LPS Receding — What Am I Missing?

[ReeferTCG]

I’m struggling with some of my LPS—specifically chalices, duncans, and candy canes. Here are my most recent parameters:


Phosphate: 0.29


Alkalinity: 8.9


Salinity: 34 ppt


Nitrate: 24


Magnesium: 1395


Calcium: 470



I originally measured around 50 PAR on the canes and chalices, so I bumped my Radion output to bring them closer to ~80 PAR. They weren’t looking good before the change, and I still haven’t seen improvement.


My salinity occasionally swings about 1 ppt when my drain gets partially clogged and the ATO dumps extra fresh water, but it stabilizes afterward. Alk swings less than 1 dKH. System is bare bottom with strong indirect flow.


The strange part is my Euphyllia, Fimbriaphyllia, and even some Acros are doing fine—but the easier LPS are not.



Could this be light, flow, chemistry, or something else I’m missing? Any insight would help.

 

[KrisReef]

I like my Alk to be rock steady. You reported " Alk swings less than 1 dKH"

Over what time period does this occur? If it drifts low over a month I slowly bring it back, but daily swings this large I try to avoid.

Mind you, I worry more about sps with alk swings, but otherwise, I don't have anything to help out on this one.

But I would also find a way to stop the fresh water dumps. Those can be problematic if they are reoccurring? I do recall struggling to keep some things when I had an overflow siphon that caused routine freshwater dumps from the ato.

hth

 

[ReeferTCG]

Thanks! I got a stronger return pump so ai could keep the drain gate valve more open so it clogs less.

Trying to balance kalk and AFR dosing

Its a 53 gallon redsea cube

 

[ReeferTCG]

Figured it out it was my lights at 30% almost no light down there lol, bumped my lights to 70% now things are growing