A little help, and can a tank be to clean??

[ShawnSaucier]

Happy Holiday's everyone! Thanks for reading this post. I've been struggling with my tank for some time.I've had a massive culerpa outbreak causing me to replace all of my rock with new ceramic rock. My light (Marineland 24' HQI/T5) seemed to be burning all of my corals, including on the sandbed, so I've switched to a single AI Sol Blue (W40, BL60, RB60) Light Cycle starting at 10am with a 4hr ramp up/dwn. I add 2 part daily with Mg and have a reactor running biopellets and another running GFO/Carbon.

Parameters:
Mg: 1000
Ca: 400
KH/Alk- 12.1dkh
PH: 8.0
Phos: 0
Nitrate: 0

inhabitants:
1 black clown
1 Royal Garama
3 Peppermint shrimp (used for an aptasia break-out)
1 Maxima clam

I feed every day with a combo of Rod's, Oyster feast, and arctic pods. And I have a Reef Octo 150 skimmer, 2x MP10w (battling a blackish cyno out break now), a Mag 9.5 return pump and the temp is 78.5F.

Now several LFS have been saying my bio-load is to small which may be a reason for the corals not taking off. All of my acan frags:gone, all chalices:gone, SPS: browned out or bleached/dead. The only things really surviving are zoas, hammers, torch, a few favia.
I'm not sure how to drop my KH/Alk to a reasonable level.. And I am starting to add Kalk to my ATO in hopes to help bring my Ca up with adding extra Mg with the 2 part.

I've had tanks for 8 years, this being the most "equipment heavy" tank. I've never had so many issues with getting a tank going. I'm at my wits end and could really use some advice.
Thanks :cry:

 

[thirty5]

What are you testing phos with? A massive algae outbreak with 0 phos? I would get your algae under control. What size tank is it????

 

[subielover]

Your Mg. should be over 1300 and could be a major factor in your corals not doing well.

 

[ShawnSaucier]

What are you testing phos with? A massive algae outbreak with 0 phos? I would get your algae under control. What size tank is it????

The tank is a 60 gallon cube and I test with a salifert kit. The outbreak I had assumed was from switching the rock 3 months ago

 

[ShawnSaucier]

Your Mg. should be over 1300 and could be a major factor in your corals not doing well.

I've been adding the recommended dosage with a bit more, going to raise the amount tonight

 

[subielover]

You can safely raise Mg. about 100 ppm per day, it will take a lot of solution to accomplish this.

 

[Russellaqua]

Your Mg. should be over 1300 and could be a major factor in your corals not doing well.

I agree with this as well, and I'd like to see the Calcium closer to 450, but I've heard of people running around 400 too. As far as having "too small a bio-load," sounds like they just want to sell you a fish. Corals will grow just fine in a tank with no fish at all. I suspect that there are phosphates that aren't being detected in the system too. The algae is feeding on something.

 

[Troylee]

Well... I would start with the new ceramic rock it's most likely loaded with po4 and that's your main problem.. I agree raise the mag also...

 

[ShawnSaucier]

You can safely raise Mg. about 100 ppm per day, it will take a lot of solution to accomplish this.

I'm going to double my Mg dosing to twice a day hoping that this could help.

 

[ShawnSaucier]

Well... I would start with the new ceramic rock it's most likely loaded with po4 and that's your main problem.. I agree raise the mag also...

Troy,
oh that breaks my heart. Is it possible that it will leach po4 just for a short period. I purchased it from Cerameco, who swore there would be no po4 problem. I really don't want to replace the rock again, is it wasted money?

 

[ShawnSaucier]

Thank you for some suggestions. I know I have to boost my Mg. Are there any suggestions on testing for po4?

 

[ShawnSaucier]

Ok, I've started doubling my Mg dosing. A full dose in the am with the A/B and then once in the evening. I've been running po4 remover with my carbon, still confused on why I have cyno...

 

[robert]

Eh...I agree with every one else regarding a probable Phosphate spike from the rock, but I'm suspicious about the 1000 Mg level - do you do water changes? - if so I can't figure how it would ever get so low.

I'd drop the 2 part do a couple of substantial water changes with a good salt re-test and have someone confirm your test results...

 

[ShawnSaucier]

Eh...I agree with every one else regarding a probable Phosphate spike from the rock, but I'm suspicious about the 1000 Mg level - do you do water changes? - if so I can't figure how it would ever get so low.

I'd drop the 2 part do a couple of substantial water changes with a good salt re-test and have someone confirm your test results...

I do a 10 gallon water change every other week, I'm a bit confused on the Mg also. Changing water again tomorrow and will re-test.

 

[robert]

Hey just an idea - why not test the water before you put it in the tank - if the mag is good on the fresh mix then your test is probably ok and you got something to fix in your tank. If the reading is off on the new water then its your test or your method and you know not to fix what might not be broke...

 

[JackoChang]

Cyano is not an algae, it's a bacteria. There was an article questioning the denitrifying role of cyano, I'll post it if I find it again.

 

[mainereefer]

I had a problem with cyano a year or so ago, I got fed up and used a chemical it turned my tank yellow for a day but it took care of it and havent had a problem since

how are you rasing the mg? liquid or epsom salt?

 

[LILBUDDHA]

Troy,
oh that breaks my heart. Is it possible that it will leach po4 just for a short period. I purchased it from Cerameco, who swore there would be no po4 problem. I really don't want to replace the rock again, is it wasted money?

I agree with Troy . My lil QT tank had a phos of zero . Hanna green egg . I placed my Cerameco rock in the qt to start cooking it . Phos shot up to 0.09 after just a day . A otherwise clean tank now has quite a dino or brown algae bloom . I suspect silicates are present and leaching too. I knew the rock would leach, so soaking it before using it is a logical thing to do . U changing the rock makes me suspect ur water is not as clean as you think . I will not comment on the mag as others already have .
Options would be to get some of the rock out and soak it in do/di or add or change the gfo and a scavenger resin until the leaching stops .
FWIW biopellets need phos and nitrates to work properly . If one is present and not the other they will not function as they should . If it were me I would remove the bio -pellets for now and leave them soaking in some ro / di water . I would also split the carbon and gfo if they are together in the same reactor until things pan out .