Help with parameters opinions welcomed!

[SunCorals]

I was having some bleeching on my monti's and plates. Mostly tissue bottem up on montis. Are my parameters okay?

Sal 1.025
Cal 505
Alk 10
Magnesium 1400
Ph 8.3
Temp 80_81°

Any help here would be great. I have a total volume of 50ish gallons and do a 10 gal water change every sunday at a mix of 1.025. Things look okay but I get no growth and also feed once a week. With reef roids or coral freenzy. I do not have to dose anything due to my parameters never changing. I am guessing I just need more coral. I have around 25 pieces of lps, sps, softies, zoas.

 

[Zero Nitrates]

Maybe double check your test kits?

 

[Reefing Madness]

Temp a bit high. And you gave no phosphate reading, and if no growth is shown, it may be the lighting also. Bleaching may have occured because you just changed lights to a more higher intensity light.
You may try to lower your Cal a bit and your Alk, see if you get better results.

 

[SunCorals]

Brand new red sea test kit.

Phosphate never climbs over .05 via hannah meter.

Could be lights I just switch to ai sol blues. Currently running this schedule but 25w,50b,45rb. And at peak it is running at 150min ramp. I have had these for awhile now so I do not suspect this being the bleeching issue.(Only started last week) I guess I will bump it up some more far as the growth.

Appreciate the help!

Any ideas how I can lower the alk, and calcium seeing how it is not moving within the week?

 

[SunCorals]

Also cany get the temp down. We run our house at 74° as it is. Guess it might be time for a chiller.

 

[mike007]

I agree temp a lttle too high but not bad. What is nitrate level? If you are running a low nutrient system you want your alk level about 7 dkh. Also you need to feed the corals if this a low nutrient system.

 

[ritter6788]

Temp of 80-81 is not too high IMO. It's actually ideal.

 

[Reefing Madness]

Have you tried fans across the water surface?
Switching to like Instant Ocean which has lower ALK and CAL numbers for a bit until your actual numbers come down in the tank.

 

[SunCorals]

Just switched from reef crystals to the newer blue bucket of red sea. I try to switch buckets when they run out. Fans across the water is not ideal looking for the tank its a rimless with suspened lights from the ceiling.

I do feed the corals, reef roids, coral freenzy I switch every week. I will start feeding more often.

My nitrates stay right at zero. Maybe I am not feeding enough. I just get worried I will have issues if I feed to much.

 

[Reefing Madness]

If your system isn't using up the ALK and CAL, they aren't using it. And you have enough in there that you should see it going down within a weeks time.

 

[SunCorals]

So just hold off on a water change this week and just monitor the alk,mag,cal?

 

[Reefing Madness]

So just hold off on a water change this week and just monitor the alk,mag,cal?

 

[SunCorals]

Well, just tested again..

Alk 10
Cal 480
Mag 1480
Temp 79 (was able to vent the sump more)
Po4 .35 (have stuff coming to fix this)
Sal 34
Ph 8.3


Things are dropping sllloowwww I guess my tank just dosent use much of anything. Any ideas?

 

[SunCorals]

Any ideas why it is not dropping? Alk 9-10 calcium still holding at 480

 

[Reefing Madness]

Totally stumped. You've got enough Coralline in that tank to lower the ALK all by itself. Something gotta be wrong with your test kit.

 

[SunCorals]

I have an api, and a brand new red sea reef kit... both test the same : (

 

[bamaborn81]

I got a email from BRS about a month ago about the red sea test kit reagent being corrupted. I can't remember which it was but they offered a free replacement. You should check in on that. Mine was from the foundation pro test kit.

 

[SunCorals]

Thank you I will do that. Can lighting have something to do with corals not soaking up calcium? As in not enough intensity or not on long enough?

 

[Sicklid]

Talking about this one?!!!

 

[bamaborn81]

I looked it up. It's Calcium reagent B.

http://www.redseafish.com/index.aspx?id=4290&searchKey=Recall

Hope this helps. I had my replacement pretty fast.