How can I increase my coralline algae ?

[ptong]

My tank has been up since August 18, 2016. How do I get more coralline growing?

 

[psirex]

Stable parameters and time.....

What are your current parameters?

 

[ptong]

Aquarium Tong's Reef parameters are:<br /><br />Temperature: 78.4<br />Salinity: 1.024<br />Ammonia, NH4: 0<br />Nitrate, NO3: 0<br />Nitrite, NO2: 0<br />pH: 8.4<br />Alkalinity, KH: 178.6<br />Calcium, Ca: 480<br />Phosphate, PO4: 0.75<br />Magnesium, Mg: 1,600<br /><br />for date: November 16, 2016

 

[psirex]

Lighting?

 

[ptong]

3 LED programmed Reef Radience

 

[ptong]

210 g, with 60 gallon sump. Dosing 3 parts Red Sea. Bio pellet reactor, calcium reactor, and 1/4 hp chiller

 

[psirex]

Had a look at your tank thread, if lighting is good and the corals are growing just give it time.....

 

[psirex]

Roughly what is your photo period?

 

[ptong]

Could not keep SPS. Keep on beaching. Softies and LPS are there, but not growing.

 

[ptong]

11 am to 10 pm daily

 

[psirex]

What are your daily dosing measurements?

 

[ptong]

7 ml

 

[Vahanyos]

11 am to 10 pm daily

Have you tried switching up your lighting schedule? Less light?

 

[Darrick Dutcher]

Could not keep SPS. Keep on beaching. Softies and LPS are there, but not growing.

I had a strong success right away with my setup, and then I tried to get to "fancy" with biopellets. Depending on what you are dosing along side they are very risky. My tank was exploding with acro growth. When I put biopellets on with some dosing for low nutrient, but I couldn't figure it out and my corals started to bleach. All in all I probably lost a few thousand in corals. I pulled the pellets and worked through the algae the next few months with stable parameters (about 6), and my tank is back making corals grow at crazy rates. It may not be the reason but your parameters seem very familiar and I was pulling my hair out the same way you currently are. My recommendation is pull the pellets unless you are very comfortable with the dosing needed for low nutrient systems. Only my 2 cents

 

[psirex]

Agreed cut back the effluent back into the tank

 

[ptong]

Have you tried switching up your lighting schedule? Less light?

I had 8 bulbs T5s 72" b4 switching to LED.it is preprogrammed

 

[Adamc13o3]

You probably are bleaching sps because you have no nitrates and you probably can't get the PO4 down for that same reason. You need some NO3 to bring down PO4 so they come down together. Unless you want to start doing aminos and such I would recommend heavier feeding and a heavier bio-load if you have a light one. with the heavier feeding the NO3 will increase a little and you will see po4 decrease (but not to zero) and the corals will start coloring up and not bleaching.

 

[ptong]

I had a strong success right away with my setup, and then I tried to get to "fancy" with biopellets. Depending on what you are dosing along side they are very risky. My tank was exploding with acro growth. When I put biopellets on with some dosing for low nutrient, but I couldn't figure it out and my corals started to bleach. All in all I probably lost a few thousand in corals. I pulled the pellets and worked through the algae the next few months with stable parameters (about 6), and my tank is back making corals grow at crazy rates. It may not be the reason but your parameters seem very familiar and I was pulling my hair out the same way you currently are. My recommendation is pull the pellets unless you are very comfortable with the dosing needed for low nutrient systems. Only my 2 cents

Some said my tank is too clean. I have been running the bio pellet since day 1. If I pull the bio pellet, you think I will start having algae problem 1st?

 

[Adamc13o3]

Not necessarily but why pull them. I think getting a tank "clean" once "dirty"is harder. You may as well keep the pellets on because they are obviously working and feed more and or get more fish.

 

[Darrick Dutcher]

Some said my tank is too clean. I have been running the bio pellet since day 1. If I pull the bio pellet, you think I will start having algae problem 1st?

From my experience I would expect some algae growth. I was pulling my hair out at first, but stuck with a lot of advice we all have read in other posts "consistency and slow change is the best (but hardest) thing you can do." My advice:

-stop buying sps and lps corals that are not doing well. I can say it so bluntly because I was doing exactly what you are now. I knew I've grown them in the past and I thought the system was ok, so I hope that does not offend you.

-reduce biopellet use gradually (water changes are a good time). I pulled mine right away and I had a larger algae bloom then I probably could have avoided.

-once your levels and algae start to show control you will be ok with sps/lps. It seems you are on the right path with your parameters. I'm not usually as vocal on a problem as I am on this one. Truly biopellets are a great thing, but very risky if you are not dosing certain trace elements very closely.