ok help me get my tank chemistry straight.

[becon776]

So I have been chasing old threads, doing my research but havemt really been able to get replies to the issues. i will try to be as detailed as possible.
i consistently read 0.00 or 0.01 on Hanna checker (713) for PO4. NO3 atm is @ 2-3ppm. My Alk and Ca consumption is virtually non existent. i cannot grow chaeto despite a HUGE fuge and H380. (3weeks into brightwell chaetogrow) This build was designed to be full triton but havent gotten off the runway in over a year. my easy sps (pocci) are bland and hanging on but def not flourishing. i feed tank frozen mutliple times per day.
i have a Spare Dos still in cellophane for when i planned on starting cor7 (on hand) but have not been able to get off the runway. battled Dinos twice with long blackout (pre sps). skimmer has not run in a week and took photoperiod in fuge to only 2hrs.
I have po4 and no3 brightwell on hand. have to ability to procure lab grade chemicals as i am a science teacher.

tank: reefer 450
sump: crystal reef aquatics triton (no mech filtration)
skimmer: RO regal 150
lights: RB photon V2
fuge: 29 gallon (sump) w H380
Powerhead: 2x WAV
80#'s reefsaver rock
-salt: red sea coral pro :-( new bucket. i will be switching to blue top or simethung similiar with lower alk levels soon. and will do smaller changes with the remainder of this bucket.

current status
-dos - bionic loaded but turned off
skimmer off going in secind week
-h380- cut to 2 hrs instead of ten for the last week
-feed two cubes mysis daily 1 healthy punch spectrum pellet @ least once per day.
po4 = 0.00 to 0.01
NO3= 1-3 ppm nyos
alk and Ca have been weird alk lowers whilst Ca either stable or Rises.
how should i proceed? i feel like I am one ahah moment from this tank being figured out. i do have a background in the aquatic sciences and understand the concept of limiting variables. however in almost 20 years of reefing i never had this much trouble getting a tank up and running.

side notes: i have not done a water change since trident setup as am trying to let nutrients build. also tank frequently has slight haze to it.

 

[Euphyllia97]

I would suggest to maybe dose alk only and bring up magnesium slightly. Calcium is probabely rising or not decreasing due to the decrease in Alk. To be completely honest I don’t see a big problem regarding your chemistry...

Chaeto will probably start growing rapidly once nutrients are higher.

The only thing left could be lights or stability.

Any idea of the par your corals are receiving? They could be stressed out by a previous swing that you might not have noticed.

Maybe try a waterchange in order to take away bad trace elements?

 

[motortrendz]

I would definitly start dosing and testing iodine, should be about 0.06

 

[becon776]

yes going to look into dosing iodine. I did rent the par meter top of stack is sitting at around 350 pretty even spread with the reefbreeders. in actuality i turned the lights down a bit due to some burning in sps at top and closing of zoas and immediate death of ricordea. I literally cannot grow ricordea. Right now I have what I assume to be dinos coating bottom of tank. not out of hand but there none the less.
I am very interested in dosing the PO4 and NO3. looking for starting doses or is it a big heck no. bc I have struggled with this tank for a year now and had very little growth and blanding out of colors. Plate coral death, ricordea death, and even currently my GSP will not even open. yet... my pocci and acro sit there... ho hum not growing not dying. despite having allllll the toys. I am thinking that PO4 is VERY limited. I just want to do it in a balanced way.

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

How do you measure salinity and do you have an ATO?

Other than that your ICP indicated lower magnesium and iodine than optimal.. Raising nutrients would be my goal as you have indicated that you have battled dinos a few times. Cut back on fuge lighting or feed heavier? Dosing phosphates and nitrates are possible if you want but you can always aim to cut back on nutrient export first.

 

[becon776]

Salinity is measured with a refractometer that I trust. secondarily the apex probe which i don't trust. Yes have an ATO which unfortunately feeds into sump near the probes but that was the only option available.

yes due to years of trauma of trying to lower po4 and no3 and always battling valonia and GHA my setup has a TON of light, Very effieienct skimmer, huge fuge with a TON of light. So nutrient export is a non issue. as per above... skimmer has been off for over a week, photoperiod is cut to 2hrs per night now. and still reading zero PO4.

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

If you dose, do it slowly. I put about .5 ml NeoPhos per L of top off water which keeps my 40B stable and slightly higher than where I would steady state run it. Dino issues again...

 

[becon776]

well impatience got the best of me. i just dosed 20ml neonitrate, and 5 ml neophos. i have repeatedly read that people dose PO4 over and over and mever see an uptick the all the sudden boom. esp in a system that is nutrient starved. based in bottle calculations that should raise NO3 up 5ppm and PO4 up .02. i will test tomorrow. i feel like the nutrient export is so goid in this build if i mess up i will just have to turn back on skimmer and the h380 to full reverse photoperiod.

will get iodine tomorrow

 

[becon776]

ok so NO3@ 1-3ppm and PO4 @ .02
added
25ml Neonitro
and
7ml neophos
we will see

shooting for 5ppm NO3 and .03-.04 PO4

 

[Brian barranco]

Pictures? That’s very weird if chemistry is stable.

 

[becon776]

@Brian barranco for an entire year up until two days ago (first nutrient dose) i never had a measurable amt of phosphate ever. always zero. my alk and Ca usage was minimal.

something is happening bc i attqching the last 24 hrs of trident
i shiw both alk and Ca usage. much more than ever previously

 

[Brian barranco]

@Brian barranco for an entire year up until two days ago (first nutrient dose) i never had a measurable amt of phosphate ever. always zero. my alk and Ca usage was minimal.

something is happening bc i attqching the last 24 hrs of trident
i shiw both alk and Ca usage. much more than ever previously

What type of corals do you have?

 

[becon776]

i have never been able to exit my "starter corals" gsp (still not opening) big healthy pocci but no growth, decent size staghorn acro, potato chip of cap (not really growing), couple colonoes of zoas.
rip list:
beautiful plate coral
any ricordea i put in there freaks out and melts within a week or two. :-(

 

[Mical]

Your #s look good, what's temp? And what do you have for flow?

 

[Brian barranco]

Your #s look good, what's temp? And what do you have for flow?

^

 

[Brian barranco]

i have never been able to exit my "starter corals" gsp (still not opening) big healthy pocci but no growth, decent size staghorn acro, potato chip of cap (not really growing), couple colonoes of zoas.
rip list:
beautiful plate coral
any ricordea i put in there freaks out and melts within a week or two. :-(

That's weird. Can I see the display tank? Did you acclimate light? Do you change the settings?Rust ? Check pumps, stray voltage? I almost kill all my frags for not acclimating the light. Frags doesn’t consume alk/calcium as much. Especially larger tanks.

 

[becon776]

Your #s look good, what's temp? And what do you have for flow?

two WAV's I just moved them to the back (@Broadfield style) running mavericks at 80% during peak photoperiod, temp bounces between 77.6-79.2, Just shortened my photoperiod to 8 hrs with 1.5 hr ramp on each side also upped my percentages to keep in line with AB+ settings. I will get some tank shots when I get home.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

ok so NO3@ 1-3ppm and PO4 @ .02
added
25ml Neonitro
and
7ml neophos
we will see

shooting for 5ppm NO3 and .03-.04 PO4

Feeding more might be a simpler plan, but those numbers are fine.

 

[becon776]

pics.. as prev stated weird behavior with corals. pocci seems great, hammer great, stag ehhh, birsdnest is dyung or dead, and weirdest of all is my gsp will barely open in the past opened perfectly