Dead Monty

[exnisstech]

this is all great information and I appreciate the responses. But am I questioning about eight months in tank maturity, it's a 52 gallon system do I have more maturing potential out of my tank system or is it now just a matter of management? I try to do 20% water change weekly

It never stops maturing / changing IMO. I don't think there is a actual number of months that determines a tanks maturity. Things get more stable (hopefully) over time so it can make running the tank easier as it matures but it's a never ending evolution of things. Now would be a good time to start your testing regiment to determine if you need to start dosing or if water changes are enough. I would start weekly testing of NO3, PO4, and alk. I would also test calcium to see where your at. I don't test it every week but you do want to keep an eye on it. These are just suggestions that have helped me along the way.

 

[4roaming]

In my experience many montipora can be a bit more sensitive and quicker to bleach than a lot of my hardier acropora. I have lost a few from low nutrients but they looked great with considerably higher levels than you posted.

I would recommend double checking your parameters with different test kits. I have found my Hanna alk checker reads a full 1 dkh higher than my Salifert. It doesn’t really mater enough to me which is correct I just aim for the middle and keep it at 9 with the Hanna and 8 with the Salifert.

Salinity is another one that’s easy to be off on. I recommend picking up the Tropic Marine high precision hydrometer to double check your refractometer readings. I was running a bit high using calibration solutions.

Also maybe you’re low on a trace element. I had pretty good success with adding some All-for-Reef into my dosing regime. I still dose standard two part along with magnesium but I worked in the All-for-Reef to add a bit of trace elements and my tanks really doing nicely.

Try a real hardy sps like purple “Milka” stylophora
Green Bali slimmer acropora, Hawkin’s A. echinata or orange M. digitata.

 

[Ballyhoo]

In my experience many montipora can be a bit more sensitive and quicker to bleach than a lot of my hardier acropora. I have lost a few from low nutrients but they looked great with considerably higher levels than you posted.

I would recommend double checking your parameters with different test kits. I have found my Hanna alk checker reads a full 1 dkh higher than my Salifert. It doesn’t really mater enough to me which is correct I just aim for the middle and keep it at 9 with the Hanna and 8 with the Salifert.

Salinity is another one that’s easy to be off on. I recommend picking up the Tropic Marine high precision hydrometer to double check your refractometer readings. I was running a bit high using calibration solutions.

Also maybe you’re low on a trace element. I had pretty good success with adding some All-for-Reef into my dosing regime. I still dose standard two part along with magnesium but I worked in the All-for-Reef to add a bit of trace elements and my tanks really doing nicely.

Try a real hardy sps like purple “Milka” stylophora
Green Bali slimmer acropora, Hawkin’s A. echinata or orange M. digitata.

thanks I would just like to restate my test results because everyone them. I don't know if my calcium is too high at 480?

Temp bw 78 to 80F ( goes down a degree or two at since it's winter and I don't turn the thermostat high at my home at night.)

sal 1.26
P03 .08
N02 undetectable.
N03 about 20
PH 8
CA 470

 

[Ballyhoo]

also, I think I have more GAC in my sump then the amount posted above. Would too much GAC in the sump be a problem? mine are in pellet form. Thanks!

 

[4roaming]

I usually keep my ca between 400-450. In my experience higher ca and alk only works with higher nutrients. I’m currently running po4 at .12 and nitrate at 15.3 and my coral growth has really taken off. My monti’s did terrible when my nutrients bottomed out to undetectable.

 

[Ballyhoo]

IDK how to decrease my CA + . I think this product that i got set me back. It's called Coral Up and i bet it messed with my tanks chemistry.IDK. girl at LFS raved about it.

 

[4roaming]

You could do a water change but I don’t think your too high so you could just hold off on adding anymore calcium while still dosing for alkalinity and just wait for it to drop on its own.

 

[Pod_01]

IDK how to decrease my CA +

The value of 470 assuming it is correct is of no concern. I personally would just leave it but I would not be adding any mysterious substance/ liquid that only adds calc, that may lead to ion imbalance.

Only way to bring it down is to perform water change with salt mix that has lower calc level.

When dosing Alk and Calcium always try to use systems that are balanced, like TM AFR, TM Original Balling, ESV B-Ionic 2 part etc…

For new reef TM AFR is the easiest method.

Good luck,

 

[Ballyhoo]

You could do a water change but I don’t think your too high so you could just hold off on adding anymore calcium while still dosing for alkalinity and just wait for it to drop on its own.

I need to dose for alkalinity? Doesn't my blue bucket give me the right alkalinity? It's at 10.
thanks!

 

[Justfebreezeit]

If you are growing corraline and are trying to keep sps coral, and to a lesser extent lps, they will deplete your alkalinity faster than water changes can keep up with.

 

[BryanM]

I need to dose for alkalinity? Doesn't my blue bucket give me the right alkalinity? It's at 10.
thanks!

I suppose that depends on how frequent and how much you change water.

I felt water changes were a pain, and wanted to avoid them as much as I could, therefore I dose AFR.... and I upped that game with an automated ALK tester, which doses as well. Since I use AFR it's a bit of a cat and mouse game finding the right amount to dose to keep ALK stable, but it works.

 

[BryanM]

Oh, and re-test alk, or take a sample to the LFS and have them test it. 6 seems rather low.

Otherwise, you might have just purchased a dud that was on its way out.

I do think its extremely complicated to try and keep LPS and SPS in the same system. I figure if you have a big enough tank you could do it, with high flow areas near the powerheads, and lower flow in the middle. But I've thusfar steered clear of SPS due to the generally higher flow rates they want.

 

[Ballyhoo]

I think I'm gonna give up on SPS all my SPS have died that I've bought this year in my new tank. And recently even the new ones die. But all my softies and LPS seem to do fine. So maybe that's a hint.
and the guy at kung fu Coral tells me he's got plenty of stories of people with thousands of dollars of SPS where something went wrong with the heater etc; they went on vacation for a little while, thousands of dollars of SPS stock gone.

 

[Ballyhoo]

does anyone know, is it possible this product could've killed my SPS?

 

[Justfebreezeit]

Probably not within a week unless you are really over doing it. But purple up and now nopox makes me think you are adding a bunch of random stuff, which dosen't speak towards stability in general. There's no magic bullet.

 

[Ballyhoo]

well it's not random, or maybe it is. LFS lady told me that purple Up is awesome for growing coral. So I bought that and the other product obviously to control algae I would think the Red Sea brand is a good one, but maybe you're right I don't know.
also, maybe I'm over feeding my fish and the nitrates are too high. I always feel like the Salfert tests are hard to read. an example is salifert showed me my phosphates were low, and I got a hanna tester and they were much much higher. That was a while back and now my phosphates are under control since I got it reactor.

 

[Justfebreezeit]

Purple up, unless its changed, is really just a calcium booster, and i guess some trace elements maybe.

Its sold to just about everyone starting out in the hobby I feel like. Hell I was sold it by a lfs ten years ago as well. Corraline simply comes with stability as long as its been introduced to the tank.

NOPOX is just a branded carbon dosing. It certainly works and has its place. It just needs to be used correctly.

I think the biggest problem with the hobby is how much incomplete information is available and pushed. Its hard to navigate everything.