SPS wont color up

[jimrawr]

I am having problems with SPS in my tank and I am not sure exactly why. I have a few pieces that I have had for awhile which have some decent color but nothing special, and then I have some amazing frags I got that all lost some color. I have had everything for at least a month now. A few frags are totally browned out. Here is my tank info.

• 92G corner tank with Aqueon Sump
• 400w Radium 20k Bulb on Icecap Ballast (Keep Halides on 5 hours, and then T5s on for 5 hours. Not on at the same time.
• Two Vortech Mp10s
• Ca: 390-430
• ALK: 8-9DKH
• MG: 1250-1400
• Sg: 1.025
• Temp 77-79
• SWC 180 Skimmer

I have a bubble magus dosing pump so my alk/ca/mg stay pretty stable but I put a range of where I have seen my parameters over a month. I do have a bit of an algae problem that I have been fighting so I keep both nitrate and po4 and non detectable.

Everyone says stability is key, and I think my parameters for the most part stay very stable, but my corals arent coloring up. What should I be looking at for a cause?

 

[stoneyj33]

Try a different po4 test kit. Once I bought an api and got 0.00 however algea was growing like po4 was present so I bought a HI low range colorometer and it was .23 ppm

 

[jimrawr]

I have the Hanna and I am changing GFO every few days to try and get rid of my algae problems, so I know my PO4 is usually .000.

 

[Doobze]

What kind of fish load do you have? And it sounds like you're going pretty aggressive with the gfo, try easing up on it a bit, let your phosphates hit .02-.03. It's possible you're starving your corals.

If you have algae while being that aggressive with gfo, you've probably got some nitrates in there. Trying increasing your water change amount or frequency to change more. You might also be feeding a pinch too much.

 

[mc-cro]

I agree about the gfo, probably stripping too much out of the water. what are you feeding?

 

[jimrawr]

Well I have an algae that is extremely hard to get rid of, and doesn't need much nutrients to survive. Right now the algae is happy just with the light it receives, which is why I try my best to keep nutrients low as not to feed it even more.

I have 8 fish

1 Yellow Tang
2 Chromis
1 Mandarin
1 Firefish
1 B&W Clown
1 Midas Blenny
1 Wrasse

I feed the tank 1/2 a cube of mysis every other day. My nitrates are not detectable. My Chaeto is also not growing I believe due to the ULN..

 

[batt600]

I would test your N03 with a different test kit your test kit might be off . Are you using RODI water and whats your tsd reading of the make up water . And if you sps are browning out thats could be bulb need to be changes ? high N03 or P04 . The GFO changing alot is bad but would effect your sps bye bleaching only and if thay were staving if would be the same bleaching . How old are your bulbs i see you have Radium and your overdiving them with a icecap HQI ballast your bulb should be changed every 5 to 6 mounths.

 

[jimrawr]

Bulbs are only about 4 months old right now. I do use 0tds rodi water. I will see if I can find someone to test my nitrates but I am pretty sure they are just zero.. I forgot to add that I vodka dose right now only 2ml

 

[jimrawr]

Also why do you say the bulbs are being over driven??

 

[Grant W]

The photoperiod in "My Opinion" is off. Check your bulb age and have the t-5's come on at least an hour before the halides and stay on an hour or so after. Yes, Overlapping each other. The algae does indicate there are some nitrates or phosphates present also so I would do a few water changes. BTW how long has the tank been running?

 

[batt600]

Also why do you say the bulbs are being over driven??

Ok when diving those bulb with a HQI ballast your overdriving the bulbs. And are you dosing 2ml or 0.2ml if its 2ml thats way to much .

 

[James983]

I don't think that 2 MP10's are enough flow for SPS. Unless, you have a large pump running a closed loop?

I don't think that will effect the color though. Being that your running 400 watt MHs, I don't think your problem is lighting either. I do agree you should increase your photo period however.

Which leaves either high Nitrates and/or Phosphates as a possiblity as already stated.

