I'm struggling with acros!

[Faurek]

N and P run very low at times showing zero. I was dosing N and P but have recently started dosing ammonium.

Funny, used to go for low nutrients, and funny seeing people still running it with success.
Curious how I used to think high alk and low nutrients, now I think low alk(6.5-7.5) high nutrients, specially in my new nano I am seeing really good reaction from SPS.
Will low nutrients eventually die, such a niche now.

 

[Faurek]

Imo, Acros and SPS’s in general are easy; in most cases easier than some torches and LPS if you realize their requirements. No guessing on light and flow because they need both robust; placement is high for best light and flow. Parameters need to be solid, stable and consistent with nature: temp, salinity, Alk, pH, calcium, mag, and trace elements in range, otherwise you’re guessing what the problem is when they happened. If you can’t maintain your parameters in range you are doomed to fail. Ime, inorganic nutrients need to be very low. Po4 below .1 but available if you want “good” growth; it’s scientific fact that high po4 weakens SPS and slows growth and I have observed this personally. No3 is best undetectable with hobby test kits and fed fish, no reason to justify higher levels. Finally feed them directly and often with very small particle foods.

No reason to find the guy that does it differently when it’s easy to follow their natural environment. Some of the difficulties with Acros are pest and overgrown if you follow nature and not the “guy”, Ime.

I'm an SPS guy, but tell me how that's "easy", our definition of easy is different.
Easy would be just do water change don't test anything and feed the fish, which can be done with experience only.
You list 7 parameters for beginners to start testing with doom shall strike upon thy if range is not right.
It's not to criticize you, I just want you to put yourself on a beginner shoes and not by an experienced point of view.

 

[exnisstech]

Funny, used to go for low nutrients, and funny seeing people still running it with success.
Curious how I used to think high alk and low nutrients, now I think low alk(6.5-7.5) high nutrients, specially in my new nano I am seeing really good reaction from SPS.
Will low nutrients eventually die, such a niche now.

Mine running as a ULNS wasn't intentional it's just how the tank settled in and runs so i just roll with it. I only have 4 fish (65g total) but two are tangs and i feed a good amount twice a day. No skimmer or fuge just a reefmat. Minimal WCs of 2-4g every 7-10 to vacuum detritus. I have another tank that runs NO3 20+ and PO4 0.3-0.5 but the tank looks fine so I roll with that one as well. I tend to let my tanks settle in to what I consider a natural state which seems to be different for each. I'll intervene if coral look poor or I'm getting excessive algae but for the most part I try to keep things pretty simple. I test N and P along with alk weekly and calcium maybe once a month.

 

[CHSUB]

I'm an SPS guy, but tell me how that's "easy", our definition of easy is different.
Easy would be just do water change don't test anything and feed the fish, which can be done with experience only.
You list 7 parameters for beginners to start testing with doom shall strike upon thy if range is not right.
It's not to criticize you, I just want you to put yourself on a beginner shoes and not by an experienced point of view.

Yes, not for beginners, but have seen others have success quickly with research and effort. My easy claim comes from not having to guess what is ideal for a particular coral. My tanks have always been mixed reefs, I find difficultly finding the “right” lighting and flow for torches, for example. Too little flow or ripping the flesh, is the lighting too bright and should I move it lower in the reef? When most Acros I blast with light and flow.

With regards to parameters: I have a chiller and a heater, dip kalk at night to keep ph high, 2 part for cal and Alk, keep my aquarium clean, feed a lot, etc. I know what I have to do, the “hard” part was reefers like J. Sprung and others finding out what had to be done.

 

[Featherweight]

I manually top off. Have a spot marked on the tank where it shows where it should be to keep it stable. No clue why it dropped so low for certain, there is more salt creep than I would like though.

This is my guess as the issue. Swing in salinity are no good. Set up a gravity ato at the very least.

You don't have stability. That's why you can't keep sps. Stability means no swings or changes. Dumping fresh water in vs the slow drip of an ato creates big swings. Do you dose any calcium or alkalinity products to keep alk over 9 ish?

 

[DeSoDo]

This is my guess as the issue. Swing in salinity are no good. Set up a gravity ato at the very least.

You don't have stability. That's why you can't keep sps. Stability means no swings or changes. Dumping fresh water in vs the slow drip of an ato creates big swings. Do you dose any calcium or alkalinity products to keep alk over 9 ish?

