Help with burnt tips in Zeo system please

[Ross33]

65g tank, been set up for about 5 years. I switched to full zeovit several months ago. After stripping my tank too clean with the prescribed zeovit method, I got gray corals that went dormant with no PE.

I recently reduced Zeostones drastically (went from 600mL to 110ml). I have adjusted flow through the reactor accordingly, it is running about 15gph. I cut my carbon in half (went from 200mL to 100mL) which is run passively in my sump. Current dosing schedule:

zeostart 0.15ml x2 daily
K balance 1.5ml daily split into 2 doses
Phol's CV 4 drops nightly when polyps are out.
sponepower 2 drops 3 times a week
zeobak 2 drops 3 times a week.

Since reducing zeostones and carbon, I am having mixed results. Some pieces are showing great improvement. I mean drastic color improvement, PE, thicker tissue, etc. Other pieces are actively losing tissue from the tips. Looks just like typical 'burnt tips' from an alk burn. But it is been going on for weeks. I have clipped a bunch of tips off, but I'm still very very slowly losing tissue. Lighting hasn't changed (ati LED power module). Alk is NOT the issue. I have been testing religiously every day for weeks. It is rock solid 6.6-6.8.

Actual parameters:
Alk 6.61
Calcium 420
Mag 1275
Potassium 370
Nitrates 0.1
Phosphates 0.01-0.02

Using all salifert or hanna test kits. I would greatly appreciate any help and suggestions. Not sure why a humilis wont stop losing tissue when the pink lemonade 3 inches away has great PE and is encrusting quickly.

 

[nmotz]

I know you think your alk isn't the problem, but it is a little low. Natural sea water is in the 7-8dkH range so you might try bumping it up into the 7-8 range. Alk seems to be one of the more difficult parameters to nail down. The "acceptable" range is 7-11dkh but for some tanks 7dkh won't work while for others 10dkh won't work. Every set-up is different. One thing I do know is that I have yet to see someone be really successful with a dkH in the 6's. Maybe there are some examples out there, but I haven't heard of any.

Other than that I would say that going Zeovit just starved out your tank. Maybe add some more coral supplements. Best of luck to you!

 

[Mr.Fishtank]

Try kz coral snow. You can mix in amino's and coral food into it and dose the tank at night.
I have been having similar issues with the AF system which is the same concept as zeovit.
Just started doing it 2 days ago and have seen great improvements in most of my corals that were not doing so well. I would also bump up you alk to at least 7dkh

For the last two nights I have been dosing 2ml of coral snow with 2 drops of AF amino's and 2 drops of AF vitality for my 95 gallon system. It is 1/2 the recommended dose.

 

[AboutAcans]

It's something that the carbon was clearing or something that the zeo is adding. If it were me I would start at square one and put the carbon back. That way it might even absorb whatever it is the zeo is contributing too much of. Then if that doesn't work maybe gradually reducing the boost in zeo, and blah blah blah see what I'm saying? When you bump something up and reduce something else the only real options are to slowly put it back to where it was till hopefully you still are partially near where you wanted to be and just changing things at a slower pace. Better than replacing corals.

 

[tamama]

Kh is fine. I keep mine around 6 all the time and no issue, but gotta be consistent. I dose idione and amino and vitaliser. Maybe idione helps.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

 

[2smokes]

Try kz coral snow. You can mix in amino's and coral food into it and dose the tank at night.
I have been having similar issues with the AF system which is the same concept as zeovit.
Just started doing it 2 days ago and have seen great improvements in most of my corals that were not doing so well. I would also bump up you alk to at least 7dkh

For the last two nights I have been dosing 2ml of coral snow with 2 drops of AF amino's and 2 drops of AF vitality for my 95 gallon system. It is 1/2 the recommended dose.

That ,,coral snow,, made by KZ isnt actually food like the marine snow.Coral snow they make is just plain kalk mixed with water thats why it bumps your alk a litle but its not a good idea to mix the kalk with the food.Marine snow is indeed a type of food made from decaying matter in the ocean but coral snow has nothing to do with it.

 

[Mr.Fishtank]

That ,,coral snow,, made by KZ isnt actually food like the marine snow.Coral snow they make is just plain kalk mixed with water thats why it bumps your alk a litle but its not a good idea to mix the kalk with the food.Marine snow is indeed a type of food made from decaying matter in the ocean but coral snow has nothing to do with it.

I realize the coral snow is not a food source. It is a binder that you use with amino's or very fine coral food to help the corals absorb it more easily. I'm just letting the op know that it has helped my corals.

As far as it being kalk. I don't believe this to be true. My alk has not moved since using it.

 

[rovster]

Coral Snow is calcium carbonate, NOT calcium hydroxide(Kalk)....