I had problems with sps fading bleaching stn,With some help I got it down to too much light and too much rowa. So I par the light got it set right at 400 at the top and aroung 120 on sand bed ..MY tank is a 40 breeder with trigger systems sump octopuss classic dwb skimmer ati 6 bulb t5 back to front is atinic ,blue plus ,coral +,blue,pink,blue. cheato in fuge bare bottom with par 38 led bulb on 24hr,controled by apex, 2 mp 10s 2 returns one coming from 1/4 chiller. 2 titanium heaters. ghl doser. Chemi pure in bag in sump chamber. My temp is 77-78 alk is 8.5 cal 440 mag 1440 phos don't know because the pos hanna always reads 0 .. I change 5 gal every few days using esv and rodi ,change all stages less than 2 month ago. plenty of rock with holes and caves for flow, about a half inch sand. After I figured I was starving the tank I added more fish and removed the rowa.. Some things started to color but still look faded. I got a few new pices and sure enough slowly decline on thse too purple bonsai stn from the back base and in the middle of the colony it fading its looks spotty like when you get bleach droplets on a shirt. My montis especially the green one is white but has lots of polyps all open and out. I feed roe, cyclopeze,marine snow,and oyster feast.I have algae in a few spots looks like this pic I got from the net. Any body that actually reads this mess can offer any suggestion or something I should do or don't do please chime in ..Here are pics I found about a year apart in this guys case my corals that don't have stn look like this my tank is 445 days old.If the case is starvation how can I feed more with out getting algae.If algae can geed why don't the sps .For the sake of my I can never get nitrates above o test is always clear. I broadcast feed 2x a week plus the fish 2x a day so corals get what falls also.
Wtf am I doing wrong ?
- Thread starter SteveZ15
- Start date
- Location
- Long island
My guess is your starving your tank and you have dinos.
Is the algae snotty? Your starving your tank to get rid of algae but dinos
Do not need a lot of nutrients. Hopefully someone with more experience can chime in. Good luck
Is the algae snotty? Your starving your tank to get rid of algae but dinos
Do not need a lot of nutrients. Hopefully someone with more experience can chime in. Good luck
- Location
- Long island
My last tank I had 0 no3 forever, I shut off the skimmer for 2 months and color was much better.
Spotty on the bonsai sounds like acro eating flatworms. Get a clear pic of this if you can. I would dip this coral in bayer ASAP.
Nitrate of 0 = you don't have enough fish. Add more, it's that simple. Or you can stop skimming for a while. In any tank that I've ever had with 0 nitrate, my colors were faded/pastel. Get 5 or 10ppm nitrate and not too high phosphate, colors will be great.
Since you are/were dealing with a starved system and faded SPS, forget about removing algae by lowering nutrients. Rely on clean up crew and manual removal. I can't tell from the pics but it looks like you have dinos on the rock? IME this is something that you want to deal with biologically. Special Blend bacteria will clear this up.
Nitrate of 0 = you don't have enough fish. Add more, it's that simple. Or you can stop skimming for a while. In any tank that I've ever had with 0 nitrate, my colors were faded/pastel. Get 5 or 10ppm nitrate and not too high phosphate, colors will be great.
Since you are/were dealing with a starved system and faded SPS, forget about removing algae by lowering nutrients. Rely on clean up crew and manual removal. I can't tell from the pics but it looks like you have dinos on the rock? IME this is something that you want to deal with biologically. Special Blend bacteria will clear this up.
I Have 6 Fish I Want More But Its Like Prison They EaCh Have A Spot And Dart At Each Other When One Comes Too Close. I Feed ALot The Wrasses Are Pigs. Where Can I Find Tjat Bacteria. My Cell.Catch A Good Pic. Its Not Bight Or Missing Tissue Like Aefw ItS Spotty Where The Color Fades Ill.Try To Dig Something Off The Net That Resembles My Coral.
You need to back off on skimming then. That bacteria is available at petco locally or most online shops. Warning, it smells like rotten eggs. Spotty tissue where color fades only sound like AEFWs to me. I would need to see a pic. Have you dipped this coral?
- Location
- Garden city
Fts???
Looks like they r either getting too much light or starved?
Looks like they r either getting too much light or starved?
I had a similar problem with corals when the tanks were new but after I stabalized alk and calcium and switched to brs gfo everything fell into place. I also added a bigger clean up crew and algae blennys and they take care of all unwanted growth. Now i feed 3 times a day and corals once every evening. 0 nitrates and phospates are un traceable.
@Rich I Ordered The Probido The 2 Different Ones. Im Gonna Add MOre Cuc Hopefully Today If I Get My Lazy Behind To A Store. I Stoped Skimming During Lights On Period And Spaced Out The Time Between Water Changes . I Am Slowly Starting To See A Hint Of Color. Should I Do A Big Waterchange Before Starting The Bacteria. I Been Dealing With The Algae To Let Nutrients In The Tank. I Read The Other Thread About This Bacteria I Just Want To Make Sure I Dont Overload The Nutrients When I Start This. I So Read I Might Be Low On Potassium . I Been Feeding Corals Everyother Day With Marine Snow And Cyclpez Is It Possible I Have Low Pitassium Or Iodine Since The Tank Is Small And Packed Here Is A Fts The Best I Can Do With My Phone .Ill Put Pic Later Wont Let Me Upload From Fone
Steve I wouldn't dose prodibio in your system. This bacteria and carbon source (biodigest + bioptim) works to lower your nutrient level. You will probably fade your SPS even more. I wouldn't even consider using prodibio until your nutrients creep up too high. With 0 nitrates this is not the case.
