SPS colors washed out please help!
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Trevor40
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As far as Phosphates goes ive read and seen that you should try and stay under .03 for best growth and color. Every test kit including Hanna has some variance in the test results so you might consider testing a few times if the measurement seems high. Don't make any drastic changes if you find the PO4 is higher than you want as a phosphate swing can shock your sps.
Zack
Valuable Member
My tank runs .02 or lower. Usually at 0. You think it should have a little bit? My tank is fairly new and all the sps frags i have in there have not been in very long, but I can tell most are coloring up. A few of them did bleach out a little, can they lose color from too much gfo or too little phosphate/ taking too many nutrients out?
Trevor40
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You should be fine with .02 or .00, just don't add GFO until your PO4 levels start to creep up a little. When I lost color I added GFO when phosphates were already low around .00- .01 and it stripped the water too clean.
andyvalk
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Hey guys. I don't know why I stopped receiving update notifications...that's why I haven't checked back for awhile. I haven't treated for redbugs yet...I can't get anyone to sell me the treatment, and I have bought magnifying glasses and I really don't think there is any.
Since the last update, I raised my light about four inches...off the top of my head right now (I'm at work) I can't remember where they were, but I know there were in the manufacturers recommended levels. I run the Lumnebright Mini. The colors and polyp extension have started to improve a good amount on some corals, while some it has only improved marginally. Given that it's only been a couple weeks, I am not rushing to do too much else until I see if the improvement stops.
I don't think GFO is the problem...I have run other SPS tanks with GFO pretty successfully.
I have started to feed Reef Pearls 2x a week, which really brings up the phosphate quickly! That may be helping as well.
Sahin, to answer your questions:
Same skimmer
Same rocks - BRS Pukani
Different sand - brand new Tropic Eden Reef Flakes
Mechanical Filtration - BRS MESH filter sock - same
Chemical Filtration - BRS GFO and ROX Carbon same as before
Fish: (all just moved to quarantine because I was an idiot and didn't quarantine a new fish that had ich)
One pair Hooded Fairy Wrasse
One Yellow Candy Hog
One Starry Blenny
One Purple Firefish
One Yellow Watchman
I feed them 1/4 to 1/2 cube of spirulina or mysis a day. Rinse food in RO before. Feed Dendros 1x a week with same food at night, about 1/4 cube. Just started the Reef Pearls.
Do 15-20% water changes weekly with ESV Seawater system. Use BRS two-part and mag.
andyvalk
Community Member
Yes. I would be shocked if there wasn't some type of mixing or testing error on your part (no offense). The entire reason for the four parts is the consistency of the results. Are you weighing out with a quality scale?
I have been using this stuff for almost three years and the results have been amazingly similar every time. They always test exactly the same on the Hanna checker. DKH has never varied by more than 5ppm for me (~.5dkh)
Are you talking about different results with the same batch BTW?
db1317
Community Member
None taken...I thought the same thing which is why I mixed four more 10G batches. Yes, it was from the same box. I use an escali digital scale...probably not the best. I also use a hanna checker, too, and verified the test results with a salifert test because I didn't believe the results. I stopped using that box and started using a new box and have been getting a consistent reading around 9.41 with the same equipment and process. The reason I tested my source water was that I was having a few acros and a monti cap that were bleaching on me and couldn't figure out the problem. Still don't know what the issue was, but my corals are looking better. I also agree with you on the consistency of the ESV system which is why I switched to it; however, they aren't immune to manufacturer defects.
Have you checked your potassium? I've read a few threads on the zeovit message board that attributed lack of color to a potassium deficiency that was resolved when they brought their potassium up to appropriate levels. Something else to check for...Good luck and hope you figure out your issue.
Have you checked your potassium? I've read a few threads on the zeovit message board that attributed lack of color to a potassium deficiency that was resolved when they brought their potassium up to appropriate levels. Something else to check for...Good luck and hope you figure out your issue.
andyvalk
Community Member
I did buy some Potassium but I haven't dosed anything because supposedly all the tests are garbage.
It's really strange that you would get different alk results when it's suspended in a liquid...who knows. I have suspected the salt as a problem in the past, but there have been too many successful tanks using it for me to blame the mix.
It's really strange that you would get different alk results when it's suspended in a liquid...who knows. I have suspected the salt as a problem in the past, but there have been too many successful tanks using it for me to blame the mix.
Chameleon
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I can just see someone mashing up bananas into a reactor
Zack
Valuable Member
I can just see someone mashing up bananas into a reactor
Ha! A banana reactor, now your on to something!!!
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andyvalk
Community Member
Corals are modestly better. I am sorry for not having any photos...my wife left our camera at her parent's house at Christmas.
I swapped the 2 mp10's for two mp40's and improved the flow, which is probably some of the reason for the improvement in addition to raising the light. I ordered a new bulb and will change it this weekend. I am wondering if somehow the bulb was defective or something, since nothing has ever been quite right since I went with this lighting (250w Radium 20k on magnetic ballast), so we will find out over the course of the next few weeks I guess!
I swapped the 2 mp10's for two mp40's and improved the flow, which is probably some of the reason for the improvement in addition to raising the light. I ordered a new bulb and will change it this weekend. I am wondering if somehow the bulb was defective or something, since nothing has ever been quite right since I went with this lighting (250w Radium 20k on magnetic ballast), so we will find out over the course of the next few weeks I guess!
andyvalk
Community Member
So you guys are going to be frustrated with me...it turns out that I have AEFW. It is amazing that I was not able to see these before, but I cam home tonight and one of the pieces was being eaten by four of them. They are impossible to see, but they made it to a piece that had been doing well. The good news is that because they haven't been growing, they are all still frags, and can easily be dipped. Revive kills the worms almost immediately, but probably not the eggs. I am familiar with the QT procedures...now I get to learn even more patience!
mcarroll
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I think dipping is an exercise in frustration - at best possibly a short-term band-aid treatment that's stressful to the coral.
Neglect (including months of top-off with tap water and zero water changes) or Interceptor are the only two treatments I've actually seen clear up an AEFW infestation permanently without harm to the corals. (Neglect actually seemed to be the most benign treatment...I suppose YMMV.)
It's hard to recommend either solution so I just throw both out there - you can throw em back if you want.
-Matt
Neglect (including months of top-off with tap water and zero water changes) or Interceptor are the only two treatments I've actually seen clear up an AEFW infestation permanently without harm to the corals. (Neglect actually seemed to be the most benign treatment...I suppose YMMV.)
It's hard to recommend either solution so I just throw both out there - you can throw em back if you want.
-Matt
gmoney243
2500 Club Member
Nothing kills the eggs as far as known dips. But if u dip every 5-7 days and QT ur corals u will get rid of them. And technically the dips dont really kill AEFW just knocks them off. But trust me around here people have used all the other dips and interceptor in tank and still had aefw come back. But using bayer those people finally got rid of AEFW as long as they QT the corals.
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