SPS problems

[dannyab84]

Hey guy I am stumped! I cant figure out why my sps corals like acros and lps/chalices die. I keep trying again and again with little success. I do have some SPS that do well like my pink birds nest that grow very quickly and iv had a cap coral for a long time with a small amount of growth. I have a 55 gallon mixed reef that is mostly zoanthids. I wonder if I am missing something? I have a lot of flow and have two AI vega colors set about 40% intensity blues and whites 5% on red and green. any tip on where I can look to find the problem? below are my tests I just did. Let me know if I can get any more information about my tank.

Chems
Ammonia 0
nitrates - 2-10
po4 - cant tell don't have a Hanna checkers but, should be like 0.01
mag 1650 this seems high. but, is it to high to kill?
cal - 500
alk 10.5 too high too?
PH 7.8 at around 2 in the afternoon. seems low.

I think maybe my PH swinging through out the day may have something to do with it? should I maybe run my sump witch has a frag tank lights at night?

Thanks for any help guys!
Dan

 

[Pete polyp]

CA and mag are a bit high, but I don't think that's the issue. You say "lots of flow" which doesn't really say much. How many gph is it exactly?

How long did the acro frags last in your tank?

How long is your light cycle?

Did you acclimate to light?

 

[footballdude2k3]

What's your temp?
What powerheads do you have?
Pics of your tank?
How do you acclimate new coral to your tank?
How long does the coral last before it dies?
Do you use CoralRx or something similar to dip your coral when you first get it?
Where are you getting the coral from?
If your whites are really only on 5%, it sounds like they might not be getting enough daylight

 

[footballdude2k3]

When it dies, does it turn white, or does it go brown and then white?

 

[dannyab84]

Ok so, ramp for lights are 6 hours on for a total of 12 hours. Maxed whites are at 40% not 5. I have a maxi jet 1200 in the front with a korll 450 on the other side. Then a big pump like the maxi in the back I don't know the gph and I can see the label where it is. For acclimation I usually start at the bottom. Even then by the next morning it can seem to start turning white. Usually turns white then brown. Iv had some last for a long time and are growing well most just seem to bleach out. I only have had success with one acro. And I don't use ex I use seachem coral dip. And I get my acros from WWC down the street from me. Let me know if I missed something.

Temp is goes between 80-82.

 

[dannyab84]

 

[dannyab84]

This is the only acro to be doing well.

 

[dannyab84]

These I got today. So I'll take daily pics of them. They were $60 I could not resist...

 

[dannyab84]

I do have some hanging on that Iv had for prob 3 weeks too. Some do just brown out of time. It's just so confusing but, they all seem to have the same fate. I also does 2 part brightwell aquatics A&B daily. 10 ml.

 

[JOKER]

Is the salinity high??

 

[joeyhatch11]

Might be a shock for the new corals coming from a lower alk, mag tank into yours. I was having that for a while. Then I asked the LFS what they run and I found my numbers were too high. I now run my Alk at a 9, mag at 1250-1300 and calcium at 440-460. Before my alk was 10 and mag was around 1400 and like you, some of my SPS would be fine and others would die rather fast, sometimes over night. But for the sps that I had for a long time, were talking 9 months plus, they never showed any signs of growth. It wasn't until I gained stability in the tank with my parameters and started vodka dosing, did I see a HUGE improvement in the SPS. Also keep in mind that SPS like a clean tank and you say you have zoas as well. You may see less growth in the zoas with cleaner water but it will not kill them. Before my SPS I was all zoas and acans and with the slightly dirtier water they grew fast and did wonderfully. Now they grow at a much slow pace. Getting your tanks parameters in check and keeping them stable is key to having/keeping SPS. I was told this early on in my sps adventures and really didn't listen which cost me a LOT of money. Check your Alk and calcium daily, dose as needed and learn what your tank requires each day. Then you'll see a HUGE difference in there health and growth. I also went from having 3 powerheads in the tank to one Jeabo WP25 on Wave1 and he tank LOVES it. My return is also only doing about 550GPH, this is all in a 33L tank with 20L sump.

