Huge mistake; What should I do?

rja · Jan 25, 2023

Hello all,
I posted yesterday a thread about how my tank seems to be crashing, losing Euphyllia and loss of 80% of my Zoanthids in my Biocube 29.

Today, my parameters are:
Salinity: 1.025
Magnesium: 1200
Alk: 7.0
pH: 7.8
Calcium: 390
No3: 10
PO4: Waiting on my test kit in the mail

All tests were done using Salifert and API for pH.

I am taking measures in making my own water from now on using what I have left of reef crystals then moving to coral pro.

Yesterday, I began dosing AFR at 5ml per day.

I will do this and increase daily dosage until one of my major elements reaches ideal levels. After that, I will dose Red Sea foundations A, B, or C until the given element(s) are perfect.

Once I slowly get to the point of "perfection", I will monitor my tank with testing everyday of the week at the exact same time each day to graph an accurate level of depletion throughout the course of a week. I will do a water change after that one week, then test to see if everything is exactly where I should be once more.

From that point forward, I will do a weekly 5g water change in order to maintain everything. If I find that I am not getting enough Nitrates and Phosphates, I will feed more or get another fish.

Does this seem like a good plan?

Might I add that I may be dramatic in saying I was "crashing" my tank is doing fine otherwise. My clowns and firefish are fat and happy. Also, my mushrooms are multiplying, GSP taking over the back wall of my tank, cloves at full extension and color, kenya tree wont stop dropping babies, RFAs are fully colored, open, and eating, duncans are totally extended besides one colony, and my toadstool is the size of a small dinner plate.

rja · Jan 25, 2023

I know lighting was a question yesterday. So my lighting is a Kessil A160WE that ramps up to 55% for 11 hours at 15% color which seems to keep everything happy.

Mr. Mojo Rising · Jan 25, 2023

rja said:
I know lighting was a question yesterday. So my lighting is a Kessil A160WE that ramps up to 55% for 11 hours at 15% color which seems to keep everything happy.

Sorry to point it out, but you mention that your losing your euphyllia and 80% of your zoa's, so it doesn't seem accurate to say that everything is happy.

Did you ever get a PAR meter? How deep is your tank? A cube might be 24" deep, which is deep for that light to penetrate at only 55%.

rja · Jan 25, 2023

LordofCinder said:
Sorry to point it out, but you mention that your losing your euphyllia and 80% of your zoa's, so it doesn't seem accurate to say that everything is happy.

Did you ever get a PAR meter? How deep is your tank? A cube might be 24" deep, which is deep for that light to penetrate at only 55%.

the tank is only 14 inches deep. I get 115 PAR at the bottom of my tank and 210 at the top. To the mid corners I get 130, bottom corners 100.

historically, this kept everything happy.

landlubber · Jan 25, 2023

LordofCinder said:
Sorry to point it out, but you mention that your losing your euphyllia and 80% of your zoa's, so it doesn't seem accurate to say that everything is happy.

Did you ever get a PAR meter? How deep is your tank? A cube might be 24" deep, which is deep for that light to penetrate at only 55%.

i understand what you're getting at but a 29 gallon bio cube isn't likely to be more than 15" deep.
edit: OP beat me to it haha

rja · Jan 25, 2023

landlubber said:
i understand what you're getting at but a 29 gallon bio cube isn't likely to be more than 15" deep.
edit: OP beat me to it haha

that would be an interesting dimension... keep one long gorg? lol

ElementReefer · Jan 25, 2023

If I were you I would:

Raise my magnesium by 100 points per day until it hits 1400
Raise my Alk by 0.5 points per day until it hits 8
Rip out bubble algae as violently as you want to, it doesn’t spread by popping, just get it out of there

Then test everything every 48 hours to chart your consumption over a week or so. Daily is overkill, the resolution of our test kits isn’t that perfect.

Your light is fine. How’s your flow?

Run carbon, toadstools are notorious for chemical warfare, although the experience of people on this form are all over the map.

landlubber · Jan 25, 2023

rja said:
that would be an interesting dimension... keep one long gorg? lol

i saw a supposed "million dollar tank" on youtube last week and while i never stuck around long enough to hear the actual dimensions by looks it was 6ft wide by 8ft tall by 3ft deep and not one fish was more than 2 feet off the bottom

rja · Jan 25, 2023

ElementReefer said:
If I were you I would:

Raise my magnesium by 100 points per day until it hits 1400
Raise my Alk by 0.5 points per day until it hits 8
Rip out bubble algae as violently as you want to, it doesn’t spread by popping, just get it out of there

Then test everything every 48 hours to chart your consumption over a week or so. Daily is overkill, the resolution of our test kits isn’t that perfect.

Your light is fine. How’s your flow?

Run carbon, toadstools are notorious for chemical warfare, although the experience of people on this form are all over the map.

i do run chemipure blue, i think the zoa thing might be a pest honestly. i am ordering red sea mag and revive. flow is good, i have a maxi jet 1200 as my return with a hydor koralia as my powerhead.

landlubber · Jan 25, 2023

rja said:
i do run chemipure blue, i think the zoa thing might be a pest honestly. i am ordering red sea mag and revive. flow is good, i have a maxi jet 1200 as my return with a hydor koralia as my powerhead.

its possible but if you have a turkey baster i would suggest giving them a few blasts everyday for a few days to see if that helps. ime while zoas do well in low flow, low light areas it also allows detritus and miscellaneous junk to settle on them causing irritation and them to eventually close.