Weekend Ruined! Lesson Learned!

[specialk]

Thanks guys ... ! Seriously!

If it wasnt for this thread and everyone's help, who knows what would have happened! Your help has been invaluable!!

 

[drawman]

I think you've had some great advice here. It's possible that you moved a little quick with the nitrate which shocked the SPS even though your reading isn't that high. They get to be finicky with just about everything.

 

[specialk]

Since you don't carbon dose, feeding more will likely solve the issue for you. It's good to test for NO3 and PO4 on a regular basis, you have to remember that your corals will do best with a little bit of both. The best way to figure out how much of each is to keep track of both, when your tank is looking it's best (after it stabilizes again). You should be able to refer to your parameters you have recorded and you can note the NO3 and PO4 levels, pick where everything seems to like it the most, and let your tank balance around there. (That's the real secret to this hobby). It takes time and a little exploration on your part, but it will pay off big time in the long run!

Also... how many times a day you think I should feed that flake food... 3? (obviously going to start testing p04 as soon as I get that tester)

 

[Rick.45cal]

Also... how many times a day you think I should feed that flake food... 3? (obviously going to start testing p04 as soon as I get that tester)

You can afford to go a little heavy in the beginning I think. You have to remember though the problem with using food is you have to wait for it to break down for it to become testable phosphate, that being said the animals themselves will benefit from eating a food high in phosphorus as this should help them not be starved for it (in theory). So don't go hog wild, but you can probably feed more than you ordinarily would. I doubt I would do 3x a day, but feeding a nice broadcast feeding at night when everyone has their feeding tentacles out every day for a week isn't going to hurt your system.

Drawman is right, there is always the potential that the shock of the NO3 and all the waterchanges have cause the SPS to be unhappy. You won't know until you can test and build up enough data to be able to see trends in your nutrient levels. In the meantime feed your corals and fish and get them fat and happy!

 

[specialk]

You can afford to go a little heavy in the beginning I think. You have to remember though the problem with using food is you have to wait for it to break down for it to become testable phosphate, that being said the animals themselves will benefit from eating a food high in phosphorus as this should help them not be starved for it (in theory). So don't go hog wild, but you can probably feed more than you ordinarily would. I doubt I would do 3x a day, but feeding a nice broadcast feeding at night when everyone has their feeding tentacles out every day for a week isn't going to hurt your system.

Drawman is right, there is always the potential that the shock of the NO3 and all the waterchanges have cause the SPS to be unhappy. You won't know until you can test and build up enough data to be able to see trends in your nutrient levels. In the meantime feed your corals and fish and get them fat and happy!

Awesome! Will do exactly this!

My sps have been lacking colors for awhile so looking forward to getting things the way they should be. Acropower def helped some ... but not what I was expecting and what others have experienced. Which is what lead me to believe I had other things I needed to get right. So hopefully this is it!

 

[GoVols]

Awesome! Will do exactly this!

My sps have been lacking colors for awhile so looking forward to getting things the way they should be. Acropower def helped some ... but not what I was expecting and what others have experienced. Which is what lead me to believe I had other things I needed to get right. So hopefully this is it!

specialk,
Have you tried "Red Sea Coral Colors"?

 

[specialk]

specialk,
Have you tried "Red Sea Coral Colors"?

No I have not ... and funny you ask, as I was just about to ask about that and if it would be worth my time to try?

worth it? what is the main benefit of it? I am assuming it is different from Acro power?

Currently dosing BRS for alk, c, and Mag .. and acro power obviously.

 

[GoVols]

No I have not ... and funny you ask, as I was just about to ask about that and if it would be worth my time to try?

worth it? what is the main benefit of it? I am assuming it is different from Acro power?

Currently dosing BRS for alk, c, and Mag .. and acro power obviously.

specialk,
The last thing I was using was AF Component 1+ 2+ 3+. Is was really nice but my corals had a more pastel look.

I happened to be looking at BRS sales last fall and Red Sea ABC+ was at $32 a 5kg bucket. It does the big-3 plus it has Colors A & B in it for reds. Figured why not get it a shot
In two weeks I noticed that my reds were deepening. In a month they were on fire. So after the New Year I got Colors C & D and dose them with the ABC+. I have to admit that "All" my corals have never looked better and all my sps are spreading with those good growth white edges.

