Check My Parameters

Reeftanks6 · 05/07/2013, 03:53 PM

Hello Fellow Reefers,

In the attempt to start a reef tank with my 90 gallon tank I added some corals. They do not seem to being doing to well for whatever reason. This is why i ask for you help. At the moment i do not have any pictures but i will get them up later for you. My parameters are checked with API reef test kit, tell me what you think and your suggestions. Would love to start making my tank beautiful with some corals. I am running a T5 fixture which is 8 bulbs that are each 54 watts.

Calcium-440ppm
Nitrate- <5
Kh-11 ppm
Phosphate-2 i know this is high and is this the problem.

My 90 has been up and running for over 5 years now and ive kept small corals but nothing to serious. Please help thanks

saltysailor2329 · 05/07/2013, 04:49 PM

Calc seems good! Phosphates are very high as you should be at 0, nitrates seem fine. If I understand your alk you are saying 11 dkh, which may be a bit high for some...I run mine between 9 - 10.

MARINECRITTERS · 05/07/2013, 05:08 PM

Calcium seems pretty good, nitrate and phosphate are quite high, at least the phosphate is. If you have algae, that is why. You can lower phosphate with a gfo reactor, which basically just absorbs the phosphate, it takes a while to see results though. The lower phosphate the better. It's not only feeding algae, but anything over 0.25ppm will begin to affect calcification.
When is the last time you switched the bulbs, old bulbs are no good.
Also you could try dosing magnesium, really helps keep everything in check.

Reeftanks6 · 05/07/2013, 05:19 PM

Thanks for the responses,

saltysailor, yea i figured they were high as i will be doing a 10 gallon water change to hopefully diminish them. How do i lower my alk do the desired range?

Marinecritters, thanks for the response. I will be looking into a gfo reactor but right now money is sort of tight so i may have to wait a little. Water change helps correct? I changed the bulbs within the last 3 months, and i have not dosed magnesium, what should that be at and i need to get a test for that.

Nitro069 · 05/07/2013, 05:33 PM

If your going to start keeping more advanced corals i would alos invest in some better test kits for you. API kits are not very accurate and hard to read at best. I personally use the red sea kit from brs which has a combo kit for cal, alk and mag, basic test for hard corals. they also have a combo kit for algae, nitrates and phosphate. never used so cant say how they work. Nice thing about this kit is you can buy just reagents which is way cheaper than a whole new kit. I use a hannah checker for my phosphate and

API for nitrates(rarely ever test for).

your numbers look good for cal and alk.

cal 380-450 ppm
alk 7-11 dkh
mag 1280-1350/1400 ppm

How is your algae??? phosphates are IMO crazy high. water changes will help reduce phosphates and raise your other levels depend on you salt mix.
+1 on the GFO. I like rowaphos for when i was having high phosphate issues then gfo for maintenance.

Agree with marinecritter on the lights. if the bulbs are old you will want to change those also. New bulbs will make a big difference in keeping corals.

Good luck and don't give up. once you get your numbers nailed down and stable the rewards will be great. just remember, it won't happen over night.

Reeftanks6 · 05/07/2013, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nitro069

If your going to start keeping more advanced corals i would alos invest in some better test kits for you. API kits are not very accurate and hard to read at best. I personally use the red sea kit from brs which has a combo kit for cal, alk and mag, basic test for hard corals. they also have a combo kit for algae, nitrates and phosphate. never used so cant say how they work. Nice thing about this kit is you can buy just reagents which is way cheaper than a whole new kit. I use a hannah checker for my phosphate and

API for nitrates(rarely ever test for).

your numbers look good for cal and alk.

cal 380-450 ppm
alk 7-11 dkh
mag 1350-1450 ppm

How is your algae??? phosphates are IMO crazy high. water changes will help reduce phosphates and raise your other levels depend on you salt mix.
+1 on the GFO. I like rowaphos for when i was having high phosphate issues then gfo for maintenance.

Agree with marine critter on the lights. if the bulbs are old you will want to change those also. New bulbs will make a big difference in keeping corals.

Good luck and don't give up. once you get your numbers nailed down and stable the rewards will be great. just remember, it won't happen over night.

Thanks nitro,

I have to get a test kit for mag because that could be a problem but my phosphates are most likely my biggest problem. I am going to try and get them down as soon as possible and hopefully i see some changes and for right now i may try something like phosguard because a gfo might be a little expensive but i will price around. The bulbs are about 3 months old.

Reeftanks6 · 05/07/2013, 05:42 PM

My other problem may be my alk, how do i drop this down ive done some reasearch and it seems most levels should be around 8-9 range?

Nitro069 · 05/07/2013, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reeftanks6

My other problem may be my alk, how do i drop this down ive done some reasearch and it seems most levels should be around 8-9 range?

As far as i can tell you calcium and alkinity are balanced. chances are your magnesium is in check also. what kind of salt mix do you use???? what is your salinity?? Salinity should be around 1.025-1.0265.

