Dosing for SPS

[KTipp]

My SPS have color but not popping as much as what I see in other tanks for for sale.

So I'm trying to see what I am missing...

My parameters are consistently in this range:
Alk 9-10
Calcium 445-500
Mag 1400
Phosphate .05 - .09
Nitrate 5-10
pH 7.75-7.9

 

[LegendaryCG]

Color is very complicated. It can be the lightning, the nutrition, trace elements. Zeovit systems actually dose bacteria that limits
zooxanthella growth which gives SPS a pastel kinda color. You‘re pH is pretty low and phosphates seem a little high depending on the type of SPS. I drip kalk to raise my pH. Macro algae can rob trace elements that zooxathella use to grow well, Brightwell chaetogrow does a great job of putting those back into the tank. Also always keep in mind that a lot of photos are tweaked to look more impressive than they really appear.

 

[RMS18]

Po4 is fine for sps no matter what kind in my experience. I get more vibrant colors with higher po4. When I dip into the .02-.04 colors pale and fade out. .07-.1 is sweet spot for my system colors are deep and vibrant. pH is fine, lower pH can just slow growth a bit.

How old is the tank?
How old are the frags?
How's the consistency with the big 3, alk cal mag? (Be honest lol) 9-10 alk swing is large. My alk swings are .01-.04 max per trident and Hanna.
Also keep in mind the corals you are seeing for sale are edited and filtered and pictures are taking under extreme blues.

Do you have pictures?

 

[KTipp]

Po4 is fine for sps no matter what kind in my experience. I get more vibrant colors with higher po4. When I dip into the .02-.04 colors pale and fade out. .07-.1 is sweet spot for my system colors are deep and vibrant. pH is fine, lower pH can just slow growth a bit.

How old is the tank?
How old are the frags?
How's the consistency with the big 3, alk cal mag? (Be honest lol) 9-10 alk swing is large. My alk swings are .01-.04 max per trident and Hanna.
Also keep in mind the corals you are seeing for sale are edited and filtered and pictures are taking under extreme blues.

Do you have pictures?

My Alk swing is due to Kalk in ATO. Some days it tops off more than others, thus the swing. I'm trying to dial it in though.

Tank is 3 yrs now.
Frags are 6 months.

 

[LegendaryCG]

My Lk swing is due to Kalk in ATO. Some days it tops off more than others, thus the swing. I'm trying to dial it in though.

Tank is 3 yrs now.
Frags are 6 months.

if you have an apex you can set it up to turn off the ATO if your pH rises too much.

I have mine set to turn off if my pH goes above 8.3 or if my salinity drops below 1.023

 

[RMS18]

My Alk swing is due to Kalk in ATO. Some days it tops off more than others, thus the swing. I'm trying to dial it in though.

Tank is 3 yrs now.
Frags are 6 months.

I've never had a good experience with kalk, some folks are better using it than I am. Give me 2 part and a doser, is all I need. Then you don't have to worry about ATO shutting off, just seems like more to monitor. Frags are still young I have found 6-8 months on average is when an acro settles in, some quicker than others. I'd work on keeping alk stable and give it a month or so for results.

What's your lighting like?

 

[KTipp]

I've never had a good experience with kalk, some folks are better using it than I am. Give me 2 part and a doser, is all I need. Then you don't have to worry about ATO shutting off, just seems like more to monitor. Frags are still young I have found 6-8 months on average is when an acro settles in, some quicker than others. I'd work on keeping alk stable and give it a month or so for results.

What's your lighting like?

Thx. Lighting is XR15s G5 Blue