Why can't I keep SPS alive?
- Thread starter CKI
- Start date
- Tagged users None
I have a few questions followed by a couple issues i see from your initial statements.
How long has your tank been setup?
How are you maintaining alk, mag, and calcium?
Have you checked you alk, mag, calcium a couple times a day for a couple weeks to check for stability?
I honestly think your not giving them enough light, but they would not necessarily die from that...they would just turn brown and not grow. So IMO those lights at 30% are not enough to grow sps, but that level will not bleach them.
I don't think you have enough flow, to mj1200 in that tank isn't enough...if your trying to stay on a budget add a couple mj900 or 600.
I'd check your tank for stray/induced voltage. Maxijets are known to induce a voltage into systems, check to make sure this isn't an issue. A small voltage won't hurt anything but anything over say 12 volts I'd start to look for the problem.
Be sure your alk, calcium, and magnesium are not swinging? You wil need to measure them everyday, even twice a day for a couple weeks and record the results.
Be sure your temp is not swinging to much. Pic a temp and try to keep your tank within a half a degree of it all day. I keep my tank at 78 degrees.
Is a fox face safe with sps?
Make sure you carpet nem is not stressed, if it stressed it could be releasing nematocysts into the water column.
Maintain you current filtration and feed heavy, believe it or not sps are surprisingly hungry coral. They will benefit from extra feeding as long as you keep your water quality STABLE.
Shot for a phosphates between 0.01 and 0.03 and nitrates close to zero. Not zero but just above it.
How long has your tank been setup?
How are you maintaining alk, mag, and calcium?
Have you checked you alk, mag, calcium a couple times a day for a couple weeks to check for stability?
I honestly think your not giving them enough light, but they would not necessarily die from that...they would just turn brown and not grow. So IMO those lights at 30% are not enough to grow sps, but that level will not bleach them.
I don't think you have enough flow, to mj1200 in that tank isn't enough...if your trying to stay on a budget add a couple mj900 or 600.
I'd check your tank for stray/induced voltage. Maxijets are known to induce a voltage into systems, check to make sure this isn't an issue. A small voltage won't hurt anything but anything over say 12 volts I'd start to look for the problem.
Be sure your alk, calcium, and magnesium are not swinging? You wil need to measure them everyday, even twice a day for a couple weeks and record the results.
Be sure your temp is not swinging to much. Pic a temp and try to keep your tank within a half a degree of it all day. I keep my tank at 78 degrees.
Is a fox face safe with sps?
Make sure you carpet nem is not stressed, if it stressed it could be releasing nematocysts into the water column.
Maintain you current filtration and feed heavy, believe it or not sps are surprisingly hungry coral. They will benefit from extra feeding as long as you keep your water quality STABLE.
Shot for a phosphates between 0.01 and 0.03 and nitrates close to zero. Not zero but just above it.
Last edited:
Dan_k
Active Member
So everything you put in your tank dies? or just sps? imo all your levels look good the light might be alittle low i would take some water to your lfs and have them do a total work up on your water some will test for everything what test kit are you using for the po4? if everything dies you have big problem maybe some type of contamination just a couple thoughts
jservedio
Active Member
How are the SPS dying - that will give you a clue to what is going wrong. Are they starting to recede from the bottom slowly? Do you put them in and find them completely white in a day or two? Are the tips/top bleached white first while the rest of the acro is alive?
Describing what is happening will tell you what is wrong. If they are slowly receding from the bottom - it is most likely either lack of flow around the base or alkalinity swings. If they are immediately dying, it is probably something killing them like copper or something else that is poisonous to them. If the top is bleaching first - you lights are too powerful.
I would stay away from explaining it with "lack of light" because they would BROWN out, not bleach. Also, lack of light usually doesn't kill acros, they will turn a dark brown and grow really slowly even in very low light - but they won't die if all other conditions are met.
I also doubt your tank is "too clean" - if it were, you would have problems with all your coral - not just acros. If your tank was "too clean" the acros would be doing best.
