Monti cap discoloration

[45ZoaGarden]

Darn thanks so much I’m not gonna lie my understanding was zero point of sale was a good thing... I guess not what numbers should I aim for? Thanks!

I aim for above .05 but below .15. So I typically hover at .1

 

[Nicholas Dushynsky]

Darn thanks so much I’m not gonna lie my understanding was zero point of sale was a good thing... I guess not what numbers should I aim for? Thanks!

I'm aiming to get to 0.1 I'm at 0.03 at the moment, I'm dosing at the moment, also I'm looking to get my nitrates up to 5ppm aswel via dosing will start later today with that one, hopefully.

 

[45ZoaGarden]

I'm aiming to get to 0.1 I'm at 0.03 at the moment, I'm dosing at the moment, also I'm looking to get my nitrates up to 5ppm aswel via dosing will start later today with that one, hopefully.

You shouldn’t have to dose to get your nutrients up. An easy fix would be feeding a little more and slowing down with the wc’s. No need to do a wc once a week if you have low nutrients. Once a month should be sufficient.

 

[Nicholas Dushynsky]

You shouldn’t have to dose to get your nutrients up. An easy fix would be feeding a little more and slowing down with the wc’s. No need to do a wc once a week if you have low nutrients. Once a month should be sufficient.

I only have 3 fish and I over feed them already. It's only 23 gallon water wise, with no skimmer no sump. My maintenance consists of siphoning water out through a filter sock, into a bucket then pour the water back in and top up what I have lost through doing this. Only once a month to 6 weeks. This is why I'm going with dosing nitrates.

 

[45ZoaGarden]

I only have 3 fish and I over feed them already. It's only 23 gallon water wise, with no skimmer no sump. My maintenance consists of siphoning water out through a filter sock, into a bucket then pour the water back in and top up what I have lost through doing this. Only once a month to 6 weeks. This is why I'm going with dosing nitrates.

So where are your nitrates going? Do you have any macro algae or a scrubber?

 

[jda]

My maintenance consists of siphoning water out through a filter sock, into a bucket then pour the water back in and top up what I have lost through doing this. Only once a month to 6 weeks.

Do you not change water? If not, then what are your magnesium and strontium levels? I imagine that you keep carbonate and calcium in check, but how do you replace the other major and trace elements? These elements get depleted too and are accounted for in most no water change systems. If you do dose, how do you know that you are not over dosing them?

 

[45ZoaGarden]

Wait? You use the same water? That’s not a water change. A water change is actually taking water out and putting new water in...

 

[45ZoaGarden]

I just processed what he said ;Hilarious

 

[jda]

Get back to basics. Calibrate your refractometer and get your salinity to 35 ppt. Check your temperature controller or heater with something with mercury and put it a 78. Make sure that your carbonate and calcium test kits are accurate. Get in a decent and regular water change schedule. If you have LEDs, then stop changing them (if you ever did).

While not a single one of these things can probably do any damage, an amalgamation of them certainly can, so get them all right since there is no reason not to.

 

[45ZoaGarden]

Get back to basics. Calibrate your refractometer and get your salinity to 35 ppt. Check your temperature controller or heater with something with mercury and put it a 78. Make sure that your carbonate and calcium test kits are accurate. Get in a decent and regular water change schedule. If you have LEDs, then stop changing them (if you ever did).

While not a single one of these things can probably do any damage, an amalgamation of them certainly can, so get them all right since there is no reason not to.

+1

 

[jd-woodlands]

i had issues like this when using purigen... stripping nitrates too fast or something else that leached out. I was able to reproduce the issue several times and only ever effected montiporas. Agree with the others, nutrients either too low, or being stripped out to fast. Any media being used?

Phosphate levels should be above 0 and below .3 (most aim for .02 - .05, I run MUCH higher), you should have nitrates between 5 - 10 ppm.

 

[jda]

Forget about the N and P... you have larger problems. ...and do not ever worry about P unless you have a Hannah Ultra Low and can measure in parts per BILLION. Unless you are using a ton of Lan Chloride, organic carbon or GFO, then you have some... and some is enough... for now.

N and P worry should be about fine tuning micro level and not the macro. I know that BRS videos and the interwebs has everybody worried about it, but figure out the big stuff first, get good at it and then worry about the micro. Lights, filtration, testing, stability, skimming, reliability (of the reef and the reefer) at the macro level all need to get figured out first. Just pretend that you do not have a N or P test kit until then.

