bavass
Community Member
Well I said I was going to start another thread to find the cause of my problem
well here it is! Here is a complete run down on my 55g Reef tank. I need help
getting colors back in corals. I have included pictures below along with a list
of equipment and test results. All tests were done today; all tests that could
be calibrated were before tests were done so everything should be accurate. SPS
were placed in tank July and some in August put them on bottom of tank in sand
bed for 1 week then started moving them up every few days till I glued/epoxy
them down. All SPS are growing most have covered frag and started growing on
rock not really growing upwards. The Frogspawns were my indicator that light
might be a problem because the branches under other branches have more color. I
have notived polyp extension at night but not during the day. Light cycle is
shown below with lights. Hydor’s run min-max on a 2sec interval. I do a 5g water
change on Sun and one on Thurs. I make up my water once a week in a 20g Brute,
with a heater, power head and air stone. I mix 10g at a time of Kalk 2tsp per
gallon for top off water that’s added at night over a 7 hour period kicks on for
9min every hour and is added to chamber with skimmer. I also add 23mL of Vinegar
runs for a few minutes a couple of times throughout the day. I change out GAC
and GFO every 2 weeks. I feed a variety of foods every other day frozen Brine
Shrimp, Mysis, Flake, Pellet, a frozen mix of several types of fish and Selcon.
When I feed frozen I feed 1 cube. Every 3rd day I add one spoonful of BRS Reef
Chili for corals. I vary that one day I do it in the evening and the next time I
do it at night around 11pm. I change bulbs out every 12 months it’s time next
week. I add 1 cap of Microbacter 7 every week. I think too much PAR might be a
problem but could be something else as well. So I am looking for help trouble
shooting the cause. Please feel free to ask any questions especially if I have
forgotten anything. Sorry for the long write up but I really want to fix this
and have the beautiful SPS some of you have.
Tests
Temp 78
Salinity
is 35ppt ALC Refractometer
PH 8.1 Handheald Digital MW
Calcium 450 Red Sea
Pro
Magnesium 1480 Red Sea Pro
Alk 9.56 dkh Hanna HC
Phosphate Hanna
ULR HI 736 reads 14 which converts into .04
Strontium 2 (never can get it any
higher) Salifert
Iodine .06 Red Sea Pro
Iron 0 Red Sea Pro
Potassium
410 Red Sea Pro
Equipment
55g Aquarium
20g Aquarium for
sump
2 Hydor Koralia Controllable 4’s
Hydor Koralia Wavemaker 2 with
Day/Night Sensor
Current USA HOT5 Nova Extreme Pro 48†6x54w
1 ATI True
Actinic
2 ATI AquaBlue Special
1 ATI Coral Plus
2 ATI Blue Plus
1st
set of lights on at 9:30am till 7pm
2nd set comes at 11:30am till
8pm
Warner Marine MF181 Skimmer
1 Phosban Reactor 8tbs of BRS GAC ROX .08 (no longer online)
1 Phosban Reactor ¾ cup BRS HC GFO (no longer online)
Mag Drive 3 Return Pump
Finnex
300w Digital Heater in Sump
Salt SeaChem Reef
1 50mL BRS pump adds 1g of
Kalk over 7 hours at night
1 1.1mL BRS pump adding 23mL Vinegar a day (bring
it down 2mL from 40mL per week since Nitrates are 0)
Various Macro’s in Sump
along with 4†sand bed
4†sandbed in DST
65lbs of live rock
Fish
Livestock
2 Green Chromis
1 Maroon Clown
1 Six Line Wrasse
1 Royal
Gramma
1 Diamond Gobie
after weeks of trying to raise NO3 to 1-2ppm and PO4 to .05 my PO4 hit .085ppm or 29ppb on Hanna ULR 736. So i cranked the HC GFO but at 4 tbsp. I will re-test tomorrow. I have also been adding Red Sea Energy A&B ever since my PO4 and NO3 were at zero since the corals were starving. I have seen some improvement in colors. I have also stopped using Kalk in my ATO and using 2 BRS 1.1ml dosing pumps. I have also thought about the issue that I could be over skimming so I have cut my skimmer down to about half what it was running. I run a Warner Marine MF 181 (Skimz 181) and I had the gate valve all but closed and now its open about half way. Anyway please feel free to give advice.
