Jestersix

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Borchers

Borchers

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Hate seeing any corals lost due to something I may have done or not done.

Tested today again

Nitrate 0
Nitrite 0
Phosphate undetectable on my Test kit. Salifert
Alk 2.63
Ph 8.45
Dkh 8.50
Ammonia 0
Calcium 450 to 475.

Things that are new

Two little fishes phosban reactor with 2 table spoons GFO Rowaphos
Lighting a month ago. T5 ATi bulbs 8x54

Noted things

Algae on tips of corals. Most have burnt tips.
Loss of polyp extension on most polyps. At night full on polyp extension
No known flat bugs or worms.
Skimmer is underrated. Euroreef CS6-1 with Sedra 3500 pump set to medium like raw eggs type muck.
Flow is 4 k4's and 1 tunze 6045 with a squid return on a rio hyper flow 21HH
2 inch sand bed
4 inch refugiums bed with cheato that is growing like mad right now
Photo period Supps 1100 to 2100 hours
Mains 1300 to 1700 hours. LED at 2100 until 2300 hours.
Only SPS is affected. A
L SPS except my Red Planet and my Cranberry Prostrata they are getting bigger each day and my Setosa is beautiful. My encrusting Montis never looked better. My superman is neon blue with fire red polyps.

All Zoas,Palys,Acans,micros,chalices,clams,plates and fish are fat and happy? If they are happy they act like puppies when I am at the tank. And a spawning pair of Mandarines.


So help me here guys. What am I missing.
 
Tank size?

Can you be more specific on lighting?
I am guessing you have a pretty big tank, in which case, 8x54W might be low.

Low-ish Alk and high-ish PH seem confusing to me. I thought they had to match. But I forget all that chemistry.
Not bad, just confusing. DKH and parameters I am used to seem fine.

What do you feed?

Any fish or inverts that might not be so reef safe?
 
I don't have a mag kit and don't dose right now.

I feed TDO Multi pack form APbreed. Twice a week and
Reef Nutrition oyster feast and Fuzzys 3 times a week

Ocean Nutrition mix of the following everyday. At night.
Prime reef
Prime reef algae flakes
Formula 2 flakes
Cycolpeez


Nori sheets mixed in 2 days a week.

120 oceanic tank 48x24x24 with 100 lbs LR and 160 Live Sand
 
I just went through something similar.

Here is my checklist:
1. Be careful w GFO, err on the side of increased phosphates (you can always remove them)
2. Start changing water weekly
3. Check for stray electricity. Check anything submerged, sump/fuge lighting, etc.
4. Buy some poly filter and throw it in your sump

Where is your specific gravity?

I'm going to get flamed here - don't worry about Mag. My experience has been montis get PO's first if MG is an issue.

"Fixing" sps takes time, be patient. Create a checklist of reasons why you started the tank in the first place and focus on those aspects.

HTH, Eric
 
Hey Shawn, I have had a similar set of experiences, especially in the Fall. I've wondered if the H20 companies begin treating the water with something different or in different quantities in anticipation of the rains coming, and that trickles down and affects some of the corals.

Re: Eric's point above on Mg ... no implied flaming intended (;-)) but I have the opposite opinion on Mg. It is a critical balancer in the Ca+ / Alk equation, and if it is off it can affect the uptake of minerals by some corals. I totally agree though that montis do show the effects early on, although I can say from experience that some montis will react to a low Mg level while others show no affect. As a side note my Mg has been running really low lately so I've had to do extra high dosing to keep it at acceptable levels.

Your pH seems a bit on the high side ... that may be due to the imbalance of the minerals as sometimes I've seen higher alk and pH when things get slightly out of whack.

One other thought as well ... if the corals that are starting to lose their tips are ones that are reef crest type, then perhaps the flow may not be high enough for them. Note that a tank which has a lot of flow initially will lose a significant amount of flow due to obstruction as addtional frags or colonies are added, and those start to grow out.

Good luck, and hang in there!!!
 
anderson99 said:
I just went through something similar.

Here is my checklist:
1. Be careful w GFO, err on the side of increased phosphates (you can always remove them)
2. Start changing water weekly
3. Check for stray electricity. Check anything submerged, sump/fuge lighting, etc.
4. Buy some poly filter and throw it in your sump

Where is your specific gravity?

I'm going to get flamed here - don't worry about Mag. My experience has been montis get PO's first if MG is an issue.

