Just not working out

Stixbaraca · Nov 24, 2006

Well, this is the second shot at SPS for me (first being a few years ago) and it just doesn't seem to be working out for some reason...I think I am just doomed from keeping them! My Digis aren't getting any real PE anymore, and my Caps which were beautiful when I got them are slowly turning white! UGH!

revhtree · Nov 24, 2006

What are your numbers? Cal/Alk were my problem areas. Alk was the main problem. Once I got that regulated my sps thrived. Also do you have any goby's or other nippers?

Stixbaraca · Nov 24, 2006

not really sure on the numbers...I am gonna have to do some tests! No real nippes that i can see. I have 2 clowns, a bicolor blennie and a shrimp goby who never comes out of his hole where his shrimp lives

twon8 · Nov 24, 2006

what do you have for flow in the tank? i remember thinking your lighting was adequate, but i can't remember specifics.
alkalinity is the thing you should be testing most for, a couple of times a week isn't going overboard, don't worry, you'll test less and less as you go. how are you supplementing alk/ca?

and i think i remember a bi-color blenny?

twon8 · Nov 24, 2006

bi color blennies munch on digis.

what else is not doing well?

what else is in there?

Stixbaraca · Nov 24, 2006

For flow...I am using 4 Maxi-Jet 1200's a Seio and a minijet. The Maxis are hooked into a Wavemaker...the others run all the time.

There is a bi-color...but I never see him around them at all.

I am going to test Alk tomorrow.

Everything else in my tank from Micros to Lords to Palys to Zoos to a couple leathers to a Ric or 2 is doing fine...not receeding at all. Some things are still getting used to the lighting...but that is it.

Lighting is 2x175w Ushio 10,000K and a 96W PC Actinic.

revhtree · Nov 24, 2006

If I were to guess I would say your ALK is way too LOW. A little baking soda every other day should keep you level and your sps happy!

twon8 · Nov 24, 2006

you likely won't see him nip'

if you have a sump stick the monti in the sump and see if it has pe.

twon8 · Nov 24, 2006

are you doing waterchanges?
amt?

revhtree · Nov 24, 2006

I agree with twon.

I also had a two clown gobys that tore into my sps and killed about 4 frags from nipping. I sucked them out with a hose.

Stixbaraca · Nov 24, 2006

I am very good about doing about a 6-7 gallon water change every week to 10 days...and I use Tropic Marin

I also skim pretty heavily

I am going to test the water tomorrow to see where I am at.

I will also throw the Digis in the frag tank where there is nothing to nip on them!

Thanks for all the help guys.

Stixbaraca · Nov 24, 2006

How about the caps...are they nip prone?

revhtree · Nov 24, 2006

I have really noticed that caps seem to be more prone to losing there color when ALK is not up to par.

A guy in our local reef club had so many varieties of caps, but they would all lose there color. Come to find out his ALK was way to low and when he started mantaining it, they colored back up.

ficklefins · Nov 24, 2006

Careful with the bi-color. I had to get rid of one because he was doing some damage on my SPS. I'm not sure what type as I'm not a SPS person but it seemed like an acro type.

mecold · Nov 25, 2006

Must agree with the rev on the alk. My monti caps are my indicator corals. When they are doing great, the alk is fine. When they start to stn or have a problem the alk is always low (tested many many times to back this up). Funny, my montis are the first sps to react to low alk. The acros take it a lot better by only showing less polyp extension.

Do double check the alk, and possibly the placement of the montis in relation to the pumps.

surfn · Nov 25, 2006

this is just my opinion, but if you got those digi/cap frags from someone who had them under 14k-20k lighting, and now they are under 10k lighting, i think that may contribute to the browning/bleaching. not saying its the only cause, but i think it definitly is contributing.

FWIW, whenever i get a new frag of almost anything, it seems to brown out and lose its original color, or turn green for about a month before getting its color back. i take this as just adjusting to a new tank environment.

i agree with others, if you are having alk issues. there is a calculator i have saved on my home computer that i use. just enter in your current alk, and then your desired alk. then select baking soda and your tank volume, and it will tell you how many tspns to add....

the key is to keep your salinity and alk as stable as possible to keep sps happy.