Forget keeping SPS?

[potatocouch]

This will be my 2nd SPS after the 1st one that I purchased 6 months ago gone brown due to excessive No3.

Since then, I have significantly UP my tank maintenance, trying to gear the tank towards SPS.

So my tank params are as follow:

• 55 gallons cube
• 1x Kessil A360WE mounted 30 cm above water surface
• 9 hours lighting: ramping up to 75% intensity & 70% color and ramped down
• 1,350 Mg, 450 Ca & 8.5 Alk
• 5 ppm No3
• 25 celcius
• 1.026 SG
• 2x Jebao RW-8s set to speed 4 for both.
• 3-5 cm sand bed

Is it fair to say that based on the above information, I might as well forget my chance in keeping SPS? mainly due to the LED light that I have is not strong enough?

Note: tank is already at the constant level of the above params when pink birdsnest went in.

 

[nemodan]

Phosphates ?

 

[potatocouch]

Phosphates ?

Last I check 0.25

 

[billyzbear]

I don't want to bash kessil but if you want to grow sps add some t5's or use something else.

 

[potatocouch]

Bash all you want

 

[nemodan]

Last I check 0.25

Too high !!!!

Need to be around 0.03-0.06 ppm

I bet my name that is the cause of your corals turning brown.

Reduce it.......if you can !!

 

[Reefheart]

I'm facing the same situation, kessil a360w, phosphate 0.3-0.6.

My two SPS test frags have been brown for a month but there is growth on one of them.

Not sure the cause - kessil or phosphate, or entirely something else... :headwallblue:

 

[ThRoewer]

I'm fairly sure it's the nutrients.
I had my 42 gallon tank under fed and ponds of chaeto stripping all the nutrients out. Nitrates and phosphates were undetectable.
I got some bases with stumps of maricultured acropora my LFS had fragged and those that survived (I pulled them out of their garbage can and they had been there for a while before I noticed them and asked if I could have them) showed decent growth and rather nice color under a Kessil A360WE.

When I then used this tank as a QT for my regal angels (and fed of course a ton) the corals all browned out.

The regals are out (for now) and I cleaned up the tank - let's see how long it takes to get the corals get their colors back.

 

[billyzbear]

Usually browned out sps is caused by not enough light. I have seen many tanks with alot higher p04 than that and sps were fine. Sure, switching them from one tank to another can as well but over a long period of time I would look at light.
Can you post some pics of tank?
A buddy started his 125g 6' long tank with three Kessils. All sps browned out. When I looked at his tank the zoa were stretching up to get more light. They were over an inch long more like two inch. This screams not enough light. Yes his nitrates were high and LPS showed it. p04 was .14.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2560188

 

[potatocouch]

Usually browned out sps is caused by not enough light. I have seen many tanks with alot higher p04 than that and sps were fine. Sure, switching them from one tank to another can as well but over a long period of time I would look at light.
Can you post some pics of tank?
A buddy started his 125g 6' long tank with three Kessils. All sps browned out. When I looked at his tank the zoa were stretching up to get more light. They were over an inch long more like two inch. This screams not enough light. Yes his nitrates were high and LPS showed it. p04 was .14.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2560188

When zoa got stretched up, does it always mean that it's screaming for more light?

 

[billyzbear]

I don't know, always. In my exp. it means the zoa are trying to get more light.