Critique my setup (having problems)

[thrlride]

Not that it really matters as it will be torn down in a few months for a larger tank but I'm having some issues with my tank. Mainly polyp extension and color.

1) My tank is a 90 gallon AGA with 30 gallon sump
2) Flow is a tunze 6100 and a tunze 6000 both controlled by a 7095 controller, panworld 50px-x return pump
3) auto top-off through kalk reactor
4) Korallin c1502 calcium reactor
5) TLF phosban reactor
6) 5 gallon fuge
7) ASM G3 skimmer run wet
8) Sander 50 mg/hr Ozone controlled by Milwaukee SMS510 ORP 9) controller set at 400
10) IO salt
11) RO/DI measured with inline TDS meter to 0 TDS
12) SSB
13) indirect carbon use
14) Phoenix 14k w/ ROIII pendants driven by m80 ballast (9 hours per day) - bulbs 12 months old
15) URI Super Actinic R VHO driven by ARO ballast (3 hours in morning, 2 hours at night) - 13 months old

Levels are:

Calcium 420 (salifert)
Alk 8 dkh (salifert)
amm 0 (salifert)
nitrite 0 (salifert)
nitrate 0 (salifert)
PH 7.9 - 8.0 swing (Milwaukee controller)
Temp 78.8 - 79.6 swing (digital thermometer)
PO4 0.00 (Hanna colorimeter)
35 ppt salt

Fish Stocking:

2 false perc clowns female no more than 2"
1 desjardini tang 3.5"
1 hippo tang 4.0"
2 chromis 2"
1 shrimp goby 7"!
1 clown goby .75"
1 Brazilian royal gramma 2.5"

Maintenance:

20 gallon water changes twice monthly as well as wet skimming
Blow rocks with turkey baster to stir up detritus for skimmer
Displace SSB with new sand occasionally

Corrected problems:

Red bugs eradicated three months ago
Flatworms eradicated two months ago
Have performed three 40 gallon water changes and three 20 gallon water changes since and during this.

If you've made it this far I thank you.

Here are some pics to illustrate the colors I want and what I have.

Here is a current picture of a tricolor I got from a local reefer:

I've had this coral for over 6 months, most likely nearly a year.

Here it is from where I got it:

Can you offer any suggestions? As you can see it's very colorless lower in the stalks and has no polyp extension.

Here is a different frag of the same coral:

 

[fishypets]

Do you feed??? I know this is a much debatable topic but I was having the same problems with color but had great P.E. My nutrients were extremely low and I was slowly "starving" my corals. Started feeding rotifers and oyster eggs and after two weeks color is much better.

Also what salt are you using?

 

[fishypets]

You also might want to cut you photoperiod back a few hours and change you bulbs if they are 1 year old.

 

[thrlride]

I feed a homemade food every two days. It's equivalent to two formula cubes in size.

I think it has many different varities of shrimp, squid, octopus as well as cyclopeeze, oyster eggs and possibly selcon as well.

I am using IO salt. I was using Oceanic but switched over 5 months ago. To raise the pitiful calcium I use calcium chloride (dowflake). No need to raise alk with IO. I've only used epsom salt twice to raise magnesium. I just ordered magnesium chloride (magflake) so I will start using that soon.

 

[fishypets]

Change you bulbs and you might want to try Tropic Marin Pro next time you buy salt. It is a little pricey but worth it IMO.

 

[Zoom]

My friend have the same problem. I give him a frag it louse all the color after a week in his tank. May be that he runs a very nutrient poor system.

 

[hawaiianwargod]

Try cutting back your photo period (halides) for about 6-7 hours.
HTH.