Okay Guys I Need Your Help, SPS taking a HIT!

[ReefMadScientist]

Hey Guys,

Well I was doing good for a long time and I seem to have been caught slipping. I thought I knew my tank but realized I am back to the basics with my 2 year old tank.

Here are my current parameters:

Ph 7.9
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 3
Phos .25
dKh 8.4
Calcium 360
Mag 1300

Ive been testing constantly to ensure I am dosing correctly since Friday.

Last friday, my levels for dKh was at a nasty 7, Calcuim at 290, Mag at 1240. Iv'e first started raising Mag and dKh has been swinging with Calcium and causing havoc on my SPS.

Please guys, with my current parameters, what would you guys recommend I add to increase Calcium but also not swing dKh as much? My plan is to raise Mag to 1380ish and then add 5g Alk and Calc. Would this be the correct way?

Thx

 

[deerhunter06]

I dose calcification by seachem and my alk never goes higher then 10 or lower then 9

 

[-Logzor]

I think alkalinity is OK at 7 (I think the ocean is around that level). I run mine at 9-10 though. Your calcium was at 290, which will definitely kill SPS. Also your phosphate being high is an issue, water changes will help and reduced feeding.

Keep calcium at least 400. Dosing calcium shouldn't swing your dkh that much. You simply need to determine the amount your tank consumes then dose to recover that amount each day.

 

[deerhunter06]

Little bit of phos Isnt going to hurt anything in my opinion but .25 is a lil high might try to run some GFO. However if you do decide to run GFO I would pull it as soon as you get phosphates down to where you want them.

 

[J Rog]

Ya, Po4 is really high. I had a tank crash last year because I let my PO4 hit .20
I lost more then SPS.. But for sure get your levels back up and maybe try to run some GFO or some Phosgaurd for that PO4..

 

[ReefMadScientist]

I think alkalinity is OK at 7 (I think the ocean is around that level). I run mine at 9-10 though. Your calcium was at 290, which will definitely kill SPS. Also your phosphate being high is an issue, water changes will help and reduced feeding.

Keep calcium at least 400. Dosing calcium shouldn't swing your dkh that much. You simply need to determine the amount your tank consumes then dose to recover that amount each day.

Yeah I thought I was doing ok for awhile but I guess I was wrong. I was getting amazing growth but now I am just seeing my SPS melt away. When I do dose Calcium, it drops my dKh big time which is what made me decide to get a 2-part Jebao doser.

Just upsetting. I love SPS too. I can do a water change but I wanted to get my levels corrected first.

 

[J Rog]

Little bit of phos Isnt going to hurt anything in my opinion but .25 is a lil high might try to run some GFO. However if you do decide to run GFO I would pull it as soon as you get phosphates down to where you want them.

I agree. I stopped running GFO and Carbon full time. I noticed a lot of stuff looking better since I stopped. I will only run it if I need to as well..

 

[mcarroll]

Here are my current parameters:

Ph 7.9
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 3
Phos .25
dKh 8.4
Calcium 360
Mag 1300

[...]Please guys, with my current parameters, what would you guys recommend I add to increase Calcium but also not swing dKh as much? My plan is to raise Mag to 1380ish and then add 5g Alk and Calc. Would this be the correct way?[...]

You current parameters aren't too bad.

Are you currently doing water changes? If so, which salt and how much/how often? I would be engaged in a hard core water change regime right now....at least 10% per week...up to 20% per day if you feel it's justified. 5% per day is a nice daily water change....usually small enough to be really quick and easy to do....and your corals will love it! (Check out that link for some ideas.)

Any off-the-shelf or DIY two-part solution should do the trick for raising Ca and alk separately....I would recommend just using baking soda for the alk part (aka Recipe #2 if you DIY) if you weren't already. (Not baked baking soda or washing soda.)

As far as the amounts to dose, that should be based on your test results and the concentration of your dosing material. If you DIY, use this recipe to mix your material. (Good article, but a little dated....just use the recipe. )

Use the Reef Chemistry Calculator to quickly calculate your Ca, Mg and alk doses based on your total system size, current parameter values, and desired parameter values.

