Just cant get my tank right

gm3184 · 11/03/2016, 07:30 AM

Hi all
So I have bin in the hobby since 04 started with a 65gal non drilled with a canister filter and lots of hang on equipment. My next tank was an upgrade to a 75gal with sump and hi end equipment. This past February I started a 90 gal shallow tank and am running a vertex alpha 250, bio pellets 2 large marine pure blocks,large box of spheres, 80lbs of dry rock, the tank cycled great and was doing well till June. Then it started to regress and at this point i have killed thousands of dollars of sps and lps, and only have some Euphyllias nems and zoas left. I have carefully inspected for pests even changed all my lighting from T5s to halide/t5 combo on one end and led on the other. I have lots of flow (1 mp40 and 2 6095s). I just cant figure out whats going on.

parameters are:

NO3-1.6
PO4-.28
Ph-8.18
temp-79
Alk-7.9
Ca-440
Mg-1520

Anyone have any input on what I should try next?

Thanks
George

pisanoal · 11/03/2016, 07:41 AM

Po4 Sounds high for sps. Mag is over range too but shouldn't be problematic. Have you measured par? Do you use brass fittings anywhere or suspect copper for any reason? If you have a copper kit might be worth testing just to see, especially if the equipment was used and could have been used as a qt or freshwater setup where they might have used copper meds.

Bluefish9 · 11/03/2016, 07:48 AM

Can you tell us about your top off water as well?

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gm3184 · 11/03/2016, 08:01 AM

All plumbing is PVC and equipment has all bin purchased new.
I was thinking of sending out a Triton sample to see whats going on.

gm3184 · 11/03/2016, 08:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bluefish9

Can you tell us about your top off water as well?

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I use a tunze 3155 with a PM kalk reactor

gm3184 · 11/03/2016, 08:04 AM

and all water is filtered using a 6 stage BRS RO unit

Bluefish9 · 11/03/2016, 08:18 AM

And I assume you are checking the RO/DI waters parameters correct?

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gm3184 · 11/03/2016, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bluefish9

And I assume you are checking the RO/DI waters parameters correct?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

yes sir when water gets above 3ppm all filters get changed

75mixedreef · 11/03/2016, 08:29 AM

It almost sounds like pests. Did you check for flatworms or dip your corals before adding them? It could also be stability. Check your temp swing at night and see if it is more than 2 degrees. Your Alk is slightly on the low side, might want to get that to about 9. What do you use to check salinity? Anything other than a refractometer is suspect and you should get it checked. Do you have any fish or crabs that may not be reef safe?

dcrowley3 · 11/03/2016, 02:40 PM

I would say that your PO4 is pretty high especially for SPS.

You may want to run some GFO and do some water changes.

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FirstContact · 11/03/2016, 03:22 PM

If the tank was just set up this year, isn't it too early to go full blown SPS?

Mishri · 11/03/2016, 03:34 PM

Yep, as others stated. phosphate is your most likely problem, it inhibits calcification.. you want that to be close to 0, no more than .1...

11/03/2016, 07:30 AM	#1
gm3184 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 98	Just cant get my tank right Hi all So I have bin in the hobby since 04 started with a 65gal non drilled with a canister filter and lots of hang on equipment. My next tank was an upgrade to a 75gal with sump and hi end equipment. This past February I started a 90 gal shallow tank and am running a vertex alpha 250, bio pellets 2 large marine pure blocks,large box of spheres, 80lbs of dry rock, the tank cycled great and was doing well till June. Then it started to regress and at this point i have killed thousands of dollars of sps and lps, and only have some Euphyllias nems and zoas left. I have carefully inspected for pests even changed all my lighting from T5s to halide/t5 combo on one end and led on the other. I have lots of flow (1 mp40 and 2 6095s). I just cant figure out whats going on. parameters are: NO3-1.6 PO4-.28 Ph-8.18 temp-79 Alk-7.9 Ca-440 Mg-1520 Anyone have any input on what I should try next? Thanks George

11/03/2016, 08:18 AM	#7
Bluefish9 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Massapequa, NY Posts: 225	Just cant get my tank right And I assume you are checking the RO/DI waters parameters correct? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

11/03/2016, 03:22 PM	#11
FirstContact Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Glenn Dale, MD Posts: 1,613	If the tank was just set up this year, isn't it too early to go full blown SPS? __________________ No man is an island entire of itself; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. John Donne Current Tank Info: 120g Reef 100g Rubbermaid Sump, 20g Refugium; previous tank: 46g Drilled; Self Plumbed, Birds Nest, Anchor, Xenia, Zoas, Yuma Yuma Ricordea, Chalice, Mushrooms, Brain, Acan, Anenome Plate; Clams, Other Inverts, Fish, Live Rock

11/03/2016, 03:34 PM	#12
Mishri Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Great Falls, MT Posts: 1,404	Yep, as others stated. phosphate is your most likely problem, it inhibits calcification.. you want that to be close to 0, no more than .1... __________________ 300 gallon 8ft long, 2x xf250 gyre, reef octopus 250-int - work in progress Aquarist since 1986

11/03/2016, 07:41 AM	#2
pisanoal Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 705	Po4 Sounds high for sps. Mag is over range too but shouldn't be problematic. Have you measured par? Do you use brass fittings anywhere or suspect copper for any reason? If you have a copper kit might be worth testing just to see, especially if the equipment was used and could have been used as a qt or freshwater setup where they might have used copper meds.

11/03/2016, 07:48 AM	#3
Bluefish9 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Massapequa, NY Posts: 225	Can you tell us about your top off water as well? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

11/03/2016, 08:01 AM	#4
gm3184 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 98	All plumbing is PVC and equipment has all bin purchased new. I was thinking of sending out a Triton sample to see whats going on.

11/03/2016, 08:04 AM	#6
gm3184 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 98	and all water is filtered using a 6 stage BRS RO unit

11/03/2016, 08:29 AM	#9
75mixedreef Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2016 Posts: 255	It almost sounds like pests. Did you check for flatworms or dip your corals before adding them? It could also be stability. Check your temp swing at night and see if it is more than 2 degrees. Your Alk is slightly on the low side, might want to get that to about 9. What do you use to check salinity? Anything other than a refractometer is suspect and you should get it checked. Do you have any fish or crabs that may not be reef safe?

11/03/2016, 02:40 PM	#10
dcrowley3 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 52	I would say that your PO4 is pretty high especially for SPS. You may want to run some GFO and do some water changes. Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk