OP
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bucfan
Active Member
Don't have a pH tester.
SPS losing color....biopellets
- Thread starter bucfan
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Don't have a pH tester.
Reefologist
Community Member
Mine dropped to the same during initial biopellet seeding, I used brightwell alkalin8.3 as directed, it's been resolved ever since. 7.4 can be stressful to corals and some fish. How is your calcium and alk measuring?
o2manyfish
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You could use Reef buffer to raise the pH.
Or you could also add some Kalkwasser to your tank and add Kalk to your topoff water.
I like using the Kalk because it's raising the pH and adding elements to the water for your corals.
Also you might consider lowering the quantity of Biopellets you are using. I read lots of people starting with too many and having similar issues to what you are describing. I started with about 20% of the recommended dosage and then added 20% more after 5 weeks and then every 3 weeks increased the qty and and had no issues. I added biopellets just as a carbon food source for the corals, and didn't need it to change my levels.
Dave B
Dave B
Or you could also add some Kalkwasser to your tank and add Kalk to your topoff water.
I like using the Kalk because it's raising the pH and adding elements to the water for your corals.
Also you might consider lowering the quantity of Biopellets you are using. I read lots of people starting with too many and having similar issues to what you are describing. I started with about 20% of the recommended dosage and then added 20% more after 5 weeks and then every 3 weeks increased the qty and and had no issues. I added biopellets just as a carbon food source for the corals, and didn't need it to change my levels.
Dave B
Dave B
SchnitzelReef
Valuable Member
IMO u started with too many BPs. I started with 1/10 the recommended dose. (Granted that may have been unnecessary). I have slowly over a matter of 6 weeks worked my way to 1/3-1/2 the recommended dose.
U stripped ur water too fast. It takes the BPs a week or so just to colonize bacteria, then once they do...BOOM they strip the water very fast. I would consider taking out some BPs and see if ur corals recover. I wouldn't take the BPs offline.
I had a friend that started with half the dose and he lost 80% of his SPS.
Good luck
U stripped ur water too fast. It takes the BPs a week or so just to colonize bacteria, then once they do...BOOM they strip the water very fast. I would consider taking out some BPs and see if ur corals recover. I wouldn't take the BPs offline.
I had a friend that started with half the dose and he lost 80% of his SPS.
Good luck
OP
OP
bucfan
Active Member
I have a Reef Dynamics reactor so I can control the effluent. If I turn that down further do I still have to reduce the pellets? I can understand in a typical reactor you can't control the outflow since the tumble is dependent on the inflow rate and outflow the same. In this reactor I can control the outflow so even if I have 1/2 the pellets but only 1/4 of the flow is that not the same principal? It should equal 1/8 the total pellets in a typical reactor.
SchnitzelReef
Valuable Member
I'm not familiar with that reactor, but if that we're true then why not just put in the whole recommended dose and turn it all the way down.....idk if it were me, I'd pull out some BPs, or get ready to start pulling out some white skeletons. :/
Heard too many people wiping out their whole SPS tank with BPs. It's scared me, that's why I started so low. Kinda paranoid
SchnitzelReef
Valuable Member
Start feeding more to increase ur nutrients. Might help offset what the bps are doing.
Reefologist
Community Member
Cut effluent to a drip, you can save those. Get nitrate and phosphate up and keep it there to regain zooxanthellae. Keep in mind they may have been light shocked from the water clearing so quickly (even though you may not have noticed it!)
OP
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bucfan
Active Member
So I can stay with the same amount of BPs and reduce the effluent?
shellynjason
Well-Known Member
Just curious Bucfan - what your p04 and nitrates readings were?
I started running biopellets about a month ago and only use 1/4 recommended amount because I worry about this type of incident myself.
I started running biopellets about a month ago and only use 1/4 recommended amount because I worry about this type of incident myself.
OP
OP
bucfan
Active Member
Both read at the high end of the Salifert kits.
shellynjason
Well-Known Member
If your po4 and nitrates are still high then you obviously didn't strip all the nutrients out to fast.
How long have you had your sps, before they bleached? Did they 'bleach' or just lose most of their coloring? What lighting are you running?
How long have you had your sps, before they bleached? Did they 'bleach' or just lose most of their coloring? What lighting are you running?