Hope this helps! Keep us posted!

-Matt

 

[ReefMadScientist]

Little bit of phos Isnt going to hurt anything in my opinion but .25 is a lil high might try to run some GFO. However if you do decide to run GFO I would pull it as soon as you get phosphates down to where you want them.

Ya, Po4 is really high. I had a tank crash last year because I let my PO4 hit .20
I lost more then SPS.. But for sure get your levels back up and maybe try to run some GFO or some Phosgaurd for that PO4..

I will replace my carbon today as well with a water change to reduce that PO4. As for the calcium, in my tank I learned 5g = 40 ppm. Besides a water change and replacing the carbon, what else would you guys recommend for me getting my calcium up?

 

[ReefMadScientist]

You current parameters aren't too bad.

​Thanks. They were bad but I have been slowly trying to correct this issue that I have seen late last week. The bottom of my Acro's were turning white so I knew my alkalinity may have been off which they were.

Are you currently doing water changes? If so, which salt and how much/how often? I would be engaged in a hard core water change regime right now....at least 10% per week...up to 20% per day if you feel it's justified. 5% per day is a nice daily water change....usually small enough to be really quick and easy to do....and your corals will love it! (Check out that link for some ideas.)

Yep. I do 20 gallon water changes on my 80 gallon (water volume) every two weeks. Yesterday was my scheduled water change but I decided not to do one to try to correct my Mg, Kh, and Ca levels. I will do one today for sure.

I use Red Sea Coral Pro. I will start doing 10 gallons every day and see how my numbers work out.

Any off-the-shelf or DIY two-part solution should do the trick for raising Ca and alk separately....I would recommend just using baking soda for the alk part (aka Recipe #2 if you DIY) if you weren't already. (Not baked baking soda or washing soda.)

​I decided to embrace technology and got a Jebao DP-4 which won't come in until next week. I have some Brightwell products I can use up first and have been using for Kh, Ca, and Mg.

As far as the amounts to dose, that should be based on your test results and the concentration of your dosing material. If you DIY, use this recipe to mix your material. (Good article, but a little dated....just use the recipe. )

Yes, I have been logging my parameters daily and so far not much of a decline. Only problem is trying to raise my Ca without my Alk dropping.

Use the Reef Chemistry Calculator to quickly calculate your Ca, Mg and alk doses based on your total system size, current parameter values, and desired parameter values.

Hope this helps! Keep us posted!

-Matt

see above.

 

[beaslbob]

Try the diy two part system

for reference see: https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/reef-chemistry-forum/39332-do-yourself-two-part-links.html

calcium chloride raises calcium and is used to speed hardening of concrete. a 25 pound bag was $8 or so. Contact your local redimix companies.

Alk is rasied by baking soda from the grocery store.

magnesium is maintained by epsom salts and magnesium chloride. Epsom salts from the drug store. Magnesium chloride is the hard one to find but I did find a local sourse here at an industrial chemical supplier. 50 pound bag was $30 or so. I gave the stuff away at local club meetings and frag swaps.

This all seems complicated and is at first. But once setup it becomes extremely easy, very effective, and inexpensive.


my .02

 

[ReefMadScientist]

Ok I am mixing 25 gallons of water at the moment. Hopefully the salinity will settle by this afternoon.

Thanks Bob - After I use up my Brightwell products I will start using some cheaper supplies. Some of my SPS are ok. But one of my favorites is taking a hit hard. My LPS are doing excellent still. Just want this destruction train to stop.

 

[TJ's Reef]

All good info on 2-part dosing above but as Matt and others have stated a series of water changes will be your best option here. I just went through a 'Auto-Feeder' malfunction (operator error) and sent my Nitrate and Phosphate through the roof temporarily, most all SPS totally browned out and few colonies with a bit of STN. Only survived this IMHO by having a very mature system with very hardy long-term Coral colonies. By the time I tested my water perams were Nitrate @ 25+ppm, PO4 @ 0.26 and was a few days after the initial spike. WC's will reduce PO4 levels while bringing up the Cal and Alk simultaneously.

