Sps tips burning

[DeepReef]

I’m almost giving up, I can’t figure out why my sps slowly dying .
the tips burning and eventually the coral getting stripped.
I check parameters every weekend, and find the kh, mag and cal are pretty solid, only thing I can’t control is phosphate which at the minute stands around 60ppm with Hanna checker, in another hand nitrate around 10-15
Advice greatly appreciated

 

[Troylee]

That’s typically a sign of high alk “alk burn” and low nutrients.

 

[FUNGI]

"phosphate which at the minute stands around 60ppm with Hanna checker".....
You sure about that reading?

 

[DeepReef]

That’s typically a sign of high alk “alk burn” and low nutrients.

Alk stands at 35 according to APEX.

 

[DeepReef]

"phosphate which at the minute stands around 60ppm with Hanna checker".....
You sure about that reading?

Apologies, meant to say PPB instead :anguished-face:.
Hanna phosphorus checker

 

[nereefpat]

Alk stands at 35 according to APEX.

35 would be a strange alk reading? Is that dKH, meq/L, ppm?

Apologies, meant to say PPB instead :anguished-face:.
Hanna phosphorus checker

60 ppb P would be about 0.18 ppm phosphate, which would be about 10x higher than seawater.

 

[Uncle99]

35 would be a strange alk reading? Is that dKH, meq/L, ppm?


60 ppb P would be about 0.18 ppm phosphate, which would be about 10x higher than seawater.

I run 0.25ppm with no issues.
Seawater nutrients and DT would be very different.

 

[DeepReef]

35 would be a strange alk reading? Is that dKH, meq/L, ppm?


60 ppb P would be about 0.18 ppm phosphate, which would be about 10x higher than seawater.

Absolutely, its a bit high.
I do run reactor with rowaphos in it, but I cant get it lower for the life of me, What would you recommend to lower Phosphate, apart from rowphos ?

 

[FUNGI]

Absolutely, its a bit high.
I do run reactor with rowaphos in it, but I cant get it lower for the life of me, What would you recommend to lower Phosphate, apart from rowphos ?

Any of thiese (IMO & IME) work:

Cut down on feeding/change food
Refugium (but dont expect overnight changes)
Algae Scrubber (again not overnight)
NoPox (but with caution)
Lanthanum - (again, with caution)

Need to find the root of the issue should be first.......

 

[nereefpat]

Absolutely, its a bit high.
I do run reactor with rowaphos in it, but I cant get it lower for the life of me, What would you recommend to lower Phosphate, apart from rowphos ?

I want to figure out the alk first. What is the alkalinity?

I run 0.25ppm with no issues.
Seawater nutrients and DT would be very different.

Yep. People run N&P in a wide range. This just is not a low-N&P-causing-burnt-tips type situation.

 

[DeepReef]

I want to figure out the alk first. What is the alkalinity?

Yep. People run N&P in a wide range. This just is not a low-N&P-causing-burnt-tips type situation.

Alk 8 to 8.4

 

[nereefpat]

If alk i stable, then I suspect there is something else going on. Maybe lighting, or flow, or water change schedule. Possibly high N & P aren't helping. IDK.

To me, I'm not sure that I would call that burnt tips.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

That’s alkalinity and not pH, right?

What is at 35?

 

[Troylee]

High po4 or no3 wouldn’t cause that! It would stunt growth and brown them out at best if it was abnormally high.

 

[DeepReef]

That’s alkalinity and not pH, right?

What is at 35?

35 is salinity.
All my lps are doing great, apart from sps.

 

[Jamie814]

Alk stands at 35 according to APEX.

Apex reads alk in DKH, that can't be correct. That's 4 times what it should be.

 

[dwest]

I get similar problems running GFO at times. I’d stop the rowaphos reactor for a couple months and see what happens. Seriously that could be the problem.

 

[Troylee]

35 is salinity.
All my lps are doing great, apart from sps.

What does your alkalinity read?

 

[DeepReef]

Apex reads alk in DKH, that can't be correct. That's 4 times what it should be.

Sorry for confusion, salinity is 35ppt.
Dkh between 8 and 8.40

 

[DeepReef]

What does your alkalinity read?

If alk i stable, then I suspect there is something else going on. Maybe lighting, or flow, or water change schedule. Possibly high N & P aren't helping. IDK.

To me, I'm not sure that I would call that burnt tips.

Yeah alk pretty much stable, I just can’t narrow it down. In term of light, I run ati hybrid with loads of PAR. 350-400 for the sps and 250-200 for lower part for the lps.
every other week I do water change around 40lt.