questions regarding SPS

[codydemmel4]

I noticed some different things going on with my SPS.

First the levels of my tank:
Alk 8.6
Calc 480
Phosphate is 0, no color on test kit
Salinity 1.026
Temp is 76-78

I hat ean algae issue but i installed a gfo reactor a couple weeks ago and it got rid of that within 1-2 weeks. i waited for around 2 more weeks before adding more corals.

So everything was going great and then i bought a couple more SPS and it seems like those havent been doing the greatest. I drip acclimated them in and started them low and slowly raised them up every week.

I have attached pictures of the corals. The purple birdsnest is the weirdest, one side of it looks perfect and has great pe when the other side is completely white. any thoughts?

I am also wondering what you guys think on the way the red dragon looks, maybe a little light in color? Any thoughts on getting the color up?

What about the teal birdnest, looks maybe like its missing some pulps in the middle of the left branch. hopefully not stn

also what about the monti, it is on the bottom of my tank was doing great and then all of a sudden starting going white from the middle out. If this is stn or if you guys think it is please let me know right away so i can throw it out before it affects my other SPS.

Some of my SPS are doing great and then there are these that i posted here. The only thought i have is either somehow I got STN, which i really hope not (also not sure if STN is the right term) or maybe the snails have been hitting them a lot and really made the corals mad. They were constantly knocking them over till i just glued them into place this morning, I should have done that awhile ago but forgot.

 

[reefbroao]

Nitrate?

 

[hkgar]

How old is the tank? For a reason I can not explain, tanks under a year old have a difficult time keeping SPS. The older the tank the better they do.

 

[codydemmel4]

Nitrate?

havent tested nitrate in awhile, I will test that when I get home tonight.

The tank itself in its new location is only around 5 months old but everything including the rock and equipment is a couple years old.

 

[Reel North]

I had mine lighten up on me when I used gfo. My chaeto looks like crap too lol. You stripped the water with gfo and basically the corals are starving.

Feed your fish a bunch, and don't do any water changes to build up some po4. Check nitrates, but I bet it's the phosphate. My fish are eating really well right now lol.

 

[codydemmel4]

I had mine lighten up on me when I used gfo. My chaeto looks like crap too lol. You stripped the water with gfo and basically the corals are starving.

Feed your fish a bunch, and don't do any water changes to build up some po4. Check nitrates, but I bet it's the phosphate. My fish are eating really well right now lol.

so you think I should turn off the gfo for maybe a day or two?

how often do I feed?

I just checked phosphates and nitrates, both are 0

 

[Reel North]

Turn off gfo. Feed more than before, but make sure they eat it. No need to pollute the tank.

I took my reactors - both carbon and gfo - off line, and been feeding more the last 2 days. Already seeing an improvement.

Coral needs phosphate and nitrates to live and grow. It's when the rocks are stuffed full of it you see problems.

Do you have a Refugium in your sump? If not, try to put on in there and use chaeto. Make a HUGE difference. I won't be putting gfo back on my tank.

 

[codydemmel4]

i do not have a sump on this tank as i do not have the room in my apartment or I would have a refugium with cheato, its what i had in my last tank.

I just turned off the GFO and I feel feed more. I had 1 cup of GFO in my reactor for my 55 gallon tank, is that too much GFO or how should I go about GFO?

I think I need to run at least some of the gfo in the future but right now it is pretty obvious I stripped the tank of all phosphates and nitrates and am starving the corals. I would greatly appreciate all advice.

On both how long I should have the gfo off for and when i do turn it back on, how much gfo should I have in the reactor?


Thanks!!

 

[Reel North]

Use the BRS calculator for gfo. I didn't have a cup in a 320 gallon system. Yowzas!

 

[codydemmel4]

for a 55 gallon system it says .86 of a cup. im assuming i shouldnt add that much though as its pretty clear its stripping my corals of the nutrients and making them die.

think they can recover from this? I know if I have stn I may be doomed

 

[Reel North]

They can. Mine are.

Trick is to start gfo at 10-20% of the dose. If you have crazy outbreaks of algae, it is nutrients. You need to export them via skimming and WC. Gfo, in my opinion, is a last resort to make up for husbandry issues.

Just feed your fish. They will feed the corals.

