LPS Check

[Bodyguard]

Hello All

I wanted to get some feedback on my tank and perhaps why a few of my corals are showing stress. My Bicolor Candy Cane is barely hanging on while the other two are starting to show their skelton on the edges. My zoa's, polyp's, mushrooms all seem to be doing okay. Here is what I tested today and parameters are at these levels for the most part on a weekly basis. The tank is 7 months old. I dose All-for-Reef, NeoPhos, and NeoNitro. I target feed AB+ every other day 5 to 6ml and OceanMagik every 3 days.

Size = 40gal
Nitrate = 3 - 5ppm
Phosphate = .03 - .05ppm
Calcium = 430ppm
Alkalinity = 10 - 10.5ppm
Magnesium = 1400ppm
Salinity = 34 - 35ppt
PH = 8 (I typically only test this maybe one a month now)
Temp = 78 - 79 (raise to ~79 with lights on)
Lights = XR15 at 50% intensity (WWC Mixed Reef profile downloaded, Screenshot attached of percentage for each level)

Pics are attached for reference.

Thanks in advance for the review/feedback!

-BG

 

[anthonygf]

Hello Bodyguard, are you for hire? Just kidding. I am surprised your No3 and Po4 are low with what you are dosing. I think you should raise those a little more. Your corals look pretty good, i think they need more nutrients. My numbers are 25ppm No3 and 0.131 Po4, they were down to 5 and 0.04 and corals are looking better now and growing faster.

 

[anthonygf]

My 4 year old 46 bowfront before I upgraded to 75 gallon in October last year.

 

[Gedxin]

Any chance you can get a par meter? Might be bleaching.

I'm also surprised your nutrients are so low considering how much you're dosing. My opinion, you may be dosing too much and you're too high in some trace element. Might be worth halting altogether, or significantly reducing, or sending in for an ICP test.

 

[Bodyguard]

Hello Bodyguard, are you for hire? Just kidding. I am surprised your No3 and Po4 are low with what you are dosing. I think you should raise those a little more. Your corals look pretty good, i think they need more nutrients. My numbers are 25ppm No3 and 0.131 Po4, they were down to 5 and 0.04 and corals are looking better now and growing faster.

Haha...not today.
25ppm for Nitrates??? Yikes! Everywhere I read and when I visit WWC the staff say to keep nitrates between 5 and 10ppm for LPS and Phos between .03 and .07. With those high levels I'd be worried of a algae out break off some sort. Do you not have this issue? But I've also seen post as yours running higher than recommended phos/nitrate. A bit confused

 

[Bodyguard]

Any chance you can get a par meter? Might be bleaching.

I'm also surprised your nutrients are so low considering how much you're dosing. My opinion, you may be dosing too much and you're too high in some trace element. Might be worth halting altogether, or significantly reducing, or sending in for an ICP test.

I do not have a PAR meter. My point intensity is set to 50%. Perhaps reduce this to 40%? LFS doesn't have ICP test in yet, ran out but yes I want to do another ICP test as well.

 

[Goaway]

Buy a par meter.

I am being serious. We play the guessing game with lights all the time. I couldn't believe what I put my corals under until I got a par meter. Some were just being over exposed.

 

[anthonygf]

Haha...not today.
25ppm for Nitrates??? Yikes! Everywhere I read and when I visit WWC the staff say to keep nitrates between 5 and 10ppm for LPS and Phos between .03 and .07. With those high levels I'd be worried of a algae out break off some sort. Do you not have this issue? But I've also seen post as yours running higher than recommended phos/nitrate. A bit confused

I was running No3 at 5ppm and Po4 at 0.03-0.05 and that is when I had to remove the GHA would grow faster than my corals. When i removed all GHA with manual removal and using FluxRX I now have no algae and my No3 wnet up to 25 and po4 up to 0.121, it has only been a couple months like this and I do notice an improvement in my corals and no algae yet, just a light dusting on glass and frag racks of cyano I believe. I had over 300+ snails mostly small and would cover the glass at night, I may have killed some off because I don't see as many. I need to get more at reefcleaners.com.

 

[Bodyguard]

Buy a par meter.

I am being serious. We play the guessing game with lights all the time. I couldn't believe what I put my corals under until I got a par meter. Some were just being over exposed.

yes, I agree, but if you can find a tank with a similar setup with same light setup you can get a pretty good idea what the PAR is w/o having drop 500 for a good PAR meter.

 

[anthonygf]

I never used a par meter in 6 years and I have 2 Kessil 360we and a Cobalt C-Ray 200 light in the middle and am at 90% intensity, 30% white, 90% blues and everything is happy. Almost 400 watts of light.

 

[Apotack]

i would remove the red mushrooms before they spread. I’m in a constant battle with mine. They are weeds

 

[anthonygf]

Yes I know, I do remove the stragglers on occasion. lol

 

[Bernardoreefer]

I never used a par meter in 6 years and I have 2 Kessil 360we and a Cobalt C-Ray 200 light in the middle and am at 90% intensity, 30% white, 90% blues and everything is happy. Almost 400 watts of light.

Hey

how can I use the app for the C ray 200 in the USA ?

 

[anthonygf]

Hey

how can I use the app for the C ray 200 in the USA ?

Hey Bernardoreefer, I don't know if I can explain it to you. It has been more than 10 months since I installed the app on my Adroid tablet. Once I got it set haven't touched it again except for one time to adjust the white intensity. There is two ways to make it work and would need to read the directions again to help you. Sorry I can't help you at this time. If I find the manual I will talk to you again.