Will SPS be okay in these params?

[Lost in the Sauce]

Agree nitrates too high. You’d have Issues with LPS let alone SPS. Get them down to 10-15.

Gotta disagree here. Many many lps will Thrive at that number.

 

[Lavey29]

Interesting. I have never heard of this. How much does it reduce nitrates though

It breaks down the organic waste before it becomes left over nitrates. I dose it half dose twice a week rather then one full dose
It walks nitrates down slowly.

 

[jda]

There are plenty of acropora that would not be happy long term on 50+ nitrates... and also plenty that would not care at all. With full loss, this is probably not the issue, but lowering it could not hurt any. I would look elsewhere if you are looking for a smoking gun single-fix type of deal.

Bio Digest probably isn't doing what it claimed and what some people think that it does. The only bacteria that can remove nitrate are deep down in the sand and rock where there is limited oxygen and these cannot be dosed in a bottle (that I have ever seen). None can remove nitrogen before this and reduce nitrate earlier in the cycle. None. No bacteria that I know of can remove phosphate. If the stuff is organic carbon, then that is different, but if it is then those folks get the UWC/Vibrant award for lies in reef keeping.

Get back to the basics. Check your refractometer. Check your temp with something with mercury in it, or with a laser, or something super reliable. Check your test kits to make sure that they are not out of date. ...all of this stuff. It is probably fine, but just make sure.

If you want to lower nitrate, then up the export, don't cut the import. Cutting the import is the main thing (fish waste) that gets nitrogen to your corals.

 

[jda]

Do you change water in a decent amount? It can be a really good idea where you are just mystified by things - assuming that your double check of all instruments and stuff turns out OK. It can work wonders in these situations as a reset-button.

 

[Zbutcher]

Spots are good .
I think it’s a sign of maturity but I can say a few years ago I have had the whole back glass covered in coralline along with every rock, snails crab shells , even every pump in the tank and still loss 90% of my sps . Chalice and acros were the first to go .
a huge plating monti started to lose colour and a short time after , it was completely gone .

That's good to know. I hope this pocillipora I put in today does well.

 

[Zbutcher]

Yes
I had +50 no3 and 0.55 po4 in my back up/qt system a couple years ago and acros, montis and zoas grew like crazy. I had an urchin bite into a power head cord and nuked all the sps overnight. The corals were much darker (not brown) in that system compared to my main tank.

How many fish do you have?
What size tank?
Lighting?

dang that's awesome to know tho maybe it really is a maturity thing.

X2 clowns
1 purple tang
1convict tang
1 whitetail bristletooth tang
1 one spot foxface
1 Pavo damsel
1 mandarin dragonet
1 starry blenny
1 sharknose cleaner goby
1 filefish (lives in 100 gallon sump with a big large middle chamber and eats a ton of aiptasia in off coral racks and rocks when I need, no access to coral for people that think he is eating coral)

Tank is 6'x3'x12" I think it's about 180 gallons that focuses more on swimming space for fish it's essentially a giant coral flat.

Lights are Neptune skies.

 

[Zbutcher]

Sorry for the late reply and don't think of your self as ignorant, just seeing things a different way.

Yes, anything your fish digest and even them breathing will add to nitrates and/or phosphate. Some things lower the amount of free nutrients in your system though. Perhaps it's a case of the fish digesting it more thoroughly. I'm not smart enough to do more then speculate on the cause, but I have witnessed the effects.

No worries man j appreciate all the help trust me. I'm desperate to make this tank work

 

[Zbutcher]

Frozen and pellets will have the same amount of nitrates assuming you feed them the same amount of calories.

Frozen adds less phosphates than pellets/flake for the same amount of calories to the fish because pellets often include fish bone meal which is extremely high in phosphates.

Overall will make little difference to your problem. I prefer frozen more because the fish seem to like it a lot better.

That's fair. Maybe I'll just feed every second day and dial back the nori

 

[Zbutcher]

Do you change water in a decent amount? It can be a really good idea where you are just mystified by things - assuming that your double check of all instruments and stuff turns out OK. It can work wonders in these situations as a reset-button.

Yeah I think I'll go back to weekly 30-40 gallon water changes until things kick back to normal. Not that they ever were :/

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

Lots of flow not sure how to quantify that for you lol sorry
2 Neptune skies at 25%
Skimmer, CW-200 Algae scrubber, filter socks
6'x3'x12" essentially a coral flat

25%???
Have you checked your par?
Can you describe the tissue necrosis? Do they start suck the polyps in and start to look dull and dried out? Then the tissue starts to flake off randomly?


