I got my ICP results back.... lighting must be my problem?!?

[Cmooreinor]

Hi all I got my results back...

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Water looks pretty good right? so I also rented a par meter from BRS and discovered my lights were way low.... like 100 par average. I run 2x Radion XR15 g4 Pros and a T5 hybrid with 3 blueplus bulbs and 1 true actinic. With all those on with Radions at 100%, I am getting these numbers below... I have not had any success with any type of SPS they looked great then after about a month they begin to decline and slowly die, Do you all agree with this? was my problem lighting too low? and should I slowly raise the intensity to these numbers? or should I shoot for slightly lower intensity?

other info...
Waterbox 100.3 running for 1.5 years
2 MP40s
Octo Regal 150s Skimmer
Nitrate 3
alk usually around 8
I think everything else is in ICP.

 

[Bfragale]

Looks like it could have been lighting. I would try to slowly increase intensity to reach the numbers you have in the photo. Good luck!

 

[Silent]

How high about the tank is your lights?
The par in the pic seems ok.

 

[92Miata]

100 across the tank can definitely cause issue with a lot of SPS - but I've got Digitata in that range and it does fine. The newer numbers are definitely more reasonable.


I would say though - that your readings - specifically the 3ppm nitrate and .03 ppm Phosphate are exactly the range where I start getting into trouble with stuff wasting away. And ICP tests are measuring all phosphorus - not just the stuff that's biologically available - so they're going to read a touch higher than say,a Hanna meter would. So I'd suspect that you're underfeeding a bit, and that's not helping.

 

[Cmooreinor]

How high about the tank is your lights?
The par in the pic seems ok.

Lights are 12 inches above water.

 

[Silent]

I believe BRS stated Radion should be at 8 inch above or they drop par fast.

 

[Cmooreinor]

100 across the tank can definitely cause issue with a lot of SPS - but I've got Digitata in that range and it does fine. The newer numbers are definitely more reasonable.


I would say though - that your readings - specifically the 3ppm nitrate and .03 ppm Phosphate are exactly the range where I start getting into trouble with stuff wasting away. And ICP tests are measuring all phosphorus - not just the stuff that's biologically available - so they're going to read a touch higher than say,a Hanna meter would. So I'd suspect that you're underfeeding a bit, and that's not helping.

Thanks for the info. Yes I I forgot to mention In the past months I was fighting nitrate in the 25ppm range... phos at like the .1 ppm off a Hanna. I started dosing nopox at like 4 mil a day to got those numbers down. I Can lower dose more and see if that helps me get some nutrients up.

 

[Cmooreinor]

I believe BRS stated Radion should be at 8 inch above or they drop par fast.

Yes I have considered lowering but like the blending of the higher height. Always an option to lower if I need to.

 

[SPS2020]

Yes, I just saw the latest BRS episode (3, I think) on LED comparisons and they suggested 8". Are you using a diffuser? That would help with the blending and you could run them lower.

 

[Cmooreinor]

Yes, I just saw the latest BRS episode (3, I think) on LED comparisons and they suggested 8". Are you using a diffuser? That would help with the blending and you could run them lower.

No diffuser yet. On the list of things to eventually get.

 

[92Miata]

I don't know what you guys are trying to achieve with trying to get him to move about his lighting - he's got 300+ par at the top of his rocks and 200+ at the sand. Its good. A lot of SPS would grow well just sitting in the sand.


If you just changed the lighting to this - give it a month or so - and see if things grow better. If not, reassess.

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

There's no way SPS are dying from lack of light in your tank. Not with those PAR readings. At 1.5 years old, your tank is still pretty young, especially if you started with dry rock. Could be it's still not ready for SPS.

Maybe try upping your PO4 a bit. 30 ppb (0.03 ppm) is what the hobby quotes as "ideal," but some reefers don't see success with PO4 that low. Some have success all the way up 250 - 500 ppb. Outliers like Rich Ross have success in the ppm level.