Tank doesn't look stable, lost 2 corals. Why? Please help.

[Ryushei]

My parameters:

pH 8.2
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Cal 470
kH 12.6
Mg 1480
Phosphates 0.08

I have seachem phosguard for about a week now.
I have my own specture pure RODI system that I get my water from. My IN TDS is 5, and my out is 0. All I have inside my media basket is one with only filter floss and the other has filter floss and one bag of seachem phosguard.
I have one clown fish since he was very little, grown big and only feed light once a day. For the coral, I feed reef roids once a week.
I use red sea reef salt.
Might do a water change asap or should I leave the tank to get a bit dirty for a while?
My tank is really cloudy. I think its bacteria bloom but I can show pics.
I am just scared about adding more corals if my tank isn't stable. Please help. any advice would help.
Any advice would really help because I really want this to be successful and add more coral later.
Tank has been up since Jan 2017.

Tank is currently more cloudy than the pictures.



My kessil Timer/color

 

[2Wheelsonly]

That's a pretty insane PH swing! You said your tank is more cloudy than the photos? Do you dose kalk or is it in your ATO maybe overdosing to create the cloudy water? I see your alk is crazy high (not coral damaging high). I'd be terrified to run my alk that high as it leaves very little room for error. Are you using red sea pro or the blue bucket?

Also, your temp swing is bad too. Where is your heater? When I started reefing I would keep my heater in my return area before I got my ATO setup. I topped off the tank with RODI manually but I didn't realize as the level dropped my heater had a safety auto shut off that turned off if not fully submerged. Your temps should be extremely stable with that controller and only 1 LED light. My temps in my 300G are 24/7 78.1 only changing between 78.0 and 78.1.

Also, I may get drilled for saying this but you shouldn't have to feed that coral. Focus on feeding the fish, maybe add another 1 or 2. For that size I recommend a Royal Gramma, yellow wrasse or a pair of chromis. At the very least i'd give that clown a friend...

 

[kashman100]

What kind of flow do you have. You want to have plenty of changing random flow.

 

[Ryushei]

What kind of flow do you have. You want to have plenty of changing random flow.

My jabao is controlled by apex using random wave motions and pushing throughout the day and slow flow at night.

 

[Ryushei]

That's a pretty insane PH swing! You said your tank is more cloudy than the photos? Do you dose kalk or is it in your ATO maybe overdosing to create the cloudy water? I see your alk is crazy high (not coral damaging high). I'd be terrified to run my alk that high as it leaves very little room for error. Are you using red sea pro or reef crystals?

Also, your temp swing is bad too. Where is your heater? When I started reefing I would keep my heater in my return area before I got my ATO setup. I topped off the tank with RODI manually but I didn't realize as the level dropped my heater had a safety auto shut off that turned off if not fully submerged. Your temps should be extremely stable with that controller and only 1 LED light. My temps in my 300G are 24/7 78.1 only changing between 78.0 and 78.1.

I do not dose, my heater is in the return chamber near the pump and its fully submerged. Its a fluval heater from previous tanks. ATO is only rodi water in a 5 gallon container. and I use red sea pro but might switch back to reef crystals.
Also I did have another fish, clown to be exact, but it died. It stop eating and everything. this one made it through and only swims in place back and forth. Idk if its just because thats how he is or something is wrong.

 

[Ryushei]

And I will add more coral and fish once my tank is stable and everything is fine because ATM it doesnt look like it.

 

[2Wheelsonly]

I do not dose, my heater is in the return chamber near the pump and its fully submerged. Its a fluval heater from previous tanks. ATO is only rodi water in a 5 gallon container. and I use red sea pro but might switch back to reef crystals.
Also I did have another fish, clown to be exact, but it died. It stop eating and everything. this one made it through and only swims in place back and forth. Idk if its just because thats how he is or something is wrong.

I'd stop the reef roids. Do a large water change, see if that helps the cloudiness. Don't add anything for two weeks to see if it is truly a bacteria bloom, if it is will clear up. If it were me i'd get rid of the filter floss, invest in a skimmer and switch to GFO over phosguard. Phosguard works fast but from what I have experienced gets used up quickly and some say it leaches back into system (I have not experienced this). I use phosguard on my freshly mixed saltwater to remove silicates since your common RODI systems do a poor job at removing it without expensive silica membranes.

Something is wrong with your heater, i'd figure out why your temp changes like that. Use that Apex!

 

[Ryushei]

I'd stop the reef roids. Do a large water change, see if that helps the cloudiness. Don't add anything for two weeks to see if it is truly a bacteria bloom, if it is will clear up. If it were me i'd get rid of the filter floss, invest in a skimmer and switch to GFO over phosguard. Phosguard works fast but from what I have experienced gets used up quickly and some say it leaches back into system (I have not experienced this). I use phosguard on my freshly mixed saltwater to remove silicates since your common RODI systems do a poor job at removing it without expensive silica membranes.

