How solid is rock solid?

[tom obrecht]

I'm a long time reefer who has started a newer reef. The display was started with new dry rock and bare bottom about 7-8 months ago. I was lucky enough to snag a Neptune Trident perhaps 5-6 months ago and watch the tests daily. I'm struggling with getting my sps to settle in and take off. I'm wondering if the tank is mature enough OR not stable enough alk, calcium and magnesium? My alkalinity varies LESS than 1 dkh daily at roughly 8.5-8.9 Calcium stays at 450-470 and magnesium is pretty steady at 1450-1470. I have a Deltec twin Tech calcium reactor on the system at the lowest setting. The levels listed above have been at these levels for a few months now. Typically doesn't vary outside the levels listed. Basic ammonia, nitrite are zero. Phosphate has varied from almost 0 to .08 and nitrate 0-10 ppm. I've had a dozen or more frags slowly die yet some lps pieces look fine. A group of gonis that again some have done fine and others die out. I know 7 months is still considered a young system but am curious when some veteran reefers say their Alk, calcium and magnesium is rock solid is it just that? Varies next to nothing? Any insight would be helpful!

 

[stephj03]

Pretty early still for a dry rock tank IMO. I would grab a bottle of 2-3 different bacterial supplents and dose at the medium or low stocking dosage listed on the bottles for at least a month.

Micro-fauna do more than just ear phosphate a d nitrate. Idk that anyone really understands but it's fairly reliable that dry rock SPS tanks benefit greatly from regular bacteria dosing from multiple sources during the first yr or so.

Microbater7
Dr. Tim's
Zeobak

etc

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[tom obrecht]

Thanks for the reply Steph! I have dosed a couple types of bacteria when I first started the tank up but probably haven't added any in the last 2 months. Will start dosing again !

 

[tom obrecht]

How about stability? Sound normal? Other ideas?

 

[miralami]

I don't see any issue with your parameters. You can keep any Acro with those numbers.
Do you have enough turn around of nutrient? Enough fish and feeding?
Always good to have an ICP test to see how your other parameters are.


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[tom obrecht]

I don't see any issue with your parameters. You can keep any Acro with those numbers.
Do you have enough turn around of nutrient? Enough fish and feeding?
Always good to have an ICP test to see how your other parameters are.


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I think a ICP is a good idea! Always good to get test results to double check. I do have a number of fish in the system and I did back feeding off a bit when I received the 10 nitrate numbers. Now that I think about my last system sps didn't really start to take off until the 1 year mark and perhaps that is the case here as well. Patience is not one of my strong points!

 

[C.Eymann]

I'm a long time reefer who has started a newer reef. The display was started with new dry rock and bare bottom about 7-8 months ago. I was lucky enough to snag a Neptune Trident perhaps 5-6 months ago and watch the tests daily. I'm struggling with getting my sps to settle in and take off. I'm wondering if the tank is mature enough OR not stable enough alk, calcium and magnesium? My alkalinity varies LESS than 1 dkh daily at roughly 8.5-8.9 Calcium stays at 450-470 and magnesium is pretty steady at 1450-1470. I have a Deltec twin Tech calcium reactor on the system at the lowest setting. The levels listed above have been at these levels for a few months now. Typically doesn't vary outside the levels listed. Basic ammonia, nitrite are zero. Phosphate has varied from almost 0 to .08 and nitrate 0-10 ppm. I've had a dozen or more frags slowly die yet some lps pieces look fine. A group of gonis that again some have done fine and others die out. I know 7 months is still considered a young system but am curious when some veteran reefers say their Alk, calcium and magnesium is rock solid is it just that? Varies next to nothing? Any insight would be helpful!

Have you tested your trident against another test kit?

Also, 8.5-8.9 is .3 and is within the threshold of resolution of error/variance with most hobbyist grade test instruments and kits.

Mag is pretty high, and I have seen high levels cause irritation in a few species.

Pics of sps demise can really help.


Lighting type ? schedule? settings? have you tested PAR in your tank?

Hows the flow? too much? too little? is it the right kind ? most acropora/sps do best with intermittent gushes and swishes of flow with brief periods of "calmness"
polyps should look like a grassy field on a breezy/gusty day.