SPS will not survive

[TheSheff]

Hello, I have been having an issue and am curious what you all might think. I have a 15-gallon tank that is doing very well (LPS and softies are doing good) , even growing coralline algae. I cant for the life of me keep an SPS coral alive in this tank. I've even tried putting the easier ones like pocillopora into the tank and their polyps start to peel off within a week. Is there something I could be doing wrong/has anyone experienced this? I do weekly water changes with red sea coral pro salt. My nitrates are 15-20, Alk is 8.4 , calcium stays within 400-450, magnesium stays around 1350 and fluctuates obviously, but none of these ever seem to go below the recommended levels.

 

[Reefahholic]

Hello, I have been having an issue and am curious what you all might think. I have a 15-gallon tank that is doing very well (LPS and softies are doing good) , even growing coralline algae. I cant for the life of me keep an SPS coral alive in this tank. I've even tried putting the easier ones like pocillopora into the tank and their polyps start to peel off within a week. Is there something I could be doing wrong/has anyone experienced this? I do weekly water changes with red sea coral pro salt. My nitrates are 15-20, Alk is 8.4 , calcium stays within 400-450, magnesium stays around 1350 and fluctuates obviously, but none of these ever seem to go below the recommended levels.

Have you checked salinity, temp, and phosphate recently.?

 

[CoralB]

Nitrates might be a little high for what the prefer but don’t see any to be a issue . When you add your top off water is it directly being dumped on them or slowly doses in the current . Are you using additives to feed coral and provide key nutrients. What is the current salinity and is it stable . Are all your parameters stable and consistent. You didn’t mention temp and phosphates as Reefahholilc mentioned ???

 

[CaptPatrick]

How long has the tank been set up? Did you start with dry or live rock? Have you verified your testing? Doesn’t Red Sea coral pro kh mix around 11-12, how are you keep kh around 8?

 

[TheSheff]

How long has the tank been set up? Did you start with dry or live rock? Have you verified your testing? Doesn’t Red Sea coral pro kh mix around 11-12, how are you keep kh around 8?

Tank is about 6 months old. It was dry rock. I've had multiple people test around the same parameters. Im not sure why my kh stays at 8.4 but it seems to be really consistent.

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

Lighting, flow, phosphates?

 

[TheSheff]

Nitrates might be a little high for what the prefer but don’t see any to be a issue . When you add your top off water is it directly being dumped on them or slowly doses in the current . Are you using additives to feed coral and provide key nutrients. What is the current salinity and is it stable . Are all your parameters stable and consistent. You didn’t mention temp and phosphates as Reefahholilc mentioned ??.

Top off water is added by an ato to my return pump chamber. Salinity is always at 1.025. I feed reef roids twice a week. I also dose amino acids twice a week. Temp is always 78 Fahrenheit. I am working on getting a phosphate test lol , I forgot to mention that I have a refugium

 

[forestsofkelp]

If its not phosphate, it could be a metal contamination

 

[Lavey29]

It's just very difficult to get SPS to thrive in a 6 month old tank. The biodiversity just isn't there nor the stability. Very experienced reefers can tweak their systems effectively to have success especially with live ocean rock in the tank but for the vast majority it takes about a year for the tank to come into balance stability and support SPS corals. You would be best served not to spend to much just try one or two test frags over the coming months and then you will know when to add the good stuff.

 

[vetteguy53081]

tank age and possibly lighting are concerns.
What light are you running ?
Is Salinity or water tem elevated?
Are you using RODI water or tap water from the faucet ?
What test kits are you running?

There are various causes why this also occurs. Some possible triggers of infection are:
- Alkalinity spike
- Temperature spike
- Salinity spike
- Low dissolved oxygen
- Poor water quality related with phosphate levels up to 5 ppm
- Change in water flow
- Additions of sand
- Changes in brand of salt
- Bad test kits giving faulty results
- Levels of minor elements such as Iodine, Potassium, Strontium
- Light intensity
- Changes in water flow
- Addition of new corals
- Pesticides
- Airborne Contaminants or sprays

 

[Reefahholic]

Tank is too young and if you’ve never kept SPS I’d wait for 6 more months before you dive in too deep. Otherwise you’ll likely loose a lot of them.

 

[MoreReef]

Mmmm what lights are you rinning?

 

[TheSheff]

Lighting, flow, phosphates?

If its not phosphate, it could be a metal contamination

Mmmm what lights are you rinning?

kessil a160

 

[Aquanaut WA]

Could be overdosing Amino additive. Some have Iodide and other elements that may be building up on this immature system. I would stop the dosings and just do 20% weekly water changes--allow mix to age a day or two-- dilute the buildup. With a tank this small and doing weekly water changes things should resolve themselves. Also small frags are notorious for being tempermental and short lived in a immature tank. Perhaps begin with Monti cap pieces and related durable SPS. Spongeodis, Digita types, birdnest, Hydnopora to start with. Porcilapora can melt.

 

[TheSheff]

If its not phosphate, it could be a metal contamination

is that something that carbon could fix?

 

[MoreReef]

kessil a160

Is that the tuna sun or blue?

 

[TheSheff]

tank age and possibly lighting are concerns.
What light are you running ?
Is Salinity or water tem elevated?
Are you using RODI water or tap water from the faucet ?
What test kits are you running?

There are various causes why this also occurs. Some possible triggers of infection are:
- Alkalinity spike
- Temperature spike
- Salinity spike
- Low dissolved oxygen
- Poor water quality related with phosphate levels up to 5 ppm
- Change in water flow
- Additions of sand
- Changes in brand of salt
- Bad test kits giving faulty results
- Levels of minor elements such as Iodine, Potassium, Strontium
- Light intensity
- Changes in water flow
- Addition of new corals
- Pesticides
- Airborne Contaminants or sprays

Yeah, the tank is 6 months old, I assumed that having coralline is a good sign that SPS can do relatively well. I have a kessil a160. Salinity stays at 1.025. Temp stays at 78.6. I use an RODI system, I regularly check TDS and it stays at 0. I use a nyos nitrate test kit, a Hanna checker for alk, and salifert for calcium and magnesium. I have the Hanna nitrate checker I just need to buy reagents.

 

[TheSheff]

Is that the tuna sun or blue?

Tuna blue lol Im not that new

 

[TheSheff]

It's just very difficult to get SPS to thrive in a 6 month old tank. The biodiversity just isn't there nor the stability. Very experienced reefers can tweak their systems effectively to have success especially with live ocean rock in the tank but for the vast majority it takes about a year for the tank to come into balance stability and support SPS corals. You would be best served not to spend to much just try one or two test frags over the coming months and then you will know when to add the good stuff.

Ok, i am totally fine with waiting that long, I just was curious why it could be happening because coralline is growing.

 

[TheSheff]

Tank is too young and if you’ve never kept SPS I’d wait for 6 more months before you dive in too deep. Otherwise you’ll likely loose a lot of them.

Ok, I can do that lol. What corals do you recommend when the tank reaches one year old?