Tank Going Downhill

[Waffen06]

Hi all first Merry Christmas! Second appreciate all the help over the years, feel bad always asking for help when I've beef reefing for over 10 years. Problem is my nuvo 20. I also have a reefer 250 which is doing well minus some slight cyano Ive been battling. The nuvo 20 started going downhill a couple months ago.

First was cyano, Ive tried everything to rid of it, chemiclean twice, full 3 day black out twice. Every time it comes back in a couple days. Tried a full deep clean that was suggested. Removed everything from the tank, rinsed the sand till it ran clear. Scrubbed the rocks with a tooth brush and put everything back. Looked good for about a week. Now Im also battling bubble algae and starting some green (maybe hair algae). So I started vibrant as Ive had success on my other tank with it. In the mean time my corals in this time are not doing well.

It was supposed to be a grow out tank so its all frags. All my zoas have disappeared by half, two of my three small bubble tip anemones hardly open and one doesnt look good at all. Other corals are hardly open and have had no growth except one sps thats doing great and has doubled in size (go figure). I finally ran tests today and its not good.

PH 7.6
Alk 5.6
Calcium 395
Phosphates I couldnt get a reading
Nitrates (cant test till tomorrow as wife got me a new salifert kit for Christmas)

Idk why my numbers are so low as I do weekly water changes and there is not that much coral to be absorbing anything. Where should I go from here? I have 2 part I can dose to bring stuff up or add kalk to my ato. Would these low numbers cause my issues?

 

[attiland]

0 phosphate and nitrate are bad. That is an invitation for dinos.
Once have a reading dose accordingly.
Zoas especially hate 0 phone and nitrate.
I would stop vibrant for the time being.

 

[KrisReef]

Merry Christmas!
What salt are you mixing with?
What sps is thriving in this tank?
Can I have a frag?

 

[Waffen06]

Merry Christmas!
What salt are you mixing with?
What sps is thriving in this tank?
Can I have a frag?

Use reef crystals
And whatever this is lol

 

[vetteguy53081]

That is Superman Monti in pic. Before assuming your test results are bad, are you by chance using API test kits? (known for falsae results)
If numbers are true, you may have to resort to dosing as alk for instance should be 8-9.
Whatever you do - Do it SLOWLY/gradually.
I question what exp/manufacturer date on box/pail for salt. Very low numbers for any salt mix, and crystals is a decent blend.
Not sure how youre treating for dino. best and safest is:
Prepare by starting with a water change and blow this stuff loose with a turkey baster and siphon up loose particles.
Turn lights off (at least white and run blue at 10-15%) for 5 days and at night dose 1ml of hydrogen peroxide per 10 gallons for all 5nights. If you dont have light dependant coral- turn all lights off.
During the day dose 1ml of liquid bacteria (such as bacter 7) per 10 gallons.
Clean filters daily and DO NOT FEED CORAL FOODS OR ADD NOPOX as it is food for dinos.
Day 5,, you can start with blue lights - ramping up and work your white lights up slowly

 

[Waffen06]

That is Superman Monti in pic. Before assuming your test results are bad, are you by chance using API test kits? (known for falsae results)
If numbers are true, you may have to resort to dosing as alk for instance should be 8-9.
Whatever you do - Do it SLOWLY/gradually.
I question what exp/manufacturer date on box/pail for salt. Very low numbers for any salt mix, and crystals is a decent blend.
Not sure how youre treating for dino. best and safest is:
Prepare by starting with a water change and blow this stuff loose with a turkey baster and siphon up loose particles.
Turn lights off (at least white and run blue at 10-15%) for 5 days and at night dose 1ml of hydrogen peroxide per 10 gallons for all 5nights. If you dont have light dependant coral- turn all lights off.
During the day dose 1ml of liquid bacteria (such as bacter 7) per 10 gallons.
Clean filters daily and DO NOT FEED CORAL FOODS OR ADD NOPOX as it is food for dinos.
Day 5,, you can start with blue lights - ramping up and work your white lights up slowly

Test kits are salifert and just got them this year, no where close to expired. Salt I haven't checked but use the same salt on my reefer 250 which is doing great. Numbers taken with the same kits on my reefer 250 are also a lot better. I dont dose anything in this tank except I just did my second dose of Vibrant. Only light dependent would be my 3 bubble tip nems. Now I have tried 3 day black outs and dosing peroxide and it looks good after but only for a few days.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Try 5 day as recommended but also it is important to dose bacteria during the day and clean filters daily. You must blow stuff loose daily if present.
Peroxide reduces or removes the remaining cells of dino after your initially siphoning. Also sounds like you may benefit from a UV sterilizer for Dino and algae control also.

