What am I doing wrong?

[Opistognathus]

Hi everyone. I guess I'm partially making this thread out of confusion and frustration. I've tried keeping SPS corals for about the last 2 years and haven't been very successful at all. The most growth I ever got was on a red planet that encrusted a good bit, stopped, STNed a little and then RTNed later. For most of my SPS, they are usually at a standstill with lackluster color (hard to describe, but they're not browned out and they're not really bleached - almost just a dull color). Not very good polyp extension. No encrusting and no growth (except a little on a monti cap, and some really tiny "bursts" of growth on a spongodes). Occasionally they'll start to STN a little, then stop later. A few frags have completely RTNed. Here are my params:


A. Total water volume ( Please include sump, etc.)
- 120g display tank, 40g sump

B. What are your parameters? ( CA, ALK, PO4,Salinity, etc.)
- Calcium is usually 420 when I check (once every 2 weeks). ALK I'm not positive on (and a little confused about). I have been using API (which I hear works but isn't great), and it seems like I can do a test and get 10, then do a test later in the day and get 8. I just did two tests now and got an Alk of 10. Nitrates are at 0 (they used to be about 30 but I vodka dose now). Phosphates are at 0.02 (with a Hanna meter, but somehow I don't believe it still). Salinity is a constant 1.025.

C. Type of lighting. Please include age, watts, and bulb/ballast name.
- LEDs, 180 watts. 2:1 ratio of royal blue and neutral white. 8.5 hour photoperiod.

D. Filtration method (Skimmer, GFO, DSB, etc.)
- KZ revolution medium, 10ml/day of vodka, chaeto and mangroves. ROX carbon in a reactor, but my majestic angel got HLLE a few days ago, so I discontinued use (and the HLLE went away). 10% water changes weekly.

E. What types of corals do you keep other than SPS?
- A clam (doing fine), a few zoanthids (also doing fine), multiple photosynthetic gorgonians (fine) and a duncan (which has grown a lot and done really well).

F. How long has the tank been running?
- This particular tank started in March of this year (so 8 months), but it was an upgrade from a 20g, which I started in about January of 2011.

G. What are you dosing? Dosing schedule?
- 10ml of vodka per day, all dosed once in the morning before I go to school.

H. Which brand of salt are you using?
- Instant ocean reef crystals

I. What brand of test kits are you employing?
- Hanna meter for PO4, API for nitrates, alk, and calcium.

J. What are you using for CA/ALK supplementation?
- B-ionic 2 part. This could be my problem, but I don't dose much because I'm confused by my alk. However, since I don't get growth, I don't know why I would really need to dose at this point.. :squigglemouth: About three days ago I tried to start up a dosing regimen of 10ml Alk/Ca per day, but today one of my frags that had been at a standstill just RTNed and I think that might have been the culprit.

K. What are you using for flow? (Pump names, how many, placement, etc.)
- Two MP40s, one on the left side of the tank and one on the right.



Basically I'm wondering if anyone could suggest what I'm doing wrong. It sounds like the answer could be right in front of me (the alk) but I kind of wanted a second opinion and advice. How should I be testing my Alk? When should I start testing my Alk? How much should I start dosing?

Thanks a bunch for any help.

 

[TrueReef]

What are you using for lighting? Also, where is the placement of the SPS? The calcium levels could be a little bit higher for SPS (460 ppm is generally where i keep mine). They may also be getting too much direct flow or not enough flow. A common misconception of SPS is that they need a ton of flow, so people place them almost in front of their pumps. Too much direct flow can kill them because it doesn't allow for polyps to open.

 

[always reefin]

Alk is very important when keeping SPS. They don't like it high, 7-8 range I believe. Has to be monitored daily and closely

 

[ritter6788]

I'd start by getting back to basics. Stop Vodka, GFO, dosing of ANY kind for now. Keep your salinity spot on, skim, use macroalgae in your sump. Do small, frequent water changes. Vodka and GFO together can over strip the water of nutrients. Test alkalinity, calcium and magnesium weekly minimum. Only dose if needed.

 

[TrueReef]

I'd start by getting back to basics. Stop Vodka, GFO, dosing of ANY kind for now. Keep your salinity spot on, skim, use macroalgae in your sump. Do small, frequent water changes. Vodka and GFO together can over strip the water of nutrients. Test alkalinity, calcium and magnesium weekly minimum. Only dose if needed.

+1 Vodka should really only be dosed if you're having a major algae problem

 

[rayviv]

I'd start by getting back to basics. Stop Vodka, GFO, dosing of ANY kind for now. Keep your salinity spot on, skim, use macroalgae in your sump. Do small, frequent water changes. Vodka and GFO together can over strip the water of nutrients. Test alkalinity, calcium and magnesium weekly minimum. Only dose if needed.

+1, I completely agree with ritter6788. Stop everything and start over. I think you have several things going wacko. Stop the carbon also. Get your salinity where you want it. I have a friend that runs @.026 and his DKH @ 10. Not to disagree with always reefing. But the main thing is STABILITY!
Start with those 2 and give it some time. It could be just the vodka dosing that has thrown things out of wack. So just start over with weekly water changes and no carbon or vodka.
There is a lot of great info on here and recommend keeping us posted. Would also like to recommend the Hanna Checker for your DKH checking. I just got one the other day and it is so much easier and accurate. Also buy an extra bottle of regent when ordering. I'm glad I did. I checked my alk. 2-3 x a day at different times and used Bulk Reef Supply online calculator to figure out the amount needed.

Good luck and great Reefin
Ray

 

[Opistognathus]

Thanks very much for your replies everyone - it's a lot of help. I think I'll stop dosing vodka for now. I forgot to include 2 odd things about the tank. First, the chaeto in the sump isn't growing. In some areas it's even turning grey and crumbly (maybe the vodka is overstripping the water?). Also, I do get some algae, but it's brown and stringy (cyano from the vodka, maybe), and it's mainly on the substrate. I'll also order a Hanna checker (thanks for the tip!) and start up an actual dosing schedule. Thanks!! I'll keep everyone updated.