SPS and stony corals struggles

[Creggers]

R2R,

I can't seem to keep any stony corals in my tank and I'm totally stumped. Been holding my major three elements steady and fluctuating no more than 10% on a daily basis. I can't seem to keep Stony corals of any variety in the tank however my Blastos, Torches, Mushrooms and Zoanthids are loving it and growing healthily. I run two Kessil AP9xs with the intensity based on the BRS video. Even simple SPS like birdsnest last no more than a week in the tank, losing flesh from both ends for sticklike corals, or the edges in for Chalice and Montis. I'm completely stumped as to why I can keep fleshier corals but not stony coral, my levels are below and I've run an ICP test in September to ensure that the previous heavy metals were completely out. There's also I lot of flow in the tank turning it over about 6x and leaving no dead spots.

PH: 7.7-7.9
DKH: 8.5 - 9
Calc: 420 - 440
Mag: 1440-1470
NO3: 25
PO4: .5

 

[Tahoe61]

Have you tried lowering the PO4? Is a tank inhabitant eating or picking at the corals?

 

[billyocean]

How old.is the tank? Dry rock or live rock start? You say 6x turnover meaning return? Any powerheads/gyres in tank?

 

[Hemmbone20]

I’m having similar frustration…
My tank is only about 6 months old though so I keep having to remind myself it’s a young tank… keeping SPS might be slightly unrealistic for my age aquarium…

How old is your tank?

 

[thedon986]

6x turnover is really low for a sps tank. That’s low for any tank really and sounds like just the return pump circulation. What exactly are you running for power heads and what intensity? Aquarium size?

Also yes age plays a huge factor in sps. I cheated and used all maricultured rock from the ocean and it was instant sps viable.

 

[Creggers]

Have you tried lowering the PO4? Is a tank inhabitant eating or picking at the corals?

I had undetectable levels for a while and my NO3 and PO4 have held steady at that level for around a month even after a water change. Is .5 too much? None of the fish in my tank are known nippers, and they leave my euphilia alone which makes me think that's not the issue.

How old.is the tank? Dry rock or live rock start? You say 6x turnover meaning return? Any powerheads/gyres in tank?

The tank is about 1.5 years old. Dry rock and sand however I got a aquaculture live rock plus rubble from a friends tank to seed it. It's a waterbox frag 150 which total volume is 160 gallons, with the sand and rock in it it's probably 120 gallons at most. I have a neptune Wav, Gyre XF350, and my return. With the adjustments for how much they're turned down/up, it's a total of 5040GPH turn over for the tank, or 31x. Would do you recommend turning it up? I tuned it down as it was blowing my torches and it appeared to stress them out.

6x turnover is really low for a sps tank. That’s low for any tank really and sounds like just the return pump circulation. What exactly are you running for power heads and what intensity? Aquarium size?

Also yes age plays a huge factor in sps. I cheated and used all maricultured rock from the ocean and it was instant sps viable.

Age may be a factor, however my tank grows coraline everywhere. I did get a mariculautred rock to add in addiction to some frag plugs and chaeto from my friends system.

 

[thedon986]

I would focus in on lowering P then if all else looks fine. Do you know what PAR your lights are putting out?

 

[braaap]

Iodine and potassium. Get potassium to 400-450 and get ME Coral Iodine. 3 drops a day. I bet you see improvement in one month.

 

[billyocean]

Iodine and potassium. Get potassium to 1400-1450 and get ME Coral Iodine. 3 drops a day. I bet you see improvement in one month.

Potassium to 1400? You mean 400-450?

 

[gbroadbridge]

R2R,

I can't seem to keep any stony corals in my tank and I'm totally stumped. Been holding my major three elements steady and fluctuating no more than 10% on a daily basis. I can't seem to keep Stony corals of any variety in the tank however my Blastos, Torches, Mushrooms and Zoanthids are loving it and growing healthily. I run two Kessil AP9xs with the intensity based on the BRS video. Even simple SPS like birdsnest last no more than a week in the tank, losing flesh from both ends for sticklike corals, or the edges in for Chalice and Montis. I'm completely stumped as to why I can keep fleshier corals but not stony coral, my levels are below and I've run an ICP test in September to ensure that the previous heavy metals were completely out. There's also I lot of flow in the tank turning it over about 6x and leaving no dead spots.

PH: 7.7-7.9
DKH: 8.5 - 9
Calc: 420 - 440
Mag: 1440-1470
NO3: 25
PO4: .5

Phosphate of 0.5ppm is high for an SPS tank.

Most folks would run 0.05 to 0.15ppm.

 

[gbroadbridge]

Iodine and potassium. Get potassium to 1400-1450 and get ME Coral Iodine. 3 drops a day. I bet you see improvement in one month.

Potassium of 1400ppm would kill stuff.

I think you mean Magnesium 1400, not that I've found coral care much about Mg as long as it is over about 1250.

 

[braaap]

Potassium to 1400? You mean 400-450?

Yes. Stupid new phone.

 

[bobnicaragua]

Get your phosphates down slowly to .3-1.5.

 

[Cichlid Dad]

Are you doing water changes?

 

[Ryan Souza]

I'm gonna say that the sps are shocked coming from a tank with different nutrient levels than yours? Like others have said try getting the nutrients down and then see if anything changes. Try checking the water of a new sps frag and see how different the parameters are. In my experience sps can handle very high levels if occurring over time, but sudden changes cause issues most of the time.

 

[Heres_doe_]

I had the same issues. I went over to reef moonshine and it’s been great. I noticed once I started doing iodide not iodine sps started coloring up and doing great. Get an icp test and see trace elements then dose. Don’t dose anything you don’t test for. Also try bringing those phosphates down a bit. Try putting gfo in a bag in a sump. Start at 50% strength then make your way up little by little.

 

[DenverSaltyFarm]

I think the phosphate and par might be your problem. To be honest I have never seen good par numbers with kessil lights unless you run a lot of them. Check your local stores or clubs and see if you can rent a par meter. The corals you are mentioning doing great in your tank do well in lower par tanks and dirtier water

 

[Creggers]

I’m gonna pick up some phosphate removal media (phosguard) today and toss it in a bag in my return chamber. As with anything in reefing, slow and steady rather than quick.

I’ll do a larger water change and clean up my sump a bit, probably harvesting some chaeto as well. To be honest I may have grown too much chaeto that now it’s not growing as fast.

 

[LARedstickreefer]

I doubt phosphate is the problem. It’s your lighting. I struggled for years until I upgraded my lighting…

If it were me, I’d get some much stronger lighting and add some ocean rocks from Tampa bay or similar.

-Matt

 

[Creggers]

I doubt phosphate is the problem. It’s your lighting. I struggled for years until I upgraded my lighting…

If it were me, I’d get some much stronger lighting and add some ocean rocks from Tampa bay or similar.

-Matt

I’m running two Kessil AP9X and I’m running them on 45% strength, I checked with a par meter and my levels (where my frag rack is) is around 80-100 par. I have hot spots of ~400 where my lights overlap