I need help please.

[Mtrimble7]

Been having so many issues. I've read and read and watched videos but something isn't right. Here's my parameters followed by my issues and pictures. Any help and advice would help. Thanks in advance.

MG 1440
Alk 9.8
Ca 490
Nitrate 0-5
Nitrite 0
Ammonia 0
Salinity 35

Red sea reefer max 260
with 2 ai prime 12 inches above surface. Running saxby with increased blue and white and overall intensity. Over a year old and established. Tons of coraline algae and copepods.

I was trying to bring alk and foundation elements in check.
Alk was low around 8. I always dose chems in my sump. I brought alk up to 11. It kept dropping every day. So I was adding the full dose but it was poured slowly into the sump. Could it be the alk dosing? Calcium was 540 which is a tad high. Lowered it by water change yesterday to help with all fluctuations. Alk still dropped.

The finger leather started shrivelling up bad, and I thought it was shedding when I started dosing alk. It's been over a week and now it's losing mass and the tips are skinny. Not changing. I tried moving it down and to more high flow area. What should I do? Also, my kenya tree has been balled up for 2 weeks. The toadstool peeled twice in a month, but the polyps came back out and he looks great a lot of the time. Currently peeling again. The hammer is one of the last pieces I added, but for some reason is doing really well. Blasto or flower pot hasn't changed in a while. Brain coral looks brown and shows no growth, but the green middle part is still fluorescent.
I've done all the reading and research I can. I even paid someone from a lfs to come out and help me figure it out, but he was a crap artist who only tested my water for ammonia and just said more flow. I have tons of flow. 2 programmable sine curve wave makers plus the red sea Max has very powerful return pumps. He didn't help. I NEED HELP!!!! I want to do this right and have been giving this my all for several years now... Still can't figure it out. what the heck am I doing wrong?
If it is the alkalinity, do I absolutely HAVE to use a dosing pump? And how come it's not affecting the hammers, but it is the leathers and the brain?
Attaching pictures of the tank and detailed pics of the coral if I can. PLEASE HELP!!! I will do anything at this point I've been trying so hard and idk how much longer I can do this.

 

[SCReef'n]

How fast did you raise all from 8 to 11. Large alK swings aren’t helping. What are the parameters of the salt your using?

 

[SCReef'n]

Also 8 isn’t what I’d consider low as I run my system at about 7.8.

 

[fishguy242]

take a step back,do not chase numbers,slow and steady is key,most salts mix around 500 ca,your current numbers are good,

 

[jda]

You need to find a way to slowly replenish your alk and calcium continuously. Dosing 2/3 part, kalkwasser, calcium reactor or something. You cannot just dump a bunch into the sump every so often and have those values swing all the time. A few alk swings are likely OK, but after a while, stuff will suffer.

I would get your calcium down to about 425-440 and keep the alk around 8. Get a constant way to dose.

 

[mh393r]

Chasing #’s can and will make things harder... I agree with @SCReef’n 8 alk is a good # and if you bring any of those #’s up or down too fast it will negatively impact the tank

 

[Mtrimble7]

How fast did you raise all from 8 to 11. Large alK swings aren’t helping. What are the parameters of the salt your using?

I am using red sea coral pro salt. Idk why the calcium is so high and the alk was low with that mix. But the alk was like 7.5-8 and calcium 540 before I started tinkering with it.

And yeah I was worried about the alk swings... It was over a couple days, but I don't use a dosing pump and I guess it could have been too much stress.

Why would red sea foundation elements suggest alkalinity of 11.5 anyway? That seems high from what alot of people say.

Should I stop trying to dose to get it that high?

Also, is there anything I can do for the finger leather and brain? They look like death.

 

[Mtrimble7]

This is all solid advice. Thank you.

It seems like the consensus is I should stop dosing for now and wait for things to stabilize?

The levels weren't bad before, but I wasn't getting growth and happy corals... That's why I actually started with the alkalinity in the first place.

 

[mh393r]

I personally wouldn’t dose a tank that young and without a load of sps imo is over kill... do weekly water changes without dosing for a month or so and sea where you land... don’t give up roller coasters are fun for the most part

 

[jda]

Just get stuff right and see how the corals do. You cannot really do anything directly to help them other than slowly get your tank back on track. If you chase too much more to try and save these too, then the rest could suffer as well.

