270 Gallon SPS tank for JBNY

So yesterday the fish were all out enjoying themselves and the yellow assessors were all bunched together, so I took a quick video of them. As time goes on they have been hanging out more as a group, which is what I wanted, there are 12 in the tank, I think there are 8-9 in this shot.

 
Shot some video with a GoPro, it's a little jerky but I was able to get some cool underwater shots. This was shot at the end of the day about 20 minutes before the lights go off. Only Radiums and Reefbrite LED are on.

 
I've actually got 3 flame angle in the tank. I had the coral beauty in there first and added the flames after she was established. They harassed each other pretty hard for the first week or so, but the eventually all get along just fine. This is my 2nd time putting groups of coral beauty and flames together and other than some squabbling in the beginning they do just fine together. I would say if you were worried to QT the new angles first to make sure they are eating good. Once eating in QT for a week or so, put them in the main tank and they should work it out.
 
I agree the DT is remarkably clean of algae. I think the fish I have tend to pick at any algae in the tank, I have a lot of snails as well. I know that my system is capable of growing algae because my frag tank seems to always be full of it, but I have no fish in that tank and only minimal snails. The purple I think was from dosing strontium for about a year, I think that helped to kick it off. Now the coralline algae seems to be growing like mad.
 
Update. December was a tough month for the tank. At end of November I commented to my wife that the tank is looking great I think it has taken a turn for the better. Also commented that every time I say that the tank is doing great a few weeks later something bad happens. Since the tank was looking so good I did a Triton test just to get a feel for what the tank looked like at that time.

So about 3 weeks later near the end of December I noticed some whitening on the tips of a whole bunch of acros, then over the next week more acros were affected and a few RTN events happened on some of the frags. Over the next week a a lot of brown outs happened and as of now I am still seeing a few acros and frags getting white tips.

So right now the tank looks like crap. The sad part is I have no idea what is happening. I take meticulous records and everything that is dosed or any maintenance I do it recorded, so I'm not sure what is happening. I did change of my old MH lamps to new one in the middle of November, but I noticed no issues with the tank until almost 5 weeks later.

Tests on the tank as of Yesterday.
Alk: 8 dKH, No3: 7.5, PO4: 0.02, Ca:450, Mg: 1320, SG: 1026

Triton test from Nov 30, 2015
Triton151130-1.jpg


Triton151130-2.jpg
 
Joe, So sorry to here this, this addiction can really be trying at times. Wishing your tank the best, hope it turns around.
Pat
 
Hi Joe,
You've been at this a long time. I have always admired your drive and patience, and honesty about things that go wrong. We have similar systems, keep meticulous records and now the same outcome. I noticed through December a decline in SPS "glow" and then the white tips and now 25% RTN. My chemistry, like yours is unremarkable. I lost 3 fat head anthius in one night who were well adjusted and good eaters. I can't put a handle on it either. Lighting? Maybe for me, I'm due for a T5 change out after 9 months, but have a hard time with that as the reason. 3X250 watt MHs are the same age. I'll try that next. TDS is rising so new filters for RO/DI. I also do chaeto but not in a reactor so nitrates < 1. Perfect water, dying corals out of the blue. I say this to commiserate but will persevere, as you have before. Not all the SPS are suffering so I'll make just a few corrections then start again to see what works. I hope you will too. I'll let you know if I come across anything that turns my results around. I'm sorry for your current situation. Stay the coarse, you've been on top before. Cheers
 
Joe,

I'm not happy to read this post. I know how frustrating this can be. From your ICP test I notice that your Iodine is pretty low, and your phosphates are low. I know the phosphates are showing 'in the green' but the ICP set point for phosphates is based on test results from coral reefs around the world. The problem is that out in the ocean, you can have super low phosphate levels because there is so much natural coral food in the water column for the corals to feed on. In the closed aquarium environment it's the phosphates (excess nutrients) that the corals have to feed upon.

You might consider letting your phosphate levels creep up a little bit and see if the coral health starts to turn around.

Not talking about anything drastic, just maybe start by cutting back on anything you are using to combat phosphates, or possibly run your skimmer opposite your lighting schedule.

Just an idea......

