Need help with my SPS.. Can't figure it out.

Reefin' Alaska · Sep 8, 2022

So my 300XL just turned a year old. Parameters have been very consistent for quite a while now, and I thought I'd start adding corals about a month ago.

I currently dose a Red Sea recipe. Change 5 gallons a week. Bare bottom.

Only 3 fish, Tomini Tang and a Flameback Angel (In 3 years of owning him, I've never seen him nip at anything but Zoa's.). Also have temporary resident from a friends 210g, a small spot face Tang that got picked on a lot. I just took him in, and all his fins have healed and he's nice and fat now. (Fish is leaving my possession end of month.)

NO3 - 3-5 (Hanna)
PO4 - .03-.04 (Hanna)
Calc - 480 (RS)
dkH - 9.4-9.8 (Hanna)
Mag - 1360 (RS)
Salinity 1.025 (Hanna)
pH - 8.1-8.25 (lights off/on. Hanna. Apex reads slightly lower all the time.)

ICP came back very close to my testing.

Lights are 3 XR15 Pro's running Reef Dudes schedule at 85% schedule, 60% intensity.
Flow is 2 MP40's at 35% reef crest. MP10 at 70% reef crest. Nero 3 at 75% random.

15ml every other day of Reef Energy AB+.

ICP came back with elevated Tin and Silicon. They recommended 6 weeks of 10% water changes for the Tin. I'm on week 5 and I will resubmit another test. Silicon was due to my RO membranes (did an RO water test as well after that.) They have been replaced and verified by Triton testing and TDS also reads 0 now. Added a 2nd DI resing canister also.

I feel like I've done everything right. Things continue to stay very consistent, but this has me perplexed a bit. If anyone might have any ideas, I'd greatly appreciate it.

HudsonReefer2.0 · Sep 8, 2022

Reads well. So are you having issues? U Nvr mentioned corals or are you looking to add but are hesitant based on the tin?

Dburr1014 · Sep 8, 2022

Kurant said:
So my 300XL just turned a year old. Parameters have been very consistent for quite a while now, and I thought I'd start adding corals about a month ago.

I currently dose a Red Sea recipe. Change 5 gallons a week. Bare bottom.

Only 3 fish, Tomini Tang and a Flameback Angel (In 3 years of owning him, I've never seen him nip at anything but Zoa's.). Also have temporary resident from a friends 210g, a small spot face Tang that got picked on a lot. I just took him in, and all his fins have healed and he's nice and fat now. (Fish is leaving my possession end of month.)

NO3 - 3-5 (Hanna)
PO4 - .03-.04 (Hanna)
Calc - 480 (RS)
dkH - 9.4-9.8 (Hanna)
Mag - 1360 (RS)
Salinity 1.025 (Hanna)
pH - 8.1-8.25 (lights off/on. Hanna. Apex reads slightly lower all the time.)

ICP came back very close to my testing.

Lights are 3 XR15 Pro's running Reef Dudes schedule at 85% schedule, 60% intensity.
Flow is 2 MP40's at 35% reef crest. MP10 at 70% reef crest. Nero 3 at 75% random.

15ml every other day of Reef Energy AB+.

ICP came back with elevated Tin and Silicon. They recommended 6 weeks of 10% water changes for the Tin. I'm on week 5 and I will resubmit another test. Silicon was due to my RO membranes (did an RO water test as well after that.) They have been replaced and verified by Triton testing and TDS also reads 0 now. Added a 2nd DI resing canister also.

I feel like I've done everything right. Things continue to stay very consistent, but this has me perplexed a bit. If anyone might have any ideas, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Soooo.... I think you forgot to say what the problem is....

Reefin' Alaska · Sep 8, 2022

HudsonReefer2.0 said:
Reads well. So are you having issues? U Nvr mentioned corals or are you looking to add but are hesitant based on the tin?

Oops, sorry, I deleted something by accident, didn't realize that got deleted too before I posted.

Yes, I bought some SPS from WWC about a month ago.

Little to no polyp extension on Acros, although besides 1 that has bleached a but from the base, they appear to all still be alive and with decent color and one is actually growing but never shows polyps.

The Monti grew initially quite a bit but has slowed too almost nothing. But it still has color, also not bleaching. Just not growing much.

Reefin' Alaska · Sep 8, 2022

Dburr1014 said:
Soooo.... I think you forgot to say what the problem is....

Indeed I did, I deleted it by accident, and forgot to add it back in. Lol.

Cali Reef Life · Sep 8, 2022

SPS can tank awhile after shipped to get back to healthy levels. If your not seeing them get worse they could be just getting used to tank. I Would take pictures every week and see if its getting better or worse. My Oregon tort frag has grown maybe quarter -half inch in two - 3 months but is encrusting. Once they encrust for a couple months they take off depending on species. You waited almost a year for coral you already mastered patients. Get some LPS or something to see if it takes off.

