Battling coral paleness (KZ Products)

[Rakie]

Turn your skimmer off for a couple of days. I do that now and then and the extra "stuff" makes my sps happy.

I like a packed tank. I just finally got some fish back in mine. Sps was looking pale. Now. It's rocking and encrusting maniac style.

You're right about turning off the skimmer now and then. I had an overly efficient skimmer and an under-efficient bioload. I have no QT in my small room (I know!!) so I have to pick healthy looking fish and dose the DT with Prazipro. So far all is well (knock on wood) but turning off the skimmer / carbon while dosing Prazi for a week has seemed to make my corals color up a bit.

Just started dosing Biggles Juice minus the Trace Hard/ZEOspur 2/Micro E (heavy metal dosing) so that may be helping in a few weeks as well!

 

[kevin_e]

So I am still struggling here, but I think I have swung too far the other way now. Most of my coral appear browned out instead of pale. I'm on the right track, but I think my nutrient input is higher than my export (obviously) as I am getting green hair algae in lower flow areas. For some reason, my skimmer seems to be struggling. It collects a little tea color skimmate after a cleaning (say 1/4") and then basically stops collecting. It still foams, but it seems to be collecting to the neck, rather than inside the cup- I try and clean it weekly. I have fiddled with the skimmer to try and get a wetter skim, but I just can't get this thing right. I am considering dumping my skimmer for something else (I have a Skimz SN123).

Growth has all but stopped, which I may attribute to higher phosphate levels.

Any thoughts here?

 

[Rakie]

So I am still struggling here, but I think I have swung too far the other way now. Most of my coral appear browned out instead of pale. I'm on the right track, but I think my nutrient input is higher than my export (obviously) as I am getting green hair algae in lower flow areas. For some reason, my skimmer seems to be struggling. It collects a little tea color skimmate after a cleaning (say 1/4") and then basically stops collecting. It still foams, but it seems to be collecting to the neck, rather than inside the cup- I try and clean it weekly. I have fiddled with the skimmer to try and get a wetter skim, but I just can't get this thing right. I am considering dumping my skimmer for something else (I have a Skimz SN123).

Growth has all but stopped, which I may attribute to higher phosphate levels.

Any thoughts here?

I've got a couple thoughts!

- When you clean your skimmer, what are you cleaning? If it's been awhile, clean the pump and tubing, as well as the chamber. Not more often than a few times a year, because your skimmer will basically need to break in again after this.

- How many fish, and tank size? (Maybe not enough nutrient to skim)

- Didn't you recently change up to AF products?

Most successful ULNS systems I've seen incorporate a large quantity of dosing materials (KZ, AF, etc etc). It's a tough call without a lot more detail on your system. As for the skimmer itself? If it's not producing it either needs to be cleaned (pump, chamber, and tubing) or there's nothing for it to skim (low bio load).

 

[kevin_e]

I've got a couple thoughts!

- When you clean your skimmer, what are you cleaning? If it's been awhile, clean the pump and tubing, as well as the chamber. Not more often than a few times a year, because your skimmer will basically need to break in again after this.

- How many fish, and tank size? (Maybe not enough nutrient to skim)

- Didn't you recently change up to AF products?

Most successful ULNS systems I've seen incorporate a large quantity of dosing materials (KZ, AF, etc etc). It's a tough call without a lot more detail on your system. As for the skimmer itself? If it's not producing it either needs to be cleaned (pump, chamber, and tubing) or there's nothing for it to skim (low bio load).

I just clean the cup with fresh water and my fingers. I just wipe the neck and cup clean. The skimmer is only 4-4.5 months old at this point. Took a month to break in.

Right now I have 6 fish in a 50 cube with a 10g sump (app 50g water volume), but I had 8 fish until hurricane Hermine knocked out power here.

I have excess nutrients judging by the hair algae everywhere, but the skimmate doesn't collect, it just builds sludge on the neck.

No, I just started dosing a cpl KZ products about 3 weeks ago to help with color, but haven't seen much response. Prior to that, all I did was feed my fish. I don't run pellets, dose carbon, run carbon or phosphate media. My only means of export are my skimmer and my filter sock, when I clean it.

I just tested my phosphate with the Hanna ULR and it read, with the conversion, 0.0367; that's an ideal number.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[bif24701]

I just clean the cup with fresh water and my fingers. I just wipe the neck and cup clean. The skimmer is only 4-4.5 months old at this point. Took a month to break in.

Right now I have 6 fish in a 50 cube with a 10g sump (app 50g water volume), but I had 8 fish until hurricane Hermine knocked out power here.

I have excess nutrients judging by the hair algae everywhere, but the skimmate doesn't collect, it just builds sludge on the neck.

No, I just started dosing a cpl KZ products about 3 weeks ago to help with color, but haven't seen much response. Prior to that, all I did was feed my fish. I don't run pellets, dose carbon, run carbon or phosphate media. My only means of export are my skimmer and my filter sock, when I clean it.