Or does the necrosis start uniformly at the base and work it’s way up?

 

[jmichaelh7]

That's fair. Maybe I'll just feed every second day and dial back the nori

Why cut back the food and starve your fish ??

like already mentioned don’t cut back import but increase your export . I dislike the idea of every other day feeding your pets

 

[The Farmer]

What is your feeding schedule like?

 

[Zbutcher]

Gotta disagree here. Many many lps will Thrive at that number.

Which ones I'm curious. I had a Duncan that was doing great and now it has been closed for 2 days for literally no reason. All I did was a water change. I also added a pocillipora and that looks fantastic so far. But the SPS usually do for about a month then die.

 

[Zbutcher]

There are plenty of acropora that would not be happy long term on 50+ nitrates... and also plenty that would not care at all. With full loss, this is probably not the issue, but lowering it could not hurt any. I would look elsewhere if you are looking for a smoking gun single-fix type of deal.

Bio Digest probably isn't doing what it claimed and what some people think that it does. The only bacteria that can remove nitrate are deep down in the sand and rock where there is limited oxygen and these cannot be dosed in a bottle (that I have ever seen). None can remove nitrogen before this and reduce nitrate earlier in the cycle. None. No bacteria that I know of can remove phosphate. If the stuff is organic carbon, then that is different, but if it is then those folks get the UWC/Vibrant award for lies in reef keeping.

Get back to the basics. Check your refractometer. Check your temp with something with mercury in it, or with a laser, or something super reliable. Check your test kits to make sure that they are not out of date. ...all of this stuff. It is probably fine, but just make sure.

If you want to lower nitrate, then up the export, don't cut the import. Cutting the import is the main thing (fish waste) that gets nitrogen to your corals.

Yep I have recalibrated and checked everything and it all checks out. When you say don't cut the import you mean feeding yeah? I do think I'm going to dial back the feeding for sure. I haven't been going crazy but I don't think feeding everyday is necessary ATM.

 

[Zbutcher]

25%???
Have you checked your par?
Can you describe the tissue necrosis? Do they start suck the polyps in and start to look dull and dried out? Then the tissue starts to flake off randomly?


Or does the necrosis start uniformly at the base and work it’s way up?

Yes I've checked the par at 25% it's I think (200-300) I have the same tank as a buddy at a coral farm where the water is only 12 inches deep so 25% is a lot stronger then it sounds lol

Usually starts at tips and takes a week or two then tissue is gone. Usually polyps start disappear long top down and that includes skin. Rest of polyps stay out. Least that's how it was on the slimer

 

[Zbutcher]

Why cut back the food and starve your fish ??

like already mentioned don’t cut back import but increase your export . I dislike the idea of every other day feeding your pets

Yeah I agree. Do you think it would be better to do frozen everyday rather then pellets etc?

 

[Zbutcher]

What is your feeding schedule like?

Usually would do a sheet of Nori every morning because of lots of algaevores. Then when I get home from work I'd do pellets and flakes.

 

[ZombieEngineer]

Which ones I'm curious. I had a Duncan that was doing great and now it has been closed for 2 days for literally no reason. All I did was a water change. I also added a pocillipora and that looks fantastic so far. But the SPS usually do for about a month then die.

I would do an ICP test and check all of your equipment (especially magnets) for signs of corrosion/rust.

I spent like 2 years wondering why my cleanup crew and any coral died within a couple months of being introduced, often just after a big water change, and found a acrylic casing failed and a magnet was mostly dissolved in my RODI barrel. Added carbon reactor, replaced the magnet and haven't had any issues since.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Which ones I'm curious. I had a Duncan that was doing great and now it has been closed for 2 days for literally no reason. All I did was a water change. I also added a pocillipora and that looks fantastic so far. But the SPS usually do for about a month then die.

Take your pick. My nitrates routinely run between 30 and 80.

 

[Zbutcher]

I would do an ICP test and check all of your equipment (especially magnets) for signs of corrosion/rust.

I spent like 2 years wondering why my cleanup crew and any coral died within a couple months of being introduced, often just after a big water change, and found a acrylic casing failed and a magnet was mostly dissolved in my RODI barrel. Added carbon reactor, replaced the magnet and haven't had any issues since.

I did an ICP. Everything came up normal that's where my mind is completely boggled dude and part of why I am sooooo frustrated

I will reinspect everything but I didn't see an issue before