Sps doctors! Diagnose my tank, before I throw in the towel!

[Koralcrazy]

To be short, I have issues - pale sps colors, or light tan/brown, and very little growth. To be clear my light tan/brown coloration is not the typical dark brown nutrient dense, lack of light sign. Not sure how to solve my issues. I've been in the hobby for some time and have had several tanks, which is part of the problem. In other words, I know what am I missing in terms is growth and color!

I would like to provide facts about my system, and then let you docs diagnose my tank and provide a plan of treatment.

Facts:
1. Many sps are lacking rich color, they have good genes because they looked great before putting into tank.
2. I have brown algae issues, yes with pale corals...
3. I have Proven equipment: giesemann spectra, radiums, votechs, esv dosing, ato, reactor, etc, list goes on
4. I am currently not running gfo, but skimmer 24x7
5. I have tried raising lights significantly to reduce par to range of 150-250, paleness was replaced with brown paleness, if that makes sense, AND growth slowed dramatically
6. Lights are currently back down lower, par throughout tank is 250 (bottom) to 400 (top), growth does improve, tips get some color, but is pale, general paleness increases.
7. Water changes, 10% weekly, instant ocean
8. 65 gallon tank, 4 fish, clown, couple gobies, and chromis
9. Tank is 1.5 years old, problem has always existed
10. Back wall is covered is brown algae and rocks are brown and dusted with algae, take maxi jet to rocks weekly
11. Tank is barebottom, with 2 mp 40s, maxed out


I'll add more if I think of any...help me, I have coral color and growth of ulns tank, but algae in the tank like I dump a cup of oyster feast in 3 times a day...

 

[Koralcrazy]

Alk 9
Calcium 400
Mag 1310

Temp 78
Salinity, 1.025

 

[Koralcrazy]

My tds meter reads my rodi as having 0 ppm

 

[AdamDeMamp]

2 mp40s at 100% seems like way too much flow. What are your phosphate and nitrate levels? I would confirm your readings with a local reefer.

 

[Koralcrazy]

I should clarify vortechs are on 100% reef crest, I don't find the flow too be too much for 2 reasons...

1. I still have dead spots where detritus gathers
2. Poly extension is decent and coral tissue is not peeling

Now, if I get multiple responses saying cut down the flow, I will try it out, just not sure that is my issue.

Phosphate on the green egg is 0.00 and nitrate is undetectable, this also was confirmed with lfs, but i will get a third opinion this week!

Thanks for your input!

 

[meshwheel]

Check your TDS with a different meter. If both nitrate and phosphate are really undetectable, I would start feeding the tank until you see numbers rise. As they do, watch corals closely for changes. i would shoot for 3-350 1/3 down in tank. No more, and leave them. Watch and observe! Can you post some pics?

 

[9thwonder]

+1 on knowing nitrates and phosphates

 

[trueblackpercula]

ok
do you have a remote sand bed?
how long are the lights on?
do you feed your sps?
what is your salinity at?
what is yo temp?
are you dosing two part ?
what foods are you feeding your fish flake or pellets
how many sps do you have or is it a mixed reef?
whens the last time you changed your bulbs?
what spectrum bulbs?
can you provide a picture of your tank? <<<< this is most important

 

[Koralcrazy]

ok
do you have a remote sand bed? no
how long are the lights on? t5s 8 hours, mh 5 hours
do you feed your sps? oysterfeast once a week, try not too as i have ugly algae
what is your salinity at? 1.025
what is yo temp? 78.2, but swings from 77-78.5
are you dosing two part ? yes, b-ionic, 60 ml each per day
what foods are you feeding your fish flake or pellets? nls pellets only
how many sps do you have or is it a mixed reef? all sps, larger colonies, mini colonies, probably 25 or so
whens the last time you changed your bulbs? a couple months or so ago, new radiums and ati t5s
what spectrum bulbs? 20k 250 watt radiums, 2 blue plus, 2 true actinics
can you provide a picture of your tank? <<<< this is most important i will work on getting some!

 

[Koralcrazy]

had nitrate and phosphate double checked....nitrates are reading <5 and phosphate on hanna read 0.00.....

