Low absorption

[adamsfour]

Hello
I have a 100 gallon reef tank. Although my corals look fine they don’t seem to grow much and my absorption of calcium and Alkalinity is low. Presently they reading are Cal 425, Mag 1330, and Alk 10.25. All measure via trident and Cal and Alk reading confirmed with Hanna. Light is hydra 26. I would have to assume something is not right. Any ideas would be appreciated

 

[Spare time]

Do you feed them?
What are your light settings?
What are your nitrates and phosphates at?

 

[adamsfour]

Yes I feed them coral food every other day. Phosphate close to zero and nitrite 1.3. Lighting colors are set based on BRS recommendations

 

[TheKyle]

Flow is another factor to consider that can affect sps growth. Also in my tank I didn’t notice large demand on ca and alk until corraline algae took off. But most my sps are also slow growers for me so I’m no expert on the subject. I always tell myself slow growth is better than no growth.

 

[adamsfour]

Thanks. Actually I just added on Friday a wave pump as someone else also mention flow. I also can’t seem to get Coraline algae to grow.

 

[sfin52]

Thanks. Actually I just added on Friday a wave pump as someone else also mention flow. I also can’t seem to get Coraline algae to grow.

How old is your system

 

[TheKyle]

Thanks. Actually I just added on Friday a wave pump as someone else also mention flow. I also can’t seem to get Coraline algae to grow.

If you have some coraline in the tank and want more you can try scraping it with a Razer blade to help disperse it. Otherwise it will need to be introduced to “seed” the tank. Easiest way is to buy a snail that’s covered and scrap the coraline into the tank the same way as above.

 

[sfin52]

If you have some coraline in the tank and want more you can try scraping it with a Razer blade to help disperse it. Otherwise it will need to be introduced to “seed” the tank. Easiest way is to buy a snail that’s covered and scrap the coraline into the tank the same way as above.

A other thing that works is scrape it of and throw it in a blender with a couple cus of water. Pour in a high flow part of the tank.

 

[adamsfour]

Thanks. The tank is 5 years old. I have tried in the past to seed coralaline algae without success

 

[Spare time]

Yes I feed them coral food every other day. Phosphate close to zero and nitrite 1.3. Lighting colors are set based on BRS recommendations

What coral food do you use. Also I'm guessing u meant nitrate not nitrite

 

[adamsfour]

Yes you are correct nitrate 1.3 nitrites near 0. Reef Rods

 

[adamsfour]

Also Rod’s frozen food for corals

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

What sort of corals? Do they look healthy?

 

[NanoDJS]

whats your max white lights on the program and the rest? Also yeah what kind of corals / how many we talking about?

 

[Macdaddynick1]

Funny, my tank stopped absorbing Alk and CA just like yours, and everything looked fine until literally every Cora died, and I couldn’t figure out why it was happeneing, several ICP tests later I realized that I starved them out with 0 nitrates. It so happend that I installed a new super powerful led on my refugiums before that begun to happen and I was so happy to see my Chaeto growing like crazy. May be you have a different issue but I would raise your PO4 and your NO3 to see if your calcium absorption goes up.

 

[adamsfour]

whats your max white lights on the program and the rest? Also yeah what kind of corals / how many we talking about?

I attached a photo with the settings on the light. I have both SPS and LPS

 

[adamsfour]

Funny, my tank stopped absorbing Alk and CA just like yours, and everything looked fine until literally every Cora died, and I couldn’t figure out why it was happeneing, several ICP tests later I realized that I starved them out with 0 nitrates. It so happend that I installed a new super powerful led on my refugiums before that begun to happen and I was so happy to see my Chaeto growing like crazy. May be you have a different issue but I would raise your PO4 and your NO3 to see if your calcium absorption goes up.

Thanks. I do have a refugium so I guess it’s certainly possible.

 

[Spare time]

I attached a photo with the settings on the light. I have both SPS and LPS

I feel like a single light on a 24x48x18 tank (if its the dimension I am thinking of) not even at 3/4s power is definitely not enough

 

[NanoDJS]

i know its 100g but what size dimensions are the tank , how many lights? how high off the water?I run all the uv blue deep blue at 100 green at 20 red at 26 -30 depending on if I have corals that red pink up , and I alsohave the white channel alot higher than that like 30 , been running this way a long time , after 6 hours of peak my slow ramp back down with whites at 0 so they only on for like 6 hours whites , 12 hours total 6 hours of blue rampup..

 

[Gary Inwood]

Funny, my tank stopped absorbing Alk and CA just like yours, and everything looked fine until literally every Cora died, and I couldn’t figure out why it was happeneing, several ICP tests later I realized that I starved them out with 0 nitrates. It so happend that I installed a new super powerful led on my refugiums before that begun to happen and I was so happy to see my Chaeto growing like crazy. May be you have a different issue but I would raise your PO4 and your NO3 to see if your calcium absorption goes up.

I am battling high P04 and N03 at the moment and my calcium absorption did not go up it is staying around 500 ppm.