Need some idea, reef doing so-so.

[Icefire]

Well I got a 110G with 8x 54W with reflector+1 Icecap 660, 50x+ flow, Vertex 250 skimmer, running Rowa/Carbon.

PO4 0.01 Elos, Nitrate 0 API, Alk 8-9dKh, Ph 8.2-8.0, Ca 400, Mag 1250.

I get a green film on glass every 1-2 days, got some algea (something like a very minute amount, less than 1/4" long) on some rock.

Now the problem.

All SOFTYS doing very well, Xenia, Leather, Mush, Zoa etc.
Bubble coral doing good, Anemone doing good.

Bought a 6"+ Cap. bleached after 5 days, I see some diatom on it but there is still skin/polyps.

Policiera, 1/2 top RTN'd, some cyano grew on the skeleton, but the 2nd half is healthy, polyps are out but no growth.

Candy Canes doing bad, 3 frag are STN (heads shrinking, skelletons exposed)

I bought a Dendros? LPS, like a suncoral but photosynthic, was doing good for the 1st week now heads are closed, starting to die.

I got only reef safe fish, all doing good even the mandarin. Tank is a 110G high.

Only thing I can see is not enought Carbon (running 200ml I thingks, lower portion of the Phosban reactor), I'll try to run the phosban full to the top of carbon.

I have lots of leather, I'll post a pic tonight.

 

[Icefire]

no one?

 

[Peter Eichler]

What KH test kit are you using and have you tested it against other brands for accuracy? The other thing that pops out and comes to mind is allelopathy. Leathers and anemones in particular can be bad in regards to chemical warfare.

 

[redfishsc]

This isnt' necessarily a chemistry issue.


While your tank lighting is not "extreme", these corals are acting a lot like light-shocked corals.


Move them all to a darker area and see what happens, ESPECIALLY the caulastrea/candy canes.

 

[Peter Eichler]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14289587#post14289587 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by redfishsc
This isnt' necessarily a chemistry issue.


While your tank lighting is not "extreme", these corals are acting a lot like light-shocked corals.


Move them all to a darker area and see what happens, ESPECIALLY the caulastrea/candy canes.

Whoops, forgot to bring this up and this could very well be the issue as well... Where did you place the corals in question?

 

[Icefire]

Alk test are Salifert and two API, all are accurate within 1dkh VS the salifert.

Well the Candy Cane were doing that with my old lighting which was 4x54w and 3x29w T5HO, only 3 bulb had reflector.

The Candy Cane are 20" from the lights, you thinks they really want low lights?

The Dendros was put lower this week, nothing changed.

My monti cap is recovering I think at least, while still a lot bleached, a peach coloring can be seen and I see at least half the polyps.

But the SPS is baffeling me...

 

[Peter Eichler]

Ok, let me ask this a little differently... Are you starting all corals on the bottom of your tank and then slowly moving them up over the course of at least a few weeks?

 

[Icefire]

No, I put them where I think is the same as the old lighting or less.

Like I bought a branching monty today, it was about 16" from MH lights and T5, I have put him 20" under mine.

Polyps are all out, doing really well, but I'm sure it will do so-so in 1 weeks, doing well for the next 2-3 days.

We will see. I added 2 cup of Carbon right now and just installed a 65W PC over my fuge which had some cheato but no lights.

 

[Peter Eichler]

You need to acclimate new arrivals to your lighting regardless of what lighting they were under where you got them. IME this is especially the case with T5 lighting.

 

[Icefire]

I'll try in the future, they are currently fixed with epoxy so..

I'm starting Lime dosing today and yesterday I have put more carbon. I was using baking soda before and Seachem advance Calcium once in a while, but I just finished my PLC controller for my reef so dosing will be done 6 time a day with an Aqualifter pump for 48.6 seconds each (0.3dKh a day)

 

[Sk8r]

You've got phosphate---major phosphate. Corals hate it. Green water thrives on it. So does algae. A phosphate reactor could help, I'm pretty sure. Never mind testing for it: most tests won't show it up when it's bound up in algae. But if you have green in your tank at all, you have some phosphate. If you have a lot, you have a lot of phosphate. Nasty stuff. Are you using ro/di? Tap is lousy with it.

 

[Icefire]

Sk8r, like I said I use Rowa as phosphate remover, both ELOS test show 0.01 or less. I Use RO/DI, TDS 0.

I said MINUTE amount of green algea, I have however some fuzzy red that look like cyano I guess.

So Phosphate are not a problem.

 

[Sk8r]

Well, kalk may help, over all. The fuzzy red may just be that, fuzzy red algae: I've had it on occasion. You DO know that softies spit chemicals that discourage stony corals. If the stonys are 'downwind' from them, they can get the discouragement before carbon can remove it. Upwind is better placement.