What am I doing wrong?

[Max93]

I don’t know what could be causing that. I’ve never had obviously “cloudy” water. Sounds like a bacterial bloom but can’t be sure.

It’s bed time for me
Good night for now

Thank you and goodnight! I’ll reply back when I have my phosphate and par checked this week.

 

[Bronx19]

15 years is a bad run and you aren't going to turn the corner tinkering with lighting schedules and magnesium.

Water parameters are a piece of tick. Mix the water up to natural sea water levels and put in the tank, don't even bother testing after that. Set the PAR to 250 where the acros are. Take your skimmer off line and just run a bag of regular carbon (not ROX) passively in the sump.

 

[anthonygf]

I didn’t get the ultra low, I got the regular version do you think that’s fine or should I change my order?

I intend on making these lights a T5 hybrid as the acros grow, I wouldn’t imagine that being for another two years or so at this rate, I Think, haha.

it looks like it may be too much light though, with the tips burnt, growing algae and losing color? Also polyps shrinking.

no pests for sure, frags came from other hobbyists successful tank and I did 30 months of quarantine and two dips of Bayer.

Hi Max. I don't see an answer for your question about the Po4 tester. You should get the ultra low, I have both and when I get a zero reading on the regular the ultra low shows 0.04 (13ppb on the HI736 tester). They have a conversion chart on Hanna website to convert ppb to ppm. It is a phosphorous ppb to phosphate ppm. You are better off with the ULR, has a lower margin of error.

 

[olonmv]

Thank you. Before I remove the chemipure-

I kept having very cloudy water, and I don’t know what it was. Water changes wouldn’t clear it. When I put the chemipure blue, it removed it and I have crystal clear water again.

I removed chemipure blue after it cleared and it came back again.

still remove it?

Cloudyness in my tank was due to bacteria blooms. I would do a capful of stability daily for about a month and now do a capful after water changes when needed. It helped a bunch. I run a 13.5 gallon nano. You’ll need to dose based on your volume if you go the stability route.

 

[Max93]

Thank you all for the replies! I have the ultra low Hannah checker on the way, two days. Par meter 3 days.

for the suggestions about turning off the skimmer, etc. I am very hesitant to do so as my parameters are very stable. Should I just wait for two days before making adjustments, you know have the full picture first?

I am currently running auto doser for Alk, mg, and calcium. Nitrates are at 5 (salifert).

will turning off the skimmer hurt anything?

 

[anthonygf]

Thank you all for the replies! I have the ultra low Hannah checker on the way, two days. Par meter 3 days.

for the suggestions about turning off the skimmer, etc. I am very hesitant to do so as my parameters are very stable. Should I just wait for two days before making adjustments, you know have the full picture first?

I am currently running auto doser for Alk, mg, and calcium. Nitrates are at 5 (salifert).

will turning off the skimmer hurt anything?

Run the skimmer part time, I run mine when lights are off. Also I have my skimmate draining into the filter box. At least run it for the gas exchange.

 

[Max93]

Run the skimmer part time, I run mine when lights are off. Also I have my skimmate draining into the filter box. At least run it for the gas exchange.

Thank you, turning it off now.

 

[alain Bouchard]

what are you dosing exactly, and what is the delays between each dose? IE if you dose everything all at once, that would explain the cloudiness.

 

[Max93]

what are you dosing exactly, and what is the delays between each dose? IE if you dose everything all at once, that would explain the cloudiness.

I dose Alk mg and calcium.
I dose 5ml every hour for each element except magnesium total of 20ml a day per element.

for example:

Alk 11am - 5ml
Ca 12pm - 5ml
Mg - 1230pm - 5ml

Alk 130pm -5ml
Ca 230pm - 5ml
Etc.

