Request for Guidance on Tank Maintenance and Coral Care

[OldSchoolCorals]

I’m seeking advice to help us address some challenges we’ve encountered while progressing with a fellow reefer’s tank. They are relatively new to the hobby, and I’m currently assisting with their tank maintenance to ensure it thrives and matures. However, we’ve encountered a few issues, and I would greatly appreciate your insights.

Last month, we conducted an ICP test, and the results indicated elevated levels of metals. In response, we replaced the RODI filters and worked to further refine the water source. The tank was started about a year ago using old sand (about 20 years old) from the original setup. Since then (fairly reccently), we’ve replaced the sand with Carib-Sea Special Grade. Despite these efforts, we’ve been noticing rapid algae growth on both the sand bed and rocks just a few days after performing water changes, which occur every two weeks.

Current tank parameters are as follows:

• Alk: 8 dKH
• Mag: 1400
• Ca: 395

A few struggles we’re facing:

• While some basic corals (e.g., zoas, a few hammers, basic leathers, and torches) are thriving, others that should be easy to care for, like Indophyillia, chalices, gonis, alveopora, and some hammers, are not surviving.
• Snails are also dying off after a few months.
• Phosphate levels are consistently at 0, which we plan to address with dosing.

Flow seems adequate, as the tank is powered by a $5000 return pump running at 60%, in addition to two MP40 powerheads.

If you have any suggestions to improve coral health, prevent algae from growing too rapidly, or ensure a more stable and thriving tank environment, I would be grateful for your input.

Thank you for your time and advice.

 

[OldSchoolCorals]

Here is the tank photos and videos:

 

[Bruttall]

When you added the New Sand, you also added a bunch of new SILICATE's, these are what the algae is feeding on I am thinking.

CA should be 450+, think the range is 450 to 500.

If some corals are just not growing that could be a trace element deficiency, if you did an ICP test then goto your Test Results at https://www.triton-lab.de/en Log In and goto your results and click the DOSE button!



Under that TAB ICP tells you exactly What Trace elements you need and how much to add.

Good Luck to you.

 

[Stang67]

I’m seeking advice to help us address some challenges we’ve encountered while progressing with a fellow reefer’s tank. They are relatively new to the hobby, and I’m currently assisting with their tank maintenance to ensure it thrives and matures. However, we’ve encountered a few issues, and I would greatly appreciate your insights.

Last month, we conducted an ICP test, and the results indicated elevated levels of metals. In response, we replaced the RODI filters and worked to further refine the water source. The tank was started about a year ago using old sand (about 20 years old) from the original setup. Since then (fairly reccently), we’ve replaced the sand with Carib-Sea Special Grade. Despite these efforts, we’ve been noticing rapid algae growth on both the sand bed and rocks just a few days after performing water changes, which occur every two weeks.

Current tank parameters are as follows:

• Alk: 8 dKH
• Mag: 1400
• Ca: 395

A few struggles we’re facing:

• While some basic corals (e.g., zoas, a few hammers, basic leathers, and torches) are thriving, others that should be easy to care for, like Indophyillia, chalices, gonis, alveopora, and some hammers, are not surviving.
• Snails are also dying off after a few months.
• Phosphate levels are consistently at 0, which we plan to address with dosing.

Flow seems adequate, as the tank is powered by a $5000 return pump running at 60%, in addition to two MP40 powerheads.

If you have any suggestions to improve coral health, prevent algae from growing too rapidly, or ensure a more stable and thriving tank environment, I would be grateful for your input.

Thank you for your time and advice.

Couple things that may help. If you have the nitrate, phosphate and ammonia levels that may help to determine if the tank has cycled fully. If your getting algae it probably has but just to be certain esp since you have replaced the sand bed.
What lights are they running? and the schedule of said lights? This may also have an impact on coral health and growth.
Size of tank? Fish?
Those additional details may help get some more helpful responses.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

What caught my eye was the 20 year old sand that was used (without being rinsed I assume), that's 20 years of fish poop and rotted food that was added to the tank (which I suppose fed the algae), then completely removed and replaced with brand new sand (which now adds silicates to the system and feeds the diatoms). I think the system was thrown for a loop

 

[OldSchoolCorals]

Couple things that may help. If you have the nitrate, phosphate and ammonia levels that may help to determine if the tank has cycled fully. If your getting algae it probably has but just to be certain esp since you have replaced the sand bed.
What lights are they running? and the schedule of said lights? This may also have an impact on coral health and growth.
Size of tank? Fish?
Those additional details may help get some more helpful responses.

Currently there are
Lights: 4x Neptune sky lights running about 30-40% giving a rough par of 150-200 overall, they run from 10:30 am to about 10pm ramping down and hour each (they requested lights to be on those times)

Fish: Gem tang, long fin banner, Fox face, 3x clowns, 3x chromis, 2x cardinals, Blue hippo, 2x long nose hawkish, purple tang, and sailfin tang all in which are super fat and healthy

They just replaced the UV sterilizer bulbs:

I’ll get them to test, all the parameters, and get back with that!

 

[OldSchoolCorals]

Update:

Here’s all the tank parameters as of today;

Alk 8
Cal 425
Mag 1420
PH: 8.2
PO4 (ppm) 0.086
Nitrates 18.8 (ppm)
Nitrite: 0
Ammonia: 0