Parameters won't stabalize. Experienced aquarist but I'm stumped!!!

[cdefla]

Ok, this is my first time actually inquiring with others on a blog, as I've been reading this forum for years. I'm having 2 major issues without resolution, have been for some time and need some help to stablize my system!!! Before I go into my issue, I'm displaying my tank equipment so you can get a better idea.

EQUIPMENT:
38 gallon with 10 gallon refugium
Deep Blue Professional 36" Quad T5 High Output Lighting (2 white & 2 actinic - 36w each)
Sea Clone 150 Protein Skimmer (w/mod)
36" 456 blue LED stunner strip
Rio HyperFlow 12HF submersible pump (approx. 630 gph with 4ft. head)
Acrylic overflow box
50W submersible heater (adjustable)
Running filter socks (changed every 2 days)

LIVESTOCK:
Ocelaris Clownfish (medium)
Mocha Clownfish (misbar - small)
Coral Beauty (medium)
4 - Green Chromis (small)
2 - Three Stripe Damsels (small)
Six Line Wrasse (medium)
Yellow Watchman Goby (small)
Various snails, crabs, cleaners, etc.
Approx 30 lbs. Fiji live rock

CORALS:
4" Frogspawn (green tips)
2" Frogspawn (purple tips)
Purple Gorgonian Sea Fan (6")
Green Birdsnest (2")
3 Ricordia (multi-color, blue and orange)
2 colonies of green star polyps
Candy canes (one lime green, other opaque)
Cactus coral (small - 2")
Kenya tree (4" when fully opened)
Toadstool (very large - about 8" wide when fully open)
Various mushrooms
Various colony zoanthids

MACROALGAE (in refugium):
Caulerpa
Chaetomorpha

NOTABLE ZOANTHIDS/PALYS:

Purple Hornets (30+ polyps)
Orange Bam Bams (30+ polyps)
Candy Apple Red Palys (15+ polyps)
Rastas (15+ polyps)
Superman palys (20+ polyps)
Stunning Red Palys (10+ polyps)

ISSUE #1: pH. I cannot hold a stable pH if my life depended on it. Example, I will do a 25% water change, and pH will be at 8.2-8.3 thereafter. Within a day or two, it plummets down to approx. 7.5. I have gone through more buffer only for it to only temporarily raise it, and pH swings like this I know are not healthy. The only remedies running through my head now is installing a CO2 scrubber on my skimmer air intake line. But I've had my windows open for weeks and that doesn't seem to be the issue. I'm not getting very fast growth from my corals, which I'm sure this is the main reason why. How can I get my pH to stabalize!! Even if it slowly drops over a week period, I'm cool with that. Just not on a daily basis.


ISSUE #2: Nitrates, nitrates, nitrates. I'm sick of doing 25%+ water changes every 5 days just to keep it reasonable. I do a water change, approx. 5ppm. 3-4 days later, 40ppm+. A few months ago it actually reached full red status (API test kit). I really do not overfeed, a pinch of flake twice per day and either Prime Reef or Mysis for dinner. Phyto once every couple days, but not much at all. I believe I actually underfeed my fish as they consume everything in a matter of 20 seconds or less per feeding. I run Chaeto and Caulerpa in my fuge with good flow and good lights. I change my filter sock once every 2 days religiously. I have tons of flow (practically a hurricane) in my display tank, so flow isn't an issue. No dying fish or inverts. I am religious about changing all my prefilters going into the fuge as well. I get about 3 oz. of skimmate per day from the skimmer, so that's doing it's job for the size of tank I have. I have about 10 mangroves as well. WHAT AM I MISSING?? I'm truly surprised I haven't lost my corals. I consider myself an experienced aquarist that knows what I'm doing, but this one truly has me baffled. :uhoh3:

I'm attaching photos of my setup so all can get a better idea. Any thoughts, observations or advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[jason12345]

My first piece of advice would be to check the exp. date of the test kits.

 

[jerpa]

I think 11 fish in a 38 gallon is a rather large bioload. I would expect to have nitrate issues. The test kits are notoriously inaccurate as well though. If the corals are fine I would not worry. If not you will need to continue the water changes, decrease the bioload, or look into some form of organic carbon dosing.

PH buffers are useless and will only lead to more problems. I would doubt the 7.5 reading as the calcium carbonate in the system would begin dissolving. If your alkalinity levels are in the 7-11 dKh range I wouldn't worry about PH too much. How are you testing PH?

 

[Dr. Reef]

i agree with a large bio load nitrates will be an issue unless u keep doing water changes or get equipment to fight it off. sulfur denitrator, biopellets, coil denitrator etc.

ph buffers are nothing but alkalinity buffers they dont help on ph any. i would double check the kit. also place or re direct ur powerheads so there are ripples on surface of water and air water exchange happens. along with co2 scrubber u can also get an air pump and push air into skimmer.