 

[batt600]

How forgot to right this .Ok, a radium 400w is really a 370w bulb...
If you run it on a HQI ballast it will burn white, and last around 6 months

 

[jimrawr]

The photoperiod in "My Opinion" is off. Check your bulb age and have the t-5's come on at least an hour before the halides and stay on an hour or so after. Yes, Overlapping each other. The algae does indicate there are some nitrates or phosphates present also so I would do a few water changes. BTW how long has the tank been running?

Ok I will try this. Right now I have the T5s on for one hour, then they shut off as soon as the MH turn on for 5 hours, and then the T5s turn on for another 5 hours at the end of that. So 6 hours T5 and 5 hours MH. Tank has been up for 14 months. I do weekly water changes of 10%. I dont know how I can have high NO3 or PO4 based on my fish and feeding schedule. Any ideas?

Ok when diving those bulb with a HQI ballast your overdriving the bulbs. And are you dosing 2ml or 0.2ml if its 2ml thats way to much .

Why is 2ml too much? The reefkeeping article instructs to dose 1.8ml after 3 weeks for a 100g system..

I don't think that 2 MP10's are enough flow for SPS. Unless, you have a large pump running a closed loop?

I don't think that will effect the color though. Being that your running 400 watt MHs, I don't think your problem is lighting either. I do agree you should increase your photo period however.

Which leaves either high Nitrates and/or Phosphates as a possiblity as already stated.

Well dont forget this is a corner tank so its only 4" wide. When they are on full blast everything looks like there is a tornado in the tank.. As far as the nitrates and po4 goes, I dont know where exactly I would be getting high NO3 and PO4 from with such low feedings and changing GFO so often.

 

[Grant W]

Maybe I wasn't clear run the t5's starting before the mh and leave them on the whole time the mh's are on and for an hour or so afterwards . With mh's the t5's act as supplemental lighting to add the 420-460 nanometer range of the light spectrum.

 

[jimrawr]

Oh I see. So then I should have the T5s on from say 11am-10pm and then halides from 1pm-6pm. Sound good or should I lengthen the halide time?

Also whats the difference if they are on together or separate? The corals would be receiving that light spectrum regardless if they are on together or alone, no? Do the light spectrums somehow interact which makes it important that they are on together?

 

[Grant W]

If you want the color you need full spectrum lighting as I was saying before. Try it you'll see what I'm talking about. On my 120 I built my own setup but my first 2 t-5's come on at 6am (geissman true actinics/purple) at 8am the second set come on (geissman actinic +/blue) followed by my 2 mh's at 10am. The halides go off at 4pm, the blue actinics off at 6pm and the purples off at 8pm. As a side note the moon lights come on at 7:30 pm and are off at 6:30 am and are on a lunar cycle lol.

 

[jimrawr]

Thanks I will definitely give it a try starting tomorrow. Anyone else have any ideas as to what I cant get good coloration?

 

[allsps40]

IMO you parameters are not very stable. Ca ranging from 390-430 and mag 1250-1400, these are fairly large swings. You want ca alk and mag rock stable. My ca and alk stay right at 10 and 450 with kalk ATO. Everything else looks good. How old is the tank and hoe long have the sps been in the tank?? What skimmer are you running? How much turn/flow do you have in your tank. I saw you have the Aquenon sump, did you tank out the bio balls?? Oh and on the lighting note you lighting is perfect for sps I would not change a thing. I only run 1 250W 20k and I keep 99% sps, growth is great and I am happy with the colors.

 

[jimrawr]

Well I put a range there, but with the dosing pump they stay pretty stable. To be more accurate I would say they dont really swing at all unless the when I test I see it has dropped due to new growth in the tank, in which case I dose by hand to raise the parameters and then raise my dosing pump to find the stability. On a day to day basis there really isnt much of a swing, but I am noticing every month or so I need to raise the dosing amount so thats why I put those ranges.

Skimmer is SWC 180, turn over is around 30gph when the mp10s are on full blast. I dont use bioballs I have a fuge instead.