Losing my mind.

[Rjukan]

I do have bio cubs in my sump to help with the bio

What kind? Some are nitrate factories when left in for long periods of time.

 

[Rayreef710]

ALEGI Ceramic Bio Filter Media. Only had them like 2 months

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

What are your nitrate levels?

Just thinking with a higher alk and lower nutrients like nitrate and phosphates can cause issues, but your phos isn't very low.

0.06 could be extremely low depending on the margin of error for the particular test...

 

[Rayreef710]

0.06 could be extremely low depending on the margin of error for the particular test...

It was from a Hanna tester with new reagent

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Any clue on how to get nitrate down I normal do water change ever other weekend an do 8-10 gals

Larger water change = more nitrate reduction. I'd aim for 10-15 gallons weekly for a few weeks.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Curious, it looks like you upgraded from a 13.5 gallon (or added a second tank?) How long has this one been running? Do you filter your own water?

 

[VintageReefer]

Ok lot of different opinions here. So here’s mine

I would not turn off the scrubber. I’m a believer in them. I have one on my 75g tank and I do not do water changes and I do not need kalk. I use all for reef weekly to replenish trace elements, calcium and alk. It is everything in one liquid. I also have a scrubber on my 15g tank

I would suggest using benereef food 3x a week and no other coral foods

Reduce scrubber hours as I said earlier

 

[Rayreef710]

Curious, it looks like you upgraded from a 13.5 gallon (or added a second tank?) How long has this one been running? Do you filter your own water?

Yes upgrade the tank 7-8 months ago. An put everything init for the other tank.

 

[njreefkeeper]

So u guys think turn off kalkwasser dose a the scrubber? The scrubber was helping. With the gha I had

If you’re going to keep the scrubber I’d recommend a good trace element additive. By the time the scrubber is well established it will outcompete your corals for those trace elements and start to affect their health. Been there done that.

 

[Rayreef710]

Ok lot of different opinions here. So here’s mine

I would not turn off the scrubber. I’m a believer in them. I have one on my 75g tank and I do not do water changes and I do not need kalk. I use all for reef weekly to replenish trace elements, calcium and alk. It is everything in one liquid. I also have a scrubber on my 15g tank

I would suggest using benereef food 3x a week and no other coral foods

Reduce scrubber hours as I said earlier.

Ok lot of different opinions here. So here’s mine

I would not turn off the scrubber. I’m a believer in them. I have one on my 75g tank and I do not do water changes and I do not need kalk. I use all for reef weekly to replenish trace elements, calcium and alk. It is everything in one liquid. I also have a scrubber on my 15g tank

I would suggest using benereef food 3x a week and no other coral foods

Reduce scrubber hours as I said earlier

I did reduce the hrs an clean the screen. Will try an look into the all the reef. An turn off my kalkwasser dose. Thanks for the help

 

[Rayreef710]

If you’re going to keep the scrubber I’d recommend a good trace element additive. By the time the scrubber is well established it will outcompete your corals for those trace elements and start to affect their health. Been there done that.

So dose trace daily...I do have these

 

[njreefkeeper]

So dose trace daily...I do have these

This is some good information about scrubbers. They’re much stronger than refugiums. Getting them dialed in to work in unison with trace elements is key. They can affect corals for sure. Just think what that scrubber had to do to pull that GHA out of your tank and onto the screen. They absolutely positively can strip your tank of trace elements. Have you had an ICP test done? Because before I knew any better mine came back low on almost all trace elements even with regular water changes.

 

[VintageReefer]

This is some good information about scrubbers. They’re much stronger than refugiums. Getting them dialed in to work in unison with trace elements is key. They can affect corals for sure. Just think what that scrubber had to do to pull that GHA out of your tank and onto the screen. They absolutely positively can strip your tank of trace elements. Have you had an ICP test done? Because before I knew any better mine came back low on almost all trace elements even with regular water changes.

I didn’t watch the video but I’m very familiar and I agree with what you said. And also part of why I suggest he reduce hours on the scrubber

 

[Roatan Reef]

That AB+ coral food did not work out for me. Shot my nitrates through the roof. Poured it down the drain.

I was gonna say this...it did great for the coral, but...woooooow man...did my nitrates go to the moon, and next day, every time, glass had a thick film of algae. I've resigned to only using it once a month. I also dose every other day Reef Code A and B, and that's about it. 40GB tank. OP....kalkwasser, AB+ etc, might be a tad much.

Just stick to weekly water changes and report back.

 

[Roatan Reef]

True. I can’t see a 40 breeder needing kalk addition that much unless it’s already stacked to the gills (pun intended) with SPS. A couple hand doses of 2 part per week would be all I’d think is needed; if that. Seems like too much going on for the size tank you’ve got. Might be better off just doing a 50% water change and taking all those auxiliaries offline. Larger tanks where it isn’t economical or feasible to do a 50% water change may benefit from the added equipment, but you’re basically in the nano size realm. I think if you take the scrubber offline and do a few water changes you’ll be surprised how good the corals look.

Yep, I have a 40GB also...I tried all the mixed reef stuff..SPS/LPS and started dosing the crap out of my tank...lost much lps, helped some sps, etc.

Finally decided on a mostly LPS tank with a few sticks, quit dosing, did water changes only, and Bam...Finally got tank looking right. Now that I have 4 healthy big torches, 5 hammers, 2 frogs and other various coral, I'm simply dosing Brightwell Reef Code A and B every 2 days, and tank is best it's ever been.

Op...you are trying to hard, you don't need Kalk for that tank, stop the Red Sea AB+energy stuff, try something like TM All4Reef or Reef Code, every few days, and do water changes until you get it right. Your Nitrates are going bananas.

Here is my 40GB 2.3 years..

 

[VintageReefer]

Don’t give up also. You have a lot of coral in that tank doing well and it appears healthy fish. Torch and Duncan upset but so what we will help figure out. It doesn’t look like disease or anything, just unhappy. It’s a parameter, a condition like flow or lighting, or could just need to be moved to another spot

 

[Rayreef710]

If you’re going to keep the scrubber I’d recommend a good trace element additive. By the time the scrubber is well established it will outcompete your corals for those trace elements and start to affect their health. Been there done that.

What's would u recommend for a good trace element add

 

[Rayreef710]

Yep, I have a 40GB also...I tried all the mixed reef stuff..SPS/LPS and started dosing the crap out of my tank...lost much lps, helped some sps, etc.

Finally decided on a mostly LPS tank with a few sticks, quit dosing, did water changes only, and Bam...Finally got tank looking right. Now that I have 4 healthy big torches, 5 hammers, 2 frogs and other various coral, I'm simply dosing Brightwell Reef Code A and B every 2 days, and tank is best it's ever been.

Op...you are trying to hard, you don't need Kalk for that tank, stop the Red Sea AB+energy stuff, try something like TM All4Reef or Reef Code, every few days, and do water changes until you get it right. Your Nitrates are going bananas.

Here is my 40GB 2.3 years..

Ok will stop the kalkwasser. So just dose cal an alk ?

 

[Rayreef710]

So I should start dosing all for reef an that should yake care of the trace elements an alk an cal an mag? An stop everything eles

 

[Rayreef710]

So I turn of the kalkwasser. Algae scrubber is on 18hrs. Super nervous. Just feel like I had a hand on thing an I didn't. I will stop after work today for the all for reef. An Starr just dosing that over other day sound right?