High Calcium and Phosphate, is this causing my LPS issues?

[Goodersgold]

Hi all,

As the thread says high Ca and PO4. My tank is around 6 months old. Tested today with Hanna checkers, with the following results;

Ph - 7.8
Nitrate - 22
Phos - 0.9
Alk - 8.1
Ca 600
Nitrite - 0
Mg - 1500
Salinity - 1.026

20% water changes bi-weekly. Brought from my LFS (tested today for Ca, @450 ppm)

Red Sea Max Nano, stock light, upgraded skimmer to the Tunze 9001 ( I think !) Dry rockscape, with a 1.5 inch sandbed
2 Juvenile Clowns, 2 Blue Chromis, I Blenny, 1 Pyjama Angle fish, small gathering of CUC

All Hanna checkers are new with new reagents.

I am dosing 1ml of Lanthanum Chloride once a day and I have Rowaphos in a bag in to help bring down the PO4. The tank is 6 months old and the Phosphate levels have been above
2 (we think due to PO4 being bound into my dry rock) but its coming down steadily. The tank has zero detectable GHA and looks (?) in good shape, livestock very happy, fed with mysis (small amounts) twice a day. My corals are 2 small hammers, a Gonipora, a few a zoas and a Kenya tree they are looking quite unhappy with very small polyps extension the zoas are alive and puffed up but almost completely closed permanently. So, are the above tested levels the cause of my sorry corals?

I am fully aware that these things take time to settle and I'm not rushing into anything unless I'm completely sure, but I would like to know if I should be doing anything or just leave things to settle, or am I making things too clean??

I don't wish to be a number chaser, but being relatively new to the hobby I want to prevent rather than cure

 

[Goodersgold]

Bump

 

[Goodersgold]

Any advise would be welcome here

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I don’t think it is likely the calcium and phosphate are causing the issues, and unless you dosed a lot of calcium, I expect it is not accurate. Try the kit on some new salt water.

 

[Goodersgold]

Thanks Randy, using the same Hanna tester I tested new water with a reading of 450ppm. I have since tested (the tank water) and the level is now 500, so I'm not so concerned right now. I'm at a loss to know what to check for next?

 

[AKL1950]

Is that your normal lighting or just for the pictures? Seems a little too bright for those corals. If they are getting too much light, they will stay retracted.

 

[Goodersgold]

Is that your normal lighting or just for the pictures? Seems a little too bright for those corals. If they are getting too much light, they will stay retracted.

Lighting was adjusted just for the pictures.