Random unexplained coral losses
- Thread starter Mike646
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JoshH
Tank Status: Wet...ish, growing things....
Do you do any kind of light acclimation when you added the corals??? Those are some serious par #'s and would take alot of corals a fair bit of time to adjust to those....
dank reefer
IG: dankreefer_IG
Remove your filter sock if your using one.
I agree with this. Sounds like issue #1 is his light is super intense. If he is getting frags from people who's run much lower intensity, that's a huge jump. I know jason runs mostly blues and not super intense light. Stuff that I hav bought directly from him does well at the bottom of the tank first.
I really don't think 9.5 is too high of ALK. I run 11.6 no problems, at all .
I also agree, why run cheato + dose nirates?
Do you run 11.6 alk and 0.03 po4?
SeaDweller
2500 Club Member
The alk levels stated are most likely too high for a low nutrient tank.
Mike646
Community Member
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Hello everyone,
So I tried turning my skimmer off for an extended time. I also stopped doing weekly water changes and changed to biweekly. Now my nitrates are zero and phosphates are .01!! Levels have dropped almost completely. Even my long term corals are not looking good. Should I cut my cheato in half, step up feeding cube food to daily with reef chili bi weekly, and leave skimmer off?
So I tried turning my skimmer off for an extended time. I also stopped doing weekly water changes and changed to biweekly. Now my nitrates are zero and phosphates are .01!! Levels have dropped almost completely. Even my long term corals are not looking good. Should I cut my cheato in half, step up feeding cube food to daily with reef chili bi weekly, and leave skimmer off?
bobby.w.hodges
Wet Thumb
I would cut cheato in half, and reduce the photo period of the fuge. I think daily feeding is a good idea, maybe cut the cubes in half and feed half a cube per day, the more fish eat the more they poop.
MrNYCeGuy
Community Member
Hey Mike! Good news, you're tank is doing better than you think. As others have identified it looks like you have done so well at nutrient export that you might have gone too far. For right now it looks like you need to take about half of your cheto out of the tank. Also, you can cut down on the amount of time you run your refugium light maybe by about half, especially if its a grow light like the Kessil H380. Increasing feedings will also help increase phosphate and nitrate.
Clarifying Questions:
1. Have you made any recent changes to your tank in the past 2-3 weeks?
2. Is this the first time your nutrients have dropped this low?
3. Have you tinkered with your lights at all or changed them recently?
4. How recently did you add your refugium?
Plan of Action...For Now:
1. Remove about half of your cheto.
2. Decrease the photic period on your refugium. Example instead of 10 hours run it like 8.
3. Slowly increase feedings by 10% each day and test to see any spikes in No3 or P04.
4. Go slowly, remember stability is key. Corals are hardy animals and can bounce back quickly, don't panic. Too many changes are worse than leaving everything alone.
Clarifying Questions:
1. Have you made any recent changes to your tank in the past 2-3 weeks?
2. Is this the first time your nutrients have dropped this low?
3. Have you tinkered with your lights at all or changed them recently?
4. How recently did you add your refugium?
Plan of Action...For Now:
1. Remove about half of your cheto.
2. Decrease the photic period on your refugium. Example instead of 10 hours run it like 8.
3. Slowly increase feedings by 10% each day and test to see any spikes in No3 or P04.
4. Go slowly, remember stability is key. Corals are hardy animals and can bounce back quickly, don't panic. Too many changes are worse than leaving everything alone.
Mike646
Community Member
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- Oct 29, 2018
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1. I was running my T5 lights for 8 hours as part of my peak photo period, now only running them 4 hours.
2. I have always had almost 0 nitrates but typically without nitrate dosing my phosphate would climb to .15
3. Lighting change+ turned off skimmer
4. Refugium has been running for months now. My cheato has not grown and has had die off where parts turn clear.
2. I have always had almost 0 nitrates but typically without nitrate dosing my phosphate would climb to .15
3. Lighting change+ turned off skimmer
4. Refugium has been running for months now. My cheato has not grown and has had die off where parts turn clear.
dank reefer
IG: dankreefer_IG
It wouldn't trap any food that makes its way in your sump, and allows your chaeto to absorb more of the excess nutients. I feed 2-3 times a day pellet food, and at night I feed either rods , or LRS frozen. And also switch between Reef Roids, Benereef reef food, or BRS coral food. My nitrates are at around 5-10 and phosphate last time I checked was .06.
And also, I hate cleaning socks.
dank reefer
IG: dankreefer_IG
Here are some pics of my corals. They are not colonies, but they are growing and entrusting just fine.
Stop dosing nitrates! This goes for anyone reading this thread that isn't aware of these possible consequences and why it happens. You're dosing nitrates is driving your phosporous too low, and that will kill corals. Driving nitrogen low will usually just stress them out, but things go really bad when PO4 gets too low IME.
1.) Ditch the Chaeto
2.) Go get some high protein flake or pellets if you don't have them already and start feeding them daily in addition to what you already feed. If you do feed them already add an extra feeding
3.) Stop trying to manipulate nitrate levels by means of dosing
4.) Add fish and feed more or downsize the skimmer if 1-3 don't work
1.) Ditch the Chaeto
2.) Go get some high protein flake or pellets if you don't have them already and start feeding them daily in addition to what you already feed. If you do feed them already add an extra feeding
3.) Stop trying to manipulate nitrate levels by means of dosing
4.) Add fish and feed more or downsize the skimmer if 1-3 don't work
Also, corals probably don't even directly benefit from nitrate much so you're likely only doing damage. Peeing in your aquarium would probably be more beneficial... Or adding ammonium, but only after you can explain the Redfield ratio to me 
That should be a requirement for anyone considering carbon or nitrate dosing.
That should be a requirement for anyone considering carbon or nitrate dosing.
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