For salt, I would mix a quart or so as you normally do. Test it before it goes into your tank to see if readings differ. You can also take the same to a trusted LFS and have them test as verification of readings
Also test your RO water for TDS reading.

 

[Waffen06]

Try 5 day as recommended but also it is important to dose bacteria during the day and clean filters daily. You must blow stuff loose daily if present.
Peroxide reduces or removes the remaining cells of dino after your initially siphoning. Also sounds like you may benefit from a UV sterilizer for Dino and algae control also.

For salt, I would mix a quart or so as you normally do. Test it before it goes into your tank to see if readings differ. You can also take the same to a trusted LFS and have them test as verification of readings
Also test your RO water for TDS reading.

Ive had an UV running for the past 2 months. TDS is 0, Ill have to order the bacteria

 

[ScottB]

Reef Crystals mixes to 10.5 dkh so that is a puzzling reading.

How certain are you about your salinity?

 

[Waffen06]

I mixes up 5 gallons and you were about spot on. Changed 5 gallons and retested tank is now at 7.3 alk and 1.025 salinity. Will see how it looks in the morning. Will also test nitrates then.

@vetteguy53081 I dont know if my nems would survive a 5 day blackout.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I mixes up 5 gallons and you were about spot on. Changed 5 gallons and retested tank is now at 7.3 alk and 1.025 salinity. Will see how it looks in the morning. Will also test nitrates then.

@vetteguy53081 I dont know if my nems would survive a 5 day blackout.

You can leave 10-15% blue on for them

 

[KrisReef]

I'll take that frag, but first let me guess that you started this tank with dry rock?

The rock is eating your alkalinity. Not a joke, I didn't explain it like a chemist but if you are using that much dKh from Reef Crystals then it has to be going somewhere besides that nice monti. It will continue to precipitate out onto the rocks until the crystal structure gets filled up. (That's closer to what a chemist would tell you.)

Merry Christmas>

 

[Waffen06]

I'll take that frag, but first let me guess that you started this tank with dry rock?

The rock is eating your alkalinity. Not a joke, I didn't explain it like a chemist but if you are using that much dKh from Reef Crystals then it has to be going somewhere besides that nice monti. It will continue to precipitate out onto the rocks until the crystal structure gets filled up. (That's closer to what a chemist would tell you.)

Merry Christmas>

The tank was set up back in April (was bought used and had a little live rock from previous owner) and used established live rock from my main tank. Ive actually never used dry in either of my tanks.

 

[KrisReef]

Just checking to see the morning alk report.

 

[Waffen06]

Just checking to see the morning alk report.

Still at 7.3 this morning. Unfortunately one of my bubble tips didnt make it, looked terrible so I tossed it

 

[KrisReef]

Bummer. I hope you get this figured out and stabilized. GL.

 

[Waffen06]

Bummer. I hope you get this figured out and stabilized. GL.

Would it have been better if it changed from after my water change yesterday?

 

[sfin52]

Do you have a ton of coraline growing. That will chew through alk and calcium

 

[Waffen06]

Do you have a ton of coraline growing. That will chew through alk and calcium

Do not. Another update I got a new salifert nitrate kit for Christmas (thanks honey!) Bad news it tested 0 in the tank (I tested my reefer and its 5 so I know the kit is good). I would think 0 Nitrates is also a problem

 

[ScottB]

Do not. Another update I got a new salifert nitrate kit for Christmas (thanks honey!) Bad news it tested 0 in the tank (I tested my reefer and its 5 so I know the kit is good). I would think 0 Nitrates is also a problem

Sorry about your nem.
Generally, a zero NO3 result is not good. The exception would be if there is a lot of food consistently moving through the system with a lot of uptake & processing going on. Or if there was a ton of algae.

Do you have a Hanna for testing phosphates/phosphorus?