It almost seems like more of a bacteria issue/imbalance than a nutrient issue causing the sps failures.
No algae issues in the display, but also no coralline in that age of tank is odd.
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Nitrates and Phosphates help please (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter tthorn125
- Start date
It almost seems like more of a bacteria issue/imbalance than a nutrient issue causing the sps failures.
No algae issues in the display, but also no coralline in that age of tank is odd.
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Yup exactly. I just don’t like anything over 10. Never had any luck running that high, but I know a lot of people have great success at high levels.
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There are small (dime sized) patches of coralline, but nothing like the full side patches I had to scrape off before. Look at the last page of the link on the bottom of my signature. It's the build and progression of the tank. Last picture is a few years old I think.
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Ha. Looked at the date. 5 years old.
I wouldn't even consider lowering your nitrates with alkalinity that high. People on R2R are growing insane SPS tanks in 20-40ppm nitrate water and 7-8 dKH.
The lack of coraline makes me think you're missing something needed for sps and encrusting coral.
ICP tests are $30 if you go with the cheaper one from coralvue - https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/1-pack-icp-water-analysis-test-coralvue.html.
I know New Wave carries them too. I've gotten several from them.
Find someone near you with a PAR meter and check your levels. Its very easy to nuke a tank with LEDs.
You said you're changing 3 gallons a day automatically, are you doing any larger changes when you clean the substrate? If not, are you dosing any trace elements?
Potassium in particular is pretty critical for many coral and is rapidly depleted. @RSnodgrass was having similar problems keeping some coral until he started dosing regularly (he can clarify I hope).
The lack of coraline makes me think you're missing something needed for sps and encrusting coral.
ICP tests are $30 if you go with the cheaper one from coralvue - https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/1-pack-icp-water-analysis-test-coralvue.html.
I know New Wave carries them too. I've gotten several from them.
Find someone near you with a PAR meter and check your levels. Its very easy to nuke a tank with LEDs.
You said you're changing 3 gallons a day automatically, are you doing any larger changes when you clean the substrate? If not, are you dosing any trace elements?
Potassium in particular is pretty critical for many coral and is rapidly depleted. @RSnodgrass was having similar problems keeping some coral until he started dosing regularly (he can clarify I hope).
I wish that is how my tank handled my high nitrates. I have algae growing everywhere. 7.5-7.7 Alk, 480 cal, 1418 mag. No growth, bad colors. ICP test is essentially perfect besides slightly low iodine.Great flow. High par with MH. 100 gal auto water change per week.
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The ICP tests are out of stock at BRS right now. I have grown SPS over the last decade just not well. My LEDs are set lower and not full blast. Everything else grows fine.
Just read through the thread. My .02. Your nutrients are fine and what I consider on the lower side of fine. I would suggest you lower your ALK to between 8-9 and raise your nutrients some by cutting back on water changes or at least stop dosing NOPOX. Your fish load even seems a little light for the amount of water you have in the system.
How are your SPS dying? Bottom up? RTN? STN? Just losing color and disappearing?
How are your SPS dying? Bottom up? RTN? STN? Just losing color and disappearing?
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It's mainly RTN. I don't see it bottom up or top down, it's usually just large chunks at a time, but not all of the coral at once. Once it does get rolling though the rest follows quickly.
I'd suggest slowly lowering alk and calcium down to around 7-9 dKh, and calcium around 440 ppm. With an alkalinity that high, you're running on a razor's edge with no wiggle room for mistakes. If you had any minor stress events your SPS are going to RTN anywhere between immediately and weeks later, making it hard to pinpoint the problem.
BRS was recently saying calcium above 500 can quickly approach "toxic" levels. Randy Holmes-Farley has said before that levels as high as 560ppm is no concern. But more recently, he has suggested to let it drop lower. That probably isn't as big of a deal as the alk level might be. I've had calcium north of 500 before but usually never kept it above that range for long.
BRS was recently saying calcium above 500 can quickly approach "toxic" levels. Randy Holmes-Farley has said before that levels as high as 560ppm is no concern. But more recently, he has suggested to let it drop lower. That probably isn't as big of a deal as the alk level might be. I've had calcium north of 500 before but usually never kept it above that range for long.
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I've stopped NOPOX via Apex DOS. The Alk and Ca should drop via consumption and i will then adjust the CaRx to hold it steady.
I broke down and bought two ICP tests via Amazon. One Triton and one something else. I will send those in and see what they say.
Who has done one of these and is it worth it? My concern is that it will be snake oil and tell me that my tank is fine. $50 gone down the tube wasted.
Can someone tell me how this test has saved them AND told them what to do to fix the problem AND actually worked?
I broke down and bought two ICP tests via Amazon. One Triton and one something else. I will send those in and see what they say.
Who has done one of these and is it worth it? My concern is that it will be snake oil and tell me that my tank is fine. $50 gone down the tube wasted.
Can someone tell me how this test has saved them AND told them what to do to fix the problem AND actually worked?
I do one every 6 months.
The last one I did told me I had a magnet rusting in the tank causing my SPS losses. Found it a bit too late but at least I slowed the dying a bit until I found the problem...
The last one I did told me I had a magnet rusting in the tank causing my SPS losses. Found it a bit too late but at least I slowed the dying a bit until I found the problem...
So no one runs an ulns huh?
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I totally miss read the first post. For some reason I thought your nitrates were higher than 16. Agree with the others Slowly lower your Alk and run the ICP test to rule out anything weird. See where that gets you.
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Can Accropower cause increase in Nitrates 
cut you dose in half and see what happens
cut you dose in half and see what happens
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I'm only running 50% of what Acropower says already. I started at half for that exact reason.
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So at this point I guess I'm not concerned with nutrients so much. My main concern is the tanks inability to grow coralline and SPS.