Why is my SPS dying off??

[Chris_Noles]

My SPS has been dying off, I have been fighting Dinos recently but they seem like they are almost gone. Here are my parameters

Here are my parameters
9.7 alk
488 Cal
Nitrates 2.5ppm
Phosphates 0
Salinity 1.025

Currently running carbon in a reactor and running a UV sterilizer 24/7 also have attached my lighting schedule.

 

[Chris_Noles]

 

[Uncle99]

Phosphate 0…..bad number.
Dose that up to 0.05-.1ppm….they are starving.
That should solve your Dino problem as well.

 

[Chris_Noles]

Algae is growing on the burning bana and completely killed my cyphastera and killed off a favia and chalice

 

[Chris_Noles]

Phosphate 0…..bad number.
Dose that up to 0.05-.1ppm….they are starving.
That should solve your Dino problem as well.

I've dosed phosphate but havent gotten it detectable yet when testing my tank, should I double dose?

 

[Miami Reef]

Take my opinion with a grain of salt:

Alk of 9.7dkh with 0 phosphates is a bad idea. I’m pretty sure that causes bleaching/STN/RTN

Your lights seem like it’s pretty low intensity. I have ai hydras with UV, blues at 100% and greens, reds, whites at 40% im getting 350-400 par and I’m using a 20 gallon long.

 

[Lavey29]

I've dosed phosphate but havent gotten it detectable yet when testing my tank, should I double dose?

I had to double dose neophos and neonitro for multiple weeks before I got some measurable numbers.

How old is your tank?

 

[Uncle99]

I've dosed phosphate but havent gotten it detectable yet when testing my tank, should I double dose?

Depends on if you believe the test!
A Hanna UL Phosphorus checker I would trust, others, not so much.
You do need to maintain Trace nitrate (which you have) and trace phosphate.
While corals can consume nitrate directly, phosphate feeds the bacteria population which feeds the coral.

 

[TheDragonsReef]

Definitely a phosphates issue. Feeding reef roids will help with that and give the corals nutrients directly. Thats how i keep up phosphates in my frag tank. If not up the dose for the neo phos

 

[Acrofiend]

Zero nitrates will lighten coral but zero phosphates will kill coral.

 

[131696]

Phosphate 0 feed the fish more to get this up. Stop filtration or slow it down your starving the corals .don't eat supper tonight and see how you are tomorrow have dead I bet your doing same thing to them.need that number up Alittle ,or unless you feed alot and 12 hrs later there at 0 then that's ok because filter system is taken them out ,look at coral euphoria on youtube if you want to stay at 0 phosphates but you got to feed alot and take out nutrients a lot also.

 

[happyhourhero]

I had to dose almost a liter of neophos into my 25g over time before I could keep phosphates up

 

[131696]

Slow down filtration and feed fish a lot of food with phosphates if feed once a day feed 2 times now tank is evolving needs more shouldn't have to dose just feed more

 

[Chris_Noles]

I had to double dose neophos and neonitro for multiple weeks before I got some measurable numbers.

How old is your tank?

A little over a year old

 

[Chris_Noles]

Depends on if you believe the test!
A Hanna UL Phosphorus checker I would trust, others, not so much.
You do need to maintain Trace nitrate (which you have) and trace phosphate.
While corals can consume nitrate directly, phosphate feeds the bacteria population which feeds the coral.

I should get a hanna checker but I use the salifert for phosphates and nitrates

 

[Chris_Noles]

Definitely a phosphates issue. Feeding reef roids will help with that and give the corals nutrients directly. Thats how i keep up phosphates in my frag tank. If not up the dose for the neo phos

So I have reef roids and neo phos. I’ll dose roids (regularly?) and hopefully that gets them up

 

[Chris_Noles]

Take my opinion with a grain of salt:

Alk of 9.7dkh with 0 phosphates is a bad idea. I’m pretty sure that causes bleaching/STN/RTN

Your lights seem like it’s pretty low intensity. I have ai hydras with UV, blues at 100% and greens, reds, whites at 40% im getting 350-400 par and I’m using a 20 gallon long.

You are definitely right, I have an AI Hydra 52 on a 25g, lightning schedule could definitely be an issue. Are you able to post what your ramp up and ramp down schedule looks like?

 

[Miami Reef]

You are definitely right, I have an AI Hydra 52 on a 25g, lightning schedule could definitely be an issue. Are you able to post what your ramp up and ramp down schedule looks like?

I actually took another par reading today. I lowered my levels to:

All blues and UV: 70% and the rest around 30%

Honestly, I just go to manual mode, select the color (Kelvin) that I like, then adjust the intensity with the intensity slider.

With the values I had previously (that you quoted) the acros were in the sides of the tank to avoid direct lighting. With this new intensity, I can place them directly under the light and it will get 350 par which is more than enough to sustain acros.

I just put it for 8 hours with no ramping, kind of like my T5’s.

You can play with ramping if you’d like, but it’s all for your visual benefit. Corals don’t need ramping and more light can make algaes take over if you don’t have other means of limiting them (nutrients, herbivores, space, trace, etc)

 

[ScottB]

I should get a hanna checker but I use the salifert for phosphates and nitrates

Hanna low range PO4 (or phosphorus) is required.
Hanna NO3 high range is pretty darn good.

 

[Chris_Noles]

Hanna low range PO4 (or phosphorus) is required.
Hanna NO3 high range is pretty darn good.

So go with a hanna checker for phosphates? and what should I target? Will running my skimmer remove phosphates or just nitrates?