I dose reef fusion 1 and 2. Alk when I checked Wednesday night was 8.9. I have to research a gravity ATO. Never heard of it.

 

[Featherweight]

Gravity fed topoff skips the pump. You put your topoff above sump level with a mechanical float valve. Old school. No pumps to fail

 

[DeSoDo]

Gravity fed topoff skips the pump. You put your topoff above sump level with a mechanical float valve. Old school. No pumps to fail

I like the no fall side of it! One of the ATO i had flooded my tank. Could've been much worse than it was if I wasn't home. Heard my dog slip on the hardwood floor, got up to check on him and my floors were wet.

 

[Dburr1014]

Gravity fed topoff skips the pump. You put your topoff above sump level with a mechanical float valve. Old school. No pumps to fail

I used to use that until the seal failed and dumped water in. It's okay if you're using a smaller container like a few days of top off. You must also keep an eye on the seal, keep it clean.

 

[Dburr1014]

Funny, used to go for low nutrients, and funny seeing people still running it with success.
Curious how I used to think high alk and low nutrients, now I think low alk(6.5-7.5) high nutrients, specially in my new nano I am seeing really good reaction from SPS.
Will low nutrients eventually die, such a niche now.

Not quite right.

It's low alk: low nutrients
High alk: high nutrients

High alk contributes to high growth rates and needing more nutrients to feed the coral.
If nutrients are not available, this leads to stress /sts/rtn.

 

[bubbgee]

Not quite right.

It's low alk: low nutrients
High alk: high nutrients

High alk contributes to high growth rates and needing more nutrients to feed the coral.
If nutrients are not available, this leads to stress /sts/rtn.

Also high par at high alk? What ranges have you played around with low and high? I am still trying to figure this out.

 

[bcampbe1]

Doesn't sound like enough flow. How long is the tank from the wavemaker and how far are the sps frags from the powerhead? I have five wavemakers aside from two return heads to accomplish flow and I still think I need two more after seeing this video.

Are those Jebao powerheads you're using? If so, what speed and mode setting are you using?

 

[Dburr1014]

Also high par at high alk? What ranges have you played around with low and high? I am still trying to figure this out.

My Tank runs at 8 dkh or so.
I have had par from 250 to currently 400ish.

I don't think there's a correlation between the two.

 

[DeSoDo]

Are those Jebao powerheads you're using? If so, what speed and mode setting are you using?

I'm using a hyggar sine WaveMaker and a random double head with directional flow unit that I found.

 

[DeSoDo]

Also, how do I keep this nasty brown **** off of the corals and frag plugs? The flow has it moving but it's like once it attached, it stays!

 

[bcampbe1]

I'm using a hyggar sine WaveMaker and a random double head with directional flow unit that I found.

Thanks

 

[bubbgee]

Are those Jebao powerheads you're using? If so, what speed and mode setting are you using?

Not my video. But I think those are mp40s. Mostly.

 

[CHSUB]

My Tank runs at 8 dkh or so.
I have had par from 250 to currently 400ish.

I don't think there's a correlation between the two.

I agree too. When I ran 400w MH, high par, I changed my Alk from higher to a closer to natural level and don’t recall any issues, changes in corals. Imo the Alk, par, nutrient level correlation is hobby observation.

 

[bubbgee]

Also, how do I keep this nasty brown **** off of the corals and frag plugs? The flow has it moving but it's like once it attached, it stays!

Those appear to be GHA (based on the pics.. hopefully not dinos). I pick up some hermits and snails and put them on the frag rack to eat those up.

 

[Dburr1014]

Topping off with an ato and manually doing is basically the same thing though, right?

Well, sort of, unless you forget or.....

I've had 2 and they both stopped working. Figured I'd just manually top off every few days.

only do it every few days. It should be done at least daily for acros, ato will do it every hour or more. Stability.

I manually top off. Have a spot marked on the tank where it shows where it should be to keep it stable. No clue why it dropped so low for certain, there is more salt creep than I would like though.

Salt creep will contribute, a little. I don't think it's much if your checking sg at least weekly.

Yes, rodi system with instant ocean reef crystals. Numbers have been stable, only issue I've had lately was sg dropped to 1.022 topping off with rodi.

As I said before, IME, 1.023 is my bottom or things go sour in my system.