I'm done with SPS

[Rays]

Don't blame your salt, at least not if it's IO. About 90% of the most successful reefers use IO. ......want to consider having the center bulb a 10K

I agree with both statements, I use IO exclusively, and 2 250 10ks. To get the blue effect, I use two actinic 110's, a very nice effect, along with great growth.

I am using the IO and from what I have been reading it is one of the worst salts out there

If you go to Borneman's column,
http://forum.marinedepot.com/Topic45946-9-1.aspx
He says not to go running out and buy the other salts yet, the jury is still out, and the complete findings are incomplete. So take the study with a grain of salt, ouch!

 

[Kevin McG]

Are you using RO/DI water? Anything you changed recently? Added equipment? What's your water motion like? How large are the soft corals?

I am using RO/DI and I test it often, filters were actually replaced a couple of months ago. I haven't added any new equipment as of lately. Water motion I believe is more than adequate, I am using 2 of the Phreef mods on 12Mj's and a 1500 seio. For a return I have a Mag24 running about 75-80%.

The soft corals I would say are on the smaller to medium side with the exception of a torch I have that is about 10 heads or so.

Why do some of the smaller colonies I have do very well in my system and others just grow for a few months and slowly deteriorate?

Either way I am going to trade away the corals to another member leaving the colonies of sps that are doing well. I am also going to buy some new bulbs and try a 10k in the center as you suggested.

 

[reefer125g]

Check for stray voltage in your tank! Same thing was going on in my tank.

 

[Kevin McG]

Check for stray voltage in your tank! Same thing was going on in my tank.

I am using a grounding probe how do I test for that?

 

[reefer125g]

Vt Meter

 

[Kevin McG]

(3) 250 watt 10k's are on the way.

 

[buddie]

sps

sps are like people you can't make them all happy all the time. do you use strontium or magnesium , thay can mess up your alkalinity , don't giveup yet . sent you a pm

 

[agent6473]

I read your tank profile and it looks like you might not have enough flow. I had a lot of SPS problems until I put in massive amounts of water flow. I kept losing acros, then I put in 2 maximods and 2 seio 820s and this is in a 72 gal tank with a 600 gph return. Acros are now growing like weeds and look amazing.

Seems like you might not have enough flow in that tank.

 

[Greg Hiller]

Kevin,

Seems like you have most things covered. Perhaps it's true that your bulbs are just too old.

>do you use strontium or magnesium , thay can mess up your alkalinity ,<

Adding strontium (likely as SrCl2) and magnesium (likely as MgCl2, or MgSO4)should not have any impact on alkalinity.

 

[dz6t]

How about water change? Recently my SPS tank looked less colorful and I lost some acro. I tried carbon which helped a little. I did a 50% water change and the whole tank looked better. Then I put a 75 gallon sump inline to double the water volumn, everything are back to their normal condition.

 

[buddie]

alkalinity

greg your half right.(my bad)magnesium may raise salinity but strotium chloride doseing has potential to lower alk-- i will look for the link for this. sorry for the mixup

 

[mloebl]

I recently got into SPS after origionally trying 2 years ago with horrible results and a lot of wasted money. Since then I've added the sump and fuge, do more religous water changes, weekly add magnesium and iodine, and this week set up a kalk reactor. I think the biggest change was the sump keeping the water level and temp constant; salinity almost always at 1.025 +/- .001 and temperature is 79.5F which peaks at 80.7F when the metal halides are on. Prior the sump I had some pretty extreme fluctuations, especially in the summer.

-Mike

 

[RichConley]

Then I put a 75 gallon sump inline to double the water volumn, everything are back to their normal condition.

MODS! Someone must have stolen Dong's screen name!

Maybe aliens invaded his body?