ICP Test results...heeeeelp:)

[ntayler]

Hi all...so I've been having a hard time getting good growth and color out of my coral. Some deaths, a lot of very slow growth and overall lack of vibrancy in half/most of my corals. Mostly LPS/SPS. I decided to go for a ICP test to hopefully gain some insight. Can someone take a look for me? A few things out of whack, any recommendations? I have since switched from regular IO salt to Fritz RPM. Dose BRS 2 part from BRS pumps.

 

[Hersheyb]

Hi all...so I've been having a hard time getting good growth and color out of my coral. Some deaths, a lot of very slow growth and overall lack of vibrancy in half/most of my corals. Mostly LPS/SPS. I decided to go for a ICP test to hopefully gain some insight. Can someone take a look for me? A few things out of whack, any recommendations? I have since switched from regular IO salt to Fritz RPM. Dose BRS 2 part from BRS pumps.

well.. based on your results, your phosphate levels are pretty high, Calcium is a bit low (easy fix) high phosphate can stop coral growth... so you might want to have that fix. Easiest way will probably be running GFO and bring it down slowly...

 

[ntayler]

my PO4 is .05-.07 these days (icp was submitted about 6 weeks ago), but even .11 doesn't seem like it should be that big of an inhibiting factor. I have noticed no change since PO4 has been lowered. Calc at 408 per their findings seems well within range as well, but I will bring it up with some adjustment doses. I have been consistently getting 430-440 calc with 2 different salifert kits, so not sure why the hobby kit and ICP were so far off. I was under the assumption that 350-450 is the desirable range.

 

[Hersheyb]

there a lot of factors that can play in your coral health. If we can get more info on your system, we might have a better idea of what's going on. How old is the system? what kind of corals? lighting is also a big factor when it comes to coral growth and colors. If your just keeping softies and LPS you can get away with a lot.. Just have to go down the list to figure out what's wrong.. if parameters, equipment all checks out.. then the next step is probably coral pest. When you say your corals are dying? which ones? zoas? LPS? SPS? if so how are they dying?

 

[ntayler]

System is about 16 months old. 150 gal (30” tall) about 180 gals total. 40 breeder sump heavily skimmed, run carbon on occasion. Dosing carbon for nitrates. 30 gal chaeto fuge.

Lighting is 6x Kessil 360w. Water changes are 40 gal every 2 weeks.

Current parameters:
Temp 79
Salinity: 1.026
Alk: 8.5
Calc: apparently 408, thought was 430-440
Mg: 1350
Po4: .06
No3: 20-25


Smooth skin Sps stn from base. Easy acros all slow growing. Hammer, frogspawn do well. Some Monty cap ok, some no growth. Encrusting Monti has ok growth but lackluster color. Ricardias all ok. Half of my favia are not plump and growth stalled, half is ok. Acans look ok but slow growth. Half chalices growth ok but dull colors. Have never noticed any pests, could be a possibility but unlikely due to range of corals affected. Zoas mostly ok, some wither and die, some just stay the same. Utter chaos seem to grow like a weed but color seems lacking. Meteor shower cyphastria died....some examples

Can’t seem to figure it out.

Flow is gen 3 hydor ph on each side, 2x tunze ph on the rear, reeflo Gold dart return.

 

[ntayler]

Kessil lighting schedule is ramp up for 2 hours, 8 hours of 40% color 85% intensity, ramp down for hour and half

 

[Gregg @ ADP]

What are you feeding your corals?

Your PO4 is pretty low, and nitrates aren’t high at all. That gives you quite a bit of wiggle room.

Remember...corals are animals, and animals like to eat.

 

[ntayler]

Just broadcast of LRS daily

 

[ntayler]

I suppose I can target feed...it’s just a pita.

 

[madweazl]

I don't see anything particularly troublesome in your ICP results but the potassium could be brought up; I'm going to assume you go 3-4 weeks between water changes?

How high are the Kessils mounted? Six arrays on a 150 (assuming standard 60x24x24) car produce very high PAR; have you measured that? If the tank dimensions I posted are correct, the lights shouldn't be higher than 8" or your going to throw a lot of light outside the tank and waste it completely. Are they W or WE? How are they oriented?

Edit: Big one, what produces flow within the tank?

 

[ntayler]

Thanks all for the replies...tank is 6’ x 18” x 30” high....lights are mounted 8-9” above water surface. Flow is above...2 hydor Koralia gen 3, 2 tunze turbelle, and the return is a reeflo gold dart (which feeds skimmer, fuge, manifold as well as water return)

I do 40 gal water changes every 2 weeks. Just changed to Fritz from IO

Also I’m pretty sure lights are WE, 3 were bought in 2016, 3 the beginning of this year. I have never tested par