Reeftanks6 · 05/07/2013, 06:49 PM

Okay ill keep researching on the alk, and I will double check mag. I am using crystal sea mix and my salinity is right above 1.024

Reeftanks6 · 05/07/2013, 06:50 PM

Its almost like my corals are just being burned out, i had an sps that went completely white recently. It may just be my phosphates?

Reeftanks6 · 05/07/2013, 06:54 PM

Maybe a high ph?

Nitro069 · 05/07/2013, 07:08 PM

may be salt mix??????

Do some looking on rc and see what you can find.
Ive seen some good and bad reviews while looking.

check this out..
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...hreadid=168736

Reeftanks6 · 05/07/2013, 07:40 PM

Thanks nitro i will definitely check that out

Reeftanks6 · 05/07/2013, 08:13 PM

Ill most likely change the salt as well, i believe that it is something else that is lacking in my health of corals. Maybe the phosphates are really a killer?

shifty51008 · 05/07/2013, 08:51 PM

Yes the phosphates are deff. not helping. Getting them lower would be the 1st thing i would do. Water changes will help but a gfo reactor will work much better imo. I suggest also getting a hanna checker for phosohates as color kits are hard to read phosphates

Reeftanks6 · 05/07/2013, 09:44 PM

Thank you shifty, I am going to run to my LFS to see how much there gfo's are and price on BRS and see the best thing to do. Thanks for all the responses!

Reeftanks6 · 05/08/2013, 11:06 AM

Went to my lfs store today and bought some phosguard. Lets see how that works after a couple of days. If that works for me the next would be to lower the alk, which would take a water change with a different salt.

Reeftanks6 · 05/08/2013, 11:11 AM

Forgot to had that my ph is around 8.2

Reeftanks6 · 05/08/2013, 03:33 PM

Pictures as asked

[IMG]

[/IMG]

Green Star Polyp that has not come out in a day or so
[IMG]

[/IMG]

SPS that bleached and looks to have algae growing on it
[IMG]

[/IMG]

05/07/2013, 03:53 PM	#1
Reeftanks6 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: PA Posts: 3,857	Check My Parameters Hello Fellow Reefers, In the attempt to start a reef tank with my 90 gallon tank I added some corals. They do not seem to being doing to well for whatever reason. This is why i ask for you help. At the moment i do not have any pictures but i will get them up later for you. My parameters are checked with API reef test kit, tell me what you think and your suggestions. Would love to start making my tank beautiful with some corals. I am running a T5 fixture which is 8 bulbs that are each 54 watts. Calcium-440ppm Nitrate- <5 Kh-11 ppm Phosphate-2 i know this is high and is this the problem. My 90 has been up and running for over 5 years now and ive kept small corals but nothing to serious. Please help thanks __________________ 110g Reef build in progress Current Tank Info: 110 Gallon Reef

05/07/2013, 04:49 PM	#2
saltysailor2329 Registered Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Frederick, CO Posts: 547	Calc seems good! Phosphates are very high as you should be at 0, nitrates seem fine. If I understand your alk you are saying 11 dkh, which may be a bit high for some...I run mine between 9 - 10. __________________ 200g DD has been wet since March 16, 2013!!!! Running 40g breeder w/20L sump is currently acting as the QT.

05/07/2013, 05:08 PM	#3
MARINECRITTERS Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 1,525	Calcium seems pretty good, nitrate and phosphate are quite high, at least the phosphate is. If you have algae, that is why. You can lower phosphate with a gfo reactor, which basically just absorbs the phosphate, it takes a while to see results though. The lower phosphate the better. It's not only feeding algae, but anything over 0.25ppm will begin to affect calcification. When is the last time you switched the bulbs, old bulbs are no good. Also you could try dosing magnesium, really helps keep everything in check. __________________ MarineCritters, life in the sea is superb Current Tank Info: 91 Gallon Reef

05/07/2013, 05:19 PM	#4
Reeftanks6 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: PA Posts: 3,857	Thanks for the responses, saltysailor, yea i figured they were high as i will be doing a 10 gallon water change to hopefully diminish them. How do i lower my alk do the desired range? Marinecritters, thanks for the response. I will be looking into a gfo reactor but right now money is sort of tight so i may have to wait a little. Water change helps correct? I changed the bulbs within the last 3 months, and i have not dosed magnesium, what should that be at and i need to get a test for that. __________________ 110g Reef build in progress Current Tank Info: 110 Gallon Reef

