Somebody help me!

jmp21677 · Apr 11, 2020

Things are stable. I should have clarified. I'm using triton chemicals not the triton neptune system. Here is what I've done

Removed chemi pure
Removed collection cup from Skimmer
Spread out dosing to 3x per day. Overall dose had been dialed back the previous week.
Increased feeding to tank
Waiting on local shop to get par meter back so I can rent and double check my readings. Currently about 10 inches above the tank. Radion xr30 G4 pro set at 40% running AB+. 4 t5 bulbs as supplemental which are running about 4 hours per day.

My goal is to get Alk down to around 7.8-8.0. I'm hoping increased feeding will just tick up phosphates enough to further stabilize. I'll take great color over explosive growth for now.

jmp21677 · Apr 12, 2020

Finally got the Par Meter from my local shop. This could have been a piece of the problem. Lighting at top of tank towards the front was around 300. Outside edges weren't much lower I'm sure due to the T5s. Area in the sand was around 135. Turned my lights up 5% as well as lowered the fixture and we are now around 375 at the top front of the tank and 200 at the sand. I'll set the acclimation to 7 days so corals don't get shocked.

DesertReefT4r · Apr 15, 2020

Watch the BRS videos on the G4 setup. They do a very detailed testing of the light and recommend setttings, mounting height and spacing. 10-12" high provides the best spread of light and even PAR. This helps fix the center hot spots and outer edge low spots of PAR. As said dont do too much too fast. It makes it hard to know what change made the difference and can be more stressful to the already stressed corals.

minus9 · Apr 15, 2020

If you're dosing Triton Other Methods, I would keep alk at or below 8dKH, anything above 8 and it gets funky. As a former Triton user and someone who loves sps, I would seriously look into another approach of reef keeping. I had issues using Triton and could never get things to grow and thrive, but as soon as I went back to 2 part, then eventually a CaRx, my tank turned around. In fact, it only took days of using 2 part before I saw a positive change. I'm not saying you should give up Triton, but nothing beats old school reef keeping. Okay, maybe I am?
Just food for thought. Good luck and I hope your tank gets back on track.

jmp21677 · Apr 17, 2020

minus9 said:
If you're dosing Triton Other Methods, I would keep alk at or below 8dKH, anything above 8 and it gets funky. As a former Triton user and someone who loves sps, I would seriously look into another approach of reef keeping. I had issues using Triton and could never get things to grow and thrive, but as soon as I went back to 2 part, then eventually a CaRx, my tank turned around. In fact, it only took days of using 2 part before I saw a positive change. I'm not saying you should give up Triton, but nothing beats old school reef keeping. Okay, maybe I am?
Just food for thought. Good luck and I hope your tank gets back on track.

What two part do you recommend?

minus9 · Apr 17, 2020

You can make your own via Randy's recipe, which there should be a link here on R2R. I used it in the past on my 22g nano, but I bought BRS' Pharma grade 2 part when I stopped dosing Triton.

minus9 · Apr 17, 2020

Randy's recipe

jmp21677 · Apr 19, 2020

I've started to move over to BRS pharmacy grade 3 part. I've had no luck with triton and it's time. Toughest part is going to be how much dosing needs to change. Been dosing 6ml per day broken into 3 different dosing times

minus9 · Apr 20, 2020

jmp21677 said:
I've started to move over to BRS pharmacy grade 3 part. I've had no luck with triton and it's time. Toughest part is going to be how much dosing needs to change. Been dosing 6ml per day broken into 3 different dosing times

Just test each day at the same time and you'll get an idea how much in no time. It's better to under shoot dosing than to add too much. When I switched back to dosing 2 part, I did 10% to 15% water changes each week. Just match your current alk on fresh saltwater and you'll be okay. Tropic Marin pro was/is my salt of choice. I usually have to bump alk you just a tad, but that's nothing to worry about.
Good luck and keep us posted!

jmp21677 · Apr 20, 2020

minus9 said:
Just test each day at the same time and you'll get an idea how much in no time. It's better to under shoot dosing than to add too much. When I switched back to dosing 2 part, I did 10% to 15% water changes each week. Just match your current alk on fresh saltwater and you'll be okay. Tropic Marin pro was/is my salt of choice. I usually have to bump alk you just a tad, but that's nothing to worry about.
Good luck and keep us posted!

My wife bought me a apex this weekend. Should be here Tuesday. I'll be testing alk daily. Hopefully won't move to much.