unable to keep sps.
- Thread starter johnnyb
- Start date
this is me
I like turtles
Sorry, I don't see anything alarming. Personally though, I would clean up the set up a bit(but I'm a very clean and organized person). What is that reactor on the last picture?
What is your fish stock?
What is your fish stock?
frank180reef
Well-Known Member
If your sps are dieing imo it is likely your Alk and maybe calc dropping between dosing
OP
OP
johnnyb
Non-member
I have been cleaning a section each week before doing a water change to keep anything like nitrate from getting out of whack. The reactor has charcoal and phosguard. I have 5 clowns a purple tang 2 cardinals 4 chromis in the 180 I have 2 dwarf spotted puffers a black angel a clown trigger and another small puffer in the 54. All fish are under 3 inches except the purple tang is a bout 4. The two tanks are in the same system.
stingythingy45
Well-Known Member
Ph 8.3 ph probe calibrated to match
alk 10.2
phos 0
nitrate -.025
nitrite 0
ammonia -.025
mag 1250
calcium 450
temp 80 degress
salinity 1.24-is this a typo?
alk 10.2
phos 0
nitrate -.025
nitrite 0
ammonia -.025
mag 1250
calcium 450
temp 80 degress
salinity 1.24-is this a typo?
this is me
I like turtles
That's the salinity level of the Dead Sea. I don't think his fish would be swimming in it.
Ph 8.3 ph probe calibrated to match
alk 10.2
phos 0
nitrate -.025
nitrite 0
ammonia -.025
mag 1250
calcium 450
temp 80 degress
salinity 1.024
You posted those parameters.
For SPS I see wrong these parameters:
- Low salinity: Better 1,025-1,026
- High Alk . With Phosp 0 and Nitrates 0.025 it is better to have a low Alk , around 7 dkh as the ocean. Please read Low Nutrient Tanks SPS and alkalinity levels. Plenty of literature in Reef Central at the SPS forum. My tank has 0 Phosp and 0 Nitrates and my Alk is between 6.4-7 dkh.
If you keep stability (not big changes) and those parameters I do not see why SPS will not grow.
Cheers and all the best
alk 10.2
phos 0
nitrate -.025
nitrite 0
ammonia -.025
mag 1250
calcium 450
temp 80 degress
salinity 1.024
You posted those parameters.
For SPS I see wrong these parameters:
- Low salinity: Better 1,025-1,026
- High Alk . With Phosp 0 and Nitrates 0.025 it is better to have a low Alk , around 7 dkh as the ocean. Please read Low Nutrient Tanks SPS and alkalinity levels. Plenty of literature in Reef Central at the SPS forum. My tank has 0 Phosp and 0 Nitrates and my Alk is between 6.4-7 dkh.
If you keep stability (not big changes) and those parameters I do not see why SPS will not grow.
Cheers and all the best
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wolffman1992
Non-member
Plus 1 on lowering the Alk. I keep mine right around 8 and my SPS all seem to be happy the second I go over 10 the polyp extension becomes poor. Try lowering alk and see what happens.
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OP
johnnyb
Non-member
The alk was set to match the stores that I have bought my frags from. They tested my water and had me adjust it to were it is now prior to adding frags. It was much lower. One thing have learned through all this research I have done is ask 100 reefers what parameters work for them and get 100 answer. The only thing that is constant thru all answers is keep it stable. I have the guy coming out tomorrow so if he recommends changing parameters I will. But as I had said the frags I bought came from 2 stores who use the same parameters and at least 1 of them has incredible growth. As a matter of fact one of my frags ... A war coral... I bought 2 and placed one in a high flow spot on the edge of a light and the other on a high flow spot directly under the light have both died. But I went back to the store the other day to get a test kit And the frags of the same colony have encrusted themselves to the shelf they were on... All new growth since mine were purchased and died.... And yes my sea hares are still alive seen them this morning
You are correct. Each guy will talk from its own experience and from what he/she has learned also by reading and discussing. So yes, you will have several different comments.
