Kenia Tree Down - Please help

[luisCaldas]

I have a 200-litre aquarium with some soft corals and anemones, but the problem is the Kenia tree. I have been trying to lower the NO3 and PO4 levels for the last three months. I am lowering the PO4 first with Rowaphos and then tackling the NO3. I have also added a reactor with deNitrate, and I have added carbon to help with some other issues. However, in mid-January, my Kenia tree corals started to droop. They open their polyps every day towards the light, but they are drooping. In September, I added the wave maker on the left side, as shown in the video.

Could the current be poorly designed? Should I move the wave maker to the right side of the aquarium and leave the return pump facing left as it is? Or do you think the problem could be high levels of PO4 and NO3? They were straight before. I am feeding them Seachem Phytoplankton every other day with 2 ml. What is your opinion?

Thank you.

 

[Matt L]

Hello! Do you do regular water changes on this tank? I’d do a 20% wc and test the water chemistry to see if anything is off.

 

[Uncle99]

Maybe you lowered too much or too fast.
That would make this coral unhappy.
It don’t mind elevated N and P.
It hates high or fluctuating Alk as well.
It hates any change in light intensity, but, over time, can fully adjust its processes.

What levels do you consider high?

 

[luisCaldas]

Hello! Do you do regular water changes on this tank? I’d do a 20% wc and test the water chemistry to see if anything is off.

Yes i do a 50l WC every week, because i'm trying to lower my PO3 and No3 values. I think i will change the carbon to and see if anything change. Thank you

 

[luisCaldas]

Maybe you lowered too much or too fast.
That would make this coral unhappy.
It don’t mind elevated N and P.
It hates high or fluctuating Alk as well.
It hates any change in light intensity, but, over time, can fully adjust its processes.

What levels do you consider high?

Now i have 0.5ppm PO4 and 90ppm No3. At first i had PO4 at 2-3 and know it is at 0.5.
Can it be the wave maker? being on the same side as the return?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

The water flow should not influence elevated nitrate or phosphate IMO. What do you have for filtration? I see some very large fish in the tank that should be in larger tanks and they produce a lot of waste, so how are you handling the filtration for these larger fish? What kind of food do you feed and how much do you feed?

 

[luisCaldas]

The water flow should not influence elevated nitrate or phosphate IMO. What do you have for filtration? I see some very large fish in the tank that should be in larger tanks and they produce a lot of waste, so how are you handling the filtration for these larger fish? What kind of food do you feed and how much do you feed?

Yes i agree with you, i am thinking on change the fish. I have bubble magus Curve A5 skimmer, a denitrate reactor, a nylon sock, bio spheres, foamX and filter wool, i clean and change the skimmer cup and the mechanical filters once a week.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

, a nylon sock, bio spheres, foamX and filter wool,

These are the so-called nitrate factories, you have 4 of them. These things trap detritus and food particles and everything rots until you clean it once a week. I don't believe any of these provides any benefit to your tank.

I would suggest to try removing some (or all) of these and letting the water run through the system.

Many people don't use any mechanical filtration on their tanks for this reason, including me.

Its just my 2 cents but I think you might see an improvement, if anything it will make the weekly maintenance easier if you don't have to clean these 4 things every week

 

[luisCaldas]

These are the so-called nitrate factories, you have 4 of them. These things trap detritus and food particles and everything rots until you clean it once a week. I don't believe any of these provides any benefit to your tank.

I would suggest to try removing some (or all) of these and letting the water run through the system.

Many people don't use any mechanical filtration on their tanks for this reason, including me.

Its just my 2 cents but I think you might see an improvement, if anything it will make the weekly maintenance easier if you don't have to clean these 4 things every week

That make alot of sense, do u think its better to take all of or try to clean it like 3-3 days? and the carbon and the rowaphos do u think i should take it off to or leave it on the sump? i also bought red sea no3:po4-x, is it worth it to use or stay with a simple and clean sump for a moment?
Thank you very much for your time and help btw!