Lavey29 · Sep 8, 2022

Kurant said:
So my 300XL just turned a year old. Parameters have been very consistent for quite a while now, and I thought I'd start adding corals about a month ago.

I currently dose a Red Sea recipe. Change 5 gallons a week. Bare bottom.

Only 3 fish, Tomini Tang and a Flameback Angel (In 3 years of owning him, I've never seen him nip at anything but Zoa's.). Also have temporary resident from a friends 210g, a small spot face Tang that got picked on a lot. I just took him in, and all his fins have healed and he's nice and fat now. (Fish is leaving my possession end of month.)

NO3 - 3-5 (Hanna)
PO4 - .03-.04 (Hanna)
Calc - 480 (RS)
dkH - 9.4-9.8 (Hanna)
Mag - 1360 (RS)
Salinity 1.025 (Hanna)
pH - 8.1-8.25 (lights off/on. Hanna. Apex reads slightly lower all the time.)

ICP came back very close to my testing.

Lights are 3 XR15 Pro's running Reef Dudes schedule at 85% schedule, 60% intensity.
Flow is 2 MP40's at 35% reef crest. MP10 at 70% reef crest. Nero 3 at 75% random.

15ml every other day of Reef Energy AB+.

ICP came back with elevated Tin and Silicon. They recommended 6 weeks of 10% water changes for the Tin. I'm on week 5 and I will resubmit another test. Silicon was due to my RO membranes (did an RO water test as well after that.) They have been replaced and verified by Triton testing and TDS also reads 0 now. Added a 2nd DI resing canister also.

I feel like I've done everything right. Things continue to stay very consistent, but this has me perplexed a bit. If anyone might have any ideas, I'd greatly appreciate it.

I have the exact same tank. I think you might have way to much going on with light and flow. Your nutrient levels are little low to for LPS. I have a mixed reef tank. I run 2 MP40s at 40% during the day and 28% overnight in lagoon mode. I have 2 XR15 lights with diffusers at 75% schedule on the AB plus setting.

Edit - I thought you were having LPS problems not SPS. Of course SPS can take more light and flow but perhaps it is still to much. I have over 25 SPS corals for the past 8 months thriving very nicely.

Reefin' Alaska · Sep 8, 2022

Lavey29 said:
I have the exact same tank. I think you might have way to much going on with light and flow. Your nutrient levels are little low to for LPS. I have a mixed reef tank. I run 2 MP40s at 40% during the day and 28% overnight in lagoon mode. I have 2 XR15 lights with diffusers at 75% schedule on the AB plus setting.

Edit - I thought you were having LPS problems not SPS. Of course SPS can take more light and flow but perhaps it is still to much. I have over 25 SPS corals for the past 8 months thriving very nicely

You run lagoon all the time? Your MP40's on the back wall or the side?

Too much flow has been a thought. Light I think we are fairly close.. I have diffusers but haven't put them on yet.

Miami Reef · Sep 8, 2022

Temperature?

Reefin' Alaska · Sep 8, 2022

Miami Reef said:
Temperature?

78. BRS heaters, Inkbird controller.

Lavey29 · Sep 8, 2022

Kurant said:
You run lagoon all the time? Your MP40's on the back wall or the side?

Too much flow has been a thought. Light I think we are fairly close.. I have diffusers but haven't put them on yet.

Lagoon mode all the time with MP40s on the side. It ramps up to 40 during the day and down to 28 overnight.

HudsonReefer2.0 · Sep 8, 2022

I have the same
Tank too.

ScottB · Sep 8, 2022

System vintage? (ie start date)
Live rock or dead rock start?

Your numbers are fine (you know that already). Maybe a tad low on nutrient relative to your ALK, but still not the issue.

How mature is your biome?
Can you get overnight delivery of frags from FL to Alaska? That is some impressive FedEx performance if so.

Reefin' Alaska · Sep 8, 2022

ScottB said:
System vintage? (ie start date)
Live rock or dead rock start?

Your numbers are fine (you know that already). Maybe a tad low on nutrient relative to your ALK, but still not the issue.

How mature is your biome?
Can you get overnight delivery of frags from FL to Alaska? That is some impressive FedEx performance if so.

Tank started cycle Sept 20th of 2022. Dead rock, first fish went in around Thanksgiving. (He came out of a 30L Nuvo I had for over 2 years.)

Been working on getting Alk down. I use the purple RS bucket, mixes at 12dKH it's been ongoing to figure out how much is actually being consumed right now doing 10% a week. Hard to get blue buckets here with Amazon without being broken. But, it's been steadily between 9.4-9.8, so I've left it alone.

Yes, Fed Ex overnights to Alaska from FL. I haven't had an issue yet with WWC getting coral to me overnight in 3 years. *fingers crossed*