Acro advice needed, it's just not working...

[LimeTwist]

Thank you all for your advice, there is much to digest and learn from here. I am so appreciative of all your help. I think I may well be reacting, or over reacting to each water parameter test.
outssider, I do use calibration fluid, about every other time I take a reading.
I find nitrates and phosphates to be the least stable for me. My tank can go from 0.03 ppm phosphates to 0.0 (Hanna ULR) in about 3 to 5 days without adding any aminos or Neo Phos. I will add a fish, maybe that will help, and incrementally less white on the leds, thanks Reefmutt Matt. To your question, I had a pocillopora do well carbon dosing, not acros, but it was the many months of daily water changes to fight cyano that got me to let go of the Zeo method.

the par numbers is a model for us to gauge for our tank but dont go out of the way to chase after it. every tank is its own and react differently at certain levels.

 

[nashorn]

Get yourself a bullet proof "Green slimmer" or other easy sps to test.
I waited almost a year before my water was right to keep sps.
Once you get it to grow a base then you tank is ready.
So many things could be the cause so I would stop dosing too.

 

[Pife]

Yes, I agree, thanks again Reefmutt, your advice is really great!
Piper27, I think the salt swing is there and it could be better and I am still learning. I'm going to start checking salinity in my salt mix bin just as often as the tank. Over the past two months, salinity for my tank was 1.025 on six occasions, 1.026 on 12 occasions, and 1.027 once. I was thinking either 1.025 or 1.026 was okay before this, but I am going to try to stay below 1.025 as slin1977 suggested here in this thread.

Most run 1.025 or 1.026. Like the ocean.