I'm out of sticks

[pirate2876]

There is definitely more to it than "not being stable enough". I don't mean that to be attacking but, what is not stable enough is the question. We had a very similar thread to this going last week, I don't remember if it was here or in the SPS forum, and i outlined how I have been running my bare bottom 15 gallon frag tank w/o live rock for under a couple months and I get excellent SPS growth. Everything I am doing goes against the its two new to be stable mantra. There is certainly another variable that isn't identified beyond being too new.

I agree with that but, I would also say in your case, your tank could be the oddity. And anyone new to SPS needs to get a tank to maturity before beginning on the SPS journey. Maybe not even the tank, maybe its the reefer? I'm not saying your tank won't work, what I am saying is that it isn't going to work for everyone. This hobby is a lot of husbandry and experience and a ton of variables.

 

[aarbutina]

I agree with that but, I would also say in your case, your tank could be the oddity. And anyone new to SPS needs to get a tank to maturity before beginning on the SPS journey. Maybe not even the tank, maybe its the reefer. I'm not saying your tank won't work, what I am saying is that it isn't going to work for everyone. This hobby is a lot of husbandry and experience

Oh that is a competent for sure. that being said we don't know anything about the original posters background form this thread at least.

 

[Heliarc19]

Hello everyone, I am just done right now. I am out of options for this tank. As I have said in the past I am running one AI Hydra 26 HD over my 45 gallon Red Sea Max E-170. I have lost 7 pieces of SPS. Flow is high, I do a 2.5 gallon water change a week to keep the spike low. I use red sea coral pro salt the dKH is around 12 out of the bucket. SG 1.025 I recently cut back on my feeding because I thought that would help. I run my lights from 8 am to 8 pm with a 3hr ramp time. Any ideas?​

Are you dosing anything at all?

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Ditch the coral pro salt. It's garbage. Get the blue bucket. You'll thank me.

 

[mlb75]

As others have mentioned the alk is definitely on the high end, but you know that, unfortunately it's probably a large part of the issue or at least it's something that should be easy enough to rule out. There are a lot of tanks that operate with Alk that high but I think most of those start lower and then ramp up over time. How long before the corals start declining after you introduce them? Are we talking about frags or small, medium, large colonies? Were they all introduced at the same time from the same vendor? Any fish or inverts that may be messing with them? Where are you getting your water from, have you tested it to make sure there isn't anything in it? When they die are they white or is there any color to the dead structure? The mag and phosphate levels will also help, probably not the issue but if the alk is that high from the salt mix it's possible the mag is also high which could cause this.

 

[7hogwarts]

Also, what is your water source? What is your TDS?

 

[Larry L]

Ditch the coral pro salt. It's garbage.

That's just your opinion. I've been running with Coral Pro for a long time and am very happy with it. I'm sure I'm not the only one.

 

[aarbutina]

That's just your opinion. I've been running with Coral Pro for a long time and am very happy with it. I'm sure I'm not the only one.

This is nothing wrong with RSP salt. You just have to has a system that supports it. Ie the right nutrient and light levels, otherwise you are going to burn the heck out of some SPS.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

This is nothing wrong with RSP salt. You just have to has a system that supports it. Ie the right nutrient and light levels, otherwise you are going to burn the heck out of some SPS.

I would agree that could happen if you maintain the tank at the alk of the RSCP salt mix, but that's hardly required.

 

[Velcro]

Switch to the blue bucket.

Did you start with all dry rock?

 

[Robink]

I believe that unless you are experienced with keeping sps your tank is still too new and needs to mature a while longer. I had the same problem in the past.
Do you have coraline algae growing in the tank yet? Also IMO your alk is too high for sps and there should be no alk swings. I check my alk every day at the same time and it stays between 8.74 and 8.9.

 

[Sandroni]

Are you dosing anything at all?

Nope

 

[Sandroni]

Also, what is your water source? What is your TDS?

My RODI, I am changing the filters in about a week. TDS 0

 

[Sandroni]

I believe that unless you are experienced with keeping sps your tank is still too new and needs to mature a while longer. I had the same problem in the past.
Do you have coraline algae growing in the tank yet? Also IMO your alk is too high for sps and there should be no alk swings. I check my alk every day at the same time and it stays between 8.74 and 8.9.

Coraline is growing all over my frag rack

 

[Sandroni]

As others have mentioned the alk is definitely on the high end, but you know that, unfortunately it's probably a large part of the issue or at least it's something that should be easy enough to rule out. There are a lot of tanks that operate with Alk that high but I think most of those start lower and then ramp up over time. How long before the corals start declining after you introduce them? Are we talking about frags or small, medium, large colonies? Were they all introduced at the same time from the same vendor? Any fish or inverts that may be messing with them? Where are you getting your water from, have you tested it to make sure there isn't anything in it? When they die are they white or is there any color to the dead structure? The mag and phosphate levels will also help, probably not the issue but if the alk is that high from the salt mix it's possible the mag is also high which could cause this.

A week, small frags, different vendors, reef safe fish no picky mickeys, getting my water from my RODI. I have tested jt, when they die theyvlook primarly white.

 

[Robink]

I would just give the tank a few more months to mature. And then start with a birdsnest or monti. If they do well then start adding other sps.
I can always tell if something's up in my tank if the birdsnest is not happy.

 

[Doubbler]

Try feeding your corals every day. Change your lights to a 8 hr schedule, get your alk down, buy a mag test kit. 4 months is way to young for sps. Slow down.

 

[Scorpius]

If you're having issue with sps take a break for awhile. Most of my sps issues were from using dry rock exclusively, system immaturity, and instability on all or some parameters. A mature stable system with good flow and lighting should grow sps no problem. The key is getting most everything stable as possible and keep only a few instabilities, because once you add another unplanned unstable parameter it will sometimes push certain corals over the edge into rtn/stn.



There were times I would change lighting intensity/coloration and have an alk/ph/nutrient or whatever swing and I'd always have a coral issue somewhere. The times my tank look the best is when I don't mess with anything and keep up on maintenance.

 

[Reef Pets]

A water change once a week likely isn’t enough to keep your system stable enough.
Maybe consider a doser, daily dosing by hand of a very easy and cheap solution is to add a kalk stirrer or even cheaper just drip kalk. It’s very effective for keeping SPS.


Edit: I read your last response after posting the above. Every tank is its own ecosystem. What works in one doesn’t mean it will work in another. 4 months is a rather new system. I’ve had new systems do well at 4 months with sps while others take several months more.

 

[Sandroni]

Red Sea Pro Salt and and ULNS with no detectable nutrients do play well together, the alkalinity is too high. Even the top end of the range of the standard blue bucket can be pushing it if you mix to 1.026.

Also quick question, when you started your tank.... dry rock or live rock?

Dry Rock