I'm so tired of failures after failures.
- Thread starter wackie1wackie
- Start date
cwegescheide
YOU have been ignored!
I feel you brother.. I've been down this road a few times. The latest issue I had with my SPS tank was because my refractometer was off and I didn't realize it till the damage was done. I had a few other smaller problems at the same time that didn't help but salinity being WAY off was the main culprit. Be sure to check your refracto calibration about 1x/month.
Also find somebody with a Hanna meter to check your po4. Po4 is bad, bad, bad if its above .05ppm I shoot for .02ish.
Wild daily temp fluctuations are not good either. If you don't already have one and you want to continue to keep SPS get a good controller. I've got an ACIII and love it. This way you can programatically control your tank temp etc. My temp fluctuates less than 1 degree thru the day. I can check my log to see what my temp, ph etc is throughout the day. Personally I don't see how reefers can keep SPS successfully without it. I have traveled every week m-f for years all the while keeping SPS. I would have been out of this hobby a LONG time ago without a controller.
Just a few things to think about.
Chris
Also find somebody with a Hanna meter to check your po4. Po4 is bad, bad, bad if its above .05ppm I shoot for .02ish.
Wild daily temp fluctuations are not good either. If you don't already have one and you want to continue to keep SPS get a good controller. I've got an ACIII and love it. This way you can programatically control your tank temp etc. My temp fluctuates less than 1 degree thru the day. I can check my log to see what my temp, ph etc is throughout the day. Personally I don't see how reefers can keep SPS successfully without it. I have traveled every week m-f for years all the while keeping SPS. I would have been out of this hobby a LONG time ago without a controller.
Just a few things to think about.
Chris
I think that IS a problem... algae is a part of a healthy system. Heck, there are algae living in your SPS' skeleton! At this point you need to question the chemicals that you are adding to the system. What are they?
My advice to you is this.... STOP DOSING all these chemicals. just stop. From now on just do a regular water change. Run your temp at 79-80', salinity at 1.025, Ca 400-420, and Alk at 8 dkH. Keep testing and remember -do not add any chemicals! You need some time (a few months) to let your system stabilize and the SPS should get acclimated to the system without any help of chemicals. The only exception is if your Alkalinity drops, you should buffer it with a baking soda SLOWLY. This takes a couple of days.
I can't emphasize this hard enough... in this hobby, you need PATIENCE. Nothing good ever happens fast in this hobby.. when you make a change, the effect doesn't usually show up until about a month later so you need to be patient. Keep your hands OFF your tank and let the corals flourish and adjust by themselves. Trust me on this.
Again... less chemicals, more natural water changes. Stick with that regimen for a month or two and let us know how it turns out. I really DO want you to succeed.. keeping SPS is not really that difficult, but it needs patience and discipline.[/QUOTE]
+1
My advice to you is this.... STOP DOSING all these chemicals. just stop. From now on just do a regular water change. Run your temp at 79-80', salinity at 1.025, Ca 400-420, and Alk at 8 dkH. Keep testing and remember -do not add any chemicals! You need some time (a few months) to let your system stabilize and the SPS should get acclimated to the system without any help of chemicals. The only exception is if your Alkalinity drops, you should buffer it with a baking soda SLOWLY. This takes a couple of days.
I can't emphasize this hard enough... in this hobby, you need PATIENCE. Nothing good ever happens fast in this hobby.. when you make a change, the effect doesn't usually show up until about a month later so you need to be patient. Keep your hands OFF your tank and let the corals flourish and adjust by themselves. Trust me on this.
Again... less chemicals, more natural water changes. Stick with that regimen for a month or two and let us know how it turns out. I really DO want you to succeed.. keeping SPS is not really that difficult, but it needs patience and discipline.[/QUOTE]
+1
wackie1wackie
New member
I use a refractometer to check for salinity and it dead on steady. Currently I'm dripping kalk a few days a week. I don't dose anything else. I have heard great things about Zeovit but I have seen tanks that looks perfectly fine w/o it. I have 3 Koralia (1200gpheach) I dont have a SB I went BB, Don't flame me okie....I usually acclimate them by placing them near the bottom half of the tank for a week then move up gradually. I might get a controller in the near future.
xtm
Active member
Where do you live? If you're local, I wouldn't mind helping you out.
You have to keep in mind, that the colorful tanks that you see are mostly well-established tanks. They didn't come out like that in 1 or 2 weeks. Most tanks don't really start taking off until after a year, when the parameters are stable enough and there are no more cycles going on. I've seen local reefers throw thousands of dollars on corals only to quit less than a year into the hobby because everything starts dying. You need to slow down.
Let me offer some quick tips:
-Get a refractometer and calibrate it properly with a solution.
-STOP dosing too many chemicals.
-STOP bothering your corals. Leave them alone and let them settle.
-DO use RO/DI and a good salt (I use IO)
-DO stabilize your temperature
-Consider getting a controller for more stability. I use an RK2. Best investment ever, IMO.
