SPS Lighting and nutrient balance troubles

[Piker]

Good Afternoon,

I'm feeling like I have to decide between algae or dinos in my 75g display 36g sump. I just beat a second bout of dinos in the last 4 months by raising nutrients and UV sterilizing. After winning the last battle, I listened to some advice here and dosed fluconazole to get rid of bryopsis. It was working but I stopped before it killed most of my acropora. To be fair the frags were only 2 months old, but they definitely didn't like it.

So I've pulled the UV sterilizer (it was coralife, and I've read it rusts, so only used it as long as needed). Now I'm keeping my nitrates between 3 and 8ppm and phosphates between .02 and .04. They dip some times so I have to add a bit or toss some reef roids in. Regardless of this, I have bryopsis and turf algae that's going nuts.

Please advise based on my system if you have experience. I'm so tempted to drop phosphate to zero but I don't know if I'd survive another dino outbreak. I'm not going to try fluconozole again, I have acros on the way to replace those I lost... so I don't want to do anything to upset the otherwise stable tank.


Lighting (aquatic life hybrid & 4 xr15)
-4 radion xr15 pro set to default 8 hour coral labs ab+
-4 T5 lights that run 6 hour peak in the middle ramping up and down for an hour at both ends (total of 8 hours)
-currently ramping the xr15 up for another 40 days, at peak rock placement it's 300 par, will be 350.
-There is a night time mode that runs for 3-4 hours with no blues, I imagine negligible par
More than anything I'd appreciate advice here, I thought this limited 8 hour schedule would help me avoid algae, especially with a ramp up but I'm not seeing it. Regardless of the algae, I don't need fast growth, I just want something with my setup that is going to WORK and let these corals thrive. Limiting algae is another goal of course.

Filtration
-Good sized skimmer, I currently turn off from 8pm to midnight due to nutrients wanting to stay too low and following some Dr Tim advice
-Filter socks changed 2x a week
-rowa phos in reactor (installed during fluconozole treatment to keep phosphates below .08)
-reef spec carbon run occasionally
-Refugium with chaeto and rock rubble (that gets covered in hair algae) runs between 8 and 12 hours most nights. I will occasionally do 3 day black outs to control algae
-weekly 12% 10 gallon water change.

Feed
-Once daily LRS reef frenzy
-reef roids direct to LPS when phosphates drop around .02 or less

Misc
-15 Months old
-Nitrate/phosphate/alk tested daily (8.2 avg alk, swings by no more than .2)
-mag,calc, tested every Saturday
-3 mp40 for flow at about 45% avg speed

Clean Up Crew
-70 astrea snails
-Tomini Tang
-Pencil Urchin
-lawnmower blenny
-15 or so hermits

Surviving Corals
-LPS has never let me down, 1 micro lord and 1 lobo.
-3 montis
-4 acros remaining, though 2 or 3 have some brown tips yet that I'm hoping they can fight off residual from fluconozole/dinoflagellates

2 new acros on the way... I know I'm jumping the gun but I want something that's not been damaged in this tank.

Anyway, if anyone has some advice on fighting algae without killing acropora I'd appreciate it! As mentioned, I'd love someone with a similar successful lighting setup to chime in on my lighting schedule and program. I'm tired of messing with it. If you've read this far, thanks and I appreciate you!

 

[Jekyl]

Manual removal, more CuC. Seems like you've made a lot of different changes which will effect coral negatively. Bottles of miracles are seldom that.

 

[Piker]

Thanks, how much clean up crew are you talking? I thought I was already heavy. Also bryopsis seems to spread with manual removal unfortunately that's how I got here from a tiny tuft that came in on my acan.

 

[Jekyl]

Thanks, how much clean up crew are you talking? I thought I was already heavy. Also bryopsis seems to spread with manual removal unfortunately that's how I got here from a tiny tuft that came in on my acan.

70 of the same kind of snail so some things may be getting missed. Check out reefcleaners.org and look at packages for 1/2 your tank size.

 

[Jekyl]

I'm also a fan of urchins. Tuxedo, or long spine are both great with algae.

 

[Piker]

I've got Nassarius and dwarf nec as well as troca, mostly turbo is all, my mistake for not being more specific. I think I'm capped out on cuc, though I do appreciate you chiming in.

 

[Piker]

I'm also a fan of urchins. Tuxedo, or long spine are both great with algae.

I've got a pencil urchin, ill probably toss a tuxedo or two in, fair point.

 

[Jekyl]

Have you tried phyto dosing? I've heard great things about it as far as algae and ecosystem goes.

 

[Piker]

I did do it some time ago, used to cultivate nano and t-iso when I was breeding fish and dosed it occasionally. My tank could use a pod refresher regardless after the meds. Good ideas man.

 

[Jacked Reefer]

Question? What do you run your temperature at? I used to have the same problem in my old 10 gallon. Back and forth between bryopsis and dinos. But the second I put my Halide on the tank (making my temp go from 76-78 to about 80-82) all my issues disappeared. I don’t a credit this to the light due to the fact I’ve advised many of my customers at the LFS I work at to bump up temperature for Dino’s and it disappeared in almost all of them. With bryopsis I also recommend looking into hydrogen peroxide if your rock structure has multiple pieces. Dipping your rocs in hydrogen peroxide and saltwater will dissolve bryopsis but leave coral and bacteria alone.

 

[Piker]

Question? What do you run your temperature at? I used to have the same problem in my old 10 gallon. Back and forth between bryopsis and dinos. But the second I put my Halide on the tank (making my temp go from 76-78 to about 80-82) all my issues disappeared. I don’t a credit this to the light due to the fact I’ve advised many of my customers at the LFS I work at to bump up temperature for Dino’s and it disappeared in almost all of them. With bryopsis I also recommend looking into hydrogen peroxide if your rock structure has multiple pieces. Dipping your rocs in hydrogen peroxide and saltwater will dissolve bryopsis but leave coral and bacteria alone.

I shoot for 78. Upping the temp is something I may try down the road after I look into it.

Right now I'm kind of trying to research and decide on lighting. One change at a time. It's an idea I will consider though for sure, thank you!

 

[Acrofiend]

Read about higher magnesium for bryopsis. It somewhat worked for me.

 

[J1a]

I listened to some advice here and dosed fluconazole to get rid of bryopsis. It was working but I stopped before it killed most of my acropora.

I assume by stop, you mean remove the medication with carbon?

Imo if the damage is already done, you should just let fluconazole run its course and wipe those bryopsis out.

 

[Piker]

I assume by stop, you mean remove the medication with carbon?

Imo if the damage is already done, you should just let fluconazole run its course and wipe those bryopsis out.

Carbon and 20% water change. I saved 3 of 7 acropora. I'd do it again to keep my heartbreaker, which is in good health. I may lose the other survivors.

 

[Piker]

Read about higher magnesium for bryopsis. It somewhat worked for me.

I've read a bit on this, I may try this actually.