Dave B
 
reefitted said:
Hi Joe,
You've been at this a long time. I have always admired your drive and patience, and honesty about things that go wrong. We have similar systems, keep meticulous records and now the same outcome. I noticed through December a decline in SPS "glow" and then the white tips and now 25% RTN. My chemistry, like yours is unremarkable. I lost 3 fat head anthius in one night who were well adjusted and good eaters. I can't put a handle on it either. Lighting? Maybe for me, I'm due for a T5 change out after 9 months, but have a hard time with that as the reason. 3X250 watt MHs are the same age. I'll try that next. TDS is rising so new filters for RO/DI. I also do chaeto but not in a reactor so nitrates < 1. Perfect water, dying corals out of the blue. I say this to commiserate but will persevere, as you have before. Not all the SPS are suffering so I'll make just a few corrections then start again to see what works. I hope you will too. I'll let you know if I come across anything that turns my results around. I'm sorry for your current situation. Stay the coarse, you've been on top before. Cheers
Click to expand...


Thanks for the words of encouragement. I've no plans on giving up, just frustrated as to what is the ongoing problem. As to being honest about my setbacks, I feel that the one thing that the online world does poorly is memorialize our problems, to the outsider it looks like so many are always having tremendous success with their tank. I know a lot of people in the reefing world and pretty much all of them have their fair share of setback, we just don't talk about them as much.

o2manyfish said:
Joe,

I'm not happy to read this post. I know how frustrating this can be. From your ICP test I notice that your Iodine is pretty low, and your phosphates are low. I know the phosphates are showing 'in the green' but the ICP set point for phosphates is based on test results from coral reefs around the world. The problem is that out in the ocean, you can have super low phosphate levels because there is so much natural coral food in the water column for the corals to feed on. In the closed aquarium environment it's the phosphates (excess nutrients) that the corals have to feed upon.

You might consider letting your phosphate levels creep up a little bit and see if the coral health starts to turn around.

Not talking about anything drastic, just maybe start by cutting back on anything you are using to combat phosphates, or possibly run your skimmer opposite your lighting schedule.

Just an idea......

Dave B
Click to expand...

Hey Dave, I'm not happy to write about it. I am in the middle of doing a bunch of water changes to try and balance the system a little bit. As to the Phosphates, I am not running anything other than an ARID reactor with chaeto in it. I do not do any carbon dosing or any GFO anymore. I have upped the amount of fish in the tank to something like 30 or so and feed about 10 frozen cubes of food a day. My P is just settled at 0.01-0.02 range for the last 8 months or so.

I could pull the skimmer for a while and see what happens, but I am a little worried about doing that even though we all know a few people who do not run a skimmer and still have great tanks.

Next time you talk to Joe Cap mention anything you think might help with my tank, I have been talking to him a lot about my problems and am actually getting ready to pull my Ca reactor out and start dosing triton base elementz to see if that might help out my situation.
 
Sad to hear of the issues you are currently having! I just went through many of your threads and I am amazed!

I do have a question for you though... I have a Montipora cap in my tank that I acquired from a Dr. Paul Whitby. He calls it the JB NY Blue polyp and I am wondering if this a piece he may have traded/purchased from you? It is a purple cap that has bluish polyps to it.

Thanks,

Greg
 
JB NY said:
Thanks for the words of encouragement. I've no plans on giving up, just frustrated as to what is the ongoing problem. As to being honest about my setbacks, I feel that the one thing that the online world does poorly is memorialize our problems, to the outsider it looks like so many are always having tremendous success with their tank. I know a lot of people in the reefing world and pretty much all of them have their fair share of setback, we just don't talk about them as much.
Click to expand...

I totally agree with this, but of course I over document my struggles. :) I find it helps to pull in ideas, especially since I'm fairly new at SPS reefing.
 
ghellin said:
Sad to hear of the issues you are currently having! I just went through many of your threads and I am amazed!

I do have a question for you though... I have a Montipora cap in my tank that I acquired from a Dr. Paul Whitby. He calls it the JB NY Blue polyp and I am wondering if this a piece he may have traded/purchased from you? It is a purple cap that has bluish polyps to it.

Thanks,

Greg
Click to expand...

Yup, that is one of mine, I did not realize he still had it. That is a beautiful Montipora.

Here is it winding around an acro stag that I had years ago.

DSCN4617.jpg
 
Wow that is stunning! Yep he still has a nice colony growing. My piece has doubled in size, it's a fast grower!
 
Beautiful piece, one of my favorites from your old system. I agree with your thoughts on how not all errors/disasters are shared, which at first, led me to think with the right system, things will go well. Can't wait to see your new results as you pass this bump in the road. My new T5s go in today to see if that's my issue. You dropped GFO, but how often and to what % do you change your charcoal? I saw problems and did a 100% change which may have led to some RTN as I've researched.
Cheers
 
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