-Monitor your fish
-Monitor your corals for disease and pests (AEFW, Monti-eating Nudis, and Red Bugs)
-STOP dosing chemicals!
-DO check where you get your stock. Are they already bleached to begin with? Are they wild-collected? Did you acclimate them properly? What was the lighting in the store display? Were they cut from the mother colony or acquired as frags? What were the water parameters of the store compared to yours? (a huge variance CAN and WILL shock the specimen and may kill it eventually)
-What species did you acquire? I recommend starting off with a few hardy SPS... M. Capricornis, M. Digitata (green), A. Valida, A. Micropthalma, and A.Yongei (green slimer) are all very hardy in my experience. Corals like A. Verweyi, Lovelli, and some deepwater acros are not very easy to keep. Selections DO matter.
Take a couple of hardy SPS frags and grow them with nothing but regular saltwater. I agree to the poster above to limit your water change to encourage more stability. You would cringe but I only do 10g water change every month.. and that's enough for me. Once your frags start encrusting and your system is more stable, you can slowly start adding more. Overtime you will learn how to "read" your system without even using test kits. This takes time, but I was like you too when I started. Don't get discouraged, you'll get it eventually.
And lastly, if you can post a pic of your tank, your sump, and your equipment, that will be a big help and maybe some of us can make comments and suggestions.
You have to keep in mind, that the colorful tanks that you see are mostly well-established tanks. They didn't come out like that in 1 or 2 weeks. Most tanks don't really start taking off until after a year, when the parameters are stable enough and there are no more cycles going on. I've seen local reefers throw thousands of dollars on corals only to quit less than a year into the hobby because everything starts dying. You need to slow down.
Let me offer some quick tips:
-Get a refractometer and calibrate it properly with a solution.
-STOP dosing too many chemicals.
-STOP bothering your corals. Leave them alone and let them settle.
-DO use RO/DI and a good salt (I use IO)
-DO stabilize your temperature
-Consider getting a controller for more stability. I use an RK2. Best investment ever, IMO.
-Monitor your fish
-Monitor your corals for disease and pests (AEFW, Monti-eating Nudis, and Red Bugs)
-STOP dosing chemicals!
-DO check where you get your stock. Are they already bleached to begin with? Are they wild-collected? Did you acclimate them properly? What was the lighting in the store display? Were they cut from the mother colony or acquired as frags? What were the water parameters of the store compared to yours? (a huge variance CAN and WILL shock the specimen and may kill it eventually)
-What species did you acquire? I recommend starting off with a few hardy SPS... M. Capricornis, M. Digitata (green), A. Valida, A. Micropthalma, and A.Yongei (green slimer) are all very hardy in my experience. Corals like A. Verweyi, Lovelli, and some deepwater acros are not very easy to keep. Selections DO matter.
Take a couple of hardy SPS frags and grow them with nothing but regular saltwater. I agree to the poster above to limit your water change to encourage more stability. You would cringe but I only do 10g water change every month.. and that's enough for me. Once your frags start encrusting and your system is more stable, you can slowly start adding more. Overtime you will learn how to "read" your system without even using test kits. This takes time, but I was like you too when I started. Don't get discouraged, you'll get it eventually.
And lastly, if you can post a pic of your tank, your sump, and your equipment, that will be a big help and maybe some of us can make comments and suggestions.
xtm
Active member
BB systems are known to have very small amounts of nutrients, and the general consensus is that SPS appear more pale, because of lack of nutrient. I think that there is a very delicate balance involved with keeping BB tanks. Personally? I wouldn't recommend a BB tank IF you're just starting out. Nutrient is very important in an SPS tank, excess nutrient is bad... but too little nutrient is also bad. Fish poop and food settle in sandbeds, which creates a cycle and this produces nutrients P and N. Algae thrives with nutrients.. so does zooxanthellae. On a BB system, overfeeding is encouraged. When you have a sandbed, in a way it feeds the SPS. A sandbed also provides additional surface for the bacteria to colonize, and also somewhat helps with buffering. The sand inhabitants also helps the system as a whole-- by consuming uneaten food, and also serves as food.
I'm not saying that BB is not an ideal system... it's a great system, but you have to understand its nuances, how it works and how to maintain one.
xtm
Active member
I agree, I posted the same thought above. BB tanks are nutrient-devoid system. SPS need food!
thanks
Snailpowered
New member
+2 on the nutrients, get more fish, a lot more fish. You are in essence starving your corals for food. Let me ask you this and if the answer is no then you deffinetly need to feed more.... are you getting coraline algea? What color are your rocks, grey or purple? I only ask this because I am in the same ship as you. I started feeding more and shut my Skimmer off and I'm letting my rock turn purple and colorful again before I start buying more coral. Hope this helps
wackie1wackie
New member
My rocks are a bright purple/deep red. Last time i checked my mag was around 1200 if im not mistaken. Most of the frags i picked up are from local folks here in Houston. I'm very careful and only choose the ones that are doing well. Many of them are broken off from a mother colony. Some are even a few generations removed.
