So.. What do you experts recommend? Salt/alk question?

[Michael43]

my reef is 8 months old or so now. The last 4-5 months it has gone to a dominant sps tank which was always my intentions. I'm using Red Sea coral pro salt. Why? Because my tank is a Red Sea reefer and it's just what I decided on, scared to switch now. Issue is I try to run my alk at 7.5-8 or so. My weekly routine is I do a 10-15% water change. What I have been doing is dosing my 2 part where after a water change my alk settles around 8 and with my dosing regimen it gradually falls to about 7.5 and then I do a water change again and back to 8. The RSCP has alk of 12 or so hence the increase after the water change. I'm keeping my sps alive and with ok color but I'm curious if the weekly swing is holding me back or are the sps tolerant to this minor swing? If I hold alk at 8 throughout the week once I do the next water change it jumps to 8.5ish and so on. Should I change to a lower alk salt? Is this swing ok? My mag and ca stay consistent at 430ish and 1380 so not concerned there. On a whole other level I may finally give up on the LEDs and go t5. I just alcantara figure out why my growth and color isn't what others is. Awaiting my first triton test results. Should have them by end of week. Maybe that will tell me something. Any input is appreciated

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I just alcantara figure out why my growth and color isn't what others is.

Id say it because the tank is 8 months old first. Also by doing weekly water changes you pulling out a lot of food.
see this threadhttp://www.reef2reef.com/threads/too-many-water-changes.263365/page-2#post-3142645
and there really is something about an established tank, and the chasing of Zeros on No Po.

Folks talk smack about the "best" salt and alk constantly and Ask randy F questions constantly on the subject. When in fact his tank was Instant ocean salt and Kalk dosing.

On a whole other level I may finally give up on the LEDs

do you have a par or Lux meter? What Lights are you using.

It sounds like your close to sucess but fine tuning the balance of light, nutrients, and minerals is a tough trick. (my tank everyday) Most go under(low light low nutrient) I go slightly over.

 

[Michael43]

I have a lux meter yes but no par meter. I have a decent amount of fish and feed twice a day keeping nitrates around 2-5 and phos at .02-.03. I do the weekly changes to replace trace elements and such so I don't have to add too many supplements, and also to keep nitrates in check. It's not my first reef tank but first time focusing on sps. I'd love to not have to do weekly water changes haha. Only things I dose are 2 part via apex dos, acro power and I feed reef chili and roids 2-3 times a week. I use to dose iodine, strontium, trace elements, lps aminos, and potassium but about a month ago I decided to try and avoid dosing all those due to some members opinions in a prior thread. I use radion xr30 gen3 pros with the sps-ab schedule. By the end of this week I think I will be purchasing the ati hybrid power module and seeing how that does

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

It's not my first reef tank but first time focusing on sps.

Me too.
Yea I see where your coming from on the dosing regimen. Yea opinions are a pain. I look at the best tanks, and yea they all do it different. I focus mine more based on my lifestyle. I think its really the most common sense.
Actual food in many cases does contain many of those trace elements. It on reason folks say feed hard skim hard.



how much light are you averaging at the top of the tank. Im a light guy and a control freak, so im always dubious of Presets. you should be having no prob on SPS with those lights.
https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/dr-joshi’s-500-gallon-sps-dominated-mixed-reef.2/

And with sticks, I find that change takes A LOT more time to see. In changing light flow etc it seems to take weeks or a month to see a change.

 

[denash]

There's something wrong with the way you're testing for alk, no way you can keep those levels using RSCP unless you have huge colonies. RSCP is made to produce an alk level of 13 to 14, plus you're dosing 2 part.

 

[Ike]

I don't see any issues with what you're doing. A lot of people preach stability with alkalinity, but as long as you're with a desirable range, which you are, I haven't noticed and difficulties with maintaining color and health in corals.

Denash, his alk jumps .5 from a 10-15% water change, that seems about right. So, not sure why you think something is wrong.

 

[Michael43]

Thanks guys. Yeah I'm pretty sure I test right and I have s salifert and a Hanna. Both come in the same. After yesterday change it went from 7.4 to 8.1 via the Hanna. I just got my first triton test results this AM. Says I have high lithium and 0 phosphate. Maybe that's my problem. Need to figure it out. Feel free to chime in please

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/a-little-help-with-my-first-triton-test-results-please.263696/