I would only use the special blend if you do in fact have dinos on rock or cyano
If no dino or cyano, only some algae on rock, I would only dose a nitrifying bacterial additive such as microbe-lift nite out or Tims. These bacterial additives won't drastically lower your nutrients.
In the end you either need to stop skimming (for now) or add more fish. It really is that simple. You are on the stripped end of the nutrient balance. The feeding alone with your filtration isn't enough if you don't see colors darkening up. I would also try dosing acropower amino. That stuff really works in low nutrient tanks.
Don't worry about potassium and iodine. That's more for tweaking. You can have great colors without worrying about these additives or levels.
I would only use the special blend if you do in fact have dinos on rock or cyano
If no dino or cyano, only some algae on rock, I would only dose a nitrifying bacterial additive such as microbe-lift nite out or Tims. These bacterial additives won't drastically lower your nutrients.
In the end you either need to stop skimming (for now) or add more fish. It really is that simple. You are on the stripped end of the nutrient balance. The feeding alone with your filtration isn't enough if you don't see colors darkening up. I would also try dosing acropower amino. That stuff really works in low nutrient tanks.
Don't worry about potassium and iodine. That's more for tweaking. You can have great colors without worrying about these additives or levels.
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Stop The Skimming Completley ? Im Just Suprised That The Nutrients Are Still Low Because The Amound I Feed .. I Been Amino Every Other Day. Should I Slow The Water Changes. IBeen Leavin The Skimmer On At Night For Oxygen In Rhe Water. Sorry Im A Pita With This. I Feed The Fish 2_3 Times A Day.With Roe Aetic Pods Mysis Cyclopeze.Can Stripped Water Take That Long To Get Nutrients.
- Location
- Mt Sinai, NY
Just my opinion, but stop dosing all that stuff.
Po4 can't be zero if you have algae. Feeding frozen or liquid foods will raise po4. Most likely it's a false 0 due to the algae consuming it.
Amino will fuel algae.
Is your chaeto a nice dark green?
I use Seachem Flourish nitrogen to keep my nitrates around 1.
Po4 can't be zero if you have algae. Feeding frozen or liquid foods will raise po4. Most likely it's a false 0 due to the algae consuming it.
Amino will fuel algae.
Is your chaeto a nice dark green?
I use Seachem Flourish nitrogen to keep my nitrates around 1.
I Know I Have Phos But Never Get nitrates Cheatio Is Green . I Just Dont Understand If The Corals Are Pale From Starving But I Have SOme Kind Of Nutrients What Am I Missing. Should I Change 15 Gals Of Water Mabe Its A Trace Element issue Or Some Unknown Irritant I Dont Put My Hands In THe Tank.I Got A Frag A Few Weeks Ago Holding Color. I Don't Have Fast Growth Either .I Will Change 15 Gals And See How The Corals Respond. THe Flourish Adds Nitrates?
- Location
- Mt Sinai, NY
Flourish nitrogen will add nitrate. It doesn't take much. To raise 75 gal 1ppm, its 3.75 ml.
- Location
- Mt Sinai, NY
You're missing no3
mbg, I never used that stuff looks cool
I run pellets. I use it to add nitrate so the pellets keep pulling out po4
You need a low range nitrate test kit. Red Sea is decent. Do not overdose it. Check nitrate daily to see that it stays up. It does get pulled out quickly (skimmer, chaeto, corals, etc.)
Also, you might want to start reducing your po4.
I have the red sea kit. I cant win with this tank I look and see something on a frag and it looks like red bugs. I dip 3 times the amount of rx and still I get these. The tank looks disgusting and at this point its starting to not be enjoyable.. Im just gonna do a 20 gal water change get a smaller reactor add some gfo to rid the algae and what ever makes it makes it ,toss the ones with red bugs. And just keep what ever lps and zoas I have. I was hoping things would turn out better at some point but this tank seems like a death box. Im not gonna kill myself trying to figure this out mabe get the clowns a nice nem. At least with the lps I can enjoy the tank again. I hope the orange digi lasts its the only one and the green monster and some bright green acro that look nice. Mabe in a few month Ill try a frag or two,but for now I think this beat me.
+1, i use that stuff all the time, special when ,start to balance the PO4 and Nitrate, when set up the biopellets, Steve i still believe u problem is water flow, u got NO water flow around Live Rocks, i see many dead spots behind u rocks, stop adding any extra food (amino etc.) your chaeto dont look GOOD, u need more flow even on return pump.What is u temp. any way ? 78 F ? more ?
run the skimmer intake air from out side.
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