 

[Triggreef]

Might be a shock for the new corals coming from a lower alk, mag tank into yours. I was having that for a while. Then I asked the LFS what they run and I found my numbers were too high. I now run my Alk at a 9, mag at 1250-1300 and calcium at 440-460. Before my alk was 10 and mag was around 1400 and like you, some of my SPS would be fine and others would die rather fast, sometimes over night. But for the sps that I had for a long time, were talking 9 months plus, they never showed any signs of growth. It wasn't until I gained stability in the tank with my parameters and started vodka dosing, did I see a HUGE improvement in the SPS. Also keep in mind that SPS like a clean tank and you say you have zoas as well. You may see less growth in the zoas with cleaner water but it will not kill them. Before my SPS I was all zoas and acans and with the slightly dirtier water they grew fast and did wonderfully. Now they grow at a much slow pace. Getting your tanks parameters in check and keeping them stable is key to having/keeping SPS. I was told this early on in my sps adventures and really didn't listen which cost me a LOT of money. Check your Alk and calcium daily, dose as needed and learn what your tank requires each day. Then you'll see a HUGE difference in there health and growth. I also went from having 3 powerheads in the tank to one Jeabo WP25 on Wave1 and he tank LOVES it. My return is also only doing about 550GPH, this is all in a 33L tank with 20L sump.

This is very good advice. The only thing is 9 is still high for alk imo especially if your dosing for nutrient export. I keep alk 8.1 to 8.4 and that does well for me. Keep in mind NSW is only 7 dkh and most LFS and vendors do not keep it over 8 save but a select few MAYBE. So I agree that is a good jump but may still not be your issue. Do you sometimes miss a day or 2 with the 2 part dosing? That could cause a decent swing which would easily explain it.

I'd also like to see more info on your lighting schedule and intensities. I find acros to be easiest aside from stylos. And I wouldn't consider my tank clean by any means.

 

[dannyab84]

Hey guys, So I do know that WWC does run thier tanks at lower Alk and Mag then me no sure exactly what though. So maybe I should work it down a little bit. How would I do that? Just by finding a salt that was lower mag and alk? I use reef crystals right now which I don't know about alk but, I know that its high in mag. I also rarly miss a day for dosing but, I guess I really need to find out if I am dosing correctly since I am high on my chemicals? I will slowly stop dosing as much as I am now until I work it down.

Lights are ramped up from 0-40% intensity running blues, roayal, (1%-4% moon lights) dark blue maxing out at 40% at 12 noon. 12 noon - 3pm at max 40% then ramp down to 1% by 9 pm. then from 12-3pm the red and green are on at 5% intenstity.

Also if is there a better way to let my alk and mag down? should I just stop doing untill it comes down or slowly stop the dosing? I will also test again when I get home from work and take new pictures of the corals I recived the other day to see their progress.

Thanks again for all the help guys.

 

[Pete polyp]

If you want the levels to come down just slack off the dosing until you reach the target.

Test today and don't dose for 3 days. Check it again in 3 days and find the difference. Divide that by 3 and that tells you your daily consumption so you know how much to dose to maintain those levels.

 

[Voodoo Corals]

Parameters seem off. I would shoot for 420-460 cal 9ish alk and 1350 mag.

Seems like you have shadows on the coral or it might just be the pic

 

[dannyab84]

pete thats a good idea for the 3 day thing to see what I need to does. And the shadow is from just the different light at the time of the picture. They are in a lower lighted area where I can adjust the amount of light slowly to acclimate them.

 

[mcarroll]

Can you take a lux reading at the water surface of your lights and see what the levels across the tank are at peak?

-Matt

 

[dannyab84]

I don't have anything to take a lux reading :\

Todays chems
mag I think that it could be reading 2000... I took it twice. I also tested my salt and it seems to be at 1800 (this could be a problem...)
alk 10.2
nit 0-5
ph 7.8
po4 - 0 don't have a hanna checker.

is there anyway I can bring down my mag? I have an acro already turning white...

 

[dannyab84]

I have heard if you raise cal the magnesium will come down?

 

[mcarroll]

I don't have anything to take a lux reading :\

Todays chems
mag I think that it could be reading 2000... I took it twice. I also tested my salt and it seems to be at 1800 (this could be a problem...)
alk 10.2
nit 0-5
ph 7.8
po4 - 0 don't have a hanna checker.

is there anyway I can bring down my mag? I have an acro already turning white...

Magnesium
Dillute the sample you are testing for magnesium with RODI water to 50% or 75% strenght and retest. Multiply by your dilution to get the result....see if that matches with the first round of tests above.

FWIW, high Mg is rarely a problem. Likewise for high Ca. I've accidentally dosed my Ca to around 700 ppm, and if anything there was a color and growth spurt...no stress. Mg should be similar.

Phosphates
The only thing liquid PO4 tests are good for is diagnosing zero. If the sample has no color at the end of the test - not blue, not baby blue, not slightly blue, not barely blue or any of the other levels they laughably expect you to discern on those tests - your PO4 can be considered low enough. You always have to go by what the tank is telling you as well though...test kit can't tell everything, even when it's the best one.

Lighting
Download a lux meter onto your smartphone for free. If you want a handheld, they only cost around $15-$20.

-Matt