I do. Put them on a frag rack, and slowly move them up. Most of the sps that are in the tank have been in there for months. Had growth out of the bonsai and another acro, but none of the others, but now everything has burnt tips and stn. This was happening before I raised nitrates, though.
All Sps dying
- Thread starter BaldyBob
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Hi,
your iodine is to low. Also dosing nitrates isnt optimal. there was a german podcat from Hans Werner Balling saying that dosing nitrates isnt a good way to increase nitrogen lvls because corals need to ged rid of oxigen atoms when metabolizing nitrates. that causes oxidative stress damaging the coral. ammonium is a much better nitrogen source so feeding more and adding more fish would be good. also dialing down the skimmer or running it only 12 hours a day would be an option because it helps with p and n levels.
your iodine is to low. Also dosing nitrates isnt optimal. there was a german podcat from Hans Werner Balling saying that dosing nitrates isnt a good way to increase nitrogen lvls because corals need to ged rid of oxigen atoms when metabolizing nitrates. that causes oxidative stress damaging the coral. ammonium is a much better nitrogen source so feeding more and adding more fish would be good. also dialing down the skimmer or running it only 12 hours a day would be an option because it helps with p and n levels.
With the exception of ALK, these numbers are not far off where my sticks stay happy. 8.3ish ALK is my target.
I assume you are running a salt mix like RS Pro or IO Reef Crystals that mixes high ALK to keep 9.5. right?
These are all fine numbers for thousands of successful SPS keepers for sure. The only thing I can think of at this point is past stress from the combination of relatively low NO3 / higher ALK / higher PAR. Individually, these numbers are all fine but in combination they could cause a momentary bleach when your NO3 was bouncing low.
Since you've been running higher nutrient, has the STN situation changed in either direction? Hang in there.
Monkeynaut
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Did you ever lower Alk to less than 8?
I dose Kalk. My Walt Disney stopped, but now my bonsai had started. may be a delayed reaction. Also, i noticed red popyps on my superman monti. some things look better while some look worse.
Foothill Corals
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If you are having stn/rtn I definitely would NOT increase your Alk regardless of nutrient levels.
Anyone feel free to correct me on this, but I know that at least at one point in recent history, all these aquaculture vendors were running ALK in the "8ish" range with moderate to medium high range NO3/PO4.
Jason Fox
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Whether this is optimal or not is beyond my pay grade. But I keep my systems in the same ranges to minimize transition stress into a different environment.
The whole time i was raising it, i was wondering what range i should keep my alk. I'll slack off on the kalk. noticing burnt tips on my birdsnest this morning. with nutrients so high, i would have figured i would need alk around 9.5-10, but as you can see, i may not know what im doing lol
I hate to bring this up but... "Sticks" don't always respond to stress right away. It could take two or three weeks to see the results of some rapid change or other stressful event. Attributing current conditions to the observed bad results can lead to bad decisions.
I've found it best to pick a set of conditions and maintain them in a stable manner. You will learn what corals thrive in those conditions. I really don't think it matters what the levels are, within reason. Maybe some balance helps i.e. high nutrients, higher alk, more light, or lower nutrients, lower alk, less light.
I've found it best to pick a set of conditions and maintain them in a stable manner. You will learn what corals thrive in those conditions. I really don't think it matters what the levels are, within reason. Maybe some balance helps i.e. high nutrients, higher alk, more light, or lower nutrients, lower alk, less light.
Just to be clear.. Are you raising alkalinity with Kalk?
Could that be spiking the pH in the tank?
I hear ya. Just exploring possibilities. Does the ATO add a lot of water at a time or is it more of a drip? Is the ATO water pH something like 11? 8.4 isn't too high, but it is unusual in today's environment. Could the pH be spiking above 8.5 or so when the ATO is delivering water?
I hear you on tying together the ALK with the nutrient. We read it here every day.
Interesting you that you bring up pH. I run a CO2 scrubber in my basement system as my pH was dragging bottom dipping below 7.7 sometimes. Now, with the kids back to school and nobody around much my APEX keeps chirping that I am hitting >8.4 (8.47 peak) the last couple days.
And I woke up this morning to two frags burning at the tips. Not seen this in a couple years.
After recalibrating the probe, think I will add some code to shut the skimmer to which the scrubber is attached. Hi pH is the only measurable change in that system for several months. (Post dinos.)
I wouldnt say its a drip, but it's not alot of water at all. 10 gallons will last a week and maybe another day or so.....sometimes. I will pay more attention to my ph as i havent been checking it enough and i will also check my ato water to see what the ph is as well.
It might be interesting to see what the tank pH does while and just after the ATO is active. It's probably not your issue, but ya never know.
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