Also - chalices are not "sps" - they are more in the LPS category and like the EXACT OPPOSITE of what Acros and Montis like. Chalices normally like VERY low light and VERY low flow. While acros typically want as much light and flow as you can give them.
Describing what is happening will tell you what is wrong. If they are slowly receding from the bottom - it is most likely either lack of flow around the base or alkalinity swings. If they are immediately dying, it is probably something killing them like copper or something else that is poisonous to them. If the top is bleaching first - you lights are too powerful.
I would stay away from explaining it with "lack of light" because they would BROWN out, not bleach. Also, lack of light usually doesn't kill acros, they will turn a dark brown and grow really slowly even in very low light - but they won't die if all other conditions are met.
I also doubt your tank is "too clean" - if it were, you would have problems with all your coral - not just acros. If your tank was "too clean" the acros would be doing best.
Also - chalices are not "sps" - they are more in the LPS category and like the EXACT OPPOSITE of what Acros and Montis like. Chalices normally like VERY low light and VERY low flow. While acros typically want as much light and flow as you can give them.
EW_Fish
Valuable Member
I lived in a townhome that had gas stove and heat and when I moved there every single sps I had over the years bleached... And I can bet any money its the gas... I also talked to a few local reefers and they had the same problem with gas stoves. Try opening windows running your skimmer intake outside. its not your tank. I even bought new sps and they all died I now bought a house without gas and everything is back to normal.
Dan_k
Active Member
If this is true I have a serious problem although my reef has been up and running for almost a year and I have great growth
EW_Fish
Valuable Member
EW_Fish
Valuable Member
You have extra Carbon Dioxide in your home which is shooting your ph down Quote "many factors tend to pull the pH out of the optimal range of many organisms commonly kept in marine aquaria. Excessively low pH, for example, makes it harder for calcifying organisms to deposit calcium carbonate skeletons. At a low enough pH, the skeletons will actually begin to dissolve."
Quote "The pH of marine aquarium water is intimately tied to the amount of carbon dioxide dissolved in the water. It is also tied to the alkalinity. In fact, if water is fully aerated (that is, it is in full equilibrium with normal air) then the pH is exactly determined by the carbonate alkalinity The higher the alkalinity, the higher the pH."
Quote "High indoor carbon dioxide levels can also lead to low pH problems in many tanks. Respiration by people and pets, the use of un-vented appliances burning natural gas (e.g., ovens and stoves) and the use of CaCO[SIZE=-1]3[/SIZE]/CO[SIZE=-1]2[/SIZE] reactors can lead to high indoor carbon dioxide levels. The level of carbon dioxide can easily be more than twice that of exterior air, and this excess can substantially lower the pH."
Quote "The pH of marine aquarium water is intimately tied to the amount of carbon dioxide dissolved in the water. It is also tied to the alkalinity. In fact, if water is fully aerated (that is, it is in full equilibrium with normal air) then the pH is exactly determined by the carbonate alkalinity The higher the alkalinity, the higher the pH."
Quote "High indoor carbon dioxide levels can also lead to low pH problems in many tanks. Respiration by people and pets, the use of un-vented appliances burning natural gas (e.g., ovens and stoves) and the use of CaCO[SIZE=-1]3[/SIZE]/CO[SIZE=-1]2[/SIZE] reactors can lead to high indoor carbon dioxide levels. The level of carbon dioxide can easily be more than twice that of exterior air, and this excess can substantially lower the pH."
ReefPiracy
Active Member
30% on your lights is way low. I find everyone thinks LEDS are too high when in fact they are too low. I run my lights 5-6 inches over tank at 100/100 for 8 hours a day. I get 400-600 par for my sps and around 150 on the sand bed. I find most LEDs don't have the par and spread that is needed. What lighting are you using? Ever par tested?
EW_Fish
Valuable Member
even if his lights were at 30 they wouldnt bleach. its his natural gas. I can promise thats the problem all of my testing came back perfect everytime and still sps would bleach and lps were fine. I even thought it was my lights.
Reef Fever
Valuable Member
seems like youre avoiding answering the question. HOW OLD IS YOUR TANK?
