can not color up coral to save my life

[Zacktosterone]

I'm trying to grow spa and no matter what I do they brown out on me!! I wish I could give you pictures but I don't have any.

Tank is 65x30x24
Light 4bulb ati LED power module 60"
Age: 6 months

Filtration:
90lbs of PUKANI live rock (its a lot lighter than other rocks of its size)
Sro3000int skimmer (cleaned every four days
2 filter socks changed once a week
2 next reef reactors
1 cup of carbon
2 cups of BRS gfo

Nitrate: 10ppm or less according to api
Phosphate: (my salifert test kit said zero so I'm a bit suspicious since I have a small amount of green algae growing on the sand)

Calcium" 410
Alk" 7.7-8.3
Mag" 1330

I have 8000 gallons an hour going through my tank.

All of my LPs are doing awesome and my zoanthids are as well.
My monti cap is growing good
My green stag is a light brown but with super green polyps and its almost touching the water.

My green slime has turned from an amazing green to a brown. With a white line running through it as if it's been burned.

My forest fire digitata is white! With amazing red polyps.

My pink mili is brown but has full polyp ext and is encrusting.

My red dragon is on the bottom with the pink mili and its a pale red.

My birds nest are doing fine.

I think it might be a nutrient or light issue
If it is a light issue I'm going to be selling the light and grabbing 2 ati 6 bulb sunpowers

 

[vmacisback]

its both issues. How long has your tank been running? The carbon and GFO together in a newer tank can easily strip all the nutrients from the water column and pale and kill SPS. Putting a strong light source like the one you have over them only adds to the problem. LPS aren't as sensitive which is why they aren't affected. Why don't you post a picture of some of your corals so we can what you're talking about.

 

[Zacktosterone]

its both issues. How long has your tank been running? The carbon and GFO together in a newer tank can easily strip all the nutrients from the water column and pale and kill SPS. Putting a strong light source like the one you have over them only adds to the problem. LPS aren't as sensitive which is why they aren't affected. Why don't you post a picture of some of your corals so we can what you're talking about.

I can't get an accurate picture. It will look completely blue.
You think the light is too strong???

 

[lynchmob3000]

Lighting. What bulbs are you running? Usually low nutrient will cause pale sps. Brown is dirty water or low light.
Do you have any algae issues?

 

[jda]

2 cups of GFO is a lot to run all the time. Anybody nearby have the low range PPB hannah test kit? I don't love the hannah for precision, but it will let you know roughly where you might be. I need to be above about 25 PPB phosphorus on the hannah to have decent color with nitrate less than .2 on Sailfert through the side.

The light is not too strong - next to no such thing.

GFO, Bio Pellets and the like are some of the worst things that you can do on a new tank, regardless of what videos online retailers post.

 

[Zacktosterone]

Lighting. What bulbs are you running? Usually low nutrient will cause pale sps. Brown is dirty water or low light.
Do you have any algae issues?

Not really. Just a bit of algae that grows on the sand and power heads.

Blue+
Purple+
Led led led led
Coral+
Blue+

 

[Zacktosterone]

2 cups of GFO is a lot to run all the time. Anybody nearby have the low range PPB hannah test kit? I don't love the hannah for precision, but it will let you know roughly where you might be. I need to be above about 25 PPB phosphorus on the hannah to have decent color with nitrate less than .2 on Sailfert through the side.

The light is not too strong - next to no such thing.

GFO, Bio Pellets and the like are some of the worst things that you can do on a new tank, regardless of what videos online retailers post.

Reef wholesale in Toronto told me to throw on some gfo. As well as some folks on here.

Is the light even strong enough?

 

[lynchmob3000]

Reef wholesale in Toronto told me to throw on some gfo. As well as some folks on here.

Is the light even strong enough?

It should be. How strong do you ramp the leds up to and how long?
I've seen gfo cause algae also on systems that don't need gfo

 

[Zacktosterone]

It should be. How strong do you ramp the leds up to and how long?
I've seen gfo cause algae also on systems that don't need gfo

I run them at 80%

 

[Chris Lakies]

How far off the water is the ATI fixture?

 

[swk]

can not color up coral to save my life

I would ditch the chemical Media and see what happens. My tanks polyp extension went nuts after I removed gfo. Po4 went from .01-.035 without Gfo incidentally

I just pulled my reactor that was running carbon. If I go back to it, I will run it passively in my sump, rather than through a reactor

 

[twon8]

That's a pretty big tank for only 4 t5's

 

[Zacktosterone]

Its 10" off of the water

I removed the gfo tonight

As for the 4 t5's I'm thinking the same thing. I might replace it for two 6 bulb sunpowers

 

[lynchmob3000]

Try to turn the leds up even higher. Between all the lighting it should be enough. Can you lower the fixture a couple inches?

 

[Zacktosterone]

Try to turn the leds up even higher. Between all the lighting it should be enough. Can you lower the fixture a couple inches?

Yeah I can and the LEDs ate at 100% as of 3 hours ago

 

[lynchmob3000]

Are you running your sg at 1.026?

 

[Zacktosterone]

Yes

 

[Chris Lakies]

Yes drop the fixture to 8". Run the t5's at 100%. Running the leds at 100% kinda scare me. I would leave them at whatever % they were at and bump it up gradually over a couple weeks.

 

[Zacktosterone]

I just measured its actually 8".... And the LEDs were at 80% I just ramped them to 100%

 

[Chris Lakies]

Then id drop it to 6"