Colouring SPS Up

[Kruss7]

Currently running a 20” cube tank.

SPS dominated

My SPS aren’t getting the polyp extension or colours I want

Phos 0.07ppm
Nitrate 18ppm
Alk 8.4ppm
Mag 1480ppm
Salinity 1.026
Temp 79

Readings done on Hannah checkers

Upgrading lights to T5 hybrid with Radion G5 Blue (Currently Maxspect Razor 420R 65w 15k)

Just started running GFO, going to try and get Phosphates down to about 0.04

660GPH return pump

3 Hygger 14w Mini Wavemakers (Claim 1600 GPH) (Not sure I believe it’s anywhere near that)

Just wondering what I should focus on for SPS health. I get growth but it’s all browned out. Should I be focusing on upgrading flow? Dosing aminos? Changing my parameters much? I know stability is key so I want to make the changes over an extended period. Just wondering what the order some of the more experienced SPS keepers would do it in.

Thank you!

 

[Miami Reef]

I personally wouldn’t lower your phosphates. Your parameters are more than fine if that’s the true value. Lowering phosphates will just increase the likelihood of dinos and since your acros have little PE, it’s likely they can starve from not catching their needed nutrients.

Do you have fish in the tank? I think increasing lighting is going to help you the most here. I would recommend renting a par meter to maintain around 250-350 par.

 

[PompanoBeach]

how often are water changes done?

Pic of tank please

 

[Perry]

Basics....
Stop GFO
Stop dosing aminos/ or don't

Maintain as stable as you can, temp, CA, Alk, Mg. Feed stable and consistent, match skimmer to input by insuring adequate skim export. Find a light you like, find a good setting, leave it alone. Lastly, don't chase #'s, including nutrients and PAR. Corals will eventually adapt, settle, and begin to show health. Once you have several months of growth signs, pe, night time polyp feeders, encrusting growth, then color comes, there you can start slowly introducing products.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

Need overall system pictures and information, its more than 5 parameters that effect corals, it could be your temperature fluctuations, it could be a few things in combination, let's see a tank pic

 

[Uriken]

I noticed your comment about the Hygger Wave Makers. I love these things and have both the nano size and the larger models. I can tell you with testing that they do push 1600 gph but this is when you have them at 100% power (mode "4") and running in (mode"3") which is the constant flow pattern. Placement is key with these and running them using the 1, 2, or 4 wave pattern they barely really hit the 1600 level being they are always ramping up and then back down. The ease of maintenance on these is one of its strong points so keeping them maintained and clean internally will give you optimum performance.
What levels do you run your calcium? Are you feeding any phyto at night?

 

[Dburr1014]

Currently running a 20” cube tank.

SPS dominated

My SPS aren’t getting the polyp extension or colours I want

Phos 0.07ppm
Nitrate 18ppm
Alk 8.4ppm
Mag 1480ppm
Salinity 1.026
Temp 79

Readings done on Hannah checkers

Upgrading lights to T5 hybrid with Radion G5 Blue (Currently Maxspect Razor 420R 65w 15k)

Just started running GFO, going to try and get Phosphates down to about 0.04

660GPH return pump

3 Hygger 14w Mini Wavemakers (Claim 1600 GPH) (Not sure I believe it’s anywhere near that)

Just wondering what I should focus on for SPS health. I get growth but it’s all browned out. Should I be focusing on upgrading flow? Dosing aminos? Changing my parameters much? I know stability is key so I want to make the changes over an extended period. Just wondering what the order some of the more experienced SPS keepers would do it in.

Thank you!

Photo period and par?
I agree not to lower po4.
Infact, I would raise it or lower no3.
But, what others have said about temp, flow, calcium... A lot can change things.

 

[3429810]

Photo period and par?
I agree not to lower po4.
Infact, I would raise it or lower no3.
But, what others have said about temp, flow, calcium... A lot can change things.

Curious why you would tell him to lower no3? I run my tank almost exactly where ops parameters are with just a touch less po4 and my sps are growing and happy. I’m am new though and it’s only been 3-4 months for some of the acros in my system so want to make sure I’m not heading for something bad I’m not thinking about.

 

[Dburr1014]

Po4 0.07
No3 18
Redfield ratio 16/1= 0.07/1.2

I know it might not help but it also might.
Every tank is different and to say mine are these numbers so it should work isn't really correct.

My tank last night is po4 0.05/no3 1.5 and I have good colors. So can I say I'm right? You would probably disagree.