"Fixing" sps takes time, be patient. Create a checklist of reasons why you started the tank in the first place and focus on those aspects.

HTH, Eric
Click to expand...

What do you mean by stray electricity? Do you mean current?
 
Not sure I saw a water change volume and frequency listed? I know nitrate and phosphate seem to be low, but also it will keep up all the trace stuff not getting tested for.
I found your lighting schedule confusing, maybe you could elaborate a bit? Seems awfully long duration to me.
Also, what about the ro water? Maybe GAC or chloramines block needs replacing? I think poly filter could be a good idea.
What is your method of chemical dosing? Manual? Pumps? Reactor?
 
fingerwrinkles said:
Hey Shawn, I have had a similar set of experiences, especially in the Fall. I've wondered if the H20 companies begin treating the water with something different or in different quantities in anticipation of the rains coming, and that trickles down and affects some of the corals.
Click to expand...

I contacted my water agency (Sonoma County) a while back. They DO change how much chlorine (we are not chloramine - yeepe!) is added to account for the longer 'in pipe' time during winter. YMMV.
 
denzil said:
anderson99 said:
I just went through something similar.

Here is my checklist:
1. Be careful w GFO, err on the side of increased phosphates (you can always remove them)
2. Start changing water weekly
3. Check for stray electricity. Check anything submerged, sump/fuge lighting, etc.
4. Buy some poly filter and throw it in your sump

Where is your specific gravity?

I'm going to get flamed here - don't worry about Mag. My experience has been montis get PO's first if MG is an issue.

"Fixing" sps takes time, be patient. Create a checklist of reasons why you started the tank in the first place and focus on those aspects.

HTH, Eric
Click to expand...

What do you mean by stray electricity? Do you mean current?
Click to expand...

Yes. Pump, heaters, powerheads have been known to leak electricit.y
 
Wow a lot here to answer to

First my Lighting

I run a 8 bulb 54 watt Tek Light Elite run on an ACjr. Lights come on at 11:00 am supps.
This is 4 bulbs.
The second set comes on at 1:00 pm and turn off at 8:00 pm. The supps are off at 9:00 pm. Then LED moonlights for 3 hours. I know my photo period is long but it's been like that for 2 years and only in the last few months the issues. I had the most crazy colors in everything in May. I mean rainbows,blues,reds that popped like no other. Now ?????????.

My dosing is done manually. 1 cap full each B-ionic 2 part each night. And top off is RODI in a 5 gallon jug with 2 tablespoons Kalkwasser

My RODI filters are 4 to 5 months old with a Brand New TFC membrane and new DI. My water is 600+ in and 3 or less out. I keep,my fresh water in a 32 gallon brute can with pump And heater. I need new filters

Water change every 2 weeks 30 gallons with 1.025 saltwater made with Oceanic Salt. Cycled 3 days before use. Need to do it every 7 days from now on.

What's wrong with the Rio. I have had one for 8 years as a mixing pump. Still going. My Hyper flow is awesome and quite.

Test kits are less then a year old.
API Nitrate and Nitrite
API Phosphate
Alk and Calcium are Salifert
Kh with Elos
PH on my ACjr. As well.

EuroReef CS6-1 with Sedra 3500 pump. Underrated I know. I'll trade for a bigger one??

I need to find some temporary homes quick!
 
I do not like the API kits for anything but alk. Phosphate is impossie to read the color IMO. Nitrate always reads the same for all samples just about. Hanna phosphate checker seems good. I like mine ok.

My 120 is on a very similar water change schedule to yours. 30-40 gal every two weeks.
Maybe a long shot but what about pottasium? I know it can be a factor in sps coloration and could be depleted in your closed system.
 
So I ordered all new test kits

Red Sea Pro Foundation
Cal
Alk
Mag

Hanna Phos checker

New RODI filters

Calibrated my PH probe on my ACjr. Milwaukee brand fluids to calibrate. PH 8.45 on it.

Took GFO off Line
Kalk top off..off line
Taking my SPS to a friends house to keep until I can fix my water chemistry. Wish me luck guys!

Also am going to shorten my light cycle and moving to Reef Crystals over the next few months.
 
I only started GFO a week ago because I thought that was the issue. But I was told by quite a few reefers to take it off line for now. I run 2 tablespoons to start.


My plan is to take everything slow. A few weeks in between each big change.
 
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