As you can see in your own home, keeping the same parameters as the store is not working for you. You need to find what works for you.
Nevertheless, there are rules that are equal for "most of the people". I wrote most, because this is biology. You do not have the same setup as your LFS, hence mimicking the water parameters is not working.
On top of that, it is very difficult to have a tank that will grow happy SPS indepently of the specie. Real life, most of the time, is that some SPS will grow under your conditions and others not. I live with that. It is better to find acros etc, that survive your tank that adapting the tank for each one.
Just my view
And going back to the ALK point. I will recommend you subscribe to Reef Central and read the SPS forum. You will find that most (always most because this is biology) reefers with ULNT use ocean Alk levels. Of course, you will find some exceptions too.
All the best !!!
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OP
OP
johnnyb
Non-member
I am just asking because clearly I dont know or i wouldnt be having this issue. But if the store has alk of 10.2 and my tank has alk of 10.2 wouldnt that be showing the issue isnt alk? I mean chemistry is chemistry they dont have a different alk scale than I do. Also if I buy frags at 10.2 and acclimate them to lets say I change my tank to 8.0 wouldnt that create the problem of them being in a changing of parameters that almost every reefer says is the reason frags die? I know I have a problem or am doing something wrong there is no doubt about that obviously...but I think with the speed of these dying I have a bigger issue. You can literally watch these things die after a couple days. It happens very fast. Also to note for those following along those poly filters havent changed color at all so after 4 days I am assuming that there is no toxin the pads report. I am leaving them in place to see though. Also after the guy comes I will make what ever adjustments he sees fit to try that. I may also look into the Triton water diagnosis
wolffman1992
Non-member
I just noticed this until now you are running a Zeovit reactor and a phosban reactor?
wolffman1992
Non-member
If that is the case and your Alk is at 10.2 you have to lower it slowly over the course of a few days. The reason 10.2 works in your LFS is because they have higher levels of nutrients in their system. Gfo and phosban can irritate corals by stripping out nutrients to such low levels they arnt receiving what they need through the water column. Running a Zeovit reactor on top of that is furthering the process. The Zeovit system has a series of nutrient additives you need to add every day or two do you do this? Do you feed your corals? This could help them cope with the ultra low nutrients but the Alk at least in my opinion needs to come down.
JasonandSarah
Non-member
+1 to what others have said. You ask for advice and you're getting some good advice from these guys you should listen.
If you have low nutrients running your alk to high will cause a host of problems! (I know from experience) also if you do want to run a higher alk then you can allow your nutrients to get higher. In order to keep your alk above 10 I'd say you'll have to put your nitrates around 10 and your PO4 around 0.05. Then you'll have to try and maintain those levels without going to high or to low imo. Much easier to just lower your alk and maintain it around 8, although I've been able to raise mine slowly to 9 with no problems.
As far as transition of frags from your Lfs to your tank it's not that big of a deal. Most of these corals are probably recently from the ocean where they were "born" and grown at a Nsw alk around 7.6. Performing a fast acclimation by replacing around half the Lfs water with your tank water and then another 50% tank water 10 mins later can help with the transition for sensitive Acro's, After temp acclimation...
If you have low nutrients running your alk to high will cause a host of problems! (I know from experience) also if you do want to run a higher alk then you can allow your nutrients to get higher. In order to keep your alk above 10 I'd say you'll have to put your nitrates around 10 and your PO4 around 0.05. Then you'll have to try and maintain those levels without going to high or to low imo. Much easier to just lower your alk and maintain it around 8, although I've been able to raise mine slowly to 9 with no problems.
As far as transition of frags from your Lfs to your tank it's not that big of a deal. Most of these corals are probably recently from the ocean where they were "born" and grown at a Nsw alk around 7.6. Performing a fast acclimation by replacing around half the Lfs water with your tank water and then another 50% tank water 10 mins later can help with the transition for sensitive Acro's, After temp acclimation...