 

[codydemmel4]

Yeah I had crazy outbreak of algae and thats why I added a gfo, however now I have no spot of algae besides coraline algae that is starting to pop up all over.

 

[codydemmel4]

I would greatly appreciate all opinions on this topic, all and any suggestions.

I turned off the GFO, I am going to have a automatic feeder feed a little bit of flakes during the day and then I will feed the tank at night normally with mysis/brine shrimp.

Do you guys think I should completely shut down the GFO or should I only do like .1 cup instead of the 1 cup I am doing right now.

 

[JammyBirch]

The red dragon is not terrible, it's browned out a little bit. Here is how I manage my RD.

1. Low in the tank, my RD is ~12-15" from the water surface.
2. Low to moderate flow, it needs flow but will stall and fade if it's blasted
3. Keep nitrate detectable, ~5ppm and the big one for me ALK at 7-8dKh

That thing is a super grower, it's also the biggest wimp SPS ever. If its happy it will have white tips with the slightest blue tint to it and a nice reddish pink color. If it is happy you can frag it without worry.

I frag mine once a month, it gets annoying...lol but my favorite by far.

 

[codydemmel4]

The red dragon is not terrible, it's browned out a little bit. Here is how I manage my RD.

1. Low in the tank, my RD is ~12-15" from the water surface.
2. Low to moderate flow, it needs flow but will stall and fade if it's blasted
3. Keep nitrate detectable, ~5ppm and the big one for me ALK at 7-8dKh

That thing is a super grower, it's also the biggest wimp SPS ever. If its happy it will have white tips with the slightest blue tint to it and a nice reddish pink color. If it is happy you can frag it without worry.

I frag mine once a month, it gets annoying...lol but my favorite by far.

Thanks!! how about the question about the gfo and everything else. any opinions??

 

[JammyBirch]

Thanks!! how about the question about the gfo and everything else. any opinions??

I have run gfo with my tank since I've had coral in it but I'm also not afraid to feed the tank. I don't think gfo does much but I'm not sure I ever had a phosphate problem. Nitrate is an SPS killer in my experience, it's needed but not to much.

If I were you I'd cut the gfo flow in the reactor in half or run it during the day only, turn it off at night.

If you have you nitrate under control and can manage it with water changes think about coral food like reef roids. Can really kick your coral growth into high gear.

 

[codydemmel4]

I have run gfo with my tank since I've had coral in it but I'm also not afraid to feed the tank. I don't think gfo does much but I'm not sure I ever had a phosphate problem. Nitrate is an SPS killer in my experience, it's needed but not to much.

If I were you I'd cut the gfo flow in the reactor in half or run it during the day only, turn it off at night.

If you have you nitrate under control and can manage it with water changes think about coral food like reef roids. Can really kick your coral growth into high gear.

Ive never fed my corals before. I like the idea of running the gfo during the time my lights are on only. Is that a popular thing? I think by the way of the looks of everything it may be true that i stripped all the phosphates and nitrates, so maybe have the gfo off for like a week and then going forward only run it when i have the lights on.

 

[codydemmel4]

any other opinions on turning off gfo, lowering it to maybe .2 of a cup or just running when the lights are on would be greatly appreciated.


right now i have it off completely, i had it running 24/7 with a cup of gfo for my 55 gallon tank. had no signs of phosphates since i added the gfo

 

[DaveRaz]

any other opinions on turning off gfo, lowering it to maybe .2 of a cup or just running when the lights are on would be greatly appreciated.


right now i have it off completely, i had it running 24/7 with a cup of gfo for my 55 gallon tank. had no signs of phosphates since i added the gfo

My tank kept yoyoing po4 from .14 to .00 so I now run the reactor from 6am to 6pm and its Rock solid at .04. When it starts creeping up I change out the media with 1/2 the recommended amount. I test weekly. ATS seems to help me as well as its been pretty stable since adding it.

 

[nmotz]

The purple birdsnest looks as if it is not getting light on the bleached out side. I had that happen to some of my corals too when they weren't getting completely bathed in light. Try repositioning. For the others you might have parasites of some type. I have that same green birdsnest and it was getting picked at by a sexy shrimp at one point. It had bare patches on the branches where the polyps were eaten away. I removed the shrimp and the coral healed.