - Ideal (supplemental) flow is in the 10-20x range (of tank size).
3. Return pump - With head height, etc. you're probably getting about half of the flow you think (~450Gph).
4. Heaters - Innovative Marine Helio if you want reliability/accuracy.
5. Parameters - see above comment from @coral reeftank.

1. They are G4. What's your custom template?
2. The display is 88 gallons. So 10-20x is 880-1760 gph. Even with the MP40s at 30-35% I'm WAY over that.
3. You'd recommend doubling the return rate, then?
4. Thank you, I'll check it out.
5. Another comment answered that but I'll start adding NeoPhos.

Thanks for the input!

 

[Northern Flicker]

What does your lighting schedule look like? Can you take a screenshot of the app, showing your spectrum and also peak %?

 

[blaxsun]

1. They are G4. What's your custom template?
2. The display is 88 gallons. So 10-20x is 880-1760 gph. Even with the MP40s at 30-35% I'm WAY over that.
3. You'd recommend doubling the return rate, then?
4. Thank you, I'll check it out.
5. Another comment answered that but I'll start adding NeoPhos.

Thanks for the input!

1. If you click on my build thread to the left, there's a link to my light schedule there.
2. I'd initially run them between 20-30%: and see how everything looks once you get corals in.
3. Nope, ai'd leave your return speed as is.

 

[19frank90]

What does your lighting schedule look like? Can you take a screenshot of the app, showing your spectrum and also peak %?

 

[ReefingDreams]

What's your PH range? PH right before lights turn on and PH right before lights turn off?

 

[19frank90]

What's your PH range? PH right before lights turn on and PH right before lights turn off?

I’ll have to check pH in the morning before the lights come on but it was 8.2 about an hour before lights out tonight.

 

[Northern Flicker]

Hmm. Looks good, don’t think this is the problem. Since lighting is the only SPS issue I’ve solved, I’ll let others with more experience chime in. Good luck

 

[ninjamyst]

Phosphate too low. Aim for 0.1 - 0.2

 

[19frank90]

Phosphate too low. Aim for 0.1 - 0.

Phosphate too low. Aim for 0.1 - 0.2

Started a NeoPhos dose routine. Going to grab a new heater from LFS once they open. Hopefully that gets me on track.

 

[Lavey29]

Aside from the other issues previously mentioned, your light par is way to low. I have the XL300 tank with 2 XR15 lights and was shocked when I par checked them at 70% intensity. Incredibly low like 200 par at the surface. I run my lights now 100% schedule on AB plus program and all corals are thriving. This includes 38 SPS corals. 350 par few inches below the surface. I increases 1% intensity per day for 30 days to go 70 to 100%.

 

[Doctorgori]

how do you accurately test phosphates into the thousands?

I like vett's break down, agree

I'll add that I think 70° is on the low side, I run at about 78°

good luck

yeah the very low side ….but I ran my tanks at 70F-72F (unheated basement and Seahorses) …
its probably not ideal but probably not worth looking into either (nothing since the Jurassic dies @70F) …
be advised; stuff does grow slower (which ain’t “absolutely” a bad thing)

 

[19frank90]

Aside from the other issues previously mentioned, your light par is way to low. I have the XL300 tank with 2 XR15 lights and was shocked when I par checked them at 70% intensity. Incredibly low like 200 par at the surface. I run my lights now 100% schedule on AB plus program and all corals are thriving. This includes 38 SPS corals. 350 par few inches below the surface. I increases 1% intensity per day for 30 days to go 70 to 100%.

I rented a par meter from BRS a couple years ago and got the following results on AB+ at 100%. The mont is between the 197 and 450-500 on the left/middle. 60% should be giving it between 120-250.

 

[Propane]

IMO flow numbers (GPH per hour) are far less important than what the flow is doing and where it’s going. Watch the polyps and see what they are doing if the have no movement at all they aren’t getting enough flow. I had a smaller tank that looked good on paper @ 50gph turnover. I got a wave maker and was down to less than 30 gph turnover and my sunset monti looked better in days.

 

[ninjamyst]

Aside from the other issues previously mentioned, your light par is way to low. I have the XL300 tank with 2 XR15 lights and was shocked when I par checked them at 70% intensity. Incredibly low like 200 par at the surface. I run my lights now 100% schedule on AB plus program and all corals are thriving. This includes 38 SPS corals. 350 par few inches below the surface. I increases 1% intensity per day for 30 days to go 70 to 100%.

I also run my G4 XR30 pro at 100% but I have diffusers and run pretty blue. But montiporas are pretty forgiving when it comes to light.