This is just an educated guess on my part, but if you can't rule anything else out besides flow, contamination, stray voltage etc it could help.
LPS keep dying
- Thread starter Pufferlover95
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- coral dying corals help lps reef tank
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Lps don’t need crazy lighting
80 - 100 on sandbed
200 - 250 at top of rocks
150ish mid tank
No peaks and valleys, just ramp up for a hour. Run the setting constant. Ramp down an hour
Run blue/violet only for a while and it might help with your algae issues. Everything else on zero. The corals will do great on blue/violet only with 100-200 par
And the channels should be equal for now. Light blue royal blue and violet run them equal percent.
Try it
80 - 100 on sandbed
200 - 250 at top of rocks
150ish mid tank
No peaks and valleys, just ramp up for a hour. Run the setting constant. Ramp down an hour
Run blue/violet only for a while and it might help with your algae issues. Everything else on zero. The corals will do great on blue/violet only with 100-200 par
And the channels should be equal for now. Light blue royal blue and violet run them equal percent.
Try it
So what is the par level then? lps are very adaptable, all of mine are under metal hallides, my lps are all in high lighting and high flow. I've seen lighting and flow mentioned a lot on this thread - don't underestimate the importance of the lighting and flow.
You can give it just what it needs to survive, or you give it abundance and let it thrive.
LPS are very adaptable. I know Cherry Corals grow the majority of their encrusting LPS on pretty low par.
I also use AFR (the mix your own powder). I am surprised your alk is above 9 considering how large the tank is and the dose volume. How often do you do water changes?
Your magnesium is low, but not melt your corals low. IO salt mixes to about 1320 magnesium or thereabouts, so when you say a steady alk and calcium, how steady are we talking?
It's hard to tell with that lighting if that's cyano for sure. I see bubbles, which can also be indicative of dinoflagellates. You mentioned Chemiclean - normally that stuff knocks cyano out fairly quickly (from what I have read here). If it's still around, are you sure it's bacteria?
I agree the Nopox may not be helping. It's hard to say for sure, but the Nopox, chemiclean, and lower lighting combined may be starving your corals.
I had good luck with the Nero 3 on a pulse mode. I made it so one goes on for 5 seconds, then the other turns on 1 second before the first one ends, etc. It gave a nice wave motion. You could try increasing your flow or upgrading pumps.
May want to consider an ICP test to rule out any heavy metal contamination.
One of the drawbacks of forums like these is a bunch of randos comes out of the woodwork with solutions. I mention everything above only for consideration, since it's impossible for me to have the full picture.
Whatever you change, it's one more change for your tank, so do one thing at a time (i.e. increase your lighting, or stop nopox, or change flow, but not all 3 simultaneously so you can identify if it's helping).
I also use AFR (the mix your own powder). I am surprised your alk is above 9 considering how large the tank is and the dose volume. How often do you do water changes?
Your magnesium is low, but not melt your corals low. IO salt mixes to about 1320 magnesium or thereabouts, so when you say a steady alk and calcium, how steady are we talking?
It's hard to tell with that lighting if that's cyano for sure. I see bubbles, which can also be indicative of dinoflagellates. You mentioned Chemiclean - normally that stuff knocks cyano out fairly quickly (from what I have read here). If it's still around, are you sure it's bacteria?
I agree the Nopox may not be helping. It's hard to say for sure, but the Nopox, chemiclean, and lower lighting combined may be starving your corals.
I had good luck with the Nero 3 on a pulse mode. I made it so one goes on for 5 seconds, then the other turns on 1 second before the first one ends, etc. It gave a nice wave motion. You could try increasing your flow or upgrading pumps.
May want to consider an ICP test to rule out any heavy metal contamination.
One of the drawbacks of forums like these is a bunch of randos comes out of the woodwork with solutions. I mention everything above only for consideration, since it's impossible for me to have the full picture.
Whatever you change, it's one more change for your tank, so do one thing at a time (i.e. increase your lighting, or stop nopox, or change flow, but not all 3 simultaneously so you can identify if it's helping).
Pufferlover95
Active Member
Last time I checked I had 75-100 on the sandbed, 100-200 low middle to high middle. This was a while ago though and I’ve rearranged my scape so maybe I’ll remeasure.
Good news is I don’t have that, just a simple ramp up/down and and constant during the day.
Pufferlover95
Active Member
Last time I checked I had 75-100 on the sandbed, 100-200 low middle to high middle. But that was a while ago and I’ve redone my Aquascape, so maybe I’ll recheck later today for an updated reading.
kenchilada
Palytoxin Abuser
I m convinced there’s a bot that replies to every thread claiming the problem is stray voltage
Pufferlover95
Active Member
Not routinely. I would do them if waste nutrients were steadily elevating, or if the big three elements were declining despite dosing. Since starting NOPOX my NO3 has been relatively constant.
