SPS turning color

[Alex DeBeer]

I came home from vacation and noticed my Montis are changing colors a bit. They don't look as good as they did a few weeks ago.

I tested my water, as did my LFS.
I know I need to do a water change, but I am just getting back in town. I plan on doing one tonight. What would cause them to change color like this?


Ammonia: 0.25
Nitrate: 0-5 ppm
Phosphate: 1ppm (Added some phosfiltrum)
KH: 14 DKH (What causes that to be high, and how can I bring it down?)
Salinity: 1.024
Calcium: 440 ppm
PH: 8.2

 

[bobby.w.hodges]

Kh, what salt are you using? What are you dosing?

Nitrates are low for the high kh value.

You can add amino acids to help the color since nutrients are low. The aminos serve as a energy source in low nutrient conditions and also benefit in normal conditions as well.

Might want to raise salinity also 1.026 is what a lot of reefers shoot for.

 

[Alex DeBeer]

Kh, what salt are you using? What are you dosing?

Nitrates are low for the high kh value.

You can add amino acids to help the color since nutrients are low. The aminos serve as a energy source in low nutrient conditions and also benefit in normal conditions as well.

Might want to raise salinity also 1.026 is what a lot of reefers shoot for.

I use Instant Ocean. I don't currently dose, but I have been looking for and more into it. I don't really know too much about it or where to start.

I will try to bump up my salinity up a bit when I do my water change.

 

[W1ngz]

Alk too high: Stop dosing alkalinity and allow the tank to consume the excess. Test the parameters on your salt mix to see what you are adding when you do water changes.

1ppm phosphate is sky high. SPS will definitely have a tantrum at levels like that. If your phosphate jumped while you were away, the corals probably stopped or slowed uptake of alkalinity and is what's causing your alk spike. Is your calcium also higher than it was or usually is?

Ammonia should be undetectable in an established reef.

 

[bobby.w.hodges]

Alk too high: Stop dosing alkalinity and allow the tank to consume the excess. Test the parameters on your salt mix to see what you are adding when you do water changes.

1ppm phosphate is sky high. SPS will definitely have a tantrum at levels like that. If your phosphate jumped while you were away, the corals probably stopped or slowed uptake of alkalinity and is what's causing your alk spike. Is your calcium also higher than it was or usually is?

Ammonia should be undetectable in an established reef.

I like the insight on alk uptake slowing, I would agree with that. I hadn't even considered that, although i noted the high phosphate but failed to mention it.

 

[Alex DeBeer]

Alk too high: Stop dosing alkalinity and allow the tank to consume the excess. Test the parameters on your salt mix to see what you are adding when you do water changes.

1ppm phosphate is sky high. SPS will definitely have a tantrum at levels like that. If your phosphate jumped while you were away, the corals probably stopped or slowed uptake of alkalinity and is what's causing your alk spike. Is your calcium also higher than it was or usually is?

Ammonia should be undetectable in an established reef.

I don't dose anything, Should I?
My calcium is typically 400-440, so I think it's about where it usually is.

 

[bobby.w.hodges]

Dosing should only be done if you are low on something. Water change can address high values and can be used as a "reset"

 

[W1ngz]

I don't dose anything, Should I?

You tell me. Do your levels drop between water changes? How much?

 

[jurgenph]

What were your test results before you went on vacation?
How long were you gone?

J.

 

[Alex DeBeer]

You tell me. Do your levels drop between water changes? How much?

I haven't done a water change in like 3 weeks because I have been out of town, and nothing has dropped. This is the longest I typically go without a water change.
Nothing is low, just high.

 

[Alex DeBeer]

What were your test results before you went on vacation?
How long were you gone?

J.

I was gone for about 3 weeks. I had someone at my house doing top offs and feeding, but didn't want them changing water.
Everything was pretty much the same. I didn't test it right before I left, but the last time I did test it everything was right in line with what is going on now. I didn't write it down, but I remember that it wasn't super crazy.

 

[W1ngz]

Then it's probably a mix of the high phosphates and lack of trace elements that are replenished with your water changes.

I'm not sure how big your tank is and how much water you change weekly, but if weekly water changes are what keep things going, and it's only a 5%-10% change then I'd do 3, maybe 4 regular sized ones each day this week to gently even things out. Don't do one big one. Then resume your normal water change schedule on whatever say you normally do one, don't put that one off to next week.