Open brain not looking so good...

[STiTCH87]

I don't run carbon, no. And I used to have a patch of xenia that rubbed against it but have since removed it. Xenia doesn't really sting anyways though. Oddly enough I had a red sponge in this same spot which also turned white and died. Yet EVERYTHING else in the tank is flourishing and I even have a bunch of wild sponges growing everywhere. I'll get the water param results up tonight or tomorrow morning.

 

[STiTCH87]

So I was informed by a very knowledgeable reefing friend of mine, that purple/green brains don't need as high of light because their coloration affects the amount of light they're able to take in. For example a red brain needs more light than a green because red is harder to have absorb light or something like that. I forget the specifics but I actually did learn that in science class years ago and never thought to apply the principle to reefing. So I have moved it now to a lightly shaded area and am keeping half my T5s off for a few days to not only hopefully let it recover a little, but to also knock down some hair algae I have here and there too just because (why not).

Got my water tested yesterday as well. Salinity was down at 1.023 but I also just did a top off yesterday so i'm figuring that's why it was on the lower side. Gonna raise it slightly today.

Aside from that, I got a very unpleasant surprise which I have NO idea how it happened:

My pH was VERY low. IDR the specific reading of it right now, but it was below 8.0 I wanna say 7.4/7.8
My Alk was EXTREMELY low at 120 (2.5 meq/L IIRC) which is equivalent to 6.8 or so dKH.
I have NO idea how this all happened within a month of doing the same routine with the same types of salt and water and everything...

Also, my phosphates were at 0.5 which is on the higher side so i'll be trying to get those down this week. Probably with some PhosGuard in a filter sock. I'm doing a kalk drip currently to get levels back into a more acceptable area.

How could my tank have gone this far off level all of a sudden? Shouldn't my sandbed/rockwork be helping to break things down and convert things and keep atleast my pH at a normal level?

 

[Sherri]

What salt mix are you using?

 

[FOXYB]

As your tank ages, your corals grow, and coraline algea takes over your rocks and glass your demand for ca and alk will rise. I'd suggest testing to to keep tabs on it

 

[stingythingy45]

"How could my tank have gone this far off level all of a sudden? Shouldn't my sandbed/rockwork be helping to break things down and convert things and keep atleast my pH at a normal level?"

By the time your rock and sand begins to break down from going acid,your tank will be very dead already.
Alk is the one test that I almost always try to do weekly.
Quite honestly,I can't even remember the last time I tested PH.
I just keep the alk parameter correct 7-10 dkh and the PH seems to follow and stay somewhat in range.
JMO,but kalk is a very bad way to raise alk.By the time kalk gets you alk up,the ph will be really high.
I've been using kalk for top-off for a few years now.
The best way to raise alk is with a baking soda mixture.
Kalk is only for maintaining alk and calcium,not very good for raising it.

 

[STiTCH87]

The salt mix I use is SeaChem Reef Salt. Very expensive but has some good stuff in it. My coraline hasn't seemed to grow in forever. I used to have a maroon coraline all over every rock I had and then it all seemed to kinda just go away and now I barely have coraline anymore other than here and there which upsets me. I have to check my Calcium again and maybe use some purple up and a seeder rock to get my coraline back to par.

And yes I agree dKH is easier to test since, as you said, usually when its in check, pH does also usually tend to be in check.

How do you raise alk with a baking soda mixture??? I assume it's similar to dosing kalk?

Never the less good info from everyone so far! Thanks!

Oh and my dKH is slowly raising and i've only run actinics (50% of my T5's) both yesterday and today to see if less intense light, and more in-check water params will help, and my brain DOES seem to be a little better. The ridges aren't as prominent, and the color seems to be somewhat returning, though it's hard to tell since everything glows like christmas under my actinics.