need help identifying a problem fast.

[StarF]

My sps corals have had greath color and grown the last few month, suddenly they started to turn pale, growth slowed down. Polyp extention was always good though. I desided to change some water, so i made 2x 30% water volume change over the course of 4 days... change 30% of the water, wait 4 days and redo that. Ever since my corals have gotten way worse, almost no polyp extention, cyano everywhere, and some sps corals have started to rtn.

I have the following readings:
no3: 2,5-5
ca: 500
mg: 1400
po4: 0.00 (i am a bit unsure here, if i use my hanna 736 it says around 20ppb, but if i use my highrange test kit, is says between 0,0-0,02. I have before felt i couldent trust the hanna meter.

temp is stable

I need to idendify if this is a problem with po4 or if its to little nutrience. The test kit for po4 is from reefanalytics.com (gilbers)

should i add rowa or should i sit on my hands? i guess the water changes could had cause more stress, but then again?

http://imgur.com/a/XGn5m

 

[StarF]

Did a new test with the Hanna 736 it gave a result of 11ppb if that is true the po4 level should be OK for sps corals.

 

[dr.big]

bring a sample of your water to your LFS to know exactly where your po4 are. I would guess to little nutrients if your sps turned pale but they also can be browning.

 

[spieszak]

If the cyano is new, then I would think higher nutrients. I mean, I would use it as the clue as to what direction you were heading, and not worry about the test kit as much, in that it can be hard to get a true read when the algae is taking up the nutrients.
Since your timeline indicates it started after a water change, I'd check your new saltwater params, and also the TDS on your water source.
Anything else change besides the water changes? New lights/new storage containers/new batch of salt?

 

[rovster]

There's lots of cyano and algae. Could be a nutrient issue? Are you sure your RO is 0 TDS?

 

[StarF]

If the cyano is new, then I would think higher nutrients. I mean, I would use it as the clue as to what direction you were heading, and not worry about the test kit as much, in that it can be hard to get a true read when the algae is taking up the nutrients.
Since your timeline indicates it started after a water change, I'd check your new saltwater params, and also the TDS on your water source.
Anything else change besides the water changes? New lights/new storage containers/new batch of salt?

I have increased no3 from 0.0 to 2.5-5. As I was having issues with water being to clean. There has been no change to anything and the salt level has Ben triple checked Long with everything else. There are no where I can get po4 checked. Other then myself. I was thinking the cyan could be due to imbalance between po4 and no3.

 

[StarF]

There's lots of cyano and algae. Could be a nutrient issue? Are you sure your RO is 0 TDS?

There isn't a lot of algea most of it are cyano. With i believe are due to imbalance between no3 and po4. I just made another check with the Hanna and it reads 8 pbm

My water is TDS of 0 it has been checked. Lighting and flow are the same as always.

 

[StarF]

Oh only thing I forgot to add were I raided my CA from 350 to 750 due to a accident with a doser. That was why I did 2 big water changes.

I guess what I was asking is how do I tell if it's stress due to the CA spike or of its nutrients?

 

[fishguy597]

Might be nutrients but looks like red slime wich is bacterial.

 

[StarF]

i have comed to the conslusion that its a increase in po4 that came slowly, and the spike in ca combined with the water changes causes stress.

i have ben batteling leaking po4 for month now, when ever i get it down it just creeps back up again. I need a new test kit, since they dont make the rowa kit any more, does anyone know if nyos po4 testkit is any good and reliable?

 

[trueblackpercula]

this may help
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2361052

 

[spieszak]

red sea makes a refillable po4. i haven't used it and can't speak to its accuracy though.

 

[ssscuz]

What's your alkalinity level been if your ca went from 350 to 750 then back down?
Definately shocked the system doing big water changes to bring it back down. If say u just have to ride out the big wave and hope that some of it pulls thru. I wouldn't do anymore water changes for a while and try get it stable.
Increasing your n03 probably didn't help te situation.

 

[sahin]

Have you checked for pests? Such as AEFW's etc?

How old is your tank? -Unless you had some sort of major issue, an established (and mature) SPS tank shouldnt suddenly have this sort of Cyanno issue.

Also, high PO4 wont causes STN etc.

Nor would properly mixed Water changes at 30%. I was battling high PO4 for nearly a year...during this time I carried out upto 40% water changes each week with nearly 50 SPS frags in the tank. Didnt lose any. Sometimes I added a 30% water change midweek in addition.

A reading of 11 on the ULR 736 meter gives 0.03ppm of PO4 roughly, so that is ok for SPS...but I bet the organics must be high in your tank, as well as some of the PO4 being used up by the various algae and Cyanno.

I cant figure out why 30% water changes would cause STN etc.

Have a look at this YT video...this guy performs 95% water changes in a mixed reef tank:


I am not saying that large water changes are what you should do...but just trying to say that 30% water changes should not cause STN issues...unless there is something not right with the new saltwater.

Mostly, high nutrient levels would cause browning of corals. Algae issues etc.

You definitely do need to tackle the nutrient issue, but you also need to try and figure out what is causing the tissue loss. IMO its not 30% water changes or high PO4 causing the tissue loss.

 

[AdamSabina]

Cyano? What's your phosphate and when is the last time you change the GFO?