I'm just looking for ways to help the OP, things he may not of though of.

 

[Kruss7]

Not sure why I didn’t include the calcium level but it is at 450

My current lights begin ramping up at 08:00 and turn off at 20:30 with 11:30-18:30 being the brightest.

I do a 10% water change weekly

Currently the only fish are my 2 clownfish.

Temp is stable at 79

 

[Kruss7]

Need overall system pictures and information, its more than 5 parameters that effect corals, it could be your temperature fluctuations, it could be a few things in combination, let's see a tank pic

Posted!

I noticed your comment about the Hygger Wave Makers. I love these things and have both the nano size and the larger models. I can tell you with testing that they do push 1600 gph but this is when you have them at 100% power (mode "4") and running in (mode"3") which is the constant flow pattern. Placement is key with these and running them using the 1, 2, or 4 wave pattern they barely really hit the 1600 level being they are always ramping up and then back down. The ease of maintenance on these is one of its strong points so keeping them maintained and clean internally will give you optimum performance.
What levels do you run your calcium? Are you feeding any phyto at night?

Cleaned the wave makers yesterday, they definitely are easy to clean. Calcium level is now posted. I do not feed any phyto at night currently.

 

[Kruss7]

Po4 0.07
No3 18
Redfield ratio 16/1= 0.07/1.2

I know it might not help but it also might.
Every tank is different and to say mine are these numbers so it should work isn't really correct.

My tank last night is po4 0.05/no3 1.5 and I have good colors. So can I say I'm right? You would probably disagree.

I'm just looking for ways to help the OP, things he may not of though of.

Interesting! Definitely giving me things I haven’t thought of, that was the whole point of me posting this forum. Thank you.

 

[3429810]

Po4 0.07
No3 18
Redfield ratio 16/1= 0.07/1.2

I know it might not help but it also might.
Every tank is different and to say mine are these numbers so it should work isn't really correct.

My tank last night is po4 0.05/no3 1.5 and I have good colors. So can I say I'm right? You would probably disagree.

I'm just looking for ways to help the OP, things he may not of though of.

Not looking to disagree at all I was just more interested to know if it was something other than redfield ratio you were worried about with his nutrients at those number. Like I said mine are close to op and everything is happy but I do have some nuisance algae I would bet is probably related to an imbalance in my tank.

 

[IKD]

Interesting discussion on redfield ratio below. I moved away from a ratio and try to target individual ranges after following Randy Holmes-Farley

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/redfield-ratio-revisited-–-what-are-we-doing-wrong.742503/

 

[Dburr1014]

Interesting discussion on redfield ratio below. I moved away from a ratio and try to target individual ranges after following Randy Holmes-Farley

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/redfield-ratio-revisited-–-what-are-we-doing-wrong.742503/

Wow, read the first page. I wish I stumbled on this earlier. Interesting read.
I find myself, testing, trying to get into some ratio. If I'm in, no worries. If not, slow move of one or the other to get in. But I do feel that there should be a rule of thumb for N and p as a number to shoot for but also a close ratio. And that ratio can scale up and down.

 

[92Miata]

Currently running a 20” cube tank.

SPS dominated

My SPS aren’t getting the polyp extension or colours I want

Phos 0.07ppm
Nitrate 18ppm
Alk 8.4ppm
Mag 1480ppm
Salinity 1.026
Temp 79

Readings done on Hannah checkers

Upgrading lights to T5 hybrid with Radion G5 Blue (Currently Maxspect Razor 420R 65w 15k)

Just started running GFO, going to try and get Phosphates down to about 0.04

660GPH return pump

3 Hygger 14w Mini Wavemakers (Claim 1600 GPH) (Not sure I believe it’s anywhere near that)

Just wondering what I should focus on for SPS health. I get growth but it’s all browned out. Should I be focusing on upgrading flow? Dosing aminos? Changing my parameters much? I know stability is key so I want to make the changes over an extended period. Just wondering what the order some of the more experienced SPS keepers would do it in.

Thank you!

If you're running a single 65w LED fixture over a 20" cube right now, you're almost certainly way underlit.


The redfield ratio has literally nothing to do with reefing. It's the ratio of C:N in open ocean deepwater plankton (and it's 20:1 for N, not 16:1) - and the ratio varies heavily in near-shore shallow water reefs. Corals care if they're getting enough - not about the ratios.

The only thing that can be learned from it is that carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus (and iron, and oxygen, and a handful of other things) are tied together, and all need to be present for metabolic processes to work.