My SPS just aren't doing right. Low Nitrates?

[LennytheBlennie]

My smaller tank (40g) has been setup for about a year. I have done well with the corals that were in there and wanted SPS in my new 125g. I've really caught the bug! Decided to get a couple of frag packs to grow out in the small tank while the 125 matures. They've been in there for a couple of months now. They were looking good until out of nowhere, the color peeled off on one of them. It appeared to be dead, so I chunked it. Now I am noticing that the other frags aren't fully expanding all of their polyps.

It is really just my quarantine tank now that I moved all the coral and fish into the 125G. There is one Foxface Lo I just bought in there now until I can fatten him up, but no other fish.

Here are my water parameters-
Ph - 8.2
Nitrates - 0
Phosphates - 0
Kh - 140 mg/L (ppm)
Ca- 400ppm
Mg - 1215ppm
Temp- 80
Salinity - 1.025
i even tested for Ammonia and Nitrites just to be sure. None

Live rock and a small refugium with live rock rubble and a decent little skimmer. Reefbreeders LEDs.

There is a chalice and a Sinularia in there that look happy.

Could this issue be due to the 0 nitrates and phosphates? Kind of ironic, if so as I was struggling to get them down initially. I am having some cyano as of late and am wondering if they aren't consuming the nitrates?

I dose magnesium, two-part calcium, some Coral Vite and occasionally Brightwell phytoplankton.

Any advice would be appreciated. I am paranoid since I will be leaving town next week and my even more of a greenhorn than me boyfriend will be in charge.

 

[chi_reef]

When your nitrate and phosphate are 0, make sure your alk do not get above 8.5 dkh. Otherwise your Acros may start to suffer. I used to dose two parts manually and have experienced many time of this problem until I move to automatic dosing and dose every hour with small amount to keep alk as stable as i can. When i was dosing manually, i noticed during the day time my alk will rise and dip during the night. But when auto dosing my alk still rise and ip, but range is not so high. Good luck and hope this helps.

 

[reefmutt]

The growth of the cyano may be consuming all of the nutrients (it is extremely efficient at this) and starving the corals..
It's a difficult situation because adding nutrients will only make the cyano stronger..
You might consider dosing the tank with a cyano killer like chemiclean or red slime remover...
Or start with increasing flow and adding a couple small fish for added nutrients..

 

[milsaltnewbie07]

The growth of the cyano may be consuming all of the nutrients (it is extremely efficient at this) and starving the corals..
It's a difficult situation because adding nutrients will only make the cyano stronger..
You might consider dosing the tank with a cyano killer like chemiclean or red slime remover...
Or start with increasing flow and adding a couple small fish for added nutrients..

I agree with Matt. Cyano is a PITA . Specially since it consumes nutrients so fast. It will starve all corals. Just use chemiclean and you will be good to go. As far as adding nutrents, im a firm believer in adding more fish instead of feeding more or dosing nitrates.

 

[vinhle00]

i must disagree with the use of chemiclean especially during an on going rtn event in this little tank. Chemiclean is an antibiotics and can further complicate things as is. It is also a tool that if use wrong can crash a tank. Cyano is not what is killing your sps. This is a water quaility issue. Your mag is pretty low you can slowly increase it to help stabilize alk and cal. Futhermore, it is possiable to have a low nutrient system and still have cyano so if thats the case you wouldn't want alk to be higher than 8. Lastly make sure you do have cyano and not dinoflagellates.

 

[reefmutt]

i must disagree with the use of chemiclean especially during an on going rtn event in this little tank. Chemiclean is an antibiotics and can further complicate things as is. It is also a tool that if use wrong can crash a tank. Cyano is not what is killing your sps. This is a water quaility issue. Your mag is pretty low you can slowly increase it to help stabilize alk and cal. Futhermore, it is possiable to have a low nutrient system and still have cyano so if thats the case you wouldn't want alk to be higher than 8. Lastly make sure you do have cyano and not dinoflagellates.

Yep.. I won't disagree with this..
It's a tough situation..
The coral vite may also be helping the cyano..
Maybe stopping that, a few good waterchanges, better flow and a couple fish may be a better start.. Get things more stable and see where the cyano goes..
This is part of the reefing challenge- especially in the beginning..
There is more than one way to deal with just about every scenario..
And for every scenario, there is a reefer who has had success and failure with a particular course of action..

 

[itz frank]

I think it's more likely that your parameters are fluctuating than corals are striving.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[LennytheBlennie]

Thanks for the replies. I am thinking maybe I should just go ahead and relocate them to the big tank. Would be easier than moving fish. Looking at the algae in my tank again. I am thinking that it may not be cyano, but regardless no nutrients. I am hopeful the larger tank is established enough to house them. This hobbie can a difficult balancing act, for sure.

 

[LennytheBlennie]

I think you hit the nail on the head, itz frank.

The worst frag in the bunch isn't going to make it. Now two more corals are showing tissue recession at the base. More research is leading me to believe it is STN. I did dose some alkalinity recently since it was low. I followed recommendations and didn't go crazy or anything, but that is the only thing I can think of that would've caused it.

Going to try a Melafix dip and lowering the temp on the tank a little with a fan to see if that will help them. Otherwise, my first attempt at more difficult SPS is going south. Wah! Bad coral mommy. On the up side, a couple of the frags look real happy.

If anyone has any suggestions for treating STN, your advice is much appreciated. The recommendations above were from an article I found online. I understand chances aren't great, but would like to try to save them.