Stuck between a rock and an acro..

[lowfi]

Hi everyone,

So here is the deal...most of my SPS are brown and pale. I recently setup my 90 gallon tank with a 30 gallon sump which I am estimating the total volume to be around a hundred gallons or so. When I first setup my tank, it was really cloudy for a long time from the substrate that I decided to go with. In a moment of rage and impatience I decided to add some carbon (rox) to the tank to help clear up my water. The carbon worked but it really stripped my corals of the color they had. They are all pretty pale now.

Now here is the other part of the story, I have slightly high phosphates. My phosphate readings on a hanna checker is at 0.35ppm which has caused, I think, my corals to turn brown.

Now I want to lower my phosphates but am worried GFO will push my corals over the edge. I've heard of people having their corals color up after a long while but I just don't see it happening with mine. They seem rather stagnant. Little to no PE and pale brown coloration.

So do I combat the paleness and the browned out coloration individually or do I fight both at the same time?

So here are my options so far...
Feed more to help with paleness (but worried about more browning)
Use GFO to lower phosphate (worried about making corals more pale)
Vodka dose to lower both phosphate and nitrates (currently at 4 ppm)

It's a tough situation because I feel that both problems are fighting each other...what should I do?

Here are my parameters:
Ca - 450
Dkh-10
Mg -1450
Sanity - 1.025
Nitrate 4
Temp 77.0

Lighting is 4x54 t5ho LET lighting from reefgeek...on for 9 hours total.

Thanks for the help!!!

Sean

 

[lokii_37]

4x54w over a 90 isn't a lot of light. I wonder if the lower light with the cloudy water caused the color problem but it was only noticeable after the carbon cleared the water.

 

[Six2seven]

i agree with lokii and i think it is the lighting as well. my first tank had power compacts and they sucked but i was only running 260watts and could grow LPS but not SPS. you are running 216watts.

I now have 2x 250watt halides with great growth and color. very large difference.

I would work on the lighting before running carbon and GFO. good luck and i hope things work out.

 

[MammothReefer]

I would do both.. phosphates are high, nitrates are OK by some.. I say run gfo, but don't quit feeding (maybe feed something better, depending on what you are feeding now) and I would also consider stronger lights... or I wonder if the carbon cleaned up your water and then you started to bleach your corals.. can you posts pictures? before and after if possible.

 

[lowfi]

I know my lighting isn't the best at the moment but if it makes everyone feel better my SPS are at the deepest...12" from the surface, mainly in the center of the tank. I want to upgrade lighting but can't decide between t5 and led. I would love to have halides but don't want to run a chiller or pay an electricity bill that high. The opening of my tank also limits me to what I can run as far as lighting because it is not rimless, it is an oceanic tech m 90. The dimensions of the opening are 41.5x11.5...

 

[fishguy597]

How long has the tank been set up? I wouldn't just start doing a bunch of things to it. chances are it'll. make them worse. Are you using rodi water? if so I would do some water changes. I'm not a big fan of running gfo but have done it in the past, full doses tend to strip the water. do you have any algae issues?

 

[Puffdragon]

If you decide to stay with T5's add another two bulbs. I ran 6 bulbs over a 120 (4'X2'X2') with four of the bulbs overdriven and had great luck. Monti caps grew on the bottom. You will need to play with the color of the bulbs and I highly recommwnd good individual reflectors for each bulb. I am currently running 2 250w metal halides over a 92 corner. I do not run a chiller. Also do not have a hood. Did not want the nigtmare layout of T5's over a corner tank. During the summer tank never got over 84 and this in S. Indiana. Just had normal AC going at about 80 degrees.

 

[lowfi]

Tank has only been up for about a month. The corals were moved over from a previous setup (6x39w t5 over a 40br). I am using rodi.

I would love to add more like but the black frame around the top limits my options drastically, see the above post for the actual dimensions. I can't do halides because of the electricity bill and adding another light would be nearly I'm possible. led canons?

 

[phasezero]

I'm thinking it's more so the phosphates than the lighting. In my 55g I have been using a 2x54 aquatic life t5 with ATI Blue+ and ATI Aquablue special for the last 2 months and all my acros colored up nicely and are encrusting over their frags. The acros are slightly above the middle of the tank. Phosphates are undetectable and my nitrates are around 5.