Going to try to be delicate with this response
but you have been around us (
#Cronies ) long enough to know that we only want to help. I think you need to focus on your stability and keep accurate tabs on the big 5. You need to get some consistency and only change one thing at a time over a long period of time. I've been reading your thread for a while and I've seen you change many things. You should also get a par reading of your tank, more light is not always better when a tank is new, and sometimes even when it is mature.
Focus on your Alk, Ca, Mg, No3, and Po4. Use a quality salt and you will never have to worry about things like potassium. Your tank needs more time. You may have used pieces and parts of existing reefs to put it together like live rock, but your methods have been shaky and you have had speed bumps all along the way. Your tank is trying to mature and stabilize. By continually changing things and adding new coral you are not allowing it to do so and i fear you will continue to waste money.
Start with quality test kits. you will lose more money in coral, spend more money on additives you don't need, and waste way more time than any of us have if you don't.
Then test daily for a period of time, get consistent results with changing as little as possible.
Then test weekly. All 5 tests. as your tank gets more stable you will know which ones you need to test more or less often.
Understand that adding livestock and changing feeding frequencies or types of food could change your parameters and understand the relationship in those, like more pellet foods equals (tyically) higher Po4.
Be able to read your tank and react accordingly. I can tell you exactly how my tank is and what may be off by looking at each type of coral. By the amount of algae on the glass, by where my snails are located in the tank even. I can taste the water and tell you what the salt level is.
You are not being patient enough. I don't want to see you get frustrated and leave the hobby. I don't want to see you spend more money than you have to. I don't honestly want to see you have more coral losses. I would be happy to tell you about my routine if you have questions, how i got my tank where it is and how I maintain it. I don't even do water changes anymore. I know you have seen my current reef, it has only been up since April. and the components that i moved from my prior tank are just now at the 1 year mark. You can build a beautiful tank relatively quickly. but it takes consistency and discipline.
Stepping off the soap box now. Hope I didn't offend, but after your last pics someone has to step up and be a true reefing friend and advocate for you.
