Sps not staying alive.

[lurpy]

I have a 90 gallon tank with a 40 gallon sump. Alk is at like 9 and cal is at 450 ish and mag at 1400to 1500. Nit is around 10 to 20 and pho is like .025. But my sps dont last longer then like a week. I run very good flow with t5 and LEDs. Any one have any tips.

 

[29bonsaireef]

How old is the system?

 

[lurpy]

How old is the system?

3yrs. Lps is fine clam good just sps

 

[ReefyB]

Which sps have you tried? What type of LED and how many T5’s? What else is in your system (to consider possible fish predation, sweepers from other coral, leathers fouling up your water, etc)?

A picture of your setup could be helpful.

Welcome to R2R btw!

 

[Livinlocal]

What is your fluctuation of elements like?

What type of sps?
Do you dose or use a calcium reactor?
Do you have alk swings?
Does your temp fluctuate?
Do you use carbon?
What type of t5 and LEDs are you using?

Also, when you say they don't last, what exactly is happening?

Are they rtn'ing or stn'ing?
Starting to die at the base of the sps or tips?


With more information, we will be able to further attempt to offer better advice.

 

[lurpy]

Which sps have you tried? What type of LED and how many T5’s? What else is in your system (to consider possible fish predation, sweepers from other coral, leathers fouling up your water, etc)?

A picture of your setup could be helpful.

Welcome to R2R btw!

2 t5 and 2 ocean revives. Montipora and birdsnest and some randoms. Yellow tang, 2 clowns, bicolor, starry blenny,snowflake,ect. All reef safe fish. I have mushrooms clam ,bta, small hammer, not to much that have sweeper at all.

 

[lurpy]

What is your fluctuation of elements like?

What type of sps?
Do you dose or use a calcium reactor?
Do you have alk swings?
Does your temp fluctuate?
Do you use carbon?
What type of t5 and LEDs are you using?

Also, when you say they don't last, what exactly is happening?

Are they rtn'ing or stn'ing?
Starting to die at the base of the sps or tips?


With more information, we will be able to further attempt to offer better advice.

Alk stays at like 8-9
Hand dose at this time.
Temp stay between 78-81.
I do use carbon and phosban.
Bridsnest and mont. Mainly
Turn white.

 

[lurpy]

What is your fluctuation of elements like?

What type of sps?
Do you dose or use a calcium reactor?
Do you have alk swings?
Does your temp fluctuate?
Do you use carbon?
What type of t5 and LEDs are you using?

Also, when you say they don't last, what exactly is happening?

Are they rtn'ing or stn'ing?
Starting to die at the base of the sps or tips?


With more information, we will be able to further attempt to offer better advice.

Tips down. Monti random untill it's all white.

 

[Livinlocal]

It might just be a stability issue with alk fluctuations. How often do you hand dose?

 

[lurpy]

It might just be a stability issue with alk fluctuations. How often do you hand dose?

Once a week.

 

[BestMomEver]

I’m not sure, but your tank is beautiful. I can feel your frustration though. I will say that although Pocillopora species are very forgiving, I keep mine pretty high up and in super strong flow.

 

[TaylorJames]

I see two possible issues.

#1
How much and what are you dosing for alk? It seems to me that you must be dosing a lot if it is only once a week. You have a lot of Coraline algae that im sure is consuming a ton. One large dose a week is enough to swing the alk and bother the sps. Could you try dosing 3x/week instead of 1x?

#2 For a while I couldnt figure out why sps wouldnt live long in my tank. I had a Sailfin blenny that appeared to be nipping at all my acros. I removed him from my tank and everything has been great since. I think they will nip at the polyps if there isnt enough algae for them to eat.

 

[aquavista99]

You may want to dose daily for SPS to avoid fluctuations. Dosing once a week may be fine for LPS but SPS can be more difficult (ie, stability is key for long-term SPS success).

Once a week.

 

[lurpy]

I see two possible issues.

#1
How much and what are you dosing for alk? It seems to me that you must be dosing a lot if it is only once a week. You have a lot of Coraline algae that im sure is consuming a ton. One large dose a week is enough to swing the alk and bother the sps. Could you try dosing 3x/week instead of 1x?

#2 For a while I couldnt figure out why sps wouldnt live long in my tank. I had a Sailfin blenny that appeared to be nipping at all my acros. I removed him from my tank and everything has been great since. I think they will nip at the polyps if there isnt enough algae for them to eat.

I'm getting my doser up and running this week the lines are dyed out and cracked.

 

[lurpy]

I’m not sure, but your tank is beautiful. I can feel your frustration though. I will say that although Pocillopora species are very forgiving, I keep mine pretty high up and in super strong flow.

Tyvm it's been hard after my tank crash last summer.

 

[lurpy]

I’m not sure, but your tank is beautiful. I can feel your frustration though. I will say that although Pocillopora species are very forgiving, I keep mine pretty high up and in super strong flow.

Most of my pics I have on my Instagram @lurpysk8r

 

[ycnibrc]

What's your level on ocean revive? This light is very strong 70 blue n 20 white will produce 450par top 350mid and 250 bottom and I hang 12" above water.

 

[ReefyB]

Good lookin tank. It could be an acclimation issue since you seem to lose them so quickly and your parameters seem to be okay, or Alk swings since you’re manually dosing only once a week. In a tank that mature (3 years), I’d expect a lot of that Alk is getting consumed over the course of the week before your next dose. You also seem to have two angels (bicolor? and emperor) that could potentially be nipping at them and aren’t technically ‘reef safe’, but maybe yours don’t bother them.

 

[BestMomEver]

Good lookin tank. It could be an acclimation issue since you seem to lose them so quickly and your parameters seem to be okay, or Alk swings since you’re manually dosing only once a week. In a tank that mature (3 years), I’d expect a lot of that Alk is getting consumed over the course of the week before your next dose. You also seem to have two angels (bicolor? and emperor) that could potentially be nipping at them and aren’t technically ‘reef safe’, but maybe yours don’t bother them.

I also see a baby emperor angel or similar. Those guys are definitely not reef safe.

 

[lurpy]

What's your level on ocean revive? This light is very strong 70 blue n 20 white will produce 450par top 350mid and 250 bottom and I hang 12" above water.

Blues like 65 white 3 and about 9 " off the water