well here it is! Here is a complete run down on my 55g Reef tank. I need help
getting colors back in corals. I have included pictures below along with a list
of equipment and test results. All tests were done today; all tests that could
be calibrated were before tests were done so everything should be accurate. SPS
were placed in tank July and some in August put them on bottom of tank in sand
bed for 1 week then started moving them up every few days till I glued/epoxy
them down. All SPS are growing most have covered frag and started growing on
rock not really growing upwards. The Frogspawns were my indicator that light
might be a problem because the branches under other branches have more color. I
have notived polyp extension at night but not during the day. Light cycle is
shown below with lights. Hydor’s run min-max on a 2sec interval. I do a 5g water
change on Sun and one on Thurs. I make up my water once a week in a 20g Brute,
with a heater, power head and air stone. I mix 10g at a time of Kalk 2tsp per
gallon for top off water that’s added at night over a 7 hour period kicks on for
9min every hour and is added to chamber with skimmer. I also add 23mL of Vinegar
runs for a few minutes a couple of times throughout the day. I change out GAC
and GFO every 2 weeks. I feed a variety of foods every other day frozen Brine
Shrimp, Mysis, Flake, Pellet, a frozen mix of several types of fish and Selcon.
When I feed frozen I feed 1 cube. Every 3rd day I add one spoonful of BRS Reef
Chili for corals. I vary that one day I do it in the evening and the next time I
do it at night around 11pm. I change bulbs out every 12 months it’s time next
week. I add 1 cap of Microbacter 7 every week. I think too much PAR might be a
problem but could be something else as well. So I am looking for help trouble
shooting the cause. Please feel free to ask any questions especially if I have
forgotten anything. Sorry for the long write up but I really want to fix this
and have the beautiful SPS some of you have.
Tests
Temp 78
Salinity
is 35ppt ALC Refractometer
PH 8.1 Handheald Digital MW
Calcium 450 Red Sea
Pro
Magnesium 1480 Red Sea Pro
Alk 9.56 dkh Hanna HC
Phosphate Hanna
ULR HI 736 reads 14 which converts into .04
Strontium 2 (never can get it any
higher) Salifert
Iodine .06 Red Sea Pro
Iron 0 Red Sea Pro
Potassium
410 Red Sea Pro
Equipment
55g Aquarium
20g Aquarium for
sump
2 Hydor Koralia Controllable 4’s
Hydor Koralia Wavemaker 2 with
Day/Night Sensor
Current USA HOT5 Nova Extreme Pro 48†6x54w
1 ATI True
Actinic
2 ATI AquaBlue Special
1 ATI Coral Plus
2 ATI Blue Plus
1st
set of lights on at 9:30am till 7pm
2nd set comes at 11:30am till
8pm
Warner Marine MF181 Skimmer
1 Phosban Reactor 8tbs of BRS GAC ROX .08 (no longer online)
1 Phosban Reactor ¾ cup BRS HC GFO (no longer online)
Mag Drive 3 Return Pump
Finnex
300w Digital Heater in Sump
Salt SeaChem Reef
1 50mL BRS pump adds 1g of
Kalk over 7 hours at night
1 1.1mL BRS pump adding 23mL Vinegar a day (bring
it down 2mL from 40mL per week since Nitrates are 0)
Various Macro’s in Sump
along with 4†sand bed
4†sandbed in DST
65lbs of live rock
Fish
Livestock
2 Green Chromis
1 Maroon Clown
1 Six Line Wrasse
1 Royal
Gramma
1 Diamond Gobie
after weeks of trying to raise NO3 to 1-2ppm and PO4 to .05 my PO4 hit .085ppm or 29ppb on Hanna ULR 736. So i cranked the HC GFO but at 4 tbsp. I will re-test tomorrow. I have also been adding Red Sea Energy A&B ever since my PO4 and NO3 were at zero since the corals were starving. I have seen some improvement in colors. I have also stopped using Kalk in my ATO and using 2 BRS 1.1ml dosing pumps. I have also thought about the issue that I could be over skimming so I have cut my skimmer down to about half what it was running. I run a Warner Marine MF 181 (Skimz 181) and I had the gate valve all but closed and now its open about half way. Anyway please feel free to give advice.
