New To SPS Keeping & I Need Help

[kate6]

Hello. I 'm new to this forum and new to keeping SPS. I have been reef keeping for five years but have never tried to keep acrocs, montis & clams. I set up a system just for this purpose. I have been running it now for six months. About three months ago I introduced SPS's and clams into the system. I have had great success with the clams but i can't say the same for the SPS's. The SPS's I have are not dying, but all have turned a brown color. All fill water was being delivered through a kalk stirrer (the ph in this kalk stirrer was always kept at 12.5). I recently added a calcium reactor as I have heard that they are a standard when doing SPS. I have noticed an improvement in all of the SPS's and a considerable improvement in the xenia that I had also in the system. But becuase the ph spiked using both systems to 8.5 possibly to even 8.6, I had some serious problems with the clams. Especially the Gigas clams. I need help above all. So any hardcore SPS and clam keepers please help. Any advice at all at this time from A to Z would be helpful. Here is what the system breaks down as:

* 150 gallon system (96"l x 30"d x 12"h)
* auto top off with kalk stirrer /ro-di mix
* 1/3hp chiller
* 3-400 watt 10k mh & 2-400 watt 20k mh hung side by side
* lighitng is hung two feet above system (light duration is from 9am untill 7pm this may be on for too long)
* 400 gallon wet/dry sytem with filter fiber (no bio balls)
* have incorporated chida algae for denitificaton directly in system
* calcium reactor (mtc mini cal)
* 300mg ozone unit with controller
* downdraft skimmer with 40rlt iwaki pump
* 70rlt iwaki pump to run system
* good circulation (no fish)

water parameters:
salinity 1.025 - 1.026 (has gone as high as 1.027)
nitrate 0
nitrite 0
phosphate 0
dkh 8 (has been as low a 7)
calcium always between 400 - 450
ph (this is where it gets tricky, since adding the calcium reactor it has been varying from 8.25 to 8.6 it's never been too stable since adding that. Before that it was 8.2 - 8.3)
temp stable at 77-78 can go lower if nec.

I feel that I have done exactly what I said I would never do and that is jump to conclusions rather than giving the system time to catch up with itself. I like the use of kalkwasser. I 've used it for years and have had very good success. I've given this system six months and felt that the kalkwasser was great for the clams but terrible for the SPS and the xenias. After writing this and taking the time to think it through my dkh would never stabilize over 7 dkh using kalkwasser. That in itself would cause stress on the SPS's. Rather than stabilizing the dkh in the tank to around 10-12 I put the calcium reactor on hoping that this would solve my problem. The dkh is still between 7 and 8 and my ph has jumped to between 8.3 in the morning to 8.6 at night. I have since turned off the calcium reactor and have gone back to using the kalk stirrer, but I can't decide if I want to just run the calcium reactor by itself and try that or stay with the kalk stirrer and bring up the dkh to between 10 and 12. I don't understand why I am having such a problem with dkh. Maybe I wasn't dosing adequete amounts of the Super Buffer DKH. Please any advice on this is again helpful. Thanks

 

[gman0526]

How about eliminating the Kalk stirrer and just using the Ca reactor? This IMO is a little redundant, how stocked is the tank with corals and clams? What I mean is is there really that much demand for Ca?

 

[Eric Boerner]

I disagree. If you want to 'maintain' the right dKH and pH, you'll want to use both. Or else you'll find yourself using a dKH buffer alot when your pH drops from the reactor effluent, trying to maintain the calcium at a higher rate.

Your problem is in your swinging pH and really low dKH. You need to do two things.

Run the kalk reactor as your main top-off. This will introduce a high alkalinity to the system. Use a pH monitor to turn on the c02 on your reactor and have the effluent from that, be the main source of curbing your pH to a steady level.

Second. You need to kick start your dKH level. Get a buffer and raise it to 12. This may take several weeks. Do it slowly. After the system is buffered properly, your two reactors should handle the rest.

 

[kate6]

gman0526 I do have a good deal of clams and acros so the Ca needs are pretty high, yes. Eric, thanks for the helpful information. Do reccommend any ph monitors in particular?

 

[Eric Boerner]

Im a fan of neptune, but it doesn't really matter who you go with. As long as the probe calibrated every 6 months and is lab quality. That should read acurately. Make sure you're getting a 'controller' and not just a tester.

 

[jay24k]

I would personally get rid of the kalk if your ph is that across the board. Or get rid of the reactor. You could try balancing both out though by reducing the kalk so your high end doesn't get so high. I use just a calcium reactor and I have no issues at all.

I've always preferred a DKH around 8. I've seen issues with many who have elevated DKH for awhile. I would also not add any buffer. Another trick is to use a reverse lighting schedule on a sump and that will definetly help keep the ph up if you have a macro algae in there.

 

[kate6]

Eric, another question- on the calcium reactor (I'm not familiar with them because I haven't used them before) is it used to bring the ph up or down? I have it on the pinpoint controller and have it on the high switch. Is this done right as well? Sorry, but this is new territory for me!

 

[kate6]

If anyone else can help on the above question, please feel free as well. Thanks.

 

[Shawnts106]

Brown acros = bad skimmer/no skimmer IMO


get a good needlewheel/downdraft on that thing FAST

 

[jay24k]

A reactor isn't used to bring ph up or down although it generally can drop your ph. The main factors are how much you have coming out of the reactor and what you have the reactor's ph set at. I'm not sure what you mean by the high switch. You want your ph controller testing the effluent or if your reactor has a probe slot, then in there. The lower the ph, the more media it will dissolve. The more flow through the reactor into your tank, the more your tank gets dosed with the dissolved media.

What do you have the controller set at and how many mL do you have dripping from the reactor into your tank/sump?

How many corals do you have that are SPS or heavily require calcium?