Help, Algae on SPS

[mattliu]

http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/seasaltmixes/l/aa090503b.htm

many people claim that tropic marin is high in nutrients. yeah, i think if u switch to tropic marin u'll probably have an algae bloom and loose everything.

 

[robthorn]

my tank is always more algea free with either tropic marin salt. I have been back and forth many times over the last 10 or so years and always the same results. too bad the people testing the salts have a financial interest in the hobby. I can't say they are right or wrong. all I can say is my own personal experience and what I have seen in other tanks I have visited.

 

[plyle02]

Oh no,
I see this thread turnig into a salt debate....lol... My refugium seems to keep most nuissance algae in check, sometimes a red or green slime outbreak in the refugium, but nothing in my main tank, except for those 2 acros. I think anything is worth a try though, and I appreciate all input. I will probably give it a try and slowly transition to Tropic Marin. I have tried IO, Oceanic, RC, but not Tropic Marin. Until then, I will do some massive water changes to get rid of the 5 gallon bucket of RC. After that, what the heck, I'll give it a try.....

 

[mattliu]

yeah who really knows. i do know this, i have seen daddyjax's tank in person, and i must admit he's got zeolithic coloration and you guessed it, he uses old faithful, IO. all his corals, including his wild colonies are in tip top shape. but then again he runs a proprietary bb system with fish that fertilize his corals.

 

[plyle02]

It's kinda crazy man, I have a buddy of mine who I get most of my exotic corals from, and every last one of them has gone nuts in my tank and showed growth in a short period of time. He swears on RC, and has used it for a while now. I started w/ IO, but wanted more calcium w/o having to dump tons of buffer in. Makes me wonder, cause I bought colonies of SPS from Finz and Nolans in Lakeland, just kinda curious if the corals(colonies) were more happy in the water in which they came from. I think Finz uses IO, and Nolans, not sure. Anway, my buddy uses RC, and every last coral he has is very happy. FYI, my water is tested frequently, and I detect .01 PO4, >5 Nitrates, 430 calcium, 10.8dkh, no ammonia, no nitrites, ph 8.2 regardless of what time of day I test. Maybe I am missing something, or these corals didn't like my light or the salt, or my water.....humm....

 

[mattliu]

by any chance, are the colonies that went south wild ?

 

[plyle02]

How do you determine whether they are wild or cultured? When purchased, the salespeople knew much less than I of corals, and I am still kinda new to SPS... I believe my first loss whas a standard acropora, and the second a tennius(I think).. The first to go is pictured in far right of frame. The second one to go is pictured 2nd, in the middle of frame...Maybe you can help to determine...lol... Thanks for your interest..
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/114849clam_12-18-06__Medium_.jpg
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/114849coral4_12-18-06__Medium_.jpg

 

[robthorn]

I know there are cases where everything works and some that nothing works. the reason I tried it again was because of seeing so many great tanks with I.O. just didn't work for me and I had the same thing going on as plyle.
then again ask jason aka daddyjax about his all of a sudden red slime. jason also spends alot more time with his tank than i do. he also hasn't changed since he started. all I can say is good luck

 

[mattliu]

actually jason mentioned to me that he feels the source of his red slime was due to rain water getting into his sump. he runs his equipment on his porch. sounds plausible.

well it looks like the the first coral is wild. and if the second one is the small blueish one, it's likely maricultured. the wild ones do not come on distinct bases. it looks like u have several wilds in your tank judging by species and size. those corals that perished seemed to like your environment the least based on their heavy population of symbionts. could have been lighting needs, water quality, etc.

 

[plyle02]

Thanks man....

 

[mattliu]

getting back on subject, to explain the mortality, please refer to page 325 of The Reef Aquarium Volume One by Sprung and Delbeek. they're the experts.