Need some SPS flow advice please!

[TwoLittleTangs]

Hello everyone, thanks to all the awesome people on this forum, I finally figured out my lighting issues with my SPS. However, I think I need to re evaluate my flow situation. Currently I use an MP40 and MP10 set on Reef Crest Mode. However, it always seems my corals are getting too much direct flow regardless of where I put them. Some are happy, others dont like it. So does anyone have some advice on powerhead placement, etc to get the right flow going for my SPS dominant system?? In the pictures below I have my powerhead locations circled in red as well as my return line from the sump. TIA

 

[TwoLittleTangs]

No rocks touch the glass leaving an open path for flow around everything

 

[Hentz]

Well it would really help if you were able to tell us how big your tank is and what the dimensions are. A full-tank-shot would be useful as well.

We need to also know what % intensity your MP40/MP10 is at.

You're using LED's, please tell us the intensities and height from the water line.

Also tell us your parameters:
- Temp:
- Salinity:
- Calcium:
- Alkalinity:
- Magnesium:
- Nitrates:
- Phosphates:

And if you have readings of those (especially Alkalinity that were taken recently) let us know the possible swings you have for each of those parameters listed above.

Please also tell us how long the system has been up and running.

SPS love love love flow and lots of it. Being that you're using Reef Crest, I can assure your SPS are not having issues with flow as Reef Crest contains a multitude of different flow-intensities. This could be issues with lighting and/or parameters that are not allowing your SPS to be happy. There also could be various other reasons. But letting us know your parameters, your swings in those parameters, and other information I have requested, it would better allow us to find out what could be happening in your tank.

**Disregard my request for pictures as I see you have posted them above.

 

[TwoLittleTangs]

Sorry, my parameters are as follows:

Temp- 78.8- 79.9 (Only really swings this much when the house gets hot)
Ammonia- oppm
Nitrite- 0ppm
Nitrate- 2- 5ppm
Mag- 1440ppm
Calcium- 460ppm
dkh 7.5 (this number is very consistent, rarely do any of my params swing)
Phos.- 0.00ppm
Ph- 8.0
Parameters are religiously ested every Sunday night

The tank dimensions are 6 foot long x 2 foot tall x 18 inch wide; 125gallons with a 30 gallon sump full of chaeto and sand, reverse lit to the display tank lighting.

LED's are EVERGROW IT5012 running from 8am to 6pm plus two hours of blues, I have slowly been ramping them up every week. Currently the blues max at 32% and whites max at 13% however as i said, every week I'm increasing the light. They hang 11 inches from the water line.

The tank has been running for a little over a year now, 10- 15 gallon water change every Sunday along with a cleaning of everything and blowing off the rocks with a powerhead. Dosing with AquaForest and vodka. I spot feed my LPS reef roids and mysis when i feel like it.

The MP40 is running at a power of 9/12 and the MP10 is running at a power of 11/12. Both set to reef crest mode.

My birdsnest looks good, along with any lps, my monti's look fairly good, its my acros that are giving the most difficulty

 

[jda]

It is probably the lights more than the flow. While I do think that there can be too much flow, I don't think that you are there. LEDs are known to struggle to grow some/most acros while doing a pretty good job of growing birdsnest, montis, stylos and poci - some acros won't grow at all under LEDs. It is a minority that have good success with most acros and LED and everything else has to be perfect whereas with other types of lights, you can be off a bit with parameters and stability.

Your last sentence sounds like a pretty typical LED lit SPS tank. If you can get your hands on a T5 or MH fixture to try out for a while, I think that you will probably see a difference.

 

[Reefnub]

You are nowhere close to having too much flow and possibly not enough.
Your led % seems very low still.
What exactly are wrong with your acros? Brown, turning white, or are they dying?

 

[TwoLittleTangs]

Well you see, back to my original question, if I crank up my vortech's anymore, I watch my corals getting thrashed and whipped around, I personally feel like I need more flow as well to keep all areas stirred up but I don't want to damage any corals in the process. And yes, I'm slowly bringing my lights up, I just don't want to hurt anything bringing them up too fast! haha. My acros turned brown at first but now they are turning white

 

[Reefnub]

Do you have any pictures of the bleach acro?
IME bleaching usually occurs when parameters are off or light intensity is way too high.
Your parameters look good, so i'm assuming you had your leds too high or a combination at one point.

This is what I call very good flow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i7SD6mtglQ&t=1s

 

[TwoLittleTangs]

Thats a good amount of flow, a lot more than what id think is a healthy amount, my SPS are getting a bit less than that. Now thats flow on an acro but would a birdsnest or monti be able to handle that same flow? As long as the acro's have been in my tank, the lights have never been cranked up too high, in fact, the highest they've been are wht they're at now and still slowly increasing. My other corals arent bleaching in any way from the lighting yet so id imagine the acro's shouldnt have either unless they can from lack of light. My parameters havent swung far from whats stated above in months.

 

[TwoLittleTangs]

Both my acro's went brown and colourless, i gave this one a dip in Coral RX today thinking anything would be worth a shot since it already seemed gone. All of the brown came off and it went white with just a few areas of some faint colour. Both acro's occasionally release their white tentacles which i assume is a response to food or its because its angry. I'm not sure. Behind the acro in the picture is a pink branching monti which is probably doing the best out of all my corals, tons of small growths starting, full polyp extension and very vivid colouring

 

[Reefnub]

Pictures aren't that clear.
By the way you describe it, I believe its 90% dead and not bleached.
Its actually RTN.

From your pic it actually looks like this, which is an example of RTN.

 

[zsuman101]

when was this reef set up

 

[TwoLittleTangs]

Yes that's what it looks like now, pretty much gone I believe. What would you think the cause is? Tank has been set up for little over a year

 

[TwoLittleTangs]

I just shon the light into my tank during pure darkness to see a ton of pods sitting on one of my acros. Is it coincidence or possible they're causing some damage?

 

[Ssteve]

If I was you I would raise your leds up some. Adam at battlecorals has had great luck with that light on acros and he runs them up really high and all channels at 100%.

I think anytime you have individual LED's you run the risk of having hot spots. If you raise the light up it helps blend the light.

 

[TwoLittleTangs]

Currently they're sitting at 11" off the water, how mch higher would you recommend? I'm slowly bringing them all up to 100%

 

[Ssteve]

Currently they're sitting at 11" off the water, how mch higher would you recommend? I'm slowly bringing them all up to 100%

I just asked him the same thing and he said at least 15" off the water. If you look at what WorldWide Corals and others that have large tanks lit by led's, they are hanging them really high.

I also wouldn't run them at 100%. When I get mine I plan to run something similar to the Coral lab schedule and wouldn't expect to get over about 70% without getting the light 20+ inches off the water.

 

[TwoLittleTangs]

Really? I never would have thought to raise them up that high. I didnt think you'd want them past a foot off the tank. Currently mine max out at 45%, ill keep ramping up to 70% and see how everyting is looking then