Unhappy with my tank, need some advice.

[Jakepen]

So quick backstory tank is a waterbox 105.4 so it’s 48x24x16, it has been set up for almost five months now.
-Lighting two Kessil 360Xs running at 75% intensity for about five hours with time ramping up and down to equate about 10 hours. I’ve recently added a third 360 but have been slow to turn it on.
-Flow I have two MP40s, and a tunze 6095.
-Skimmer is a nyos 160, run it probably 5 days out of the week
-Chaeto in the fuge, light it 5 days out of the week.
Dosing about 100ml a day of calcium and alk.
-Alk has been steady at 8 (took me a while to dial it in)
-Calcium keeps creeping up, 470 right now
-Mag (have not had to adjust) is 1500
-No3 .5
-Po4 .02

I’m trying to do SPS dominant, however I’m not happy with the coral in my tank, at all really. I have maybe 15 different pieces, very little polyp extension, virtually no growth, dull or no color, one nice piece I had is starting to lose its skin, some have algae growing on them. The algae growth I will contribute to my recent addition of feeding, reef roids and rotifers a few times weekly, also I have acropower set up on a doser (min recommended amount). So I know the recent increase in cyano and algae growth is from the feedings, so I’m backing off a bit. Some pieces I’ve had for almost two months, have sort of encrusted, but that’s it. Not sure what I’m doing wrong, lots of random flow, adequate lighting, yet I’m not blasting them, stable numbers. Tank is young, however I feel like everything else is in line. Anybody have any thoughts?

Currently have two clowns, two lyretails, melanarus and a hawkfish.

 

[Jakepen]

Sorry for the poor photos

 

[Crustaceon]

I’d pull the skimmer tbh. If you’re holding low nutrients with chaeto, then a skimmer isn’t going to be incredibly beneficial and could be stripping out stuff that would otherwise color up your coral. I used to run a skimmer but just run chaeto now. I literally see an oil sheen on the water surface in the sump. I’m feeding my corals just like you, but my N&P and undetectable. The colors are fantastic and this is with t5 lighting (6-bulb over a 55g). I dose saturated kalk continuously on a kamoer fx-stp which keeps the tank at 8.4ph. When I had the skimmer set up, it was 8.6ph. I honestly get MUCH better color and growth where I am now. Secondly, rent a par meter. I’d want to see at least 200 par at the sand. It just looks...dim to me.

 

[DHill6]

You might read ‘how I dose KZ thread’ Once the bacteria was built up in tank it was a total turn around.

 

[brandon429]

Jake it looks great it really does.

that is rock maturation in progress, it doesn't look like our normal invasion tanks it looks like an awesome tank. its so nice and clean I cant even advocate ripping it apart for total surgery, and you know how fun that is to do.

 

[Jakepen]

I’d pull the skimmer tbh. If you’re holding low nutrients with chaeto, then a skimmer isn’t going to be incredibly beneficial and could be stripping out stuff that would otherwise color up your coral. I used to run a skimmer but just run chaeto now. I literally see an oil sheen on the water surface in the sump. I’m feeding my corals just like you, but my N&P and undetectable. The colors are fantastic and this is with t5 lighting (6-bulb over a 55g). I dose saturated kalk continuously on a kamoer fx-stp which keeps the tank at 8.4ph. When I had the skimmer set up, it was 8.6ph. I honestly get MUCH better color and growth where I am now. Secondly, rent a par meter. I’d want to see at least 200 par at the sand. It just looks...dim to me.

Yeah that’s why I’ve been running it less, I mean it pulls some very dark thick skim, but that’s some good nutrients in there! Like I said I have been feeding coral regularly and I feed my fish pretty heavy, also adding another five fish Saturday. Was going for heavy input heavy export method (coral euphoria from YouTube). Also a par meter is definitely on the list to borrow from a local reefer, I know leds can be dangerous when unchecked.

 

[Jakepen]

You might read ‘how I dose KZ thread’ Once the bacteria was built up in tank it was a total turn around.

Where is that thread located? Kind of comes back to a young tank sometimes doesn’t it, also I’m not experienced with sps.