 

[Allmost]

To be clear my light tan/brown coloration is not the typical dark brown nutrient dense, lack of light sign. Not sure how to solve my issues. I've been in the hobby for some time and have had several tanks, which is part of the problem. In other words, I know what am I missing in terms is growth and color!

how can we help if you know what is going on and what is missing and not willing to fix it ?

you say the rocks, and glass are covered with algae, yet no high nutrients Issues ?

seems like you know the problem, and how to solve it

 

[mc-cro]

edit: I see you are feeding oyster feast. guess thats not it.

what are you feeding the corals? If all that your feeding your fish is pellets, I would guess your sps are starving. (yes even with brown algae)

try feeding the sps. you can use aminos, zeovit, or whatever. I prefer to feed stuff like dried phyto, reefchili, oyster eggs.

whatever the method, I always notice my SPS perk up measurably after a few good doses

 

[Allmost]

what are you feeding the corals? If all that your feeding your fish is pellets, I would guess your sps are starving. (yes even with brown algae)

try feeding the sps. you can use aminos, zeovit, or whatever. I prefer to feed stuff like dried phyto, reefchili, oyster eggs.

whatever the method, I always notice my SPS perk up measurably after a few good doses

I strongly and respectfully disagree. I know Zeovit very well, and the additives would do nothing but to feed the algae in such case. Specially amino acids [ ammonia = nitrate]

also, feeding your fish pellets, mysis, salmon, or ... doesnt matter. its the fish poop that corals use as food, fish process what they eat and poop.

 

[GHill762]

how can we help if you know what is going on and what is missing and not willing to fix it ?

you say the rocks, and glass are covered with algae, yet no high nutrients Issues ?

seems like you know the problem, and how to solve it

I think you misunderstood.. I think he means he knows what it should look like, and knows what kind of growth he should be seeing.. he know's there is something wrong.. he didn't say he knows what the problem is or how to fix it..

 

[Allmost]

I think you misunderstood.. I think he means he knows what it should look like, and knows what kind of growth he should be seeing.. he know's there is something wrong.. he didn't say he knows what the problem is or how to fix it..

perhaps.

reading the thread though, Id advice for the obvious ... clean your tank via water changes. clean the detritus in dead spots, siphon out the algae, and so on.

in the last 1.5 years, your rocks have absorbed too much po4 ... they have to be released and removed over time, this will take some time, during which you need to continue doing water changes, and removing algae manually. only way to remove it is through dilution.

dont use po4 remover GFO aggressively, it wont take po4 out of rocks, it would just stress SPS. insted stick to recommended amount and do more water changes.

once the browning on corals have gone way, you can start feeding them again. ramping up the amount slowly.

 

[mc-cro]

I strongly and respectfully disagree. I know Zeovit very well, and the additives would do nothing but to feed the algae in such case. Specially amino acids [ ammonia = nitrate]

also, feeding your fish pellets, mysis, salmon, or ... doesnt matter. its the fish poop that corals use as food, fish process what they eat and poop.

You may be correct on the zeovit, I dont know anything about it, never used it or aminos, my point was that the corals need to eat...something.

I always thought sps ate fish poo too, but it just hasnt been my experience. no matter how much I fed my fish, or got more fish, my sps starved in BB. Plus, wasnt there a guy experimenting showing that the sps polyps spit the poo pellets out, but would take in actual food particles? I admit, I didnt follow the complete thread, so the outcome could have changed.

 

[franklypre]

go to the store and buy some fresh shrimp, oysters, clams, muscles. About 6-10 of each, the big shrimp BTW. Take it all out of the shells, grind it to a mush, put a few tablespoons of sugar in and bag it up. This is a food that will make your coral color up, pinch a little bit every other night or three and puree it up again. I add mine 30 min after lights out, you can add you AAs a little before lights out to create a feeding response if you'd like. repeat for 30 days and update us. Don't stop just because you grow a little algae just add some snails or a algae eating fish. Best of luck

 

[sahin]

go to the store and buy some fresh shrimp, oysters, clams, muscles. About 6-10 of each, the big shrimp BTW. Take it all out of the shells, grind it to a mush, put a few tablespoons of sugar in and bag it up. This is a food that will make your coral color up, pinch a little bit every other night or three and puree it up again. I add mine 30 min after lights out, you can add you AAs a little before lights out to create a feeding response if you'd like. repeat for 30 days and update us. Don't stop just because you grow a little algae just add some snails or a algae eating fish. Best of luck

This is exactly what I would do. Your corals are starving. Yes there is brown algae, but the algae is feeding, your corals are not.

Seriously follow the advice above. Take PO4 readings every 3 days if you can. As soon as you start to notice PO4 is reaching 0.03ppm, then start to run GFO very lightly, to keep PO4 under 0.03ppm.

During the time you want to increase water changes to around 20% a week if you can.

Basically if you do above, you are doing this: High Import + High Export.

Get back in a months time and let us know if there is any changes.

 

[sahin]

The only thing i for got to add: I would be a little wary with adding too much sugar in Frankys recipe. This will surely act as an organic carbon source and can drive nutrients pretty low. I'm not saying his recipe is bad, it's not, it's quite good, but just be wary is all.

 

[franklypre]

I can't take credit for this recipe, it's called pappone and it's an old Italian DIY food, often used with the Blue Coral Method.