High Alk with low nutrients = sps death???

[twilliard]

If you are truly reading 0 po4 then you might want to bring that to .014-.018

 

[Reefhaven]

i have a rainbow birdsnest on the tank and its doing great volleyball size...growing, coloring and polyp extension. is that weird???

 

[Reefhaven]

If you are truly reading 0 po4 then you might want to bring that to .014-.018

how do I do that?

 

[twilliard]

Without a tank shot I too would have to go with testing errors.
As Russ said if that birdsnest is happy well then testing 0 across the board is unlikely

 

[Reefhaven]

Without a tank shot I too would have to go with testing errors.
As Russ said if that birdsnest is happy well then testing 0 across the board is unlikely

here is a recent pic of the tank. birdsnest on the bottom left corner

 

[twilliard]

here is a recent pic of the tank. birdsnest on the bottom left corner

Try that image again! Hey your in Washington?

 

[Reefhaven]

Try that image again! Hey your in Washington?

yep...home of the hawks!!!

 

[ReefMadScientist]

How come you just don't extend your water change routine a little longer so you can have some nutrients form in your system?

 

[Reefhaven]

How come you just don't extend your water change routine a little longer so you can have some nutrients form in your system?

i change 15% to 20% in a 210 gal once a month. i think the best thing for me right now is 1 lower alk, 2 change light schedule and 3 add seachem flourish nitrogen...and prey and hope that everything gets better where my corals are happy and thriving.

 

[twilliard]

i change 15% to 20% in a 210 gal once a month. i think the best thing for me right now is 1 lower alk, 2 change light schedule and 3 add seachem flourish nitrogen...and prey and hope that everything gets better where my corals are happy and thriving.

Your on the right track!
If you ever want zoanthids just hit me up!

 

[Russ265]

i wouldnt dose phosphate. i experimented with it and all i got was green turf algae, irritable corals, and finished off a paling acro.

i turned gfo back on to suck it back out and tried the nitrate route with gfo off and things are happy.

also dropping alk helped

 

[Reefhaven]

so now my alk is down to 8.5 cal 400 and mag 1400 but i am experiencing some loses with sps. kinda bummed. Is that normal to lose some during this transition of dropping the alk??? lost my red dragon and some others. :(:( i also change the lighting schedule from 14 hours to 7 hours of lights a day and deceased the amount as well from highest 95 blue 23 white to 60 blue to 11 white. things dont seem happy right now.

 

[Russ265]

nitrate? phosphate?

both still 0?

 

[Reefhaven]

nitrate? phosphate?

both still 0?

yep...

 

[Russ265]

yep...

so i gotta ask. what were the symbionts in the coral going to use to photosynthesize?

alk and cal?

it isnt uncommon for sps to stress during changes to parameters. however you must have had some weak corals if they couldnt handle 2 dkh drop in a 5 day period.

 

[Reefhaven]

so i gotta ask. what were the symbionts in the coral going to use to photosynthesize?

alk and cal?

sorry, but don't quite understand your question

 

[Russ265]

sorry, but don't quite understand your question

if you have a true 0 nutrient system you need to be in the 7s. my system shows stress after 8.0-8.1.

also get some nitrates in there. try 2-5ppm and cut gfo off so some po4 is detectable.

corals will stay white forever or stn eventually without some nutrients in the column to photosynthesize.

 

[Reefhaven]

if you have a true 0 nutrient system you need to be in the 7s. my system shows stress after 8.0-8.1.

also get some nitrates in there. try 2-5ppm and cut gfo off

ok thanks Russ! i left the alk dosing portion off until I get down to 7s and I will add seachem flourish nitrogen. I appreciate your help.

 

[Russ265]

ok thanks Russ! i left the alk dosing portion off until I get down to 7s and I will add seachem flourish nitrogen. I appreciate your help.

you may not need to add it. do you have a bio pellet reactor? carbon dosing? those will eat them up.

 

[Reefhaven]

you may not need to add it. do you have a bio pellet reactor? carbon dosing? those will eat them up.

i just recently brought a dual reactor for gfo and carbon but have installed it yet. so my sump only has a protien skimmer, a heater, some live rocks and the return pump. my dosing pump is dosing into the sump. i used to have a bag of carbon and phosguard but i removed it.