 

[45ZoaGarden]

Forget about the N and P... you have larger problems. ...and do not ever worry about P unless you have a Hannah Ultra Low and can measure in parts per BILLION. Unless you are using a ton of Lan Chloride, organic carbon or GFO, then you have some... and some is enough... for now.

N and P worry should be about fine tuning micro level and not the macro. I know that BRS videos and the interwebs has everybody worried about it, but figure out the big stuff first, get good at it and then worry about the micro. Lights, filtration, testing, stability, skimming, reliability (of the reef and the reefer) at the macro level all need to get figured out first. Just pretend that you do not have a N or P test kit until then.

N&P are VERY important. P is probably the problem. I’ve seen what low p and high p does. And it has a huge impact with coloration/growth of corals. Especially sps corals. My stuff gets angry when I drop below .05. You need a very detectable amount or your water is too sterile. Too sterile= no corals.

 

[45ZoaGarden]

If you don’t worry about it, you will lose the coral. End of story. N&p are a foundation.

 

[jda]

I am not saying that it does not matter, only that it does not matter as much as the other things that appear to be lacking. 1-2 part per billion... which is about .005 ppm. This is enough:

 

[45ZoaGarden]

I am not saying that it does not matter, only that it does not matter as much as the other things that appear to be lacking. 1-2 part per billion... which is about .005 ppm. This is enough:

That might be good for your sps but that’s is too clean for lps. There’s dinoflagellates in that sand bed of yours because your water is too sterile... this is with .15-.2 ppm of pho’s and 30ppm nitrate...

 

[Nicholas Dushynsky]

Do you not change water? If not, then what are your magnesium and strontium levels? I imagine that you keep carbonate and calcium in check, but how do you replace the other major and trace elements? These elements get depleted too and are accounted for in most no water change systems. If you do dose, how do you know that you are not over dosing them?

I am at the moment filtering the water out through a sock to try and keep the water dirtier but remove big bits and not dilute the phosphates I'm adding then putting filtered water back in. I have been reef keeping for over 14 years now and run 3 tanks. I used to do water changes every 2 weeks of 10 litres on a 90 litre system. I understand about the other elements. The issue I have is my corals or something has depleted my phosphates over time that my nsw water changes won't replenish phosphates so I have to dose them, i don't want to water them down. But in turn dosing phosphates it has lowered nitrates now so looking to dose this also. I do water changes just not as often maybe 20litres every 8 weeks to replace elements. I'm just trying to get a certain level and go from there. My other tanks dont have this issue.
My 7 gallon

My 13.5 evo

My problem tank

 

[45ZoaGarden]

I am at the moment filtering the water out through a sock to try and keep the water dirtier but remove big bits and not dilute the phosphates I'm adding then putting filtered water back in. I have been reef keeping for over 14 years now and run 3 tanks. I used to do water changes every 2 weeks of 10 litres on a 90 litre system. I understand about the other elements. The issue I have is my corals or something has depleted my phosphates over time that my nsw water changes won't replenish phosphates so I have to dose them, i don't want to water them down. But in turn dosing phosphates it has lowered nitrates now so looking to dose this also. I do water changes just not as often maybe 20litres every 8 weeks to replace elements. I'm just trying to get a certain level and go from there. My other tanks dont have this issue.
My 7 gallonView attachment 1303940
My 13.5 evoView attachment 1303941
My problem tankView attachment 1303944

Yes but those aren’t sps systems. Those are lps systems

 

[jda]

Growing coral or other growing things will use phosphates - coral, algae, pods, or any carbon based living organism. Other than this, the can bind to aragonite - this is not bad and the aragonite can act as a buffer/reservoir and release some if you change water. If you are not carbon dosing, using GFO or Lanthanum Chloride, then you have some and this is not your issue. The more time that you waste on this, the more that you have not spent finding a true cause. Unless you have a Hannah Ultra Low and it says 0 with more than one test over several days, then move on.

LPS grow so fast in my tanks that I do not even keep them anymore... sucks to cut them back and give them away. I only have a few chalices now. I do keep a few softies to propagate and sell... these are supposed to NEED dirty water too, but this is also a myth and a farcical argument and I can grow a dime sized bounce to 3+ inches in about 5-6 months.

 

[Nicholas Dushynsky]

Yes but those aren’t sps systems. Those are lps systems

I know it is an lps mainly now, it only had montipora digitata that lost I know not a true stick tank which I'm glad it wasn't, it was my first attempt at sps in 11 years of reefing so I went with cheap £20 pair of 1 inch frags.

But it looked like this a 9 months ago with great growth.

With the phosphates bottoming out I had this pale colours then stn/rtn

I still have remnants of the 2 digitata in the tank that are growing still