What am I doing wrong?

Bronx19

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Just updating - slimer looks FLUFFY. Looks awesome, hoping it was this easy of a fix.
That's progress. I'll say something that might get me in trouble here. All this talk of the skimmer being the lifeblood of a reef aquarium and having to control PO4/NO3 is utter nonsense I've come to learn. There are huge names out there advocating this, against a nobody on a forum, so its up to you to find out first hand.

Honestly, no skimmer and 50%+ fortnightly water changes is easy mode for sticks. Watch your bio filter take nutrients to 0 on the test kits and your SPS thrive. I haven't tested for anything but KH in years on tanks full of SPS. The money we spend on equipment, chemical/mechanical filtration, trying to get the PAR just right ect, its rubbish.

Eliminate as many variables as possible beyond a tank full of natural sea water with some fish and a quality light. For me, that's a marine Pure block, bag of cheap carbon and 2lb of zeolite in a reactor.
 
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Max93

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Got the par meter! Somehow delivered faster. Will post results tonight
 
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Max93

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The par readings are very telling.. pic coming in a few hours
 
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Max93

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Ok so I’m not going to write the numbers on every part of the tank because it is not necessary at this point after these findings. Phosphate checker comes in tomorrow, and after seeing this I think I’m having a problem with the nutrients/light balance.

the quarantine is at 100 par by the way, so same thing in there I just think the corals where happier since there is no skimmer in there.

The number in the image is on the surface of the rocks. what do? I tried increasing my lights to literally 100% (looks horrible, so white) and the par was 180 tops.

should I bring the lights down? Jump onto a T5 hybrid ?

phosphate tests tomorrow..

BE6CBB15-403C-4148-A386-8791F4D376F4.jpeg
 

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Ok so I’m not going to write the numbers on every part of the tank because it is not necessary at this point after these findings. Phosphate checker comes in tomorrow, and after seeing this I think I’m having a problem with the nutrients/light balance.

the quarantine is at 100 par by the way, so same thing in there I just think the corals where happier since there is no skimmer in there.

The number in the image is on the surface of the rocks. what do? I tried increasing my lights to literally 100% (looks horrible, so white) and the par was 180 tops.

should I bring the lights down? Jump onto a T5 hybrid ?

phosphate tests tomorrow..

BE6CBB15-403C-4148-A386-8791F4D376F4.jpeg
T5 hybrid
Lowering them won’t add much par
 
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Max93

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Posting phosphates soon! These are my current light settings, bringing par up to approximately 150 in the 110 areas.
 

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czoolander

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Definitely get the ultra low range

Burnt tips doesn’t too much “par”. It could mean you’re hot spotting the corals if the lights are mounted too low. It could also mean you’re over stripping your water, regardless of what your no3/po4 readings are. Oversized skimming, gfo, carbon dosing etc usually causes it, especially if you have elevated alk. My corals look their best in 5-30 no3 and 0.10-0.20 po4.

I would get rid of the chemipure for now. Let us know what your Po4 readings are when the checker arrives.
How do you avoid GHA with Nitrates at 5-30 and phosphates at 0.10 -0.20 ???

Maybe I just got unlucky when I got GHA algae at nitrates 15 and Phosphate at .15 . Since I got GHA most people are saying to run mixed reef around nitrates of 5 and phos around 0.02 -0.05 and if you are growing SPS wouldn't you want those numbers even lower ?

Just curious .......
 

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How do you avoid GHA with Nitrates at 5-30 and phosphates at 0.10 -0.20 ???

Maybe I just got unlucky when I got GHA algae at nitrates 15 and Phosphate at .15 . Since I got GHA most people are saying to run mixed reef around nitrates of 5 and phos around 0.02 -0.05 and if you are growing SPS wouldn't you want those numbers even lower ?

Just curious .......
I do have a little gha. I had no algae when I was carbon dosing and using gfo to keep no3 and Po4 in the “recommended” ranges. The only problem, and this was a big one, is all my sps would slowly wither away and die. So now all I do is grow chaeto and use my skimmer.
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czoolander

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I do have a little gha. I had no algae when I was carbon dosing and using gfo to keep no3 and Po4 in the “recommended” ranges. The only problem, and this was a big one, is all my sps would slowly wither away and die. So now all I do is grow chaeto and use my skimmer.
19F1A71F-AB9E-4801-9958-674861C5945A.jpeg
BFA5F021-8B31-4EBC-B539-CDB8BAD348AE.jpeg
8AD22C2C-8A67-4909-B947-15CBDEA0105A.jpeg
6D159ACA-53CB-4088-B2F6-24F8A9111513.jpeg
32F7CA33-38A8-4C2A-8CA1-1395DB5454CB.jpeg
B1E8CCE3-4329-4C06-B094-3DDD99B29E17.jpeg
6171E126-5AD8-4365-A365-F7C5FAE911F3.jpeg
BF47AE9A-3B1E-4948-B0D9-7EA09D453FDA.jpeg
8399540F-186E-4D52-8CD6-CD418BABCF6B.jpeg
824F3643-EA19-45FB-9F00-B0B56268A28E.jpeg
Hard to argue with results right haha your tank looks amazing !!

