Help with SPS color
- Thread starter kissman
- Start date
JPMagyar
New member
If your phosphate levels get too high you will have an algae outbreak that will be ugly, but a clear indication of the health of your tank. Don't look on algae as a pest, but rather as an indicator of your husbandry. If you have too much cyano, then you don't have a balance between feeding, nutrient uptake, and cleaning. If you have too much green algae then you don't have enough algae eaters and you need to invest in a "clean up crew". My daughters 38 gallon has 40 turbo snails, 2 emerald crabs, 10 blue leg hermits, and an urchin. Generally speaking you need a bigger cleanup crew than you realize.
What problem algaes are you seeing in your system and where?
kissman
New member
The only algae I am seeing at the moment is on my Hydors and overflows and cleaning glass every few days
echopiece
Member
Kissman, I agree with the above. If I was you, I would seriously stop checking PO4 for awhile and take GFO offline more than just a few days. Let that nutrient level build up and you will see a bit of algae growth. I am just now realizing this after 6 months and things are finally turning in the right direction for me. I am back to basics, skimmer, live rock, daily feeding and small weekly water changes. The hardest thing for me is to not tinker with my settings. You have to be patient, which is also hard for me lol. But it's paying off slowly.
deepseadan
New member
Kissman, just to clarify something, as others have said sps don't need no3 or po4 directly. But, no3 and po4 levels can be indicators of nutrient levels in your reef. Obviously if you have zero po4 and zero no3 you can assume to a point that your nutrients are low and if they are high the opposite. The reason I put assume to a point is because its possible to have a tank full of undesirable algae that consumes all or most of the po4 and no3. But that condition is generally obvious to the experience reefer.
kissman
New member
Ok GFO is now offline. I can't touch it or see it till Sunday. How long before i should test PO4. I had GFO offline since end of Dec so about two months and when it hit 40ppb thats when i cranked it back up to bring it down then was going to take it offline again. What scare me is PO4 will also kill SPS
echopiece
Member
I would continue to dose AA slowly until your algae starts to get out of control. I'm going on my 5th vial (once a week) of reef booster nano and I will most likely start slowing down soon. I can see how my tank is responding to it. Turn your skimmer off for 3-4 hrs during AA dose.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2019225
JPMagyar's tank. He *might* know what he is talking about.
I saw a reference to him with carbon dosing somewhere I think so he might dabble with that but probably just tweaking after he had the basics down.
JPMagyar's tank. He *might* know what he is talking about.
I saw a reference to him with carbon dosing somewhere I think so he might dabble with that but probably just tweaking after he had the basics down.
Newsmyrna80
Active member
The hardest part of this hobby is patience. Nothing happens in weeks or months except bad stuff. Put as much LR into your system as you can, keep up weekly 10% water changes, put your lights where others have had success, and test your alkalinity and salinity daily for 1 month and strive for 8 dKH and 35 ppm salinity or 1.0265 on a VG refractometer and of course keep up basic maintenance cleaning your glass daily, emptying your skimmer as often as possible, and feeding perhaps try feeding only Hikari frozen foods which have been shown to have the lowest phosphate out there. Sadly, I don't have a magic bullet, but I know it can be done. I will add that when mixing salt for a water change you MUST have a RO supply that is pure. Contaminants from the tap can be a killer and if you don't have a decent RODI filter you really don't know WHAT is going in your tank, but I know you have already said that you have good RODI so for you I don't think that's an issue. Patience is key as well as "stick to it" sense
Joe :beer:
I've been doing the above for 7 years and have still lost color. I have 90 lbs of live rock in the DT and another 5 in the refugium. I will say I have TONS of life on the rocks. I have an RO/DI and use Tropic Marin salt. I only dose with Lugols every other week. I run the skimmer 24/7 but don't get a lot of skimmate. I use filter pads to catch food particles. I feed Rods, mysis and cyclopeeze. I do 20% water changes religiously every week. The only thing left in he equation is the lighting. Even if that is lacking, which I know it is for the SPS, why are my mushrooms losing color? I occasionally test for nitrates and phosphates and they are always 0.
Stats: Upgraded from a 55 gallon to an 80 gal frag tank 2 months ago. Running a 4 bulbs T5 (researching upgrade). I have 8 fish, the largest is a Coral Beauty. I have about 10 snails and crabs.
I am open for trying anything at this point:debi:
Newsmyrna80
Active member
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2019225
JPMagyar's tank. He *might* know what he is talking about.
WOW!!! If that was my tank I'd never leave my house
Absolutely gorgeous!!!!!!
kissman
New member
WOW!!! If that was my tank I'd never leave my house
yes it is a very nice tank!
kissman
New member
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2019225
JPMagyar's tank. He *might* know what he is talking about.
I saw a reference to him with carbon dosing somewhere I think so he might dabble with that but probably just tweaking after he had the basics down.
by the looks of his tank I would say he does.
I am going to try this. I am running skimmer, live rock, water changes. I will go back to basics and give it a shot. GFO is cut off. I will stop dosing AA by way of Energy A&B. I will bring ALk down from 8.3 to 8dkh and let her rip for awhile. I will give updates
kissman
New member
One thing I still notice especially on my Green Birdsnest is that the bottom under side where less light hits has the best and deepest colors. My Garf Bonsai the part that has grown down the sides of the frag are deeper purple that whats on top in direct light. My red plating coral top is a light green almost white with red polpys and the sides are darker green with red ployps
deepseadan
New member
This article is about to much light. It also talks about to much light and nutrient levels.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2004/7/aafeature
