Keeping SPS is soooo hard and expensive! Thinking about quitting after 2 years.

[reefgeezer]

Carbon dosing has been associated with RTN in sensitive corals. Do you use a lot of pellets?

Rapid changes in the phosphate level can harm some corals also. When you change GFO does the phosphate level change quickly?

 

[mfaso24]

I feel for you. This hobby can be frustrating at times. I have to say though, your tank has a lot of great corals in it. It is easy for us to see the flaws on our tanks, but from the outside, it looks pretty good.

+1 I'm guilty of this. I have to learn to enjoy my tank because most of the time I'm sitting with my face on the glass just looking for something wrong.

 

[kurfer]

where do you all shop in Louisville? (lfs) I'm there every other month and haven't found a good store.

aquatica, over off Blakenbaker access...awesome owner and clean shop.

I think they go by Urban Oceans now.

 

[kurfer]

Carbon dosing has been associated with RTN in sensitive corals. Do you use a lot of pellets?

Rapid changes in the phosphate level can harm some corals also. When you change GFO does the phosphate level change quickly?

Params seem to move slowly...

This contradicts everything iv'e read about ULNS reef tanks. Some of the best SPS tanks iv'e seen have been running some type of ULNS setup whether it be Pellets, Vodka, Vinegar, Zeo etc...

 

[kurfer]

You don't have much coralline on the back walls for them not to be scraped. If you can't grow it then your system is not doing well enough for sps imho. I would think you are having a huge spike in alkalinity after a water change. I have seen this in several tanks when people couldn't put it all together to successfully keep sps.

Never been able to grow it, I figured it was my lights. Doesn't coralline need lower light?

 

[PhaneSoul]

Have you ever considered chemical warefare? I mean I know ur running carbon but IMO it's not gonna do the job well. There is a reason all your euyphilla are doing better then the rest. It looks like your softies are almost starving, your lps are dominant and sps just can't cut it. Not to mention it's very hard to keep sps and softies and have the correct nutrient levels that will suite both.

Focus on your must haves and build the environment around them. If you want sps focus on providing a ultra low nutrient system. Barebottom works well for this. If you want lps/sps then focus on what they need. Nutrients. Let there be some, just not an abundance of them. That's why sand is good for lps/softies but can really mess with sps.

Go back to the basics and focus on what you really want

 

[mfaso24]

Never been able to grow it, I figured it was my lights. Doesn't coralline need lower light?

Some coralline likes low light while others prefer a higher light

 

[Gangous]

Wait ur running pellets?? Some people have amazing results but I never did!
I'd pull them if I where u I never had luck with them and sps when I pulled them I had a few algae out breaks but after a few months I was able to keep sps

 

[fredro]

I think you may need a little more light (mostly because you said that your Xenia has stopped growing bigger) and that your Alk is low and your Calcium is low, IMHO. I like Alk around 9.5-10 and Calcium around 460-480, especially if using RSCP Salt. Also, what's your fuge like (light, contents, growth rate)? What test kits do you use? I suspect that you may have higher Nitrate or Phosphate levels than you think. Hopefully we can get to the bottom of your issues here and get you back on the happy side of reefing, especially after all you've invested Good Luck!!

 

[Reefer54]

Carbon dosing has been associated with RTN in sensitive corals. Do you use a lot of pellets?

Rapid changes in the phosphate level can harm some corals also. When you change GFO does the phosphate level change quickly?

This is what i was thinking from the first post on, especially with CORAL PRO. 15% WC are not huge by any means, but they could be spiking alk enough even if you are not seeing it in the tests or with a controller. Alk and carbon have a negative result on sps when alk is above 8-9, and coral pro DOES turn out 12 when fresh.

I would urge you to look at a timeline. RTN does not happen the instant water chemistry or whatever stressor hits a coral, it does take a little time, such as overnight when the stressor and a lowered ph are combined. consider how long after a wc or other param shift occurs that you see rtn or the final closeup of of acan polyps.....trachys may just need to be put in the lowest flow area of your tank and out of direct light.....

good luck, i dont know if i have helped at all, but things to consider.

