High Alk with low nutrients = sps death???
- Thread starter Reefhaven
- Start date
- Tagged users None
Reefhaven
Active Member
how do I do that?
twilliard
Tank pests..
- Joined
- Jun 3, 2015
- Messages
- 10,333
- Reaction score
- 9,516
- Location
- Central Washington
- What state or country do you live in
- Washington
Without a tank shot I too would have to go with testing errors.
As Russ said if that birdsnest is happy well then testing 0 across the board is unlikely
As Russ said if that birdsnest is happy well then testing 0 across the board is unlikely
Reefhaven
Active Member
twilliard
Tank pests..
- Joined
- Jun 3, 2015
- Messages
- 10,333
- Reaction score
- 9,516
- Location
- Central Washington
- What state or country do you live in
- Washington
Try that image again! Hey your in Washington?here is a recent pic of the tank. birdsnest on the bottom left corner
Reefhaven
Active Member
ReefMadScientist
Valuable Member
How come you just don't extend your water change routine a little longer so you can have some nutrients form in your system?
Reefhaven
Active Member
i change 15% to 20% in a 210 gal once a month. i think the best thing for me right now is 1 lower alk, 2 change light schedule and 3 add seachem flourish nitrogen...and prey and hope that everything gets better where my corals are happy and thriving.
twilliard
Tank pests..
- Joined
- Jun 3, 2015
- Messages
- 10,333
- Reaction score
- 9,516
- Location
- Central Washington
- What state or country do you live in
- Washington
Your on the right track!
If you ever want zoanthids just hit me up!
i wouldnt dose phosphate. i experimented with it and all i got was green turf algae, irritable corals, and finished off a paling acro.
i turned gfo back on to suck it back out and tried the nitrate route with gfo off and things are happy.
also dropping alk helped
i turned gfo back on to suck it back out and tried the nitrate route with gfo off and things are happy.
also dropping alk helped
Reefhaven
Active Member
so now my alk is down to 8.5 cal 400 and mag 1400 but i am experiencing some loses with sps. kinda bummed. Is that normal to lose some during this transition of dropping the alk??? lost my red dragon and some others. 
i also change the lighting schedule from 14 hours to 7 hours of lights a day and deceased the amount as well from highest 95 blue 23 white to 60 blue to 11 white. things dont seem happy right now.
i also change the lighting schedule from 14 hours to 7 hours of lights a day and deceased the amount as well from highest 95 blue 23 white to 60 blue to 11 white. things dont seem happy right now.
Reefhaven
Active Member
yep...
so i gotta ask. what were the symbionts in the coral going to use to photosynthesize?
alk and cal?
it isnt uncommon for sps to stress during changes to parameters. however you must have had some weak corals if they couldnt handle 2 dkh drop in a 5 day period.
Reefhaven
Active Member
sorry, but don't quite understand your question
if you have a true 0 nutrient system you need to be in the 7s. my system shows stress after 8.0-8.1.
also get some nitrates in there. try 2-5ppm and cut gfo off so some po4 is detectable.
corals will stay white forever or stn eventually without some nutrients in the column to photosynthesize.
Reefhaven
Active Member
ok thanks Russ! i left the alk dosing portion off until I get down to 7s and I will add seachem flourish nitrogen. I appreciate your help.
Reefhaven
Active Member
i just recently brought a dual reactor for gfo and carbon but have installed it yet. so my sump only has a protien skimmer, a heater, some live rocks and the return pump. my dosing pump is dosing into the sump. i used to have a bag of carbon and phosguard but i removed it.
