More Tank Headaches this week

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dobly_1999

Member
My tank is now 6 months old. I worry about the system, esp since I have been traveling lately. Just this week when I return from an 8 day trip, the PO4 was high and I notice some white (dying) on 3 of my corals. I did a 30% water change, change the media and prayed. The corals are recovering. but it is this type of pressure that a tank can put on a person.

I have wired up the 2 additional T5 that I will install next week. I have got the temperture down by 2 degrees using fans. I will pick up a chiller next week.

I swear if this tank can't be left alone for a week, my next post will have a headline "FS complete 90gal system...CHEAP"

This PO4 problem has been a nusience for months now. Once it was 0 on my test kit, then for 3 months I have been getting a reading of .1. When I return from my vacation last week, I notice 3 corals with white areas, I did a test and the PO4 was up to .5. Water change and I went to Eco Reef and got some liquid PO4 remover. After talking to the guys, it is suggested that my rock maybe putting the PO4 in the tank.

Any additional suggestions? I don't feed that much. I feed the corals twice a week with a very small amount of coral food. I feed the fish once a day less than 1/4 teaspoon of food. :eek2:
 
I have PO4 problems in my tank, at least that my Salifert PO4 test kit shows, however my corals are growing like weeds, I've got NO nuisance algae, and no white areas on corals. I'm not sure if my test kit is wrong, or if there is something else at work, but whatever it is, it doesn't seem to effect the livestock at all.

That being said, I've asked people before about using some filtration media pads that are supposed to absorb a ton of PO4 out of the water, and noone could give me a straight answer about them taking out the PO4 too quickly and hurting the livestock from the change, but who knows.....

As long as you're skimming like crazy and being careful with the food, and use good food, then it'll probably just take time and waterchanges for the rocks to seep out the PO4 if that's the cause. Also depends on how old your sand bed is too (if you've got one that is...)

Good luck!
 
Thanks for the response. My test kit showed .1 for over 2 or 3 months and my corals are growing. But last week with the test showed .5, I notice white dying areas on 3 corals.

I will ask a friend to run a test for me to compare the results. I am tried of spending money on this system everytime something happens. There has to be a way of managing this system. I have different test kits and media to use on this tank. When I add up the amount of money I have spent, I could have spend a week on a cruise or a flight to a nice island. (smile).
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9667520#post9667520 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ninjamini
Why not get a phosban reactor and turn it on when you travel.
Click to expand...

I have the reactor and I have used 3 different types of media in it. I have come to the concluse that the $12 brand is just as good as the $30 brand. All the brands kept the PO4 reading to .1 on my test kit. I tested the water coming out of the reactor (.1) and the water in the tank (.1).
 
Sylvester, if you travel often try being proactive instead of reactive, do your change of media, water changes and any other cleaning of skimmers and filters a couple of days prior to your trip rather than when you come back.
On the down side, this hobby is not only expensive but time consuming, I think that I can literally spend every single minute that I have off working on the tank.
On the other hand I have never felt more challenged, entertained and rewarded with any other activity.
 
i agree rogger the "chores" are part of the fun part for me, just like spending time working on the tank. thinking of things to work on and making adjustments is all in good fun
 
Dolby....you ever thought about a FOWLR Tank?
You know Fish Only With Live Rock. Might work better for a
travaler.
 
i really dont think phosphates are your cause of your dying coral.

I think tank Maintenance is dependent on how you setup your system, and how deep your pockets are. my 30 gal when im done, will be almsot completely maint free, it will even perform water changes automatically. besides cleaning the skimmer cup and glass.

id recommend throwing on a phosban reactor, and running it all the time, not just when your away. if you run it on and off, you run the risk of shocking your corals. if your first adding it to the system, its best to run 1-2 tablespoons, and ramp up from there.
 
You mentioned your temp was off, how high was it?
Aside from PO4 what else have you tested for and what were the results?
 
I did a complete water test. The other results were iwithin spec. As for the temp, it would go as high as 82 with all lights on. I will be installing a chiller soon to help control the temp.
 
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