Need opinions please...tank turning into an SPS graveyard

[JWags911SC]

Apologies for the crappy iPhone pics, I don't know the best way to take clear shots with a cell phone. Digital SLR is on my Christmas list, a Nikon or Canon with a macro lense maybe?

 

[fishguy597]

I have read that flake food, fuel , and iodine can contribute to gha problems. I would go easy with that. Maybe feed more mysis but just enough for the fish to consume. Are you using rodi for top offs and wc's? What is your tds reading at ?

 

[JWags911SC]

I have read that flake food, fuel , and iodine can contribute to gha problems. I would go easy with that. Maybe feed more mysis but just enough for the fish to consume. Are you using rodi for top offs and wc's? What is your tds reading at ?

Noted, thanks, I'll keep that in mind. I have been lightly feeding for about six weeks now and drain off the top layer of substrate when GHA appears and starts to take over an area. I use nothing but RODI water from my own system, with a TDS of 0 ppm.

I'm just going to throw this out there and it's probably not the issue, but my tank bottom has nothing between it and the refugium led grow light in my sump area below. Is there a chance that the grow light is stimulating the GHA growth in the substrate above? I keep my led grow light on for 10 hours at night, opposite the daily tank lighting cycle. My substrate is about 1 1/2 inches deep Tropic Eden Tonga Flakes. I have a standard light diffusing grid separating the bottom glass from my rock work, to cut down on the possibility of pressure points between the rock and glass. I had not considered this, but could the grow light stimulate GHA or the plastic light diffusing panel leach phosphates leading to my GHA issues?

 

[JWags911SC]

Uh oh, heater went out sometime last night and woke up this morning to find my tank was 73.5 degrees I swapped out the heater with another one that I had running in the basement but I hope it's not too late for the coral to pull out

 

[JWags911SC]

Tank is back up to 78.5 degrees and my algae issue is just about tackled. I am going to do a 30% water change, add some carbon and GFO and keep a close eye on things.

Going to calbrate refractometer using 35 ppt solution, test for accuracy of salinity (I keep at between 1.025 and 1.026) and check TDS of my RODI water as well tonight.

 

[Jim Z.]

Sounds like you are making some progress. I just experienced the green hair algae nightmare and the tank is recovering nicely. How are your phosphates running now that the hair algae has been eliminated?....................................Jim

 

[JWags911SC]

Sounds like you are making some progress. I just experienced the green hair algae nightmare and the tank is recovering nicely. How are your phosphates running now that the hair algae has been eliminated?....................................Jim

Measured Phosphates at 0 last night with Hanna Checker.

Everything seems to be doing better now that the GHA has almost all died off. The only noticeable negative effect I had from using the API Algae Fix Marine was that my Duncan and my new RBTA shriveled up one or two days, the exact days I dosed the product. Now that it seems to have done its job knocking back the majority of GHA, I will cut back to my regular routine of weekly water changes, miserly feedings and see if the algae comes back. If it starts to resurface, I will probably use the maintenance dose recommended only. I want to keep this as natural a system as possible and see if the bumped up lighting schedule helps with the SPS issue I was having that made me start this thread to begin with.

 

[Greg11]

this might be stupid suggestion but call your twp and ask them did they switch from chloramine to chlorine adding to your water

 

[Piper27]

Always use 35ppt calibration solution and calibrate it using the same exact light to read through every time.