Something is wrong with your heater, i'd figure out why your temp changes like that. Use that Apex!

I actually have a skimmer, eshopps nano, and its been pulling really hard gunk out, dark tea skim. Why take out filter floss? what about filtration of waste etc? and by dont add anything meaning everything except food? Once my paycheck comes in, ill probbly go and get a media reactor from brs and add gfo in it. but what about a hob refugium?
I thought my specture pure rodi systems was really good at taking all the stuff out of the water?

 

[Ryushei]

This is what my temp in apex looks like.

 

[Themako1]

You should make the difference a half degree

 

[2Wheelsonly]

You should make the difference a half degree

+1

On 77.5
Off 78.0

 

[Ryushei]

+1

On 77.5
Off 78.0

but isnt tht bad to make the heater turn on and off all the time? im scared of it breaking.

 

[2Wheelsonly]

I actually have a skimmer, eshopps nano, and its been pulling really hard gunk out, dark tea skim. Why take out filter floss? what about filtration of waste etc? and by dont add anything meaning everything except food? Once my paycheck comes in, ill probbly go and get a media reactor from brs and add gfo in it. but what about a hob refugium?
I thought my specture pure rodi systems was really good at taking all the stuff out of the water?

Your specture pure is probably working perfectly. I mentioned that I personally only run phosguard on my mixing barrel only due to it's super aggressive removal. My water supply is LOADED with silicates, I get NASTY diatom blooms after every single WC if I don't run the reactor on my mixing container first. This doesn't seem to be an issue for you.

The reason I don't like the filter floss is that it's easy to be lazy with it, you most likely have lots of stuffed in nutrients in there. Let the skimmer do that work, if anything run carbon AND gfo in the same reactor if cash is tight. Filter floss to me leads to too many unknowns. The best advice I can give you is to remove potential variables and the problem gets easier to solve. I also wonder why your ph changes so much through the day, don't think that's a problem but what causes it?

 

[Ryushei]

Your specture pure is probably working perfectly. I mentioned that I personally only run phosguard on my mixing barrel only due to it's super aggressive removal. My water supply is LOADED with silicates, I get NASTY diatom blooms after every single WC if I don't run the reactor on my mixing container first. This doesn't seem to be an issue for you.

The reason I don't like the filter floss is that it's easy to be lazy with it, you most likely have lots of stuffed in nutrients in there. Let the skimmer do that work, if anything run carbon AND gfo in the same reactor if cash is tight. Filter floss to me leads to too many unknowns. The best advice I can give you is to remove potential variables and the problem gets easier to solve. I also wonder why your ph changes so much through the day, don't think that's a problem but what causes it?

I wonder myself too, ph shouldnt fluctuate that much. But ill take your advice, get the brs nano media reactor, add carbon and gfo, and see what happens. that should fix a lot of the problems.

 

[2Wheelsonly]

Just make sure you take actual notes, once I started doing that I found that I was much better at troubleshooting problems.

If you try to do too much at once you will be forever chasing issues.

Step 1a: Fix temp flux
Step 1b: Allow 2 weeks to see if cloudiness goes away naturally (bacterial bloom) stop reef roids
Step 2: If still cloudy, remove filter floss do a large water change (make sure you get junk out of sandbed and blast crap off rocks with a powerhead)
Step 3: Focus on why your phosphates are high but nitrates are low
Step 4: If still cloudy maybe try a different salt with lower alk slowly changing it over
Step 5: Add more fish

Once you start to see your problems go away, add corals. Take your time, this should take a few months.

 

[Ryushei]

Just make sure you take actual notes, once I started doing that I found that I was much better at troubleshooting problems.

If you try to do too much at once you will be forever chasing issues.

Step 1a: Fix temp flux
Step 1b: Allow 2 weeks to see if cloudiness goes away naturally (bacterial bloom) stop reef roids
Step 2: If still cloudy, remove filter floss do a large water change (make sure you get junk out of sandbed and blast crap off rocks with a powerhead)
Step 3: Focus on why your phosphates are high but nitrates are low
Step 4: If still cloudy maybe try a different salt with lower alk slowly changing it over
Step 5: Add more fish

Once you start to see your problems go away, add corals. Take your time, this should take a few months.

Alright ty so much, should i do only small water changes every week? around 20 %?

 

[Jason mack]

Just make sure you take actual notes, once I started doing that I found that I was much better at troubleshooting problems.

If you try to do too much at once you will be forever chasing issues.

Step 1a: Fix temp flux
Step 1b: Allow 2 weeks to see if cloudiness goes away naturally (bacterial bloom) stop reef roids
Step 2: If still cloudy, remove filter floss do a large water change (make sure you get junk out of sandbed and blast crap off rocks with a powerhead)
Step 3: Focus on why your phosphates are high but nitrates are low
Step 4: If still cloudy maybe try a different salt with lower alk slowly changing it over
Step 5: Add more fish

Once you start to see your problems go away, add corals. Take your time, this should take a few months.

This is some very good advice !!!!