I just tested my phosphate with the Hanna ULR and it read, with the conversion, 0.0367; that's an ideal number.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

Cleaning the neck of the skimmer can add oil and kill the foam. I use hot tap water and a paper towel.

You should be testing nitrates and phosphates. Especially when you want to dose additives.

I also have a ULNS and struggle to keep my nitrates detectable. Some corals are pale. I feed extra, adding two tangs in QT, and feed Selcon with feedings that includes Reef chili couple times a week. They are starting to look real good now. Can't wait till I've added my new fish!

Aaron

 

[Rakie]

Looking like a great start @bif

So Kevin -- I had the same problem as you, but in a slightly smaller tank. (Biocube 29g), my skimmer wasn't skimming but nasty would build up in the neck (that's still being taken out of the water... so it may not be filling to cup, but it's doing it's job), the corals grew stagnant and pale eventually, some became a little brown.. But mostly pale.

My Nitrates and Phosphates were ALWAYS 0. Always. I decided my tank was too sterile, and started feeding a LOT more... Nothing. A month later I started dosing Nitrates. I could probably find the recipe from Randy Holmes -- But basically i took a Liter of water, and mixed in FW Nitrates (Planted tank Ferts, forgot how much exactly) to get my nitrates detectable. The dosage recommended per Randy was 1ml per 2g to raise Nitrates by .8ppm. It took a week of dosing to get my nitrates to 1, and I was pouring in .8ppm nitrates PER DAY.

A couple things happened -- My skimmer started skimming, my bacteria started taking off, and all my colors started improving. Since then my nitrates have been at 20+ and my colors have been improving slowly (except for 1 or 2 stubborn SPS).

I also started Micro E, only 4 days ago, and it's already making a teeny difference. But because of this I can no longer tell how much the nitrates are helping -- But they help.


Assuming your Nitrates & Phosphates are still 0 -- You could try turning the skimmer off for a day or two, or you can start dosing nutrients. If you don't want to mix Nitrates / Phosphate ferts then you can get Brightwell Aquatics FaStart-M -- It's a pre-mixed nutrient solution that will dose nitrates and phosphates. When you dose N03, p04 drops. When you dose p04, N03 drops. This mix has both.

 

[E.litvin]

Based on what I've read heres a little information.

If corals are browning out then nutrient levels are going to be too high. Faded or pale colors are do to low nutrients as someone else established. This problem can be solved simply by adding aminos (coral food). Heavy feeding is a solution but can raise your nutrient levels causing algae. Amino dosing is much cleaner overall, it is hard to overdose but if you do you will start seeing some algae. Luckily the corals should start coloring up before you see an algae problem. Once you start seeing algae decrease the amount you dose slowly until the corals look how you like and the algae does not come back. Hope this helps, good luck

 

[bif24701]

Looking like a great start @bif

So Kevin -- I had the same problem as you, but in a slightly smaller tank. (Biocube 29g), my skimmer wasn't skimming but nasty would build up in the neck (that's still being taken out of the water... so it may not be filling to cup, but it's doing it's job), the corals grew stagnant and pale eventually, some became a little brown.. But mostly pale.

My Nitrates and Phosphates were ALWAYS 0. Always. I decided my tank was too sterile, and started feeding a LOT more... Nothing. A month later I started dosing Nitrates. I could probably find the recipe from Randy Holmes -- But basically i took a Liter of water, and mixed in FW Nitrates (Planted tank Ferts, forgot how much exactly) to get my nitrates detectable. The dosage recommended per Randy was 1ml per 2g to raise Nitrates by .8ppm. It took a week of dosing to get my nitrates to 1, and I was pouring in .8ppm nitrates PER DAY.

A couple things happened -- My skimmer started skimming, my bacteria started taking off, and all my colors started improving. Since then my nitrates have been at 20+ and my colors have been improving slowly (except for 1 or 2 stubborn SPS).

I also started Micro E, only 4 days ago, and it's already making a teeny difference. But because of this I can no longer tell how much the nitrates are helping -- But they help.


Assuming your Nitrates & Phosphates are still 0 -- You could try turning the skimmer off for a day or two, or you can start dosing nutrients. If you don't want to mix Nitrates / Phosphate ferts then you can get Brightwell Aquatics FaStart-M -- It's a pre-mixed nutrient solution that will dose nitrates and phosphates. When you dose N03, p04 drops. When you dose p04, N03 drops. This mix has both.

What was the FW plant fertz that you used?


Aaron

 

[Rakie]

@Bif -- Potassium Nitrate. It's a fresh water planted tank fert, I got it in it's most simple and pure form.

@E.Litvin -- Not necessarily always high nutrients. Corals brown out from excess zooxanthellae, this can be from stress, too much light (zoox protect corals from high light), too much or too few nutrients.

Reef Raft doses Nitrates, some of the most colorful SPS reefs in my area run 30-40 nitrates and .08+ Phos.

Corals can brown out for a ton of reasons, the only clear cut answer to why a coral has browned out is that it's "unhappy" for 1/100 reasons.