With the ABC+ I do have to bump up my alk and mag separately from time to time.
My Apex DOS pumps have been collecting dust since last November.

Right now I've found a rhythm using to ABC+. If it got too wacky I'd fire up my DOS pumps and use RS ABC for the big three and use Colors A,B,C & D too.

I also have been feeding Red Sea "Reef Energy" too.

 

[specialk]

@GoVols this sounds interesting. Def has me intrigued. I think I may look into that more once I get things stable here. I am assuming you dose this with standard dosing pump like bubble magus or something like that? I am also assuming I would take thew standard dosing offline (C, alk, mag?)

I have reef foundation A, B and C laying around here that I never used, but Iknow that is different

 

[specialk]

@GoVols @Rick.45cal Just tested P04 with Hanna checker .. 1st time running a test, but ------> 0.00!!!!!

Just stick to plan on over fedding with some flake food, or should I dose the Brightwell Aquatics NeoPhos?

 

[GoVols]

@GoVols @Rick.45cal Just tested P04 with Hanna checker .. 1st time running a test, but ------> 0.00!!!!!

Just stick to plan on over fedding with some flake food, or should I dose the Brightwell Aquatics NeoPhos?

I don't like using dosing products for phos. or nitrates but that's JMO and my comfort level

If I doesed up something like phos. I'd have to get RH-F's / twilliard's's incite first

 

[specialk]

Sorry @GoVols ...my brain may be fried ...but "RH-Fs" ....not sure what ya mean

 

[Rick.45cal]

RH-F's= Randy Holmes-Farley's

I'd try feeding first

 

[GoVols]

RH-F's= Randy Holmes-Farley's

I'd try feeding first

+1
Get that flake food going and find a "natural" balance

 

[specialk]

RH-F's= Randy Holmes-Farley's

I'd try feeding first

Ahhh gotcha! Ok....yah I fed flake food once today and then a broadcast feeding just about 15 minutes ago when my lights went out.

My concern is im really seeing the bleach and white out spots on many of the sps. Just want to get it fixed in time![emoji33] [emoji33]

 

[GoVols]

Ahhh gotcha! Ok....yah I fed flake food once today and then a broadcast feeding just about 15 minutes ago when my lights went out.

My concern is im really seeing the bleach and white out spots on many of the sps. Just want to get it fixed in time![emoji33] [emoji33]

You can feed your fish more at one time or start feeding them more than once a day.
I would not just drop flake food in with lights out.

Let your fish "consume" more food each day

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"Just want to get it fixed in time!"
lol
All we have is time ... Sorry, I just had to say that.
The SPS bleaching is going to take a lot of patience.

 

[drawman]

You can feed your fish more at one time or start feeding them more than once a day.
I would not just drop flake food in with lights out.

Let your fish "consume" more food each day

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Just want to get it fixed in time!"
lol
All we have is time ... Sorry, I just had to say that.
The SPS bleaching is going to take a lot of patience.

+1. Acros go down hill fast and recover slowly so keep the course and keep things steady. Things may get a little worse before they get better but it's a good thing you're getting some PO4 in the water

 

[specialk]

How often should I be testing for P04?

 

[GoVols]

How often should I be testing for P04?

specialk,
This is JMO...
Feed your fish more and more often with flake food.
I would not check your Po4 but about once a week. JMO
You need your P04 to come up slowly so you can find your feeding sweet spot and be able to mange the Po4 over the long haul. Right now my Po4 is low too. It's was at .015ppm two weeks ago. So, I still do a weekly water change but I cut it down from 15 gallons to 10 and I'm feeding my fish more often. I will recheck my phos. this weekend to see if it's slowly rising.

I'm am dosing RS Colors so I know my corals are still getting their micro elements even though I'm doing smaller water changes

drawman, Is spot on. Your SPS may not have hit bottom yet and either way it will take them a long time for them to recover.

 

[specialk]

Ok great guys! Again thanks!!

I also have a sump with some chaeto macro algae .. I am assuming I should take that out!!!! ???

I just removed about 95% of it. there are still some pieces in there, but not even close to what it was before. I had a lot in there before.