Getting that color??

allsps40 said:
Well I have been using the RO unit since the start of this tank. The color issue is something that has been more of a problem in the last year. Yes the filter and membrane on the RO are new. The CCA is also something that has developed in the last year or more. It is not a huge problem at all, small patches here and there but is got out of control on me once. It came in with my Chaeto but was never a problem for a long time, then it went crazy. I will be adding a DI here soon, looking for one at a good price. I know people that feel 10 ppm TDS is ok and that is when they change their filters out at 10 TDS. I have given it thought that this could be part of the problem. I was thinking maybe it the lights because I have one acro the is very pale at the top and in the shaded spots it has great colors, it is pretty high up and gets a lot of light. I also have a small frag of it at the bottom and it has good color.
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I think we are suffering from the same thing. The answer may be right in front of us all along. I've been getting my water from the fish store the entire time and I'm sure they aren't keeping up with their ro unit. I have the remaining parts I need to setup an ro unit this Thursday and I'm really hoping it's the key because I'm outta ideas after this.
 
For me only CAA this stuff.
corals077.jpg

But I have gotten it under control as of right now, not got though.
 
Glad everything is getting better and your pictures look good. Yeah, the red stuff. It is actually a good sign, in a way. Just tells you more about what the gfo was preventing in your system.
 
Actually allsps, I think the problem is right in front of you. Some of your pictures even show bubble algae (valonia). 8ppm on your TDS is not low by any means. Every water change and every top off keeps filling up the tank with that 8ppm. It's not leaving through export and what you may be experiencing in the last year is critical mass rearing its' head.

Is running a DI cartridge that much of a big deal?
 
SPSEMPIRE said:
Glad everything is getting better and your pictures look good. Yeah, the red stuff. It is actually a good sign, in a way. Just tells you more about what the gfo was preventing in your system.
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I had this while running GFO and a fuge. Started in the fuge and moved up to the tank. It took the fuge over 3 times really bad so I took the fuge out. Have not had any increase in no3 or po4 since removing the fuge and GFO.
 
allsps40 said:
Very true Alex T. Said and done I will be ordering a DI. Here is one I was looking at, it is the lowest cost one I have found. What does everyone think?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...33032&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_1852wt_1139
When I get my DI should a I do a large water change 20-30% or just keep doing my normal weekly water changes??
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Instead of trying to find the cheapest one, why not just get a quality DI? Something that will get the job done and last? Compared to everything else in this hobby, they're relatively inexpensive.
 
HEY allsps40, i am almost a year in with my hand at sps as well. so far soo good, my advice is that i would dump the kent 2 part and use BIONIC 2 part, tried both. and also no need for iodine, switch that to mag. for dosing.

besides that, random flow, 14k lighting for growth and color. jmo
 
I dont go cheap I look for good deals. If that one is crap I wont get it I will just get a Spectra Pure DI. But these days I try to save as much money as I can when I can.
 
pnavarro170 said:
HEY allsps40, i am almost a year in with my hand at sps as well. so far soo good, my advice is that i would dump the kent 2 part and use BIONIC 2 part, tried both. and also no need for iodine, switch that to mag. for dosing.

besides that, random flow, 14k lighting for growth and color. jmo
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I dont use 2 part at all. I use kalk top off, works awesome. I have really good random flow, using my RLK to control one power head on a wave maker. It is working really well. I dont need to dose mag but I to test for it and have some on hand if it is needed, mag stays right at 1380-1350. I am running a 20k that has the same PAR as a Phoenix 14k.
 
I wouldn't do any larger of a water change than normal once you add the DI. I would keep everything the same. If TDS is 0, then all new water and top off will be more pure. Through consistent maintenance water changes the export of what may have been added will slowly decline from the water column. About a year ago I started having problems with some nuisance algae on my rocks. I tried everything but it kept coming back. Since I changed out my RO filter after two years the algae slowly went away. Sometimes the answer is so simple but we try to make it more complicated than it needs to be by running all the other expensive stuff to rid the tank of nutrients that we ourselves may be responsible for adding in the first place.

I still try and hold fast to the #1 rule I heard David Saxby say....... We don't keep fish, corals or invertebrates. We keep water! Pay attention to the quality of the water you put in and how you maintain it and many other parts of the hobby all of the sudden seem more simple.

In fact, if you sift through the TOTM pages check out the RODI systems that these guys are running. I think our RODI cartridges and water purification systems are the unsung heros of our hobby. Very important.
 
allsps40 said:
Here is one I was looking at, it is the lowest cost one I have found. What does everyone think?
Click to expand...

I would talk to whoever sell you the RO unit and tell them you want to add a DI. If that's not possible (for example, you got a no-name generic RO), I would talk to one of the RC sponsors. Only if cost is too much, I would then look into eBay. You want support and be able to find parts, refill the DI etc down the road so having a sponsor that you have easy access is the key. After you add the DI, pay close attention to pH. A mix-bed DI manufactured incorrectly (some of the cheaper models) could have impact on your pH (that's how DI works).

allsps40 said:
When I get my DI should a I do a large water change 20-30% or just keep doing my normal weekly water changes??
Click to expand...

20% to 30% is by no mean large and I would do it. In fact, I would recommend diluting 100% of your current water while keeping alk, cal, mg in line per your current water change schedule. Other than that, I would not make any more changes. Judging by the grow and polyp extension of your SPS, they are not in a bad shape (at all). This 8ppm might be all you need to get the color you have been looking for. I would give the tank 3 months to adjust and go from there.

Good luck!
 
Alex T. said:
We don't keep fish, corals or invertebrates. We keep water! Pay attention to the quality of the water you put in and how you maintain it and many other parts of the hobby all of the sudden seem more simple.
Click to expand...

+1
Wiser words have not been written.
:thumbsup:
 
pnavarro170 said:
what 20k bulb are you using with good par. im gonna switch to 20k in 5 months looks like.
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Believe it or not it is an Oddysea 250W 20k. I tested the PAR against my Phoenix 14k and was really shocked at how close the numbers where. I have seen no changes in coral grow since switching to the Oddysea bulb. Try it out you will be very happy with it.
My RO unit is a Spectra Pure 90gpd unit.
 
Funny. I have been trying to deal with this problem for a while now, asking everyone questions on here, going to my LFS's. My water source was never brought up.
I agree its the water that we keep. When the water is perfect everything else follows.
 
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