05/07/2013, 05:33 PM	#5
Nitro069 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 100	If your going to start keeping more advanced corals i would alos invest in some better test kits for you. API kits are not very accurate and hard to read at best. I personally use the red sea kit from brs which has a combo kit for cal, alk and mag, basic test for hard corals. they also have a combo kit for algae, nitrates and phosphate. never used so cant say how they work. Nice thing about this kit is you can buy just reagents which is way cheaper than a whole new kit. I use a hannah checker for my phosphate and API for nitrates(rarely ever test for). your numbers look good for cal and alk. cal 380-450 ppm alk 7-11 dkh mag 1280-1350/1400 ppm How is your algae??? phosphates are IMO crazy high. water changes will help reduce phosphates and raise your other levels depend on you salt mix. +1 on the GFO. I like rowaphos for when i was having high phosphate issues then gfo for maintenance. Agree with marinecritter on the lights. if the bulbs are old you will want to change those also. New bulbs will make a big difference in keeping corals. Good luck and don't give up. once you get your numbers nailed down and stable the rewards will be great. just remember, it won't happen over night. __________________ If it was easy, everyone would do it........ Current Tank Info: 75 gallon reef, 20 gallon acrylic sump, 6x54w ati dimmable sunpower, reef octopus nwb150 skimmer, 2 mp40w, RKE with net module, brs dual reactor(gfo and carbon), brs peristaltic dosing pumps(cal and alk). Last edited by Nitro069; 05/07/2013 at 06:19 PM.

05/07/2013, 05:42 PM	#7
Reeftanks6 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: PA Posts: 3,857	My other problem may be my alk, how do i drop this down ive done some reasearch and it seems most levels should be around 8-9 range? __________________ 110g Reef build in progress Current Tank Info: 110 Gallon Reef

05/07/2013, 06:49 PM	#9
Reeftanks6 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: PA Posts: 3,857	Okay ill keep researching on the alk, and I will double check mag. I am using crystal sea mix and my salinity is right above 1.024 __________________ 110g Reef build in progress Current Tank Info: 110 Gallon Reef

05/07/2013, 06:50 PM	#10
Reeftanks6 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: PA Posts: 3,857	Its almost like my corals are just being burned out, i had an sps that went completely white recently. It may just be my phosphates? __________________ 110g Reef build in progress Current Tank Info: 110 Gallon Reef

05/07/2013, 06:54 PM	#11
Reeftanks6 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: PA Posts: 3,857	Maybe a high ph? __________________ 110g Reef build in progress Current Tank Info: 110 Gallon Reef

05/07/2013, 07:08 PM	#12
Nitro069 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 100	may be salt mix?????? Do some looking on rc and see what you can find. Ive seen some good and bad reviews while looking. check this out.. http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...hreadid=168736 __________________ If it was easy, everyone would do it........ Current Tank Info: 75 gallon reef, 20 gallon acrylic sump, 6x54w ati dimmable sunpower, reef octopus nwb150 skimmer, 2 mp40w, RKE with net module, brs dual reactor(gfo and carbon), brs peristaltic dosing pumps(cal and alk). Last edited by Nitro069; 05/07/2013 at 07:13 PM.

05/07/2013, 07:40 PM	#13
Reeftanks6 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: PA Posts: 3,857	Thanks nitro i will definitely check that out __________________ 110g Reef build in progress Current Tank Info: 110 Gallon Reef

05/07/2013, 08:13 PM	#14
Reeftanks6 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: PA Posts: 3,857	Ill most likely change the salt as well, i believe that it is something else that is lacking in my health of corals. Maybe the phosphates are really a killer? __________________ 110g Reef build in progress Current Tank Info: 110 Gallon Reef

05/07/2013, 08:51 PM	#15
shifty51008 12-5 Chiefs record Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: NW Iowa Posts: 10,134	Yes the phosphates are deff. not helping. Getting them lower would be the 1st thing i would do. Water changes will help but a gfo reactor will work much better imo. I suggest also getting a hanna checker for phosohates as color kits are hard to read phosphates __________________ 75 gal. mixed DT, 100 gal. sump, 50 gal. fuge, Clownfish breeder

05/07/2013, 09:44 PM	#16
Reeftanks6 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: PA Posts: 3,857	Thank you shifty, I am going to run to my LFS to see how much there gfo's are and price on BRS and see the best thing to do. Thanks for all the responses! __________________ 110g Reef build in progress Current Tank Info: 110 Gallon Reef

05/08/2013, 11:06 AM	#17
Reeftanks6 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: PA Posts: 3,857	Went to my lfs store today and bought some phosguard. Lets see how that works after a couple of days. If that works for me the next would be to lower the alk, which would take a water change with a different salt. __________________ 110g Reef build in progress Current Tank Info: 110 Gallon Reef

05/08/2013, 11:11 AM	#18
Reeftanks6 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: PA Posts: 3,857	Forgot to had that my ph is around 8.2 __________________ 110g Reef build in progress Current Tank Info: 110 Gallon Reef

05/08/2013, 03:33 PM	#19
Reeftanks6 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: PA Posts: 3,857	Pictures as asked [IMG][/IMG] Green Star Polyp that has not come out in a day or so [IMG][/IMG] SPS that bleached and looks to have algae growing on it [IMG][/IMG] __________________ 110g Reef build in progress Current Tank Info: 110 Gallon Reef