Never, ever, trust a vendor or manufacturer. Ever. Not even a BRS video. Guidance is one thing, but unequivocal trust is not a good idea. Even people who mostly mean well, like BRS, have made some materials mistakes in their recommendations and videos. Most manufacturers make misleading claims about their products, some have their own interests in mind and all of them are not as good as most of the people who have been keeping tanks for a long time.

Start reading up on 2 part dosing system, kalkwasser system or a calcium reactor. You are going to need one some day, so have an idea if what you want to do when this happens. Coralline can really use a lot of alk, magnesium and calcium when it is going well.

 

[Mtrimble7]

T

I personally wouldn’t dose a tank that young and without a load of sps imo is over kill... do weekly water changes without dosing for a month or so and sea where you land... don’t give up roller coasters are fun for the most part

Thanks. I'm trying not to be a baby over it. This is my 3rd attempt in the many years I've been doing this and I feel like I've tried everything. I'm at my whit's end and my wife has been doubting me for a while now... My biggest hang up with all this is they weren't exactly thriving before I started messing with these values. And I spent all this extra money on all the nice stuff and I followed all directions to the T that I could get my hands on.

 

[Mtrimble7]

Just get stuff right and see how the corals do. You cannot really do anything directly to help them other than slowly get your tank back on track. If you chase too much more to try and save these too, then the rest could suffer as well.

Never, ever, trust a vendor or manufacturer. Ever. Not even a BRS video. Guidance is one thing, but unequivocal trust is not a good idea. Even people who mostly mean well, like BRS, have made some materials mistakes in their recommendations and videos. Most manufacturers make misleading claims about their products, some have their own interests in mind and all of them are not as good as most of the people who have been keeping tanks for a long time.

Start reading up on 2 part dosing system, kalkwasser system or a calcium reactor. You are going to need one some day, so have an idea if what you want to do when this happens. Coralline can really use a lot of alk, magnesium and calcium when it is going well.

Starting now, religious weekly water changes, and just using coral pro salt like before. I will give updates if anything changes. How will I even know when to start dosing?

 

[happyreefer101]

Check your salinity. Adding chemicals constantly affect/alter salinity. Also, alkalinity at 8 is not a bad #. My is at 8.3 and my corals are happy.

 

[mh393r]

Starting now, religious weekly water changes, and just using coral pro salt like before. I will give updates if anything changes. How will I even know when to start dosing?

I only dose my mixed reef and didn’t start dosing til yr 2 of the tank I have never dosed my softie tank water changes do the job just fine

 

[Mtrimble7]

Some people on my Facebook reef group suggested letting nitrates and phosphates raise up a little? Both are undetectable in my tank right now. I can remove my chemipure and purigen and feed more if dirtier water would help?
Sorry for all the questions there is just SO much information and I'm trying my best to do the right thing.

 

[Mtrimble7]

Salinity is consistent.

Check your salinity. Adding chemicals constantly affect/alter salinity. Also, alkalinity at 8 is not a bad #. My is at 8.3 and my corals are happy.

 

[jda]

You know when to dose when the alk is dropping every day.

Low N and P is not a problem, but using media to get it low can be a problem since they remove too much. Nature will almost always keep a natural equilibrium to keep the ecosystem going and never get to true zero. Media and chemicals can. I would not use media and chemicals at all unless you have a super specific reason and you are talented enough to do it.

 

[Mtrimble7]

You know when to dose when the alk is dropping every day.

Low N and P is not a problem, but using media to get it low can be a problem since they remove too much. Nature will almost always keep a natural equilibrium to keep the ecosystem going and never get to true zero. Media and chemicals can. I would not use media and chemicals at all unless you have a super specific reason and you are talented enough to do it.

So NO carbon at all and just protein skimmer? Or just remove the chemipure and purigen? Won't the water look dirty as well without the polisher?

 

[jda]

The water should not look dirty or you are doing something wrong. Polishing is just that... doing it all the time is probably not good. BTW - both chemipure and purigen are not just carbon.. there is GFO and ion grabbing stuff in there. Just carbon alone is probably fine, but the other stuff should only really be used if you have an acute issue that you are looking to solve. They should not be used just to be used.

 

[F i s h y]

It appears that your parameters aren't really that far from "norm" I hate chasing numbers. I know that in some instances leather corals give off chemicals intended to stunt other coralfrom growing. This mostly affects other soft coral. Which is what you are describing. Perhaps its as simple as coral warfare and not water parameters.