How to improve SPS color?

[Cassian]

Don't! You'll more than likely just create a solid lump of calcium carbonate, depending on how much you add at once. Just as an aside - never add salt mix to an aquarium, unless it's a brand new tank full of RODI that you're setting up for the first time.

RTN = rapid tissue necrosis. Probably most associated with acropora; coral looks fine, if a little pale, one day, and is a dead skeleton the next.

What jda notes is true - lots of folks ran really high alkalinity 15 - 20 years ago. There's a couple of reasons that they got away with it (I was one, btw). First, nutrient-stripping substances like GFO, Lanthanum Chloride and procedures like carbon dosing to lower nitrates weren't common, and people typically didn't test for phosphate. Most tanks had a good bit of algae and relatively high nitrates and phosphates, and while nitrate was (inappropriately) viewed as bad, there wasn't much reefers could do about it except lots of water changes, which only lowered it some. The second reason is that acropora species weren't common in aquariums, as they just didn't live all that long. In fact, one of the reasons that Julian Sprung has the reputation that he does is that he actually got acropora species to grow on the glass of his 20 gallon reef in the late 1980's - that was considered impossible but a whole lot of experts, including many scientists. That said, some stony corals were quite common, and a lot of us had good success with them, particularly montiporas, turbinaria, so-called "pagoda corals", and euphyllias.

Another reason that people ran high alkalinity was that's the way "salt" came, which back in the day was almost universally Instant Ocean. Dosing was relatively uncommon, and surprisingly, the most often dosed compound was calcium; alkalinity was pretty much ignored. Today we know better - alkalinity stability is absolutely critical for success with acropora, and calcium doesn't matter all that much as long as it's >380 ppm.

I find your comment that you only do water changes once per month and you still have alkalinity > 10 dKH surprising. Most aquariums will "lose" alkalinity over time much more rapidly than that, even if it doesn't have much in the way of stony corals in it. In any event, I'd monitor it rather closely - if you've very few corals in the tank, I'd check it twice a week with a high-quality test kit (Salifert or Red Sea). There's a lot of folks that will argue back and forth about what the ideal alkalinity is in an SPS tank, but most of them will agree that stability of whatever target they pick is fairly important.

Ok, thank you. I mixed up a bucket of top-off water and raised the salinity to 0.024. I also tested alk (using aquaforest) and it was 11.5. Yes, I only do WCs once a month. I have very heavy coral load as well. Probably about 30 assorted LPS, sps, and a few softies.

 

[Dkeller_nc]

Ok, thank you. I mixed up a bucket of top-off water and raised the salinity to 0.024. I also tested alk (using aquaforest) and it was 11.5. Yes, I only do WCs once a month. I have very heavy coral load as well. Probably about 30 assorted LPS, sps, and a few softies.

That really is head-scratching, even if the corals aren't really growing. Most of us lose somewhere on the order of 0.5-2 dKH per day of we don't dose. In any event, I'd still suggest keeping close tabs on the alkalinity; it may well be that your corals haven't taken off yet, and the tank doesn't have much coralline algae. At some point (hopefully), that will change, and you'll want to start dosing when it does.

 

[ckalupa]

I had similar issues when trying to keep dkh near 11. I let it lower naturally over a month to 7.5 by lowering dosing and colors started to return. I also changed my T5 hybrids to two 10,000k and two 14,000K KZ lights so I cannot say which one it was (or both)? Right after the light change happened my nitrates and phos dropped to near 0 (but not 0). Not sure if that was coincidence or ???

 

[Cassian]

That really is head-scratching, even if the corals aren't really growing. Most of us lose somewhere on the order of 0.5-2 dKH per day of we don't dose. In any event, I'd still suggest keeping close tabs on the alkalinity; it may well be that your corals haven't taken off yet, and the tank doesn't have much coralline algae. At some point (hopefully), that will change, and you'll want to start dosing when it does.

hmmm, maybe I should check the hardness of my ATO water? and there is tons of Coraline in my tank

 

[Cassian]

I had similar issues when trying to keep dkh near 11. I let it lower naturally over a month to 7.5 by lowering dosing and colors started to return. I also changed my T5 hybrids to two 10,000k and two 14,000K KZ lights so I cannot say which one it was (or both)? Right after the light change happened my nitrates and phos dropped to near 0 (but not 0). Not sure if that was coincidence or ???

thats interesting. mine doesn't seem to lower naturally though

 

[Skynyrd Fish]

It’s time for a tank pic.

 

[ddrueckh]

Just some thoughts regarding your Alk staying high. Maybe your test kit is bad. Have you tried a different one to compare? Also, double read the testing instructions. Maybe you are doing something wrong that is giving you a false reading.