 

[Jakepen]

Jake it looks great it really does.

that is rock maturation in progress, it doesn't look like our normal invasion tanks it looks like an awesome tank. its so nice and clean I cant even advocate ripping it apart for total surgery, and you know how fun that is to do.

Lol yeah I know you love a good tear down and cleanup. Thank you for your kind words, I do try to stay on top of my husbandry. Sometimes perhaps too well, which is why I have to fight for some nutrients.

 

[Crustaceon]

Yeah that’s why I’ve been running it less, I mean it pulls some very dark thick skim, but that’s some good nutrients in there! Like I said I have been feeding coral regularly and I feed my fish pretty heavy, also adding another five fish Saturday. Was going for heavy input heavy export method (coral euphoria from YouTube). Also a par meter is definitely on the list to borrow from a local reefer, I know leds can be dangerous when unchecked.

It sounds like we’re following the same strategy. I’m just pushing my chaeto harder and completely took the skimmer out of the equation. The tank is getting 15ml of seachem fuel and 3/4 tsp of reefroids twice a week on top of my heavy fish stocking (including a hippo tang in a 55g...ssshhhh). I’m really curious about the par level in your system though. Everything else doesn’t look too far off parameter-wise.

 

[ReefLaw]

Bump up your Ph with Kalk through dosing and add 5-7 reef safe fish to get your nutrients up.

 

[driftin]

I'd not make any big changes until you check your PAR. My gut is that the levels will be really low with those fixtures and the spread, but it also looks like you have pieces mounted high in the tank and directly under the lights.

Have you confirmed quality of your RODI water?

What other bio load do you have in the tank? Looks like 4 fish, from that last photo?

 

[DHill6]

Where is that thread located? Kind of comes back to a young tank sometimes doesn’t it, also I’m not experienced with sps.

Should’ve read ‘Zeovit how I dose it ‘
Put that into search should point you to it.
Very enlightening, he has two threads on Zeovit

 

[Tiki Reef Joshua]

My SPS was doo doo until I checked par. I was low. Turned things up and the acros are happy. I also pulled my passive carbon.

 

[Jakepen]

Bump up your Ph with Kalk through dosing and add 5-7 reef safe fish to get your nutrients up.

Dosing soda ash, my ph stays above 8 usually around 8.2 (should have included that in ordinal post).

 

[Jakepen]

I'd not make any big changes until you check your PAR. My gut is that the levels will be really low with those fixtures and the spread, but it also looks like you have pieces mounted high in the tank and directly under the lights.

Have you confirmed quality of your RODI water?

What other bio load do you have in the tank? Looks like 4 fish, from that last photo?

RODI should be good, filters are relatively new and I read 0 TDS. Think my par is too low? With the tank being younger and not a ton of nutrients available I don’t want to blast the coral with light. I thought three 360s over a 4’ tank would be adequate. Would little PE and algae growth on coral be a sign of too little light?

 

[Jakepen]

Should’ve read ‘Zeovit how I dose it ‘
Put that into search should point you to it.
Very enlightening, he has two threads on Zeovit

I’m not a fan of the zeovit method, however I will look into those threads thank you.

 

[Jakepen]

My SPS was doo doo until I checked par. I was low. Turned things up and the acros are happy. I also pulled my passive carbon.

Yeah that reminds me I should swap out my carbon lol. Really, how old was your tank when you cranked up the lighting?

 

[JCOLE]

I would check PAR. Tank looks dim. Also, could be age of tank as well with lack of nutrients.

 

[Jakepen]

Isn’t a concern too much light rather than too little light?

 

[Crustaceon]

RODI should be good, filters are relatively new and I read 0 TDS. Think my par is too low? With the tank being younger and not a ton of nutrients available I don’t want to blast the coral with light. I thought three 360s over a 4’ tank would be adequate. Would little PE and algae growth on coral be a sign of too little light?

Yes. Basically part of the skeleton is becoming exposed due to tissue recession and is allowing algae to grow there. You can compensate by feeding but only to a certain extent. Lighting is the primary food source as I’ve never known a blacked out acro-dominant system than runs on only daily doses of food like a NPS tank. Before I’d do anything, I’d really check par and get that squared away.