To be honest, I never really get what the bucket says when mixing even though I use an electronic checker to make sure I’m at the right salinity.
My Alk ranges between 8.5 and 9.5 usually, but has not dropped below 9 since the end of March.
As for Ca, range is between 410 and 470, and it has not been below 400 also since the end of March.
At this point no, I’m not sure. Considering I’ve used Chemi-clean multiple times to no help it may be something else.
Last edited:
1. Increase your Mag to range of 1400s
2. Don't try to chase number for Nitrate/ Phosphate. Just feed the fish every other day. Don't even care to check . Stop no pox etc.
3. Ensure your PAR is at 100 - 150 at Sand Bed.
4. Add Microbacter 7 weekly(To ensure good bacteria is more and reduce bad bacteria
Once you do all the above do Cipro treatment ( to ensure bad bacteria is reduced/killed
5. Do a Cipro treatment once , just add 500mg + 500 Amoxicillin to 50 ml Rodi. Add 5 ml(considering 80 gallon) every night five days straight; Skimmer can run without cup, stop UV
Things should be good then. Idea is husbandry is important and start doing water changes biweekly .
If still not helping out, do a ICP test to rule out other parameters
2. Don't try to chase number for Nitrate/ Phosphate. Just feed the fish every other day. Don't even care to check . Stop no pox etc.
3. Ensure your PAR is at 100 - 150 at Sand Bed.
4. Add Microbacter 7 weekly(To ensure good bacteria is more and reduce bad bacteria
Once you do all the above do Cipro treatment ( to ensure bad bacteria is reduced/killed
5. Do a Cipro treatment once , just add 500mg + 500 Amoxicillin to 50 ml Rodi. Add 5 ml(considering 80 gallon) every night five days straight; Skimmer can run without cup, stop UV
Things should be good then. Idea is husbandry is important and start doing water changes biweekly .
If still not helping out, do a ICP test to rule out other parameters
Pufferlover95
Active Member
I’m going to try slowing doing all of this including an ICP test and tankDNA.
You do cipro and amox mixed together ? I have not heard of this. But also I have not gone out of my way to look.
Does anyone else combine cipro and amoxicillin ?
Also to OP if you do use cipro, remember that intense reef lighting breaks it down and carbon absorbs it. So remove carbon, and add the dosages at night. And reduce lighting for the 5 day treatment period. Keep the unused cipro mixture in the fridge
I had a torch issue recently and I wanted to save it + didn’t want it infecting my lps tank, I did cipro treatment followed by chemi clean. It don’t save the torch but nothing spread. I had no I’ll effects from the treatment except one favia frag became stressed. Other favia were fine, not sure if it was related but can’t be ruled out.
If you don’t have cipro or amoxicillin I can give you a site to order from, and while you wait for the delivery you can work on the other things
Yep I do both for in tank. I have a mixed reef. No I'll effects. Have been doing this for a while. Not very often. Like once in six months to keep bad bacteria away.
I do KFC dip when adding anything new to the tank.
I would personally hold off on dosing antibiotics until we know there is a bacterial issue? Cipro in my eyes is for very specific treatment use cases (i.e. torch coral infection) and we should be judicious in use of any antibiotic. I also don't know that microbacter 7 is necessary.
Not trying to muddle the mix for you; I just bristle at antibiotic use without a clear diagnosis or pathogen you're targeting. That's how we get MRSA and other nasties long term.
No disrespect intended.
Hopefully whatever it is you are able to narrow it down.
Not trying to muddle the mix for you; I just bristle at antibiotic use without a clear diagnosis or pathogen you're targeting. That's how we get MRSA and other nasties long term.
No disrespect intended.
Hopefully whatever it is you are able to narrow it down.
Agreed, certainly should have UV, violet, Royal Blue and blue all at 100%, I personally still like some white at say 20% on lps and 5-10% on green and Red. Green and red will grow alage if high in some cases but I’ve never ran a tank without any red or green. I would also slowly raise par because those lights are fairly weak. First thing to do is buy or rent a par meter to see what your current baseline is. I have always ran lights for 12 hours a day but a few hours are all blues
Pufferlover95
Active Member
Here are my most recent PAR levels taken today during peak lighting. The green is at the front of the glass, the red is in the center of the tank at different heights, and the white is towards the back of the tank also at different heights. The individual channel powers are listed also. Thoughts? @liddojunior @Mr. Mojo Rising @darrick001 @Wasabiroot @VintageReefer @SimbaAnto @Camaro Show Corals
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