Some reef problems...at a loss.

[Ehunforfun]

First off, I've had successful reef tanks in the past...I've just been out of the hobby a while and am having some difficulty keeping everything healthy.

Tank and Sump - 200+ gallons total volume
Lighting - 2 ecotech xr30w pro's about 13" over the water (no tops) running at 85%
Flow through sump is about 800 gph...
Flow in tank using an maxspect gyre 150, tuned down...
Skimmer is rated for a 300gal tank
Have chaeto growing in sump on opposite lighting schedule, started with a tennisball size lump like 3-4 weeks ago, its probably the size of a basketball now.
Bag of carbon in high flow part of sump.
170ish lbs live rock

Levels checked last thurs:
PH: 7.85 - 7.95 over the course of a day...but mostly on the low side.
ALK: 11-14 has been on the high side.
CALCIUM: 500
Nitrates: Undetectable
Phosphates less than .16
Magnesium: 1300
SG: 1.025 to 1.026
Temp 78-80

So on to the actual problem...I've lost 3ish relatively easy to keep corals over the last month or so.
One was a 10p colony of zoas, the other on its way out is a 3 head piece of frogspawn and the last that has been struggling along is a 3 head piece of hammer coral. Everything else appears healthy (I have SPS, zoas, other LPS all scattered around the tank nothing too close.

I'm concerned about the unexplainable coral deaths...and the relative lack of growth. Coraline algae growth has been very slow as well. Does this kinda just happen with certain corals? Or is there something I can do to fix this...The corals that died all appeared healthy at acclimation, i spot feed about 3-4 times a week.

I also would like to raise the PH without raising the alkalinity anymore than it already is...

 

[najer]

I'm no expert at water chemistry, your base 3 readings (alk cal mag) look high to me, zoas / palys are generally pretty bullet proof.
I have have never run Radions but that sounds like a lot of light to me?

 

[bios]

Some pics please..
Something is not clear

 

[Ehunforfun]

@najer yeah its a lot of light but I believe I have things appropriately placed as far as depth under water/off center. Also the lights are higher than normal above the water so I think the lighting is okay.

The part thats messing me up, is some of the corals look great and very healthy. Alk is definitely high, I was dosing some Soda Ash to try and bring up the PH but ALK was the main thing that rose so I stopped.

@bios I'll get some pics of the sick corals when I get home.

 

[G8trBait16]

@Ehunforfun I had the same thing happen to me about 3 months ago. By chance do you have any air fresheners in the same room as the tank. I have my tank in my family room and my fiancée decided to put 2 plugins and spray air freshener twice a week (too much dog smell I guess with 2 big Boxers and her 2 small rat dogs) in that room. I started getting some slime white like algae. and 4 of my corals died. When I found out about that stuff, I made sure of anything in that room, everything has been great since. Hope you figure out what it is and everything gets better.

 

[bios]

With those light and equipments and kh 10-11 you must have ph over 8.4
have you got calcium reactor?

 

[Ehunforfun]

With those light and equipments and kh 10-11 you must have ph over 8.4
have you got calcium reactor?

No calcium reactor...PH by red sea test shows 8.2...but a freshly calibrated probe shows my value sitting just above 7.80 most the time, sometime getting up to 7.95. I can remove the probe from the tank, place it in temp equalized testing solution and its spot on so I trust the probe.

I did forget to mention I'm dosing vinegar...which would lower it a little bit but most of the research I've seen doesn't seem to point to that being the issue.

@G8trBait16 No plugins in the room and neither of us uses spray air freshener so thats not it, but good thinking!

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I am wondering if its placement for lighting. Esp if the other higher light corals are fine, and imo ime, zoa's are not created equal as far as that goes.
The No does seems low-ish..... ANd I did watch (some) of my zoas shrink up with lower No because my fuge was too big.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

No calcium reactor...PH by red sea test shows 8.2...but a freshly calibrated probe shows my value sitting just above 7.80 most the time, sometime getting up to 7.95. I can remove the probe from the tank, place it in temp equalized testing solution and its spot on so I trust the probe.

I did forget to mention I'm dosing vinegar...which would lower it a little bit but most of the research I've seen doesn't seem to point to that being the issue.

@G8trBait16 No plugins in the room and neither of us uses spray air freshener so thats not it, but good thinking!

the ph expert here on r2r, Mr Farley phd , would say that PH is fine. and not to worry.

 

[DLHDesign]

...the other on its way out is a 3 head piece of frogspawn and the last that has been struggling along is a 3 head piece of hammer coral.

These both like similar conditions, in my experience (I have multiples of both in my tank). I had to move mine about until I found a spot that they liked - most places in my tank did not have the right flow (too much/too little - both made them unhappy). If they are not already permanently mounted, perhaps try moving them about?

I've got a similar setup as you - Radions, gyre, approx. tank size. My lights are ~8in above the surface and running at 40% most of the time. That yields me PAR readings between 350 and 120. Just FYI in case that helps. I know that the human eye is not well suited to judging PAR, so it may be worth checking your levels just in case. There's a way to do a decent job of checking your surface light levels using a smart phone to get the LUX as well - cheaper and faster. (I've not tried it, so don't have any resources for you, sorry.)

I did forget to mention I'm dosing vinegar...

Isn't vinegar bad? I use it to clean out my QT tanks and it does a pretty good job of cleaning out any algae that has formed... Granted, I'm likely using it at a much higher concentration than you are dosing in, so perhaps that's the difference. But it may explain why your coraline algae growth is struggling, perhaps?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Isn't vinegar bad?

Carbon dosing.

But it may explain why your coraline algae growth is struggling, perhaps?

high light......
or bad water. I suspect light.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I though I had Ca Alk mag probs too w the corraline until i started looking at high par tanks on the net. And tested my water about a billion times

check it.
https://www.google.com/search?tbm=i...n6_Kalp3PAhUT0IMKHeUiBcgQ9C8ICQ&dpr=1#imgrc=_

 

[Ehunforfun]

Yeah I think light could be the issue.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Yeah I think light could be the issue.

It might not be too high for some.

Check out the Lux Par thing in reef discussions back on SDR.

And fwiw your combining nutrient export methods , I do wonder if your leaving enough in the tank. Honest question, and becomes species specific to a point too.
I just finished an experiment in my tanks to see if I could strip the nutrients with just the macros. It worked a little too well. The first thing affected was the zoas color and opening. The Algaes kept growing.

 

[ksc]

I have coraline growing @ over 1000 par. I have to scrape it out of the overflow teeth once a month or so.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I have coraline growing @ over 1000 par. I have to scrape it out of the overflow teeth once a month or so.

really? In the highlight spots too? its really something thats been confusing me. seeing some tanks in person as well.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

@Tahoe61 you've done high light. Thoughts?

 

[ksc]

Yes, really. All my rockwork is covered, some in the 500-800 range. My overflow gets 1000+ at the water level.

 

[justingraham]

What is the dimensions of ur tank? Two radions on a six foot tank isn't enough light at all.
Raising ur ph connect a line from the outside to the intake of the skimmer.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Yes, really. All my rockwork is covered, some in the 500-800 range. My overflow gets 1000+ at the water level.

thanks. Ill go back to the books. are you running a thread here? I dont want to jack the Op's thread. I assume it has something to do with dosing methods too.
Ive honesty been looking a a lot of tanks (in person and net) prepping myself for the real SPS and Acros.