SPS help

[krak256]

I seem to be having decent growth with SPS but I have been have some slight setbacks - losing some frags or RTN. I think the reason was because I had a hard time maintaining stable alk (even though I dose alk and calc) but in the last 2 weeks, its been relatively stable around 8.3-8.9. My parameters as of today are:

Salinity: 1.027 (a tad high but plan to lower soon with water change)
PH: 8.4 (API)
Nitrite: 0 (API)
Nitrate: 0 (API)
Ammonia: 0 (Red Sea)
Phosphates: 0 (Hanna)
Alk: 8.75 (Salifert)
Calc: 365 (Salifert - increased dosing today)
Mag: 1335 (Salifert - don't dose but water change should help bring up)

Here is a pic of my tank:

Despite relatively stable alk in the last 2 weeks, I've been having some tissue loss at the base of the corals and browning out:

What could be the issue? Any help is appreciated as I would like my corals to be doing better.

 

[Ling_Thing]

Your corals are starving...you need to get those nutrients up to detectable levels. Also that alk is on the high side with sps typically and your playing with fire with zero nutrients and alk above 8.5 IMO. Are you running any gfo or macro algae? What’s your feeding schedule and bio load?

 

[Aaron4890]

I agree your Alk is too high for how low your nutrients are.

 

[krak256]

Your corals are starving...you need to get those nutrients up to detectable levels. Also that alk is on the high side with sps typically and your playing with fire with zero nutrients and alk above 8.5 IMO. Are you running any gfo or macro algae? What’s your feeding schedule and bio load?

I always thought with SPS, you want low nutrients?

No GFO but I am growing chaeto on 12 hr cycle. Feed small piece of nori and either flake or froze once a day.

Bioload... don't kill me but its:
2 clownfish
1 pygmy angel
1 small hippo (about 1.5-2 inches)
1 purple tang (about 4 inches)
1 firefish
1 yellow goby

 

[krak256]

I agree your Alk is too high for how low your nutrients are.

what would the appropriate alk be? I thought you want alk in the 8-10 range.

I also do water changes about every 1-2 weeks primarily to help keep my alk stable. I notice after a while, my alk needs shoot up and my alk drops quite a bit.

 

[Aaron4890]

what would the appropriate alk be? I thought you want alk in the 8-10 range.

I also do water changes about every 1-2 weeks primarily to help keep my alk stable. I notice after a while, my alk needs shoot up and my alk drops quite a bit.

I would say Alk of 7.5 would be good.

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

0.0 no3 and 0.0 po4 is never good, especially if your alk is over 8.3, maybe 8.5. I would turn your skimmer off for awhile and start feeding your fish a couple times a day or start feeding reef roids/reef chili.

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

What’s your lighting? Also if you are using water changes to help maintain alk, your alk is not stable enough.

 

[Ling_Thing]

Acropora aren’t for the faint of heart, your system really has to be mature and your parameters rock solid and stable and detectable n03 and p04 consistently. I’ve had great luck with n03 5 ppm, p04 .05, alk 8.0

 

[29bonsaireef]

If you want to maintain undetectable no3/p04 keep dkh closer to 7-7.5. Or just feed your fish/add more

 

[krak256]

What’s your lighting? Also if you are using water changes to help maintain alk, your alk is not stable enough.

I'm running 32" Reefbreeders v2. I believe I have my blues cranked up to 60%.

In terms of my alk, I was finding that it was remained stabled based on my dosing for the first 1-2 weeks after a water change but after that it started to decline much faster. Perhaps I need to recheck to make sure usage does ramp up that fast in the 3-4 week range.

 

[krak256]

0.0 no3 and 0.0 po4 is never good, especially if your alk is over 8.3, maybe 8.5. I would turn your skimmer off for awhile and start feeding your fish a couple times a day or start feeding reef roids/reef chili.

Sounds good. I'll ease off my alk dosing and start letting it drop down to 8 then to 7.5. Also will start feeding a bit more.

I was concerned about feeding too much because while I don't have algae in the display, I have a bit of hair algae in my refugium .

 

[ScottR]

Like others mentioned, no po4 and no NO3, how are you providing nutrients. And alk swings can kill. Get your system stable. I had alk swings kill my SPS because I got them before I was ready for them.

 

[krak256]

Like others mentioned, no po4 and no NO3, how are you providing nutrients. And alk swings can kill. Get your system stable. I had alk swings kill my SPS because I got them before I was ready for them.

I'm just providing nutrients through feeding fish. I've never did any coral food before but I do have a sample of Reef Roids I can use.

My alk was stable when I first started my tank about 1.5 years ago but I think with more corals, my alk usage increased and I wasn't able to keep up with dosing or I over dosed (as I was chasing alk of 9). Hopefully now with a lower alk target of 7.5-8, it'll be more stable.

 

[homer1475]

From those pics, it just looks like shading to me. The coral looses flesh from the shading. First pic the tissue(just color it looks like to me, not actual flesh loss) is lost on the underside where the light does not hit it.

LED's are known for this issue. It's the reason most supplement with T5's.

Of course I could be wrong, but thats my opinion. I have the same thing happening to a purple stylo. A large plating monti partially shades it, if I break that plate off, it colors up within a few days and the polyps come back out. I have to "frag" that monti nearly monthly. lol

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

From those pics, it just looks like shading to me. The coral looses flesh from the shading. First pic the tissue(just color it looks like to me, not actual flesh loss) is lost on the underside where the light does not hit it.

LED's are known for this issue. It's the reason most supplement with T5's.

Of course I could be wrong, but thats my opinion. I have the same thing happening to a purple stylo. A large plating monti partially shades it, if I break that plate off, it colors up within a few days and the polyps come back out. I have to "frag" that monti nearly monthly. lol

I was thinking the same thing

 

[Style185]

I have the photon v2+ over a 40B I run my lights on the same intensity as the radion ab+ schedule ramp in the am and then full go til the afternoon.. seems great. Your corals look great shading looks like the issues to me. If you think starvation is an issue feed your fish more often :)

 

[Budman's Corals]

From those pics, it just looks like shading to me. The coral looses flesh from the shading. First pic the tissue(just color it looks like to me, not actual flesh loss) is lost on the underside where the light does not hit it.

LED's are known for this issue. It's the reason most supplement with T5's.

Of course I could be wrong, but thats my opinion. I have the same thing happening to a purple stylo. A large plating monti partially shades it, if I break that plate off, it colors up within a few days and the polyps come back out. I have to "frag" that monti nearly monthly. lol

I agree with you shading or lack of flow

 

[DesertReefT4r]

Having similar issues with my sps and have had no no3 and alk nearly the same stable at 8.4-8.3 Hanna. Tank had a mini crash from what I am now thing was a nutrient bottom out I increased feeding a lot and turned off my fuge light plus small dosing of Neo Nitro has brought no3 to 0.75 ppm Red Sea Pro. My tank seems to both consume no3 very fast and filteration removes organics before breaking down so I will see if the no3 at least holds at detectable. I hope we cam both get our tanks on the right path, good luck and dont give up.

 

[smartwater101]

what would the appropriate alk be? I thought you want alk in the 8-10 range

High alk is totally fine IF you have the nutrients to support it. Up your nitrate/phosphate or lower the alk. What ever you feel you can maintain long term. GL!