 

[Cassian]

I will get a tank pic today.
the test kit is bred new and is an accurate brand. not saying it couldn't be wrong, but I trust its reading. I have hard water in my area so it makes sense

 

[Sod Buster]

This is an old article that I still view for some guidance. Being 10 years old, can some of you pros add anything to it for an updated article?
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FjAAegQIAhAB&usg=AOvVaw1dcsvfDGXykSYeJNj_sPuI

 

[Dkeller_nc]

hmmm, maybe I should check the hardness of my ATO water? and there is tons of Coraline in my tank

I'm assuming that you're using RODI water for your make-up and saltwater. If not, that may well explain why your alkalinity doesn't drop.

 

[Graffiti Spot]

This is an old article that I still view for some guidance. Being 10 years old, can some of you pros add anything to it for an updated article?
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FjAAegQIAhAB&usg=AOvVaw1dcsvfDGXykSYeJNj_sPuI

I see a lot of people post that article as a guideline to coloring corals. I see a lot in that write up that isn’t really correct, or parts of it are but only pertains to uln systems only. It was written back when everyone was running zero readable nutrients I believe. I wrote up something explaining what I thought was wrong with it at one point, I wish I would have saved it.

 

[Sod Buster]

. I wrote up something explaining what I thought was wrong with it at one point, I wish I would have saved it.

Good to know. I am trying to keep detectable levels. Thank you for the heads up on the article. I can keep things growing, just am digging to get to the next level. I just started a new tank a few months ago and have a plan for a few signature pieces. I'm looking for tank "POP" from across the room is all. Again, thanks for dismissing stuff that doesn't pertain to 2019 methods.

 

[Cassian]

I'm assuming that you're using RODI water for your make-up and saltwater. If not, that may well explain why your alkalinity doesn't drop.

No I am not. I am on well water water with a softener so I have never used it. Just tested my RODI water and the KH is like 1.5. Thank you so much for mentioning this. I am going to start using RODI for my top off water and that should lower the Alk.

 

[Cassian]

This is an old article that I still view for some guidance. Being 10 years old, can some of you pros add anything to it for an updated article?
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FjAAegQIAhAB&usg=AOvVaw1dcsvfDGXykSYeJNj_sPuI

Thanks! I’ll take a look at it!

 

[DesertReefT4r]

Yeah you need to using nothing but 0 tds rodi water for your tank. When my tds creeps up to 1 ppm I change the di and prefilters. Looks like you are on the right track. Im considering starting a thread to try to pin point my color issues and have been asking my favorite LFSs for some help on this.

 

[Cassian]

Yeah you need to using nothing but 0 tds rodi water for your tank. When my tds creeps up to 1 ppm I change the di and prefilters. Looks like you are on the right track. Im considering starting a thread to try to pin point my color issues and have been asking my favorite LFSs for some help on this.

Thanks! Also, that would be a good thread to start. Seems like lots of people have the same trouble I do with sps

 

[Dkeller_nc]

No I am not. I am on well water water with a softener so I have never used it. Just tested my RODI water and the KH is like 1.5. Thank you so much for mentioning this. I am going to start using RODI for my top off water and that should lower the Alk.

Ahh - that explains it. Yeah, I would recommend using RODI water for your tank even if your well water comes back with a "clean" ICP test (i.e., really low concentrations of metals, like copper, lead, and arsenic). Putting your well water through a RODI unit will make controlling the alkalinity of your tank quite a bit easier, and you won't have to be concerned with too much iron making it into the tank (iron's a common contaminant in well water).

 

[Cassian]

Ahh - that explains it. Yeah, I would recommend using RODI water for your tank even if your well water comes back with a "clean" ICP test (i.e., really low concentrations of metals, like copper, lead, and arsenic). Putting your well water through a RODI unit will make controlling the alkalinity of your tank quite a bit easier, and you won't have to be concerned with too much iron making it into the tank (iron's a common contaminant in well water).

thanks so much for your help! I am switching to RODI water. hopefully that will fix it!

 

[lcj2046]

I have the same issue, sps grow well but my purples and blues go to greens and browns. I also have low no3, undetectable on hobby grade kits.
Your salinity is a bit low, raise it 1.025-1.026, be sure your refractometer is calibrated. Lots of flow, lots and lots of flow. Keeping the big 3 stable. I would try to slowly lower your alk as well to around 8.

Excuse me , But your salinity is to high it should be at 1.023 refractometer should read as 35 ppt

 

[Sod Buster]

Excuse me , But your salinity is to high it should be at 1.023

I run my tank at 1.028 for years. To each their own.