Looking to hire experienced reefer for consult

GardenVariety

GardenVariety

New member
I have a 200 gallon mixed reef that's almost 6 months. Lately, I have been having issues with coral health. I've lost a Fungia, Birdsnest and now an Acan Lord colony and Lobed Brain colony are showing skeleton. I've dipped both and am now looking for someone more experienced to come and take a look. My specs are:

Nitrate - 5
Phosphate - 0 (Per Hanna ULR)
Cal - 430
Alk 9
Mag - 1400
Salinity 35 PPT

On AWC system at 1% a night.

Running 5 Kessils 360WE's over a 7ft tank. Kessils peak at 50% at a 10HR photoperiod with 2 hour ramp up/down period.

Located in Fountain Valley, CA.

Please PM, Looking for ASAP and willing to pay.
 
Are they slowly losing tissue (stn) or quickly losing tissue (rtn)? What else is in there that are doing well? Is it heavily stocked? What fish and what inverts?
 
dodgerblew said:
Are they slowly losing tissue (stn) or quickly losing tissue (rtn)? What else is in there that are doing well? Is it heavily stocked? What fish and what inverts?
Click to expand...

They are slowly receding. My Euphyllia, Bowerbankii's, Meat Corals, Montiporas, Leathers, Zoas and Paly's, Dendro's, Leathers, etc.. are all doing well. It is heavily stocked with corals. I have two cleaner shrimp, one peppermint shrimp, one mandarin goby, one leopard wrasse, two frostbite clowns and one cardinal.

I recently turned off one powerhead on the right side of the tank because it was too much flow and I've slowly turned down the lights a bit to get better polyp extension on my Montipora Digitata.
 
Without further details, I immediately call your 0 PO4 and 9 Alk as an issue.
We all have experienced STN due to this.
If I was you, slowly increase my phosphate and reduce Alk.
Also you always have the option to send a water sample for ICP test.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
That's good advice from Omid. When lights are out for awhile and it's dark check with a flashlight and see if the peppermint shrimp is snacking on your coral
 
Both of the above and test for strontium

Also saw a thread where the salinity tester wasn't properly calibrated so I would recommend you calibrate and check to make sure your salinity is correct

Sent from my LGLS775 using Tapatalk
 
miralami said:
Without further details, I immediately call your 0 PO4 and 9 Alk as an issue.
We all have experienced STN due to this.
If I was you, slowly increase my phosphate and reduce Alk.
Also you always have the option to send a water sample for ICP test.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Thanks. I am not sure how to increase my phosphate at this point since I feed 4 times a day and don't run GFO. I was unaware that low PO4 and 9 Alk was an issue.
 
Zatoichi said:
Both of the above and test for strontium

Also saw a thread where the salinity tester wasn't properly calibrated so I would recommend you calibrate and check to make sure your salinity is correct

Sent from my LGLS775 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Salinity is tested weekly by a calibrated VEE GEE and daily with my Apex Salinity Probe.
 
GardenVariety said:
24" deep and the lights are 10" above water line
Click to expand...

If all parameters is within spec, not enough par is another possibility.. 50 % seem low to me.. im was running for 4 kessil 360we on a 150g 24 height and 8 inches of the water line..spots that didn't get enough light was brown and eventually lost tissue.. once coral acclimated to kessil, i had them up to 90% intensity and 55% color..
 
yeah said:
If all parameters is within spec, not enough par is another possibility.. 50 % seem low to me.. im was running for 4 kessil 360we on a 150g 24 height and 8 inches of the water line..spots that didn't get enough light was brown and eventually lost tissue.. once coral acclimated to kessil, i had them up to 90% intensity and 55% color..
Click to expand...

I slowly brought them up to 60% over the past few months and saw nothing but negative side effects. My Montipora Digitata PE went non existent, my Favia started bleaching and my Cyphastrea started receding. Most all have shown much improvement since lowering the light level.
 
bowlopho said:
Sounds like you need more livestock as well. You feed 4 times daily with only a few fish??
Click to expand...

It takes awhile when I have to QT each fish for 5-6 weeks. I currently have a Kole and Hippo tang in QT. I feed 4 times daily to try and keep nutrients up as well as food for the corals. My BubbleKing skimmer has a habit of sucking everything out as evidenced by my 0 PO4.
 
dodgerblew said:
I had a peppermint shrimp kill about $1500 in Acans. No joke. They're nocturnal so you won't witness it in the daytime. A possibility worth looking into.

This is also Good to look into. Not just in tank but sump etc
Click to expand...

I would have never put him in if I knew that was a possibility. I'm watching my NEST cam right now and I don't see anything but I'll go in person tomorrow night and check. I know he hangs out in the area under my Favia. That still doesn't explain my Fungia receding.
 
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