GSP withering away

[Keen4]

So Ive been having small swings in my dkh. 6.4- 7.4 but never higher than that. Been going on for about a couple of months. Done water changes, dosing bright wells 2 part then ran out now Im dosing brightwell's alkaline 8.3 - seems to keep the dkh stable. 7-7.3.

I noticed that ever since the dkh swings and dosing, water changes etc, the GSP that were growing amazingly on my back wall just started to die of and wither away.

I have a small patch thats thriving still and am trying to save parts of it and put it next to my frog spawn.
Can anyone help with this please?

Temp: 79F
salinity; 1.026
dkh: 6.9
ca2+: 420 (been raised over the course of a couple of weeks from 340
ph: 8.5
po4: 2.2 ( Been high since last year with a disodium phosphate powder solution fluke over dose- was way over 10 last year)
no3: 50-75 (whoa) just tested this for the first time in a while. last time it was 10ppm in May.

IN THE LAST PICTURE YOU CAN SEE IT GROWING UP THE WALL BACK IN APRIL

 

[MnFish1]

I assume youre not using a doing pump - but rather intermittently.
You changed from 2 different products. The bright well 8.3 is a 'buffer' - as compared to replacing alkalinity. But something seems 'off'. Your pH is 8.5 but your alkalinity is <7. Are you measuring carbonate as well as borate alkalinity?
because the 8.3 product likely contains borate. - And is designed more to keep the pH up -

GSP is remarkably tolerant. Unless you have a lot of SPS/LPS - not even sure you need to be dosing anything? I would suggest just watching it. Perhaps not dosing. for a while - and doing some water changes with your normal salt mix.

I had GSP (see my build thread) - that is probably 15 years old now - that was closed for 3 months. You might be unwittingly chasing your tail. Brightwell tech support may be able to better clarify which products are equivalent

 

[Alex Cataldo]

I know that dosing might seem super necessary(i freak out about it all the time), but judging on your coral load in that tank I wouldn't dose until significant growth is achieved. Dosing is probably the reason your alk is fluxuating so much, so just cool it on that for a while. Even with SPS, water changes can usually meet the corals needs for quite a while.

 

[Keen4]

The DKH had slowly, im assuming slowly (did a huge water change in feb with dkh 11 -Red Sea coral pro salt) dropped significantly to 6.2 in May. I had never needed to dose anything before. So I started doing water changes and dosing 2 part and dkh buffer to help bring it back up a little. I was shocked when I saw them stop opening then start falling apart and turning into mush.

Before, (last year) there was an algae growing on them and I used a tooth brush to clean them off. Did the same this time and seems like it just didn't work. might have ticked them off more.
Maybe ill try dipping the pieces that I have loose (in peroxide?) to see if that will help. Theres a little but of an algae on them.

I just finished scraping algae and a load of Spiorbis worms that keep on being a nuisance. Im sure because of the high po4.

Im doing a water change now. Cleaning out the sump too.

 

[Keen4]

I know that dosing might seem super necessary(i freak out about it all the time), but judging on your coral load in that tank I wouldn't dose until significant growth is achieved. Dosing is probably the reason your alk is fluxuating so much, so just cool it on that for a while. Even with SPS, water changes can usually meet the corals needs for quite a while.

When I stop dosing the dkh drops to 6

 

[Keen4]

I assume youre not using a doing pump - but rather intermittently.
You changed from 2 different products. The bright well 8.3 is a 'buffer' - as compared to replacing alkalinity. But something seems 'off'. Your pH is 8.5 but your alkalinity is <7. Are you measuring carbonate as well as borate alkalinity?
because the 8.3 product likely contains borate. - And is designed more to keep the pH up -

GSP is remarkably tolerant. Unless you have a lot of SPS/LPS - not even sure you need to be dosing anything? I would suggest just watching it. Perhaps not dosing. for a while - and doing some water changes with your normal salt mix.

I had GSP (see my build thread) - that is probably 15 years old now - that was closed for 3 months. You might be unwittingly chasing your tail. Brightwell tech support may be able to better clarify which products are equivalent

My Ph has always been high. Its actually dropped. Its usually 8.7. Been that way since I can remember. This tank is 1.5 years old now. Im not sure if my test kit is for borate or carbonate its just the hanna checker test kit.

 

[MnFish1]

My Ph has always been high. Its actually dropped. Its usually 8.7. Been that way since I can remember. This tank is 1.5 years old now. Im not sure if my test kit is for borate or carbonate its just the hanna checker test kit.

ok. imho the numbers are not correct.

 

[Keen4]

ok. imho the numbers are not correct.

Thats exactly my concern. Maybe I need to re-calibrate my hanna checker? I got some new reagent today. I just did a 10 gal water change. Cleaned up my whole sump. was really dirty. Just cleaned it last April. its a 93 gal system. Got a Red Sea dose and some ca2+ and dkh buffer, foundation a & b. ill set it up tomorrow.

 

[MnFish1]

Thats exactly my concern. Maybe I need to re-calibrate my hanna checker? I got some new reagent today. I just did a 10 gal water change. Cleaned up my whole sump. was really dirty. Just cleaned it last April. its a 93 gal system. Got a Red Sea dose and some ca2+ and dkh buffer, foundation a & b. ill set it up tomorrow.

I might recheck your alkalinity with another method.