Sps STN-need lots of help

[JamesJR]

My tank has been off to a rough start and my sps don't look so hot.
I have kept a few sps in my old tank but never a tank that is dedicated to them before. I've just kind of been hitting my head against the wall trying to get them to grow and some are receeding at the base.
I set my tank up in october and things were going well until about 3 months ago and it just seems to be getting worse. Any comments, suggestions or recommendations will be appreciated.

PARAMETERS:

My alk has been stable at around 8.5-9.0 via salifert
My Calcium is stable at 420 ppm via salifert.
Magnesium has been on the high side at around 1400 ppm via elos and api.
pH 8.1
Nitrate, Ammonia, nitrite 0 by API.
I've never registered any phosphates on my Salifert kit (may get a Hanna meter later).
Temp is always at about 78-80.
my SG is 1.025-1.026 via refractometer.

EQUIPMENT:
I have a standard 20 gallon tank.
a remora skimmer
a HOB filter-I use BRS carbon and GFO.
2 Koralia 2's.
I have 6 39 watt t-5 bulbs over my tank-2 nova 10k bulbs, 2 ati actinic, 2 ati aquablue bulbs. The ati's are on for 10 hours a day and the 10k's are on for 6 hours a day.
I have a jbj auto top off and I use RO/DI water.


ROUTINE:
Water changes are done at least every 2 weeks using instant ocean.
Daily additions of randy's 2 part.
Feed daily flake, baby brine shrimp and oyster eggs.
Bi weekly change of carbon, monthly change GFO.
I add about 100 ml of kalk to my top off water each week.
Twice a week I feed my LPS diced shrimp.

NOTES:
My tank was immaculate until about late february. I didn't have any blooms of algae or cyano. I added a pair of clowns and started stocking my tank with frags and stuff and was getting good growth for a while. Then Out of nowhere this thick turf algae developed. I started using GFO. The corals got paler but the algae didn't improve. Then I started getting dinoflaggelates and cyano. I added the second Korallia and the dinos and cyano went away but the korals looked even worse. Corals are starting to lose tissue and the algae just keeps growing and getting worse. I just replaced the GFO the other day and the corals looked even worse so I just took it out as it seems that things have been going downhill since I started. Please help.

 

[schroder_reef]

I personally would start doing a 10% water change every week with sps. It replaces some trace elements you need. Everything else looks ok. I might try to change flow up in my tank to check for improvement. Just change flow on a few sps. You didn't mention if you have sand. If so, is the algae on your sand? Do you have a cleaning crew?

 

[JamesJR]

Change flow in your tank or in my tank? It seems as if the current in my tank is so strong that the polyps seem to want to retract and not open fully. I was almost thinking of reducing the current a bit. But then again I have hesitated to do this because I am not sure if it is something wrong with my water chemistry that is keeping them from opening up all the way.

I have a sand bed about an inch and a half thick. I have been a bare-bottum advocate in the past and so far I don't like sand in an sps. I think it is sea-floor special grade. It isn't sugar sized sand but is still pretty fine. I have tried a light vacuuming of it and it doesn't really look like it is collecting much detritus so I have been leaving it alone.

Yes I am starting to get algae in the sand and the algae is clumping up the sand.
I have a clean up crew. I have a serpent star, a fighting conch, 4 turbo snails, 3 astrea snails, 5 nerite snails, a few tiny hermit crabs and a tuxedo urchin. Funny thing is I have never seen any trace of this algae being eaten.

I also have a flameback angel. I have never seen him pick at any corals. I have a few acans, blastos and a baby maxima clam and he has never so much as nibbled them to my knowledge.

I am about at my whits end with this tank.

 

[Ralph ATL]

you need to stop feeding your tank so much food, and buy a phosphate kit that measures lower phosphate readings, i.e., DD Merck, Hach, or colormeter, asap. You also need to get a nitrate kit that does the same, i.e., Tropic Marin, Elos, etc.

What's your par on your lights?