I guess maybe my tank just needs more time to mature
 

rhostam

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I do have a little gha. I had no algae when I was carbon dosing and using gfo to keep no3 and Po4 in the “recommended” ranges. The only problem, and this was a big one, is all my sps would slowly wither away and die. So now all I do is grow chaeto and use my skimmer.
19F1A71F-AB9E-4801-9958-674861C5945A.jpeg
BFA5F021-8B31-4EBC-B539-CDB8BAD348AE.jpeg
8AD22C2C-8A67-4909-B947-15CBDEA0105A.jpeg
6D159ACA-53CB-4088-B2F6-24F8A9111513.jpeg
32F7CA33-38A8-4C2A-8CA1-1395DB5454CB.jpeg
B1E8CCE3-4329-4C06-B094-3DDD99B29E17.jpeg
6171E126-5AD8-4365-A365-F7C5FAE911F3.jpeg
BF47AE9A-3B1E-4948-B0D9-7EA09D453FDA.jpeg
8399540F-186E-4D52-8CD6-CD418BABCF6B.jpeg
824F3643-EA19-45FB-9F00-B0B56268A28E.jpeg
These pictures help me understand better why people love acros so much (challenge aside).

Stunning specimens!
 
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Max93

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Awesome shots, definitely very happy corals!!

now for the results, we have:

horrible par (this will be corrected by a hybrid system). Any recommendation on bulbs? I need four 80w and I like more blue than white.

parameters as of 9/16/2021:

phosphates: 0.00 - this was a flat read on the Hannah ultra low. It was not blinking, so not an error.

Alk - 8.0

ca - 400

magnesium - 1230

nitrates - 5

plan of attack? Not sure but I’m thinking I should start with:

upgrade to hybrid T5 + AI lights
Use skimmer at night only
Feed a crap ton more? I’m up to 3 cubes a day..
 

rhostam

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Awesome shots, definitely very happy corals!!

now for the results, we have:

horrible par (this will be corrected by a hybrid system). Any recommendation on bulbs? I need four 80w and I like more blue than white.

parameters as of 9/16/2021:

phosphates: 0.00 - this was a flat read on the Hannah ultra low. It was not blinking, so not an error.

Alk - 8.0

ca - 400

magnesium - 1230

nitrates - 5

plan of attack? Not sure but I’m thinking I should start with:

upgrade to hybrid T5 + AI lights
Use skimmer at night only
Feed a crap ton more? I’m up to 3 cubes a day..
Consider a feeder that keeps food in the water column. The @AVAST Marine plank feeder is awesome at that and it lets you finely control the dispensing of food with near total silence. Avast’s reef jerky also makes the inhabitants super happy (though I blend with other foods).
 
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Max93

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Consider a feeder that keeps food in the water column. The @AVAST Marine plank feeder is awesome at that and it lets you finely control the dispensing of food with near total silence. Avast’s reef jerky also makes the inhabitants super happy (though I blend with other foods).
I do have an automatic feeder I use when I go on vacation. I guess I’ll use that permanently. I can’t make another $200 purchase at this time for that right now, but very cool. I have it on a wishlist.
Any other suggestion for increasing phosphate?
 

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I do have an automatic feeder I use when I go on vacation. I guess I’ll use that permanently. I can’t make another $200 purchase at this time for that right now, but very cool. I have it on a wishlist.
Any other suggestion for increasing phosphate?
How many fish do you have?
 

TX_Punisher

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I’ve found feeding pellets increases po4 more than feeding frozen foods, at least for me.
 
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Max93

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How many fish do you have?
I have ten fish:

3 lyretails
One clown
1 Kole tang
1 hippo tang
1 yellow coris wrasse
2 dart fish
1 Midas blenny

I have a foxface and a convict tang arriving next month from TSM aquatics, and another 3 to 4 lyretails as well depending if they get them for the next preorder.
 
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Max93

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Phosphate test today: 0.04!
Getting somewhere
 
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