Acer's build thread ( 3RMAS area)

OP
OP
acer

acer

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 8, 2010
Messages
1,310
Reaction score
754
Location
Pittsburgh
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
yep-changed the GFO as soon as I got home - retest tomorrow. The bottom of that coral may have not gotten any light as I had put it into a hole in the rock - until I decided to glue it, due to my issues with SPS lately - so that may be why the bottom was white.
 

Jonreefer

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 13, 2009
Messages
1,603
Reaction score
841
Location
Pittsburgh PA
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
I wouldnt be to concerned with the no3 or po4. I dose them in my tank and I try to keep my nitrate in the 5-10 and phos at .008 if it goes a little higher I dont care. My sps seem to like it growing and keeping color. Dont let it bottom out or you will probably be attacked with Dinos
 
OP
OP
acer

acer

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 8, 2010
Messages
1,310
Reaction score
754
Location
Pittsburgh
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
.008 vs .27 on phosphates is more than a little difference. I think .27 is too high. I agree on not letting it bottom out though. Not worried about the No3 being 2-4 as that seems acceptable. Watched the tank for an hour last night - no fish picking on coral , but nipping at rock = normal. Maybe the Birdsnest ( picture) was having issues with necrosis and got some algae on it and that is what made the fish nip- "bite marks". Still unsure of why I am losing SPS/acro corals - unbalanced Po4 to ALk has been suggested = as I have lower Alk ( 8.0) but high Po4. Did read that the Zoas/palys, etc. can give off toxins that hurt other types of corals. So hmmm...

Edit : 1 pm Friday Retested today using Hanna ultra low phosphate after 16 hour of running new Gfo = .15

Ca+ = 400 with a new Salifert kit.
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
acer

acer

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 8, 2010
Messages
1,310
Reaction score
754
Location
Pittsburgh
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Ok... Update.. I stopped using the Gfo for a day as the phosphate was dropping too fast. Retested po4 at 8 pm last night , 24 hours with no Gfo, an hour after feeding and it was .176. So, I restarted Gfo last night at midnight ...

Tests today 2:30 PM

Po4= 45= .138
ALK= 130= 7.28
Ca+ = 400
No3 = 4-8

Pic is an attempt to show some polyp extension... yeah

So, guess I will stop running GFO again for a 24 hour period. 15-20 gallon water change today as well.

IMG_20190310_161107759.jpg
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
acer

acer

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 8, 2010
Messages
1,310
Reaction score
754
Location
Pittsburgh
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Well good news, bad news..

Lost another LEAR frag- see pic

But my rainbow bubble nem split. Pic #2.

IMG_20190314_115236080.jpg


IMG_20190314_115223258.jpg
 
OP
OP
acer

acer

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 8, 2010
Messages
1,310
Reaction score
754
Location
Pittsburgh
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I continue to loose LEAR frags ... they are slowly bleaching white . I cant get NO3 or PO4 down slowly. They continue to be way above my old levels : in the past week my parameters are: No3= 4-8, and PO4 =.132-.153, ALk= 8.0-8.3 DKH , Ca+ 400-410. SO guess I will just start doing 10-15 gallon water changes every other day - run both Carbon and GFO switching it out once a week, and go back to filter socks. Dose calcium chloride and soda ash or Kalkwasser solution to got to my old parameters. I figure I have already lost all the LEAR frags anyhow -so going slowly is a mute point now. Hopefully returning to Low No3 (under 1) and low Po4 ( under .1) and medium/high ALK (8-10) with ca+= 450 - which is what I always had good luck with until this past fall. I just cant figure out what changed so my No3/Po4 got so high and wont come down. If this does not produce results than I am out of sps/acros all together and will have a Zoa/LPS/fish/clams/etc. tank with no SPS as the frustration is now past tolerance levels.
 

BIGGUN

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 13, 2009
Messages
417
Reaction score
221
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
What lighting schedule and percentages are you running?
 
OP
OP
acer

acer

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 8, 2010
Messages
1,310
Reaction score
754
Location
Pittsburgh
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Reefbreeder 24 light starts up at 8 am and ramps up to the 75% around noon then ramp down slowly to 10% by 8 Pm - blues only on till 10 PM for viewing pleasure. XR30 Gen3 on other side also starting on up at 8 AM peak at noon at 73% and down to 10 % by 8 Pm with blues on again till 10 Pm. Have both the LED's running more blue/purple to peak at 100% with white at 50% and the red/greens at about 35%. Going by Memory on specifics colors and % - but I am pretty close. Also have T5 blue/purple bulbs running across the front of tank angling toward the middle of tank to reduce shadows from LED's that come on at 10 am and off at 6pm.
 

BIGGUN

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 13, 2009
Messages
417
Reaction score
221
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
The lighting should be sufficient to support higher nutrient tank I would think. How about turbulence and flow?
 
OP
OP
acer

acer

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 8, 2010
Messages
1,310
Reaction score
754
Location
Pittsburgh
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
About 2500 GPH from sump downstairs split up into several sprayers , A MP40 on one side ramp up /down mode and the Jeboa smaller wave pump as well on/off every 5 seconds. I may pull the Jaboa pump as maybe it is putting a toxin or a trace current into the system?? grasping at straws now?
 
OP
OP
acer

acer

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 8, 2010
Messages
1,310
Reaction score
754
Location
Pittsburgh
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
nope ph meter calibrated a few weeks ago with a new probe. 8-8.1 during the day , 7.9 at night
 

BIGGUN

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 13, 2009
Messages
417
Reaction score
221
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I hope they find something and hope it's an easy fix.
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

  • I currently have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 64 36.8%
  • Not currently, but I have had feather dusters in my tank in the past.

    Votes: 59 33.9%
  • I have not had feather dusters, but I hope to in the future.

    Votes: 25 14.4%
  • I have no plans to have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 26 14.9%
  • Other.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
Back
Top