 

[cdefla]

thanks for the reply!!! Good call jason12345, never thought of that. My API pH test kit was manufactured July 2011, and my nitrate #1 and #2 bottles were manufactured in May 2011. API states that these test should last 3-4 years. Maybe I should replace them?

jerpa, I have been contemplating the fact that I may have too large a bioload. I was confident that by using denitrification methods (macroalgae, mangroves, etc.) that I would be able to combat it. Maybe I just need to remove the chromis and damsels (6 total), perhaps that would make a difference?

bnumair, you make some very interesting points about making ripples on the surface of the water. Perhaps I'm not achieving a good enough water/air exchange?? I have a wood canopy, in which my lighting sits on top of. There's virtually no air circulating on top of the water as I don't have a fan. Didn't figure I needed one since I'm running T5's and not metal halides (no water temp issues). Same with the fuge, not much air circulation at all. Do you think running a fan along the surface of the water could make a considerable difference???

 

[reef4life07]

If you are having ph swings, why not run your lighting for your fuge, after the display lights turn off. Then vise versa in the morning, that should help stabalize it.

 

[cdefla]

I started alternating the lighting about a year ago, unfortunately it hasn't fixed my issue! Perhaps it has minimized the swing day to day, but the problem I'm having is that when I do a water change with buffered salt, I'm at 8.2-8.3. Within days, I'm in the 7.5 and can't get it up without adding buffer which raises it back up, then it crashes, and the sad sad song continues!!

 

[Dmoody]

Skimmers help with the export of nitrates...can't help but notice you run a seaclone.

 

[cdefla]

dmoody, I get about 2-3 oz. of thick cruddy skimmate per day (depends on the days I feed phyto) based on my tanks size that is pretty good. I modded my Sea Clone with a stronger maxijet pump, force induction air pump, getting great turbulence. I can't imagine getting greater production!

 

[bertoni]

I would limit the tank to about 4 royal-gramma-sized fish or so. I agree that the bioload is high.

The low pH might be due to poor aeration or it could be a testing error. If the animals are doing well enough, I'd ignore it.

 

[Dmoody]

You dont have to justify it to me I just wanted to try to throw that out there and let it be known that this may be a way to help the nitrates, but then again that really doesnt get at the root of the problem. This is more of a reactive response.

 

[Bilk]

Did you remove the sand bed recently? It appears that way from the line of coralline algae at the base of the rocks. That may have been helping to buffer the system. Now the tank needs to adjust. Just a guess.

 

[cdefla]

No I haven't, I adjusted my flow in the tank so some of the sand has relocated to other parts of the tank.

 

[triggreef]

IMO stop testing ph it is worthless. Assuming you use an auto top off (and if not what are you doing? Get one!), dose an alk buffer through the top off to maintain dkh of 8 ish. It sounds to me like a normal use of alk in your system for what you have. If it stayed the same then you should be worried lol.

For the nitrates this should help and IMO it is magic. http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/

 

[WillM]

I'd use kalk in your ATO. Keep your calcium and alk balanced and you should stop seeing such a swing. I use a little vinegar in my kalk to carbon dose, but if you are going to do any carbon dosing you might want to upgrade your test kits (phosphate and nitrate). API is not really top shelf as far as accuracy. You will need to be able to get accurate results if you do start carbon dosing.

 

[cdefla]

thank you everyone for your feedback and advice. I plan on 1) installing fans above my display tank and fuge, 2) getting new test kits, 3) getting rid of my 4 chromis and 2 striped damsels (back to the LFS of course), and look into carbon dosing with either vinegar or vodka, any feedback on which one is better and has less risk of side effects?

 

[bertoni]

Vodka and vinegar seem unpredictable. I'd probably start with vinegar, but we don't have good statistics on which one is less likely to cause problems. Some people have run both with no problems.

 

[Crusinjimbo]

I suggest you ratchet up the skimmer. I doubt the effectivity of that skimmer in that bio load.

 

[bertoni]

That's a good suggestion, too.

 

[coralsnaked]

Yes crank up the skimmer full air and water, and since you say you can skim efficiently utilize the Red Sea NO3 PO4 X as your sugar supply. This will bring those Trates and Phates down if they are present as well. But w/ the amount of Nitrates present you may be able to bring PO4 down to near zero. Don't end up starving that tank. Buy the way the only sensitive coral you have in the tank is that branching SPS (Birdsnest). The other softies and LPS are fairly tolerant of trates. I would re-evaluate the number of fish and decide to reduce by 50% as this is the long run solution.

In addition be sure you have lots of tension on the water surface.