Parameters help

[T33BLACK]

I have a 150 gallon peninsula been set up about 2 years. Ive always used reef crystals and recently started dosing all for reef which I am new to dosing but so far it seems to be working rasing my parameters and coral all looks good but anytime I buy zoas they die in a few weeks and any chaeto or calurpa in my refugium dies the only thing g I can grow is hair algae in there sometimes lol. I due have a good clean up crew and manually the remove the hair algae so its not bad at all. My question is I have been testing for 3 months every week and have 0 nitrates and phosphates everytime which i assume is why stuff dies maybe. I dont understand how when ive been feeding 3-4 times a day?

Calc 450
Ph 8.15
Alk 9.3
Mag 1260
Sal 1.025

 

[tbrown]

What are your nitrates and phosphates?

 

[T33BLACK]

Both are 0
Sometimes I detect a very little Nitrate but nothing to speak of really. I was running chemipure blue but stopped that months ago and only run carbon now and a skimmer no gfo at all

 

[tbrown]

Everything that's dying feeds primarily on nitrates and phosphates.

Hair algae can "mask" your numbers but if it's small, manageable amounts of algae it's not likely the issue.

Did you use live rock or dry rock to start the tank?

 

[T33BLACK]

Everything that's dying feeds primarily on nitrates and phosphates.

Hair algae can "mask" your numbers but if it's small, manageable amounts of algae it's not likely the issue.

Did you use live rock or dry rock to start the tank?

Yes I figured the hair algae would mask the numbers so I've been doing my best to get rid of it and it is only a very little . It was dry rock 2 years ago I'd say its about half covered in coraline now

 

[Dan_P]

I have a 150 gallon peninsula been set up about 2 years. Ive always used reef crystals and recently started dosing all for reef which I am new to dosing but so far it seems to be working rasing my parameters and coral all looks good but anytime I buy zoas they die in a few weeks and any chaeto or calurpa in my refugium dies the only thing g I can grow is hair algae in there sometimes lol. I due have a good clean up crew and manually the remove the hair algae so its not bad at all. My question is I have been testing for 3 months every week and have 0 nitrates and phosphates everytime which i assume is why stuff dies maybe. I dont understand how when ive been feeding 3-4 times a day?

Calc 450
Ph 8.15
Alk 9.3
Mag 1260
Sal 1.025

I can’t explain in why the nitrate and phosphate are zero except to say both are being consumed by the coral and algae faster than they are entering the aquarium. Continue with algae eradication and start dosing nitrate and phosphate.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Can you also explain your lights and flow? Zoa's don't really rely on alk and very forgiving to parameters. The 3 things corals need to survive and thrive are lights, flow, and nutrients. So if corals are dying in 2 weeks, something is wrong with one or more of these 3 things. How do they die, do they melt or turn white?

 

[T33BLACK]

I do only have about 10 fish in the tank none

Can you also explain your lights and flow? Zoa's don't really rely on alk and very forgiving to parameters. The 3 things corals need to survive and thrive are lights, flow, and nutrients. So if corals are dying in 2 weeks, something is wrong with one or more of these 3 things. How do they die, do they melt or turn whi the only thing that dies is like zoas or I have a torch coral that's not doing well I have tons of euphyllia a few leathers and mushrooms that all do good

Can you also explain your lights and flow? Zoa's don't really rely on alk and very forgiving to parameters. The 3 things corals need to survive and thrive are lights, flow, and nutrients. So if corals are dying in 2 weeks, something is wrong with one or more of these 3 things. How do they die, do they melt or turn white?

Usually the zoas and mushrooms and chato that I have put in in the last few months just slowly close up over a few weeks and die? I am running 2 Kessel a p9x lights and I have plenty of flow and really not that much algae I have really been trying to take care of it and sometimes there's none to even speak of.

 

[T33BLACK]

Here is some picks. the torch was open and way bigger a few months ago when I got it and just like the zoas they look great the first week then they slowly just get smaller and smaller and die but as you can see the euphyllia does insanely well.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I'm thinking maybe the lights are set too low? I mean, its a 2 year old tank with not a shred of algae on the sand, not even where the glass and sand meet, thats unheard of to me. If you didn't mention it was a 2 year old tank I would think it was built last week. There's also a lot of shadow on the sand. Surviving for a few months then dying is a telltale sign of low light. I would suggest to consider to rent a par meter from your lfs so you can either fix it or else check it off the list. Good luck

 

[T33BLACK]

I'm thinking maybe the lights are set too low? I mean, its a 2 year old tank with not a shred of algae on the sand, not even where the glass and sand meet, thats unheard of to me. If you didn't mention it was a 2 year old tank I would think it was built last week. There's also a lot of shadow on the sand. Surviving for a few months then dying is a telltale sign of low light. I would suggest to consider to rent a par meter from your lfs so you can either fix it or else check it off the list. Good luck

Thanks! I am very anal about keeping it clean lol. I do get a lot of film algae on the glass I clean every other day thats why I didn't have the lights cranked up too much i think there around 60 % but I will give that a try. What about the low phosphate and Nitrate should I just keep feeding more?

 

[T33BLACK]

So i turned lights up a little and some corals seem to really be liking it tha ks for the help! I have managed to get rid of the hair algae as well however my nitrates and phosphate still test 0 all the time? I'm only running a skimmer and some carbon, no gfo for months is always thought I'd need to run gfo? Do some people not use it at all?

 

[rishma]

So i turned lights up a little and some corals seem to really be liking it tha ks for the help! I have managed to get rid of the hair algae as well however my nitrates and phosphate still test 0 all the time? I'm only running a skimmer and some carbon, no gfo for months is always thought I'd need to run gfo? Do some people not use it at all?

I dose phosphate daily to maintain

 

[T33BLACK]

I dose phosphate daily to maintain

Really ? I just never thought I'd have to dose phosphate lol is it maybe because I have so much euphyllia I mean since buying one head I have like 100 now would that be using it all up?

 

[rishma]

Really ? I just never thought I'd have to dose phosphate lol is it maybe because I have so much euphyllia I mean since buying one head I have like 100 now would that be using it all up?

Could be. How are you measuring?

 

[T33BLACK]

Could be. How are you measuring?

I have salifert tests phosphate is always 0 never changes color at all. Nitrate is almost always 0 other than very very little a few times. Calc alk magnesium and ph are always in check .salinity is 1.025. I figured most phosphate was in the hair algae but I got rid of it all weeks ago now im trying to grow grape caulerpa in my fuge but im worried it wont take off with no Nitrate/ phosphate?

 

[rishma]

zero nitrate and especially phosphate is a concern for coral health and possibly the growth dinoflagellates. I am not sure of the precision of the salifert kits but I dose to ensure I never get too low.

 

[T33BLACK]

zero nitrate and especially phosphate is a concern for coral health and possibly the growth dinoflagellates. I am not sure of the precision of the salifert kits but I dose to ensure I never get too low.

Yea luckily never had the dinos but I do think it keeps me from having zoas and other stuff cause they always die. I think im gonna buy more fish as my tank is not really stocked with many and feed more to see if they come up before I dose hopefully.