Help me fine tune my 2 year old tank

[marino420td]

This is my 2 year old 120g tank. I planned this set up with sps in mind and tried to design an efficient system that would support these delicate creatures.

Here is a picture when first set up in July 2006.

Here is a FTS taken today- sorry for the dirty glass

Not bad but I envisioned a tank grown in with large sps colonies reaching the water's surface by now.

I recently experienced a problem with my acroporas and lost many of them. The ones you see in the tank are the survivors and are beginning to show new growth and better coloration again. I never was able to determine an exact cause of the tissue loss but believe it was some type of bacterial infection after researching other similar threads.

My montis, birdsnests and clams continue to grow and show nice color. But I don't have that eye popping color that I see in other sps dominant tanks (sunnyx's previous tank, sanjay's, szymon's, Leonardo's, etc.)

My equipment consists of:
120 gal tank 48X24X24
100 gal rubbermaid sump
40 gal refugium with chaeto lit 24/7
Approx 100 lbs live rock
2 X 250 12k Reeflux bulbs on Coralvue electronic ballast
Lumenarc Mini Reflectors
Closed loop ran by Sequence Dart, eductors at each outlet
1- Koralia 4
1- Seio 1100
Gen X Mak 4 return pump
GEO 612 Calcium Reactor with Gen X media
H&S A150-F2001 external skimmer gravity fed
Modded maxijet 1200 in sump for circulation
Phosban Reactor with Phosguard

Tank parameters are:
SG 1.025
Alk 9.7dkh
Ca 450
Mg 1320
Ph 7.88 to 8.1
Temp 79-82

Both MH's are on for 9 hours per day
I also have 2 48" VHO actinics but haven't used them in about 4 months. Timer broke and I haven't replaced it.

I use ro/di water for topoff which is done automatically from a holding tank hooked to a float valve in the sump.

Livestock:
1- Regal Tang
2- Maroon clowns
1- Diamond Goby
1- Blue Damsel in sump
1- Brittle Star
3- clams
various sps, lps, leathers and other softies
approx 10 Astreas
approx 10 Ceriths
2 Nassarious
various stomatellas
No crabs, hermits or shrimp

I feed an assortment of Pellets, flake and frozen food once per day. Sometimes twice.

No additives or supplements.

Would you change anything in the setup? Would you increase the fish load? Other suggestions.

Any constructive criticism or comments are appreciated.

 

[nu2reefva]

you need to run carbon to kill off some of the toxins put into the water by the lps leathers and softies these toxins are poisonous to the sps and stunt there growth majorly.

you can either just toss some carbon in the sump of you can run it in a media reactor these work really well for carbon.

 

[danfrith]

It think increasing the fish load would help and/ or trying amino acids and other "coral foods". The colors look pale to me.

 

[Fig]

Nitrate level?

 

[PJD]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13002977#post13002977 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nu2reefva
you need to run carbon to kill off some of the toxins put into the water by the lps leathers and softies these toxins are poisonous to the sps and stunt there growth majorly.

you can either just toss some carbon in the sump of you can run it in a media reactor these work really well for carbon.

^x2. IMO, If you really want to be successful w/sps, then you may want to ditch the softies, at least the leathers.