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

That make alot of sense, do u think its better to take all of or try to clean it like 3-3 days? and the carbon and the rowaphos do u think i should take it off to or leave it on the sump? i also bought red sea no3:po4-x, is it worth it to use or stay with a simple and clean sump for a moment?
Thank you very much for your time and help btw!

.5 phosphate is pretty high so I would leave the rowaphos. I would suggest to stop using pellets while you work on decreasing the phosphate, pellets are high in phosphate. Feed frozen, and rinse the food before. If you started the tank with dry rocks, that might be a source of the phosphate, rocks absorb it then leach it out after, It took me 1.5 years to suck it all out of the rocks. So try to find the source of the high phosphate, is it feeding or dry rocks or something else?

Activated carbon is a good thing IMO, I use it in all my tanks.

Perhaps others will have an opinion, but for me its too much work to clean it every 2-3 days, but I have 5 tanks so I try to minimize the work. If you don't mind then sure that will work too, but at least now you are aware

 

[luisCaldas]

.5 phosphate is pretty high so I would leave the rowaphos. I would suggest to stop using pellets while you work on decreasing the phosphate, pellets are high in phosphate. Feed frozen, and rinse the food before. If you started the tank with dry rocks, that might be a source of the phosphate, rocks absorb it then leach it out after, It took me 1.5 years to suck it all out of the rocks. So try to find the source of the high phosphate, is it feeding or dry rocks or something else?

Activated carbon is a good thing IMO, I use it in all my tanks.

Perhaps others will have an opinion, but for me its too much work to clean it every 2-3 days, but I have 5 tanks so I try to minimize the work. If you don't mind then sure that will work too, but at least now you are aware

i'm giving some days frozen food, like shrimp and artemia, and i rinse them befora yha but i didnt know that os pellets i will stop feeding with that. I think i will take all the mechanical filter off and only leave the nylon sock, cleaning it 3 in 3 days and see if it helps. Idk if the rocks are a problem, this was a 3yo aquarium that i got from a friend, and i dont add any new rock. but maybe there is a source of phosphate that i dont know. I will leave the sock, rowaphos, carbon and bio esphere and see if it gets any better. If the problem was the filtration how many days do u think it will need to lower the values?

 

[Uncle99]

Now i have 0.5ppm PO4 and 90ppm No3. At first i had PO4 at 2-3 and know it is at 0.5.
Can it be the wave maker? being on the same side as the return?

What test kit is being used?
I just want to be dead sure 65ppm is actually correct.

I would have though your water might to “too clean” instead of “too dirty” with all those export tools.

I can be the flow direction especially if recently changed, but, this coral over weeks should adapt on its own.

Carbon is fine short term if your trying to mop up something, otherwise it mops up trace elements as well.

 

[luisCaldas]

What test kit is being used?

I'm using salifert tests for all, is it bad?

 

[Uncle99]

I'm using salifert tests for all, is it bad?

And when you test nitrates, after 5 minutes, looking down in the vial from the top over a white backing, is the colour very red? A light pink is what you want…say 5-10ppm.

The only tester I know that works for phosphate is the Hanna UL phosphorus checker. Then colour change in others is just to faint for the human eye to accurately define. The Hanna colour meter is a better judge in my mind.

 

[luisCaldas]

And when you test nitrates, after 5 minutes, looking down in the vial from the top over a white backing, is the colour very red? A light pink is what you want…say 5-10ppm.

The only tester I know that works for phosphate is the Hanna UL phosphorus checker. Then colour change in others is just to faint for the human eye to accurately define. The Hanna colour meter is a better judge in my mind.

not super red, but i was watching from the side with a white paper on the back and compare with the colors on the marker, is it rong, the process? Should i take off the lid and watch from the top on a room with good white light?

 

[Uncle99]

not super red, but i was watching from the side with a white paper on the back and compare with the colors on the marker, is it rong, the process? Should i take off the lid and watch from the top on a room with good white light?

Salifert is read from looking top down, not from side.
You can place it on the colour card I look straight down. Move the vial until best match is found.

If you read from the side on this test it will look much darker and is sometimes used in diluted mode, but from the top works well.