general sps care

[cdy121]

need some help tank is about a month old started putting corals in some are doing great while others are not
alk 8.3
calc 450
mag 1280
p04 .25ppm
n03 0ppm

 

[BAUCE]

0 nitrates with high phosphates is one of your problems. You'll probably want to bring nitrates up and phosphates down. A lot of guys here shoot for around .08 phosphate and 10-15ppm nitrate. Thats also generally what I shoot for but there are others that go higher with a lot of success.

edit: didnt read the part about it being 1 month old. Good luck mate

 

[BrianReefer]

Lots of variables will be in play here. Tank is likely too young for SPS. Phosphate is a bit high and target 5-10 Nitrates. Also say more about your lighting, flow and additives?

But ultimately most don’t succeed with SPS until the tank is more mature/stable, typically closer to a year or so along.

 

[cdy121]

I have an ai prime hd and a hydra 26 also have a jabeo on there.. how could I raise the nitrates? I also turned off the skimmer to raise the phosphates should I turn it back on

 

[RCeiver]

I have an ai prime hd and a hydra 26 also have a jabeo on there.. how could I raise the nitrates? I also turned off the skimmer to raise the phosphates should I turn it back on

what brand of tests are you using for nitrate and phosphate?

 

[cdy121]

api unfortunately

 

[SliceGolfer]

I’m gonna be “that guy.”

There are numerous, numerous posts like this in the SPS forum, over and over. We really need yet another one? Please use the search, read the threads from everyone before you.

 

[cdy121]

I’m gonna be “that guy.”

There are numerous, numerous posts like this in the SPS forum, over and over. We really need yet another one? Please use the search, read the threads from everyone before you.

made an account to post my own threads I know there are a lot of other websites where people are more welcoming. thanks for helping a fellow reefer out

 

[SliceGolfer]

Ok, sure. Have you seen this thread? The reefer there describes almost the same issue as you. Lots of great advice in that thread. Take a look.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/sps-rtning-in-a-day.729634/

 

[Pdash]

made an account to post my own threads I know there are a lot of other websites where people are more welcoming. thanks for helping a fellow reefer out

Part of the problem is that since your setup is so new and you are so new (to sps at least I assume) there is so much that could be wrong or that you could be overlooking that is an obvious problem to others but not to you. Since you don't mention these things no one can point it out and help you fix it. I'm not criticizing you, just trying to explain the limitations of seeking advice in a thread like this.

You could be making some sort of fundamental mistake with your testing
You could have some sort of contamination
You could have very unstable alkalinity
You could have very unstable nutrients
You could have livestock compatibility issues
You could have lighting issues
You could have flow issues
etc.. etc.....

When it comes to sps you have to do research before hand to figure out what you are even looking for when you have issues. If you don't know what to look for when troubleshooting you can't even decide what is worth paying attention to. If you want useful advice you have to explain how the corals aren't doing well, what do they look like, how long you've had them among other things.

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

I have an ai prime hd and a hydra 26 also have a jabeo on there.. how could I raise the nitrates? I also turned off the skimmer to raise the phosphates should I turn it back on

Tank size?
How many fish?
How much do you feed?
Hydra schedule?

 

[stephj03]

Please don't take this the wrong way, but maybe SPS aren't a good fit for the level of independent research and reading you are presently interested in as part of your reef hobby.

Those above aren't trying to be elitist, they really do mean it that SPS issues are rarely solved by asking an expert for a few tips that you can immediately apply and immediately see success from.

 

[stephj03]

I sincerely mean this:. Plan for a yr...

Plan for a year of prep both on your tank and your personal knowledge base. Read every thread accessible in this sub forum, spend hours online reading about some of the issues you've experienced.

And do it with the goal of learning about SPS systems vs trying to save another set of dying frags.

Honestly that's what the SPS hobby really is. It's a bunch of nerd time reading about tank chemistry, coral anatomy/nutrition, photography/color rendering etc.

Anyone you see firing off answers or showing pics of happy colored sticks either presently does this as part of the hobby or did for an extended period in the past.


I only say this bc it looks like this is the 3rd or 4th thread you've started like this and I really do wish you the best getting better at this if SPS is your goal.

 

[bobnicaragua]

SPS after one month, you'll need live rock for that. Don't know what you are using, but most people are starting with dead rock these days.

 

[cdy121]

finally figured out what was wrong.. also upgraded the tank from a 36 to a 65!!! salinity was at 1.016 that's what was killing all my corals

 

[Pdash]

finally figured out what was wrong.. also upgraded the tank from a 36 to a 65!!! salinity was at 1.016 that's what was killing all my corals

Glad you figured it out.