 

[alain Bouchard]

I dose Alk mg and calcium.
I dose 5ml every hour for each element except magnesium total of 20ml a day per element.

for example:

Alk 11am - 5ml
Ca 12pm - 5ml
Mg - 1230pm - 5ml

Alk 130pm -5ml
Ca 230pm - 5ml
Etc.

what product are you dosing? 3 part (what are your proportions?)? red sea? seachem? etc. IMAO, if your parameter are stable, your light are good, your flow is strong enough, your NO3/PO4 are in check, no fish is picking at the corals; your cloudiness is the only thing that is not normal in the tank, and that is what should be fixed first.

 

[terraincognita]

1200 MG kinda low for 400 Calc no?

you’re dosing them by hand or auto dosers?

you dose QT and DT the same?

 

[Max93]

The QT is not dosed.

I dose mag Alk and CA that my LFS mixes and sells by the gallon.
Not sure on the phosphates yet but we will find out in two days!
The slimer is looking really good today, and all I did was turn off the skimmer. Not sure if this is the effect, the skimmer has only been off for a couple of hours, can’t be that fast can it? Posting pic momentarily

I use an auto doser.

 

[Max93]

Pic of slimer today.

 

[Bronx19]

Thank you all for the replies! I have the ultra low Hannah checker on the way, two days. Par meter 3 days.

for the suggestions about turning off the skimmer, etc. I am very hesitant to do so as my parameters are very stable. Should I just wait for two days before making adjustments, you know have the full picture first?

I am currently running auto doser for Alk, mg, and calcium. Nitrates are at 5 (salifert).

will turning off the skimmer hurt anything?

Stability will improve without the skimmer. Rock solid. No nitrate, no phosphate but perfectly colored SPS. I've done this on two tanks now, its a winner. I couldn't keep SPS alive longer than 6 months running a skimmer. Its just impossible to keep nutrients in the goldilocks zone.

 

[Cool tangs]

Did you get par readings? Ive been having some issues myself and i have the seneye. I based it off reviews of people saying they read higher, but i actually think its spot on! Acro tips always seem to bleach once i move them past the sandbed. So ive adjusted to the actual seneye readings and things seem to be looking better. I also removed lenses on my light and spread is way better and tank looks better in general.

I found running my doser 24/7 ended up better the 12 hours a day. My alk was always low in the mornings and high in the arvo. Once i went 24 hours its the same morning and arvo now.

Hope you figure it out and curious for myself!

 

[anthonygf]

Stability will improve without the skimmer. Rock solid. No nitrate, no phosphate but perfectly colored SPS. I've done this on two tanks now, its a winner. I couldn't keep SPS alive longer than 6 months running a skimmer. Its just impossible to keep nutrients in the goldilocks zone.

I use a skimmer part time and drain my skimmate into the filter box onto the pad, any heavy particles will get trapped and the liquid (gold) nutrients will return to the water column. Seems to work for me. And I don't have to worry about the cup overflowing or manually emptying it.

 

[Max93]

This is so interesting on the basis of not using the skimmer, and just going for it part time as well. I’m thinking of running it 24/7 when tank is fully stocked, otherwise it is good for gas exchange only. I’ve had it off for 24 hours now, I am thinking of leaving it on 24/7 but leaving the drain hole open so it just automatically throws the waste back into the sump.

Cool Tang, I will have the par meter this Thursday and I’ll report my findings.

I run my doser only during lights on.

 

[Max93]

Just updating - slimer looks FLUFFY. Looks awesome, hoping it was this easy of a fix.

 

[TheDragonsReef]

Im going with lighting. 4 32hds are not enough for a 220. Id supplement with some 6ft reefbrite xhos or add 2 more 32hds.

For example im running 6 64hds on my 265 sps dominant system.

Also just saw your last comment that its doing better after turning off the skimmer. Even sps like some nutrients, but you will also get much better growth with more light coverage even at the same par.

 

[Max93]

Im going with lighting. 4 32hds are not enough for a 220. Id supplement with some 6ft reefbrite xhos or add 2 more 32hds.

For example im running 6 64hds on my 265 sps dominant system.

Could very well be! This is the waterbox 220.6.
Once I get the par meter I’ll post my findings.