Need help with sps ! No growth bad color !

sharkboy99999 · Mar 4, 2015

Can Someone help me get good color and growth . I've had okay color but the past last month they have just browned and no growth what's so ever . The only things I've changed is I've Started dosing and stopped feeding the sps . For dosing I've been doing 45ml of kent liquid calcium ( is 40ppm ) Every week and 5ml of acro power along with 5g water change . I guess it would help to my prams and equipment . Its 30g all in one 4 bulbs t5 ( stock bulbs ) one 320gph power head a protein skimmer rated for 50g ( forgot name and still tuning it in ) and I run chemi last time I replaced was in December . I just had a light and some cheato to the back section . Can any one please help me I'm willing to do the time and effort to get the going I just want to know what's wrong and what I'm doing wrong . Il post my prams soon

ritter6788 · Mar 4, 2015

How's your alkalinity? Are you using RO/DI water with 0 TDS?

sharkboy99999 · Mar 4, 2015

ritter6788 said:
How's your alkalinity? Are you using RO/DI water with 0 TDS?

It was around 7 dkh but I raised it up to 10 dkh but now I'm reading that 7 is better so letting that drop . Just tap water I have a RO/DI unit hooked up but it leeks from the membrane canister thang can't seem to fix the leak no matter how much lock tight I put on

sureal00 · Mar 4, 2015

check phosphates they are probably high

Touring · Mar 4, 2015

Sup Shark,

Please post a tank pic and your parameters to get the best help.

So you purchased coral and did you lose the color after that or it was a while before they started to brown out.

Why are you using chemi pure? algae? Do you have film on your tank.

sharkboy99999 · Mar 4, 2015

They have been "high" but it's testing with a API test so it's not that accurate

sharkboy99999 · Mar 4, 2015

Touring said:
Sup Shark,

Please post a tank pic and your parameters to get the best help.

So you purchased coral and did you lose the color after that or it was a while before they started to brown out.

Why are you using chemi pure? algae? Do you have film on your tank.

I'm about to and no reason I just us chemi pure in all my tanks as a back up if Something happens like a nem dies

ritter6788 · Mar 4, 2015

sharkboy99999 said:
It was around 7 dkh but I raised it up to 10 dkh .......Just tap water .....

That's likely the problem there. Tap water is the #1 issue right now. If you don't have a working RO/DI you should see about purchasing water from another reefer or a good LFS.

Raising alk to fast can cause issues as well.

Touring · Mar 4, 2015

Ritter is right, that sounds like a very unstable tank. Take a step back and go slow. The reason i ask about media is because you are throwing things in your tank that you have no need for right now, if that makes sense.

I run a skimmer and a filter pad in my sps tank. if i start to get algae i reduce feeding. i dont add things to hide a problem.

sharkboy99999 · Mar 4, 2015

ritter6788 said:
That's likely the problem there. Tap water is the #1 issue right now. If you don't have a working RO/DI you should see about purchasing water from another reefer or a good LFS.

Raising alk to fast can cause issues as well.

Okay il work on getting my rodi working . This leads me to my nest question am I dosing to fast I dose half of what I need to dose then 12/24 hours I dose the other half same for alk but in 1/3

sharkboy99999 · Mar 4, 2015

Touring said:
Ritter is right, that sounds like a very unstable tank. Take a step back and go slow. The reason i ask about media is because you are throwing things in your tank that you have no need for right now, if that makes sense.

I run a skimmer and a filter pad in my sps tank. if i start to get algae i reduce feeding. i dont add things to hide a problem.

So take it out ?

sharkboy99999 · Mar 4, 2015

Dkh 7
Calcium 420 ppm
Phosphates "0"
Nitrate 0 ppm

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IronVulture · Mar 4, 2015

When's the last time you changed your bulbs on your light fixture

sharkboy99999 · Mar 4, 2015

Never changed them . The tank is a little over a year so it's time to changes then

Touring · Mar 4, 2015

brother if you can do you have another tank to set up? you have enought to stock 2 tanks in that one. split it up if possible. also hows the flow in that tank?

IronVulture · Mar 4, 2015

sharkboy99999 said:
Never changed them . The tank is a little over a year so it's time to changes then

Yes some people say for the best results to change every 6 months some say a year is ok.

Touring · Mar 4, 2015

looks like the coral need to be fed. take the chemi out looks like that along with the skimmer might be stripping the tank.

sharkboy99999 · Mar 4, 2015

Touring said:
looks like the coral need to be fed. take the chemi out looks like that along with the skimmer might be stripping the tank.

I'm taking it out . Should I feed the corals every week with like micro vert ? Will that do any good

fishroomlady · Mar 4, 2015

You may want to look at upgrading your bulbs to ATI or geissman. You will really like the look - I think you mentioned you currently have stock bulbs in your fixture. I'm not real knowledgeable about sps but you could look at target feeding your coral - my corals seem to like reef chili. There are more types of coral food out there. I also agree with others in that you should definitely stop using tap water asap.

ReeferBean · Mar 4, 2015

sharkboy99999 said:
Dkh 7
Calcium 420 ppm
Phosphates "0"
Nitrate 0 ppm

Your above comment mentioned you raised your alk to 10... but a couple hours later your saying its 7dkh? So is it 7 or 10? And how fast did you raise it to 10dkh?