STN: What are the symptoms

[Robert Patterso]

Ok, My tank has been up and running for about 15 mos. with lights on. It set without lights and just rock and skimming and water changes for a yr before that. Basically just cooking and because I was in the middle of a home remodel. Anyway, I started putting fish in about 15 months ago and corals about a yr. ago. Pretty much all sps. Everything seemed to be doing fine as far as encrusting. Water parameters stayed or are staying good.
Ca. 450
alk. 8-9
Mg. 1300 -1350
Po4 undetectable per Salifert
No3 0-5
So in a year or so there has been no upward growth. NONE! Now it is like a slow, slow, sloooow death. Stn"ing very slowly. I have not been able to detect and pest, at least that I can see with lights out using a flash light or visiual inspection.
I have tried everything I can think of. Carbon dosing, Mb7, gfo, heavy skimming. I even went as far as building a algae turf scrubber, which does seem to be improving things like not having to clean the glass near as much. Thing only other thing I can think of is that I use well water which is obviously filtered thru an ro/di filter. Filters were just changed about a month ago and tds is 0.
Only thing left is a gernade and running....:furious:
Any and all input is appreciated

 

[tmgrash]

Whats your lighting (schedule) and pH. What are the daily temp swings?

Kind of interesting that sps come easy to some and mysterious to others.

 

[Robert Patterso]

Whats your lighting (schedule) and pH. What are the daily temp swings?

Kind of interesting that sps come easy to some and mysterious to others.

Lights are on 9 hrs a day. 400w Radiums in lg. Lumenbrites. Haven't checked ph lately. Last checked it was 8.0 in the am. Temp run 78-82. I have no idea what's going on here. My last tank was a successful sps tank. Good growth, and pretty good colors. Power outage got it. Been in this hobby since about 1990 and have never had the issues I am having now. I use limewater for top off and go through about 14 gallons a week +/-. Had never used it before till this tank. I use BRS diy for Ca and alk.

 

[tmgrash]

Lights are on 9 hrs a day. 400w Radiums in lg. Lumenbrites. Haven't checked ph lately. Last checked it was 8.0 in the am. Temp run 78-82. I have no idea what's going on here. My last tank was a successful sps tank. Good growth, and pretty good colors. Power outage got it. Been in this hobby since about 1990 and have never had the issues I am having now. I use limewater for top off and go through about 14 gallons a week +/-. Had never used it before till this tank. I use BRS diy for Ca and alk.

Welp, sorry I cant help. Looks like you have been in this hobby longer than me. It apppears to me that you are doing everything right. Was there perhaps some sort of chemical contaminate in the air or near the tank? I hate it when I lose a coral indesplicably. I cant imagine the whole tank going.

 

[Robert Patterso]

It's not the whole tank yet. But close to half. May take some of the well water and have it tested to see if there are metals or some other contaminents that the ro/di unit isn't catching

 

[Lyfey]

What skimmer are you using? What flow do you have? Does your water ripple for gas exchange?

Are you using any GFO? What are you doing to control phosphate? Salifert Po4 tests and any other test besides hanna will conclude innacurate results. I had the same problem except ok colors but zero growth. I changed my salt back to instant ocean from TM pro reef and started running GFO heavily and my tank has bounced back beautifully! JME.

-Chris

 

[Robert Patterso]

What skimmer are you using? What flow do you have? Does your water ripple for gas exchange?

Are you using any GFO? What are you doing to control phosphate? Salifert Po4 tests and any other test besides hanna will conclude innacurate results. I had the same problem except ok colors but zero growth. I changed my salt back to instant ocean from TM pro reef and started running GFO heavily and my tank has bounced back beautifully! JME.

-Chris

I have been running gfo continuously from brs. I have been using Seachem reefsalt. No change. I do realize the hanna meter is the only way to get a true reading. I may just go back to vodka/mb7 dosing. I didn't have much luck with it before other than a cyno outbreak. I know I have to be missing something I just haven't figured it out yet. Probably right under my nose

 

[p-nut]

i got 1 the size of ur head.

 

[Robert Patterso]

i got 1 the size of ur head.

You got 1 what the size of my head??

 

[Robert Patterso]

What skimmer are you using? What flow do you have? Does your water ripple for gas exchange?

Are you using any GFO? What are you doing to control phosphate? Salifert Po4 tests and any other test besides hanna will conclude innacurate results. I had the same problem except ok colors but zero growth. I changed my salt back to instant ocean from TM pro reef and started running GFO heavily and my tank has bounced back beautifully! JME.

-Chris

I am using the xp2000 cone skimmer, the flow could be better I suppose. Closed loop w/dart pump, 2 korila 4s and 2 korila 3s and plenty of ripple.