On going issues with some SPS

[ashr]

Hey all

Long time SPS grower here but about 2 years ago I moved cities and ever since then I cannot seem to grow SPS. I've had tanks that were full SPS colonies and such so I know what I was doing but now nothing seems to go my way.

I lose new SPS frags that just seem to die off and grow algae on the tips or just RTN.

I think it may have been due to ALK swings but even now that I have cleared those issues, I still get algae growing on the coral tips and SPS stay pale. I even had a large acro slimming all day with no other corals around it. I had to remove it was so bad.

Setup:
85g
ATI T5 8 Bulb. Runs for about 10 hours day. 0-25% for 1 hour (turns on at 11am), 100% for 8 hours then 15% till 11pm
Mp10 - 100% // Glamorca GP03 Gyre-Flow Pump at 40%

Alk 8-9 bulk
Calc 430 bulk
Mag 1500-1600
Phos 0.00 (Hannah) - This has come down from about 0.07 over the last few months.
Nitrates 0.00 API - this has also come down.
PH - 7.52 - 8.02

I am also running small amounts of GFO.

Any thoughts all?

 

[dankreef]

Cut GFO add stump remover for sure.

 

[ashr]

Alk levels:

 

[ashr]

Cut GFO add stump remover for sure.

I will cut the GFO right away, I think I might have done it late last night.

As per adding stump remover to bring up my nitrates, I dont know much about it?
Maybe Randy could help me out with calculations?

Oh, I am also in Canada so I don't know if I can find that here yet.

 

[Keepswiming]

You need some nutrients in the water. It's to clean. I would try to get your nitrate up to around 5 and po4 up to around .03. These are just arbitrary numbers, don't chase the numbers as long as you get it up. Maybe also check your rodi unit. Have you changed the filters since you moved? Maybe the water has something in it if your problems started after the move. Good luck.

 

[erk]

Instead of adding stump remover, you could always feed a fine particle food for corals. Or just feed your fish more.

 

[ashr]

Instead of adding stump remover, you could always feed a fine particle food for corals. Or just feed your fish more.

This is what I am thinking as well! Thank you!

 

[erk]

This is what I am thinking as well! Thank you!

I feed BRS reef chili and frozen cyclops. I also dose vitamins/amino acids. You don't really have to dose the vitamins, but I noticed a small change in coral growth when I stopped, so I started again. I don't run filter socks to keep as much "food" in the water as possible. I loosely follow the zeovit method to produce as much bacteria as possible to feed the corals and plankton populations. I don't test my nitrate or phosphate, but I can tell they are low because even with a newly setup tank I have very little nuisance algae growth.

 

[ashr]

Yeah, I need to start feeding more for sure. I also dose a few coral foods but need to do it more often. I did have a terrible cryno outbreak but I used chemiclean to take that out and now all I have is bubble algae

 

[Velcro]

Before you add nitrate, get yourself a better test kit. I like the red sea kit for low range, and I like the nyos when testing above 4ppm.

 

[N4sty T4te]

Instead of adding stump remover, you could always feed a fine particle food for corals. Or just feed your fish more.

I had no luck with overfeeding. At one point I was feeding frozen foods heavily 2-3x per day and feeding Reef Chili at least once a day.

I'm now dosing Phosphates & Stump remover for Nitrates and am definitely seeing a difference in growth and color.

 

[ashr]

I had no luck with overfeeding. At one point I was feeding frozen foods heavily 2-3x per day and feeding Reef Chili at least once a day.

I'm now dosing Phosphates & Stump remover for Nitrates and am definitely seeing a difference in growth and color.

I don't have stump remover in Canada. Anything else that can be recommended?

 

[ashr]

Oh I could get it off Amazon.ca. 16oz for 33.00

 

[markalot]

With PO4 so low alk should be no higher than 8 max IMO. The closer to natural levels the better. My tank sits between 6.7 and 7. Get rid of GFO as suggested above. GFO kills more corals than PO4 ever will. Dropping PO4 too fast, which is common when adding GFO, can flat out kill some acros while others might not have any issues.

I would not make any sudden moves other than removing GFO and maybe letting Alk very slowly drop to 7.5 or so. Feed a little heavier, maybe, but don't over do it. Remember what your routine was before you moved. I wonder if you where not testing some of the params so you didn't have the tendency to correct very often. This provided stability even if some params were not ideal. Reacting to a PO4 of .07 by adding GFO is a sign of that horrible addiction we all have to the numbers.

I'm no expert but I have nuked a tank by changing too many things too often, including adding GFO when I thought PO4 was too high.

 

[ashr]

GFO is now off and won't be adding it back. I was also running chemi pure blue. I should also remove that I take it? My P04 has been coming down for a few months and the GFO I added was only a small amount but it can have that effect I guess. I am going to feed a bit more.

One thing I noticed is that I cannot grow any monti caps in this tank.. they always end up getting algae and then just dying. It's really frustrating coming from a amazing tank once upon a time to this mess.. grrrr

 

[DarkSky]

Are your caps very pale before they start growing algae and dying? I had a green cap when I started my current SPS tank that was almost white it was so pale. I tried keeping my nutrients as low as possible, 0/0 PO4/NO3.

Lost some acros before I started dosing KNO3 (stump remover) and feeding much more. Now I'm 5-10 NO3, 0.018 PO4 and all my acros and montipora plates are richly colored and growing well.

The biggest mistake in the SPS hobby was the belief that these corals needed ultra clean water.

As an aside, don't completely ditch your GFO. I keep mine switched off and will run it for a few days when my PO4 levels get above 0.03 ppm.

I've been doing great keeping everything in that nutrient window I listed above.

 

[DarkSky]

One last thing, is that enough for flow your 85? I have a 45g tank with two mp40s and a gyre xf130.

You might not have enough. SPS love the flow.

 

[ashr]

I should have enough flow but I was thinking some of my corals were getting to much direct flow and that was causing some issues. my Mp10 is set to 100% Reef Crest and my Gyre is like 50% though I could try some different modes and see what helps.. I think I nuked all my phos and nitrates when I dosed chemiclean to beat back my cryno issues. That messed my skimmer up for like 2 weeks but no more cryno lol

 

[ashr]

Maybe I should just turn it way up lol

 

[Scott.h]

Yeah alk is too high, nutrients are too low. Lighting is too high also. I have that fixture and am running it 50% on a 90 gal. So with your lights and and alk you are telling corals to grow, but no fuel in the tank. Ditch the gfo and you could use another powerhead.