 

[JamesJR]

No par meter yet.

 

[JamesJR]

Also, I run mechanical filters that I clean within about 30 minutes of each feeding. I guess I am going to cut the feedings down.

 

[schroder_reef]

Sorry, change flow in your tank. Sps tend to show if they like the flow in your tank. If you never see polyps, it might be too direct. Mystery said it, you don't need to feed so much everyday. Try to cut back feedings, or do more direct feedings. Feed brine and oyster eggs every couple days. You don't need to feed everyday, as you are feeding the algae. You might want to pick up a couple larger hermits, some tend to eat the algae. I'm not talking huge hermits, just a few bigger than your tiny ones.

 

[JamesJR]

I do see the polyps-it just isn't great polyp extension. Also there is some color fading as well. They tend to get pastel colored.

I have kept various montiporas and a few acros in my old tank and never experienced any of this- when trouble brewed they would tend to go brown. I guess this small scale of a tank I never realized how easy it was to over feed.

 

[JamesJR]

I started doing 2 x 5% water changes a week since my first post. The algae seems to have slowed down its growth. I have also heavily reduced my feedings. A friend was nice enough to let me test my readings on his Meter and my phosphates read 0.02 ppm as of yesterday. I put the GFO back in slowly over several days. No change in any of my other parameters.
The corals are still receeding tissue but it appears as if their coloration is improving. Several have gotten darker and several are starting to develop green coloration.

 

[schroder_reef]

James, I just noticed how much light you have over your tank. To confirm, you have 6-39w T5s over your 20 gal? How high off the water do you have them hung?

 

[JamesJR]

sorry they are standard 24 watt HO t-5. But yes I have 6 bulbs over my tank.

 

[schroder_reef]

Maybe try to raise your light some. That is a lot of light for a 20. I haven't had T-5s myself, but seems like a lot.

 

[JamesJR]

You think it would be too much light?

 

[schroder_reef]

I think it's possible. Hopefully someone else will chime in. If you have them really close to the water surface, it could cause worse problems. If you have them suspended, say 8-12 inches, it might be better, don't quote me though. My T-5 experience is zero, I am a metal halide guy. I have heard they put out a lot of power and can bleach coral pretty easy. Again, I don't have firsthand experience.

 

[JamesJR]

This is my first experience using t-5 as well. My old mixed reef had vho/ metal halide. I had a few acros and monti's in it and I never had problems.

 

[schroder_reef]

I would use 4 bulbs max on a 20. I think I would raise them a little off the water too. I had too much light over a tank one time, and had nothing but problems with algae, poor coral, etc. Best to find the balance in there. BTW, I had dinoflaggelates too with too much light, only time I have ever had it.

 

[vegita51]

I have a 4 bulb fixture hung about 8 in from my 18g, no skimmer but a cpr med refugium, and an aquaclear filter that runs 24/7. I change my water once a week a red sea salt and my sps are doing great, so far anyway and it has been about 9 months. Growth wasn't great for awhile but that was due to red bugs and they have been gone for two months and everything has taken off! Good luck, if you have the money I would invest in a mp10 instead of the koralias and downgrade your fixture to a 4 bulb.

 

[vegita51]

I have a 4 bulb fixture hung about 8 in from my 18g, no skimmer but a cpr med refugium, and an aquaclear filter that runs 24/7. I change my water once a week a red sea salt and my sps are doing great, so far anyway and it has been about 9 months. Growth wasn't great for awhile but that was due to red bugs and they have been gone for two months and everything has taken off! Good luck, if you have the money I would invest in a mp10 instead of the koralias and downgrade your fixture to a 4 bulb.

 

[JamesJR]

boy things just keep getting better. AC went out on the house thursday night and when the repair man came friday he tripped the circuit breaker killing the GFI on my tank.
Came home from work to a reef tank that had no power for 6 hours and had reached 90.
I went and bought a window unit for the room to cool things down until the main unit is repaired.