Test kits and trying to save corals

[darksideofthereef]

So I swaped tanks from a nuvo 40 to reefer 350. I used all live rock ( ive had this rock for 7 plus year) and matrix, other biomedia from the old tank and almost all the water. Then added some dead and cured rock and all new sand.

Day one corals looked fine day two sps started to pale out day 3 sps bleached and favias bleached. So nitrate, phosphate and ammonia are fine. I have hana and salifert kits and both are pretty much the same kh 9.1 cal 467 mag 1478 and ph 7.6
I know the ph is low and I'm working on bringing it up.

I went to my lfs and he tested with api and came out with the nitrate, phos and ammonia being in the clear, the ph at 7.5 but mag and cal being drastically low with alk at 7.8.

Not really sure where to go from here. What test kits do I go by? I don't want to just start dumping stuff in the tank.

Also did switch lights from a radion to hydra 26hd but they are on acclimation mode.

Any help or advice is greatly appreciated

 

[blaxsun]

A PAR meter is the only way to gauge whether your corals are getting too much or too little light. Radions can be quite a bit more intense than Hydras, so it might be worth renting or borrowing one. Assuming your parameters are fine, the only things to look at are lighting and flow. Did you upgrade any wavemakers in the tank to account for the larger size with the upgrade?

I wouldn't trust the API test kit any farther than I can throw it. If you're using Salifert and Hanna and they're both returning comparable results - go with those numbers.

 

[darksideofthereef]

A PAR meter is the only way to gauge whether your corals are getting too much or too little light. Radions can be quite a bit more intense than Hydras, so it might be worth renting or borrowing one. Assuming your parameters are fine, the only things to look at are lighting and flow. Did you upgrade any wavemakers in the tank to account for the larger size with the upgrade?

I wouldn't trust the API test kit any farther than I can throw it. If you're using Salifert and Hanna and they're both returning comparable results - go with those numbers.

Thanks I will have to see if anyone has one or I'll have to buy one.

As far as wave makers my mp10s won't fit on the glass.... so I have two nero 5s for now. Nothing is getting hammered with direct flow and everything looked great the first day. As far as flow hammers were out and swaying sps poylps where out and moving. Mushrooms, zoa and acans where out.

 

[blaxsun]

Thanks I will have to see if anyone has one or I'll have to buy one.

As far as wave makers my mp10s won't fit on the glass.... so I have two nero 5s for now. Nothing is getting hammered with direct flow and everything looked great the first day. As far as flow hammers were out and swaying sps poylps where out and moving. Mushrooms, zoa and acans where out.

From what it sounds like your flow is probably good (Nero 5's do a really decent job on the whole). It could be the corals aren't getting enough light with the acclimation - or they're getting too much with the Radion upgrade (especially if it's a G5 or G6).

 

[darksideofthereef]

Here's one of the racks. Not sure if anything has any life left except the hammers

 

[darksideofthereef]

From what it sounds like your flow is probably good (Nero 5's do a really decent job on the whole). It could be the corals aren't getting enough light with the acclimation - or they're getting too much with the Radion upgrade (especially if it's a G5 or G6).

I went from a gen 4 xr15 with xho reef brites to two hydra26 hds

 

[blaxsun]

I went from a gen 4 xr15 with xho reef brites to two hydra26 hds

I'm actually thinking this might be a downgrade in terms of overall light, but only a PAR meter would be able to verify.

 

[darksideofthereef]

So it was my ph. The probe needed to be recalibrated and was really low

 

[darksideofthereef]

Thanks everyone