'It' happens to the 'Best of Us' complacency will most always bite you in the butt if given a chance.

Cheers, Todd

 

[mcarroll]

Ok I am mixing 25 gallons of water at the moment. Hopefully the salinity will settle by this afternoon.

Thanks Bob - After I use up my Brightwell products I will start using some cheaper supplies. Some of my SPS are ok. But one of my favorites is taking a hit hard. My LPS are doing excellent still. Just want this destruction train to stop.

I used brightwell with good success for quite a while...I switched when I was comfortable in my understanding of the DIY components and my dosing routine was already smooth and reliable. Really before the cost became an issue though. Brightwell only costs "a lot" when compared to "practically free"....its not really that expensive in the early part of a reef, especially when it gives you one less thing to worry about.

Just FWIW.

-Matt

 

[ReefMadScientist]

All good info on 2-part dosing above but as Matt and others have stated a series of water changes will be your best option here. I just went through a 'Auto-Feeder' malfunction (operator error) and sent my Nitrate and Phosphate through the roof temporarily, most all SPS totally browned out and few colonies with a bit of STN. Only survived this IMHO by having a very mature system with very hardy long-term Coral colonies. By the time I tested my water perams were Nitrate @ 25+ppm, PO4 @ 0.26 and was a few days after the initial spike. WC's will reduce PO4 levels while bringing up the Cal and Alk simultaneously.

'It' happens to the 'Best of Us' complacency will most always bite you in the butt if given a chance.

Cheers, Todd

Yeah I got a good dose of humble pie over the weekend. I just figured my tank was doing SO WELL that I would let things be. Turns out my dosing methods were not so stable as I assumed. Luckily my Nitrates are only at 3. I did have a Mandarin Goby, I had for over 1 year, die out due to a cut it received a few weeks back. I quickly took him out so I am not sure if that caused my PO4 to go up or not.

I will do a water change every day or so and let you guys know where my params are at. Please follow along and assist

 

[J Rog]

I have a liter meter doser and it does the trick for me for Alk and CA. Make sure to keep an eye out on your Mag while getting these parameters in check. If your mag is good it will help with your Ca and alk not participate out of the tank and keep stuff steady

 

[ReefMadScientist]

I have a liter meter doser and it does the trick for me for Alk and CA. Make sure to keep an eye out on your Mag while getting these parameters in check. If your mag is good it will help with your Ca and alk not participate out of the tank and keep stuff steady

Thanks for helping J Rog!

Yes, I have also read and heard keeping Mag to good levels will help Alk and Ca be more stable. I will retest my Mag shortly but should be around 1340 this morning. I am aiming for a 1380 spot. After this, I will do a water change and retest later this evening.

 

[J Rog]

Any time. I stopped dosing mag a while ago because it stays at 1500 weather I dose or not.. Lol I think just regular water changes keep the mag stable in my tank. I also don't have a huge amount of corals at the moment. After my crash I stopped buying for a while until I saw the corals were alive fully recovered. I just started buying some stuff again.. Lol

 

[ReefPiracy]

Water change is the best way to get levels correct. I always wait a day before testing again to get correct readings plus right now your going to over dose to bring things back in line and then needing a maintain dose. One reason i when to a calcium reactor. Keeps everything level.

 

[b_rad_G]

If the salt mix you use has levels close to what you would like to maintain then water changes are a fine way to bring levels up. Obviously the current levels are not very good and personally I would use whatever supplement you like to bring them up. You could add 25 ppm per day of calcium for a few days to get the number around 410. Alkalinity of 7 is a little low but I run mine between 7.8-8.4 and have occasionally seen 7.4ish numbers. I would go higher on mag. You can run much higher than 1340 with no side effects. Also mag has very little to do with coral health compared to alk and ca. You can easily raise mag by 100 ppm per day and be fine. Don't be afraid to run 1450-1500 mag. It will help with the chance for precipitation.

I would raise mag to 1450 then add calcium. The addition of calcium shouldn't change alk levels unless you dose to fast or in a low flow area.