Grant W
New member
Just my humble opinion but maybe buy your next few water changes worth of water from the lfs and see if that helps also if your inverts are having troubles check your alk they are usually a good barometer for alk also increase your bio load a bit and be sure your flow isnt blowing right at the corals and by the way if flow is right you should have decent polys extension on the acros .GL Grant
chessnutt
New member
How stable is your tank? Is your Ph stable? I had a hard time too when I started with SPS. I use to go through test kit after test kit trying to figure out what's wrong, why cant I keep SPS. Many sleepless night tinkering this and that. My tank is now stable after 6 months.
I had to reduce the flow in my Display tank.
Add about 50lb of live rock to my sump, and chaeto algae **copepods population grew out of control** Slow the flow in the sump
Run a GFO Reactor and Carbon Reactor
and just two days ago added a Korallin C3002 reactor
I've been adding SPS three months ago and have not lost one.
I have a 180 with more than 50+ fish. I feed them three times daily. My corals love it.
I had to reduce the flow in my Display tank.
Add about 50lb of live rock to my sump, and chaeto algae **copepods population grew out of control** Slow the flow in the sump
Run a GFO Reactor and Carbon Reactor
and just two days ago added a Korallin C3002 reactor
I've been adding SPS three months ago and have not lost one.
I have a 180 with more than 50+ fish. I feed them three times daily. My corals love it.
If you live in Houston give David Rains over at ADG a call and ask him a few questions or see if he has time to check out your tank.
Other then that I would honestly stop listening to everyone who is suggesting you do more to your reef tank and do the exact opposite. Get your hands out of the tank, stop testing, stop dosing, do weekly water changes and leave things alone. You DO NOT NEED to dose anything or drip kalk if you have next to nothing living/thriving in your tank.
It could be something as simple as you shocking your tank while you are dosing your Kalk. You will never know what is going on if you keep changing things quickly. Only bad things happen fast in this hobby.
Leave whatever SPS you have in the system in and go back to the basics.
If nothing is eating or picking on your corals
If you have no pests
If your water parameters are stable, consistent and at NSW
If you have good flow and proper lighting
You should be able to keep SPS no problem
If all these things are correct and you still have issues you have something major wrong with your equipment or you are touching the damn tank too much.
I'd like to see you be able to keep corals and be happy. Best of luck and keep it simple
Other then that I would honestly stop listening to everyone who is suggesting you do more to your reef tank and do the exact opposite. Get your hands out of the tank, stop testing, stop dosing, do weekly water changes and leave things alone. You DO NOT NEED to dose anything or drip kalk if you have next to nothing living/thriving in your tank.
It could be something as simple as you shocking your tank while you are dosing your Kalk. You will never know what is going on if you keep changing things quickly. Only bad things happen fast in this hobby.
Leave whatever SPS you have in the system in and go back to the basics.
If nothing is eating or picking on your corals
If you have no pests
If your water parameters are stable, consistent and at NSW
If you have good flow and proper lighting
You should be able to keep SPS no problem
If all these things are correct and you still have issues you have something major wrong with your equipment or you are touching the damn tank too much.
I'd like to see you be able to keep corals and be happy. Best of luck and keep it simple
flamehawkfish
New member
Is your salinity lower than 1.025? Are you 'topping off' with freshwater everyday? Do you have an open-top tank?
Hopefully, you'll answer, 'yes', to all of these. Rising salinity can creep up on you. Also, how good is your water flow? It should be very strong.
Good luck. I feel bummed for you. I've certainly had my share of reef tank failures, and I wanted to give up (but couldn't; I was/am addicted). Hang in there!
Hopefully, you'll answer, 'yes', to all of these. Rising salinity can creep up on you. Also, how good is your water flow? It should be very strong.
Good luck. I feel bummed for you. I've certainly had my share of reef tank failures, and I wanted to give up (but couldn't; I was/am addicted). Hang in there!
RickMartin
New member
Find someone who is successful in your area and have them come over and critique your set up. Make sure they have been doing it for 5+ years and have a tank full of growing corals
wackie1wackie
New member
My PH stays pretty much in the same range 8.1-8.2 Salinity is at 1.023 I bought water from the LFS, from a friend, mixed my own water. Nothing changes 
The reason why im still dosing kalk because I have a large squamosa clam that's doing fine. I've tried in the past styro,digi, stags,caps they did ok for a few weeks then just brown out, then color lighten up and finally STN from bottom up. Ill give david a call thanks
The reason why im still dosing kalk because I have a large squamosa clam that's doing fine. I've tried in the past styro,digi, stags,caps they did ok for a few weeks then just brown out, then color lighten up and finally STN from bottom up. Ill give david a call thanks
