Bpb Posted August 7, 2014 Author Share Posted August 7, 2014 (edited) Test 3 days a week. 8.0-8.4. Never outside that range. Hasn't been for over a year, including tank change period. And the people that held my sps for me also kept their alk in the low 8's using the same test. I had some issues with the new water y'all remember but when I ended up mixing it all up it ended up resting in the 8's. Wavered a little at first while I dialed in the dosing pumps, but never more than 0.5 dKH or so. In other words I haven't had a bit alk issue like a runaway dosing pump up to 12 dKH or anything. Last alk test was actually this morning before work Edited August 7, 2014 by Bpb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 Salinity, nitrates, and phosphates are the only other culprits that come to mind... either that or you picked up pests from one of your coral sitters. Sent via Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted August 7, 2014 Author Share Posted August 7, 2014 I'm gonna go with nitrates and phosphates. Kind of have to. If it is aefw or red bugs, once everything is dead I'll be acro fallow for several months anyway, but I'm not seeing any of the classic aefw or red big symptoms like polyp retraction/irritation, bite marks on healthy tissue. I know it's a possibility, but not showing the outward symptoms Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted August 9, 2014 Author Share Posted August 9, 2014 Tests for 8/9/2014: Temp: 80.0 (apex currently) Ph: 8.20 (apex currently) Salinity: 1.026 (refractometer) Calcium: 430 ppm (Red Sea pro) Alkalinity: 8.2 dkh (Red Sea pro) Magnesium: 1700 ppm (Red Sea pro) Phosphate: 0 ppb (Hanna) Nitrate: 0 (Elos) Didn't take pics of the Red Sea tests, but as this was my first time using the Elos kit, decided to snap a shot. Really hating how low phosphate and nitrate are. I know we strive for low, but nowadays, it seems difficult to keep them elevated slightly. Can't say for certain that this is the cause for the STN, but they're the only things I can measure. Do y'all think the Mg being that elevated could be an issue as well? I'll do a 10% water change this evening either way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Id say no on mg and yes in 0 phosphate being a problem. I've noticed improvement with heavier feeding (still skimming, still gfo-ing) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Id say no on mg and yes in 0 phosphate being a problem. I've noticed improvement with heavier feeding (still skimming, still gfo-ing) +1 Sent via Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manny Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Seems that increasing phosphates from 0 to .05 has worked wonders for me. I do have GFO online and am running my skimmer again but I started feeding heavier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted August 9, 2014 Author Share Posted August 9, 2014 That's the goal! 7-14 ppb is my goal. Guess it's not such a bad thing that I accidentally dumped my skimmer cup into the sump. Seriously. Maybe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainK Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 I would double check your water test at a LFS. I had a brand new Salifert KH test that was off by 4 points. "Oh you thought your alkalinity was at 8, looks like 4....." Also, your SPS may be competing with the algae for food. At least until you get enough bacteria to lower your nitrates and phosphates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manny Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Well Jonathan, off to Petco for you to have them test your water. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted August 9, 2014 Author Share Posted August 9, 2014 Heck yeah they got the good test strips! All the tests are on one single card! Pretty cool. In all seriousness, captainK, by no means do I claim to be infallible, but I've always been a very careful tester and have used several different all testers over the years and Always get similar results. No strange spikes or drops anywhere along the way...but...I'll always agree it's good to get other opinions and if wouldn't be a bad idea to bring a water sample up to the dome next time I come to town...though I'd probably trust Victoly more than them, based on both his excellent gif production AND his hopefully-will-one-day-be-stickied lab procedures write up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Stickies are impossible! It took me 7 years to get one! Sent via Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted August 13, 2014 Author Share Posted August 13, 2014 Some more STN pics. Thrilled with the colors I'm getting and the polyp extension. Just so bizarre. Usually when I see posts and pics of dying sps it's accompanied with bleaching, polyp retraction, or generalized ugliness. These are dying while beautiful. Please mind the bryopsis. Haven't been in a huge hurry to pick up tech m. Speaking of, Ty, I'll be in town Friday. You still got any? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted August 19, 2014 Author Share Posted August 19, 2014 Well sadly enough the final two acros that were holding out have finally given in. Call it 100% STN on all acros in the tank. 4 species completely extinct from my little Ecosystem with the rest to follow shortly. While I haven't seen any visible evidence for pests, I am beginning to submit to the possibility that I may have picked one up along the way just no telling from where. As previously mentioned it is only Acropora doing this. The montipora continue to grow visibly almost daily. That's one good thing. Luckily...I have a few non-Acropora corals on the frag racks that I've been struggling to decide where to put. Question: if indeed I am dealing with red bugs or aefw...how long does the tank need to be Acro fallow before I can safely try again? At some point they'll exhaust their food source and die off right? Or will they move onto montipora and stylos, and eventually Lps? Pests are the one area I've not researched too heavily. For now I will be looking into finding more zoas, Lps, and montipora, possibly ending up with a higher end montipora dominated tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted August 19, 2014 Author Share Posted August 19, 2014 I would love a cheetah as a pet. Or even a bobcat. Yes. Im a cat person if you can't tell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 I heard cheetah tears can power a small country for up to 4 years! Sent via Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Sorry about the sps losses bud. Give it some time and try again down the road. I'm sure you'll get the itch again. Sent via Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted August 24, 2014 Author Share Posted August 24, 2014 Well. Carrying on with the build, I've distinctly noticed and recognized the 5 stages of grief related to Acropora loss. No big deal. I've reached acceptance and know that one day my tank will be Acro appropriate again in time. And I'll use that to be ultra picky with what I add and who I get it from. But as of now carry on. Picked up new frags yesterday. Some pics are tough to get clear due to their locations on frag racks. Montipora are tiny but I've had good luck with them so far so I hope it lasts. Mind trick monti Superman monti Mint green cyphastrea Tyree space monster zoa Octospawn (not technically mine, but holding it for a while). Hopefully be tracking down some more good looking montipora and zoas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reburn Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 Those space monsters are sick!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted August 25, 2014 Author Share Posted August 25, 2014 Thank you sir! I'm warming up to them some. I was actually kinda disappointed at first. You gotta look at zoomed in pics to see the real details in them, and they have zero pop under the BML super actinics. I think they'll look better once they form a nice colony. I could be splitting hairs here though. Theyre basically sandwiched in between my Armor of God and Sunny D palys. Those are two especially bright color morphs, so it might just be difficult to appreciate the subtle beauty of these Space Monsters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reburn Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 Your splitting hairs........they won't be as bright as the other 2. You should discard them to my tank But in all honesty they are a daytime paly. Your right they don't pop like bam bams, sunny d or AOG under actinics. Their beauty is in the detail. Plus I know what a good pic of them looks like. Not to say your pic is bad though.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reburn Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 On a side note. If your looking for zoas that pop. My favorites are bam bams, gobstoppers, Derick rose, Sunny D's, AOG, god of war and mowhawks when they color up nice. There are many others but most of those are common-esse to find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GiddyORION Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 Nightfuries tho Btw I think the alkalinity for a sps dominant tank is best kept around 9-13. Until I raised it from 7.5 I had STN on everything. IME when you don't have an obvious cause of STN (rough handling, corallivores- is that a word?) it will usually be a low alk/ high phos. At least that's why I think your SPS didn't like it... Of course I'm just saying what Imy experience was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted August 25, 2014 Author Share Posted August 25, 2014 Yep I hope mine look like those in the pic eventually. Glad to have them either way being that they're a less common color morph. Maybe not downright rare, but I don't see them very often. Giddyorion...not sure whether I fully agree with the alk assessment or not. Your experience being certainly more valuable in your own methodology than my word. I'm actually aiming to slowly increase my alk over time to the 9-10 dkh area, but not to combat RTN. I've actually ran my alk fairly low for my entire time in the hobby, for about a year keeping it down at 7.0 and had fantastic growth and colors. For the last year and a half I've kept my tank pretty stable at 8.4 dkh give or take 0.2 dkh or so at any given month. Now that I'm no longer running gfo or doing any organic carbon dosing, I just don't see the need to run alk so low, and I understand along of Lps actually will yield better colors under higher alk, and some micro algaes being less than happy...could be hearsay though. Either way the undetectable phosphate and nitrate the past couple years have been my motivating factor for low alk. I actually just got my first phosphate reading in over a year, last week. It's just shy of 0.01 ppm and I'm aiming for 0.03-0.05 or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.