 

[fredro]

Another reason I believe the lighting may be insufficient is tat the BTAs have been moving all around as you stated.

I run GFO and carbon in BRS dual reactor and was planning on running Pellets too, but was talked out of it before I decided to set the reactor up... Pellets can be good and I have also heard of them causing issues in sensitive ecosystems. Did you start running them for a certain reason, or was it just because. Just like you shouldn't dose things that you don't test for, you also shouldn't fix problems that you don't have. Sometimes you gotta get back to basics. If it were me, I would rethink your light levels, I would double check your nitrates and phosphates, I would lose the reef-roids and any other excess feelings and take the pellets offline. Really hope we can get to the bottom of this!

 

[banthonyb71]

Isnt a nitrate level of 5ppm rather high for SPS?

 

[tang named junkyard]

I have the same problems. I can't keep a zoa to save my life. Everything else is growing crazy.

 

[Reefvet]

Another reason I believe the lighting may be insufficient is tat the BTAs have been moving all around as you stated.

BTAs move when they can't find a place out of the current. They will also move for light but unless you just got them they know where that is. If they're still wandering around it's because they can't find refuge. Trusts me I have 28 of them and have raised them for 20+ years.

How old is the RO/DI filter ?

Have you changed the carbon, DI resins or the membrane ?

If you don't have coraline growing I don't think you have sufficient Mag. If Mag is low everything else is limited.

 

[kurfer]

BTAs move when they can't find a place out of the current. They will also move for light but unless you just got them they know where that is. If they're still wandering around it's because they can't find refuge. Trusts me I have 28 of them and have raised them for 20+ years.

How old is the RO/DI filter ?

Have you changed the carbon, DI resins or the membrane ?

If you don't have coraline growing I don't think you have sufficient Mag. If Mag is low everything else is limited.

Mag is 1340, I keep mag above 1320 and check often.

My nitrates would be my biggest issue, I run the pellets to lower them, it was suggested I stop with the pellets but i'm afraid my nitrates will go out of control. Thinking about running without filter socks for a few weeks to see if it helps lower them, one thing i'm guilty of is not changing them weekly. Sometimes i go 2 weeks...

If I can't keep up with lowering nitrates, is that a sign I don't have enough rock?

 

[Reefer54]

try a remote deep sand bed. could hep nitrate.

not cleaning the socks is a definite area to keep your eye on.....nutrient sinks if not cleaned, and i would say every 3 or 4 days at most.

 

[kurfer]

I use marinepure ceramic blocks in my sump, I did that to suppliment my lower level of live rock in the display. Should I look at more or could it potentially be causing an issue sitting in my sump?

 

[PhaneSoul]

If I can't keep up with lowering nitrates, is that a sign I don't have enough rock?

that's a sign your not keeping up with detritus export.

a dsb is only a nutrient sink, nothing more. put all the lil creatures in it and its still just a nutrient sink.

 

[Reefer54]

that's a sign your not keeping up with detritus export.

a dsb is only a nutrient sink, nothing more. put all the lil creatures in it and its still just a nutrient sink.

I agree that detritus needs to be addressed above. If nutrients are not be exported from your system, clearly that is an issue which must be addressed first.... However, a deep sand bed is not a nutrient sink if implemented and properly maintained. On the contrary, it is a very efficient means of nitrate reduction in a system. Notice i recommended a REMOTE DSB.....this is to assume that organics in the water column have been efficiently removed prior to water passing through\over the DSB. Even DT's with a DSB that are properly maintained offer a great buffering ability and Nitrate reduction.

Phane, i encourage you to take a deeper look into the benefits of deep sand beds.

 

[Sk8r]

Tanks sometimes let you know what they 'want' to keep. I have had extraordinary luck in a 52 with 10000k Ushio MH and euphyllias...420 cal, 8.3 alk, and 1300 mg, moderate skimming. My advice is if a tank doesn't do well with what you intended, go with what thrives, if it's at all what you can be happy with.