Help with Algae breakout SUPER LOW PH

[Mulkxican]

Zoa's are starting to close up. Bubble gum Digi is starting to retract. Loosing corals!!!

Been trying to lower phosphates their still a lot high at .2-.15ish and working on getting more accurate tester than just API.

All others tested fine and Alk is at 11-12 so thought since that was directly related to PH I haven't been testing PH....well my PH tested 7.4 (possibly lower that's as low as API kit goes) when last I tested it weeks ago it was at 8.4.

Why would my PH drop so bad and my alk not change?! Are those not directly related?

Also getting an algae break out as well. So 1 week ago I did do a tank clean and did vaccine substrate would that have thrown everything out of whack? (That's about when algae showed up but who knows what PH was before then)


Any help or info would be great trying to make this first reef tank a success!!

PS. In photos water change date is not accurate lol I do 20ish percent water change once a week.

 

[lapin]

I would first go to the AquaDome and have them test your water.
Best not to fix something until you are sure where to go
They will also help you figure out what to do next.
Alk of 11-12 is pretty high.
Ph of 7.4 is pretty low.

 

[Mulkxican]

I would first go to the AquaDome and have them test your water.
Best not to fix something until you are sure where to go
They will also help you figure out what to do next.
Alk of 11-12 is pretty high.
Ph of 7.4 is pretty low.

Yea I hear lots of good things about aqua dome I just wish it wasn't over an hour on other side of town .

I know 11-12 is high but proven okay for SPS and promotes growth I've learned.

 

[lapin]

You must be from the north side of the tracks. I dont have a clue as to who is good up that way

 

[Reef - Tripp]

I know 11-12 is high but proven okay for SPS and promotes growth I've learned.

Those kh levels work to grow SPS, but as long as a pH of around 8. 3 and no 3 above 10 is met or you will burn the tips

 

[Mulkxican]

You must be from the north side of the tracks. I dont have a clue as to who is good up that way

Yea I'm up in round rock I have a few stores to hit up. I'll see what I can find.

 

[Mulkxican]

Those kh levels work to grow SPS, but as long as a pH of around 8. 3 and no 3 above 10 is met or you will burn the tips

No 3 above 10 met or burn tips? What do you mean by that?

 

[Pico bam]

Id get the water tested by someone or get new test kits i doubt your getting accurate readings. As far as the algea goes it looks like you might just be entering the ugly faze. A strawberry conch or some large turbo snails could help out alot. How long has the tank been setup? Its fairly usual to lose a couple coral when first starting out. Api isn't good for much except maybe alk tests. If your dosing anything just stop shoot for alk of 7-9. Higher alk levels aren't easily absorbed by the corals. Again how long has the tank been running?

 

[Mulkxican]

Id get the water tested by someone or get new test kits i doubt your getting accurate readings. As far as the algea goes it looks like you might just be entering the ugly faze. A strawberry conch or some large turbo snails could help out alot. How long has the tank been setup? Its fairly usual to lose a couple coral when first starting out. Api isn't good for much except maybe alk tests. If your dosing anything just stop shoot for alk of 7-9. Higher alk levels aren't easily absorbed by the corals. Again how long has the tank been running?

It was a 6 month established tank I bought off a guy after the texas Freeze. And I've had it for 3 months or so now with slightly high nitrates and phosphates but all other parameters are good. I'm using RedSea Pro salt for mixing and that's why alk is higher cause it mixes higher. I've gotten henna checkers for nitrates and Phosphates (should be here Saturday) and slowly building my test kits lol. Got a bunch of red Sea test kits but they all read zero when I use them so I think their way too old and out of date and need new reagents.

Have 6-7 snails in tank with the two clowns with mixed corals and even splurged and got a Walt Disney .

And not dosing Anything smaller tank figured just water changes would do the trick.

 

[Pico bam]

It was a 6 month established tank I bought off a guy after the texas Freeze. And I've had it for 3 months or so now with slightly high nitrates and phosphates but all other parameters are good. I'm using RedSea Pro salt for mixing and that's why alk is higher cause it mixes higher. I've gotten henna checkers for nitrates and Phosphates (should be here Saturday) and slowly building my test kits lol. Got a bunch of red Sea test kits but they all read zero when I use them so I think their way too old and out of date and need new reagents.

Have 6-7 snails in tank with the two clowns with mixed corals and even splurged and got a Walt Disney .

And not dosing Anything smaller tank figured just water changes would do the trick.

Right on man, I've never been one to keep sps because it always died on me, but ive had luck for the last 2-3 months. Traded a torch for alot of simple sps, montipora, birds nests and setosa. What ive found is its best to have a tank going for about 6 months before adding things like nems, across and Milly's. I think you might be chasing your tail a little bit believing what the api kits are saying. Hope that Walt Disney grows for you! I'm getting close to buying more sps myself. And a again big advocate of a strawberry conch will turn the sandbed white in a day!

 

[Mulkxican]

Right on man, I've never been one to keep sps because it always died on me, but ive had luck for the last 2-3 months. Traded a torch for alot of simple sps, montipora, birds nests and setosa. What ive found is its best to have a tank going for about 6 months before adding things like nems, across and Milly's. I think you might be chasing your tail a little bit believing what the api kits are saying. Hope that Walt Disney grows for you! I'm getting close to buying more sps myself. And a again big advocate of a strawberry conch will turn the sandbed white in a day!

Yea I don't like alot of the "easy corals" and leathers etc. I like more of the SPS and some LPS so I just dove right in lol.

Strawberry conch will those work I'm 13.5 gallon nano? With large crushed coral bottom?

 

[Pico bam]

Yea I don't like alot of the "easy corals" and leathers etc. I like more of the SPS and some LPS so I just dove right in lol.

Strawberry conch will those work I'm 13.5 gallon nano? With large crushed coral bottom?

Yea I get what you mean on them being a bit of a buzz kill but after you've been reefing a long time you might grow an effection for them. I mean there's some cool toadstools out there now.

I'm not sure the conch would be best in a 13.5 likely not. There are some other smaller sand sifting snails tho.