I Suck at SPS. Help please. :(

[canadianbudz604]

i wanna follow along on this one, im a newb at sps. however i havent had one bleach out or brown out yet

[daniella3d]

I think your corals are starving. You should try zeovit amino acids and coral vitalizer, a little drop each day. That really revived the color of my coral.

Your calcium is too low.

I used Chemiclean a few times without any effect on my corals, SPS or LPS or soft or even the gorgone. The only thing that hapened was that one of my photosynthetic sponge in my nano went white and I thought it would die but it has recovered since, fortunately. I will never use Chemiclean in that aquarium again because that sponge is precious to me (unavailable for sale) and I don't want to lose it but none of my SPS were affected. Photosynthetic sponges are often in symbiose with type of cyanobacteria and thus some sponge may be affected by Chemiclean by losing their symbiotic partner.

I suspect the corals need acclimatation to the new light and they are just plain starving.

[Enigma]

You must be reading my mind, Daniella.

I realized, around 15 minutes ago, that I haven't fed my SPS in weeks! I just dosed Pohl's Coral Vitalizer, Fuel, and Microvert. In trying to choke out the cyano bloom (which has been ongoing since August) and algae, I seriously reduced my SPS feedings, and then quit altogether.

[molotov]

it kinda sounds to me like you dose a lot of things. I guess you're trying to beat your cyano problem. I've read that you shouldn't dose anything in your tank you can't test for.

I've also noticed a lot of the tank of the month people on reef central feed don't feed their corals at all. Check out the recent TOTM on RC.

I'm a total newb and I don't do much with my tank and everything is growing beyond my expectations.

Are you running GFO, to combat your algea problem? Perhaps Cheato to help reduce phosphates? Also I don't even need to ask as I'm sure you're using RO/DI.

I guess what I'm getting at is I don't put anything in my tank except food for the fish. I also beat a nasty GH algea problem with regular water changes GFO, Cheato and patience. I find that just keeping it simple goes a long way.

I'm sure I haven't said stuff you don't already know. It's just nice sometimes to be reminded.

[Enigma]

I don't dose anything that I can't test for, with the exception of the Chemiclean (the ingediants of which are a closely guarded secret). Even the food I add to the system can be tested in a way: through testing the biproducts of it (nitrate and phosphate).

In an ULNS (which this system has sucessfully now become, and this has me very pleased), it is important to feed SPS. To give you an example of how low nutrient this sytem is, I haven't had to clean the glass in nearly two weeks. There is zero algae in this tank (though there is still a little bit of cyano).

[daniella3d]

Also I have noticed that feeding my corals with zeovit amino acid and coral vitalizer does not make the cyano worse. The best way to get rid of cyano is to syphon it out on a very regular basis. It just disapear with time.

I think with a ULN it is a must to feed. I don't think anyone with a zeovit tank with ULN are not feeding their corals or they would just have poor growth. Corals need more than just light.

It is also normal with a ULN to have pale corals in color. Zooxanthellea die and corals need feeding.

Chemiclean is an oxidant. It does not contain antibiotics. It will get rid of the dissolved organics in the tank, and that's what cyano feed on. I use it in my main tank a few times per year just to help to clean extra dissolved organics and get rid of it. I always use less than recommanded as it makes the skimmer go wild.

Originally Posted by Enigma

I don't dose anything that I can't test for, with the exception of the Chemiclean (the ingediants of which are a closely guarded secret). Even the food I add to the system can be tested in a way: through testing the biproducts of it (nitrate and phosphate).

In an ULNS (which this system has sucessfully now become, and this has me very pleased), it is important to feed SPS. To give you an example of how low nutrient this sytem is, I haven't had to clean the glass in nearly two weeks. There is zero algae in this tank (though there is still a little bit of cyano).

[Aquattro]

I don't feed my corals regularly in that while I use Zeovit, I often forget to add the drops for months at a time. If you've got fish, you feed the corals. They really like light too, and at the levels you're running the SOL, they may be starving for light.

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by molotov

and patience.

And you call yourself a newb. You already know the secret.

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by daniella3d

I think with a ULN it is a must to feed. I don't think anyone with a zeovit tank with ULN are not feeding their corals or they would just have poor growth. Corals need more than just light.

This is where it gets tough online. I completely disagree with this. So now what is Shelley supposed to think? I don't feed, I've been throwing frags out the window stuff is growing so fast.
Sufficient light, feed the fish, regular water changes and then stand back and watch them grow!

[camaro7019]

Its your ai sols, they are not on bright enough, i had this problem with mine, i switched from 2 150 watt metal halides to 2 ai sol's and i started them at 50% on blue royal and white 12" from water, i started getting rapid tissue necrosis on my main acropora colony, i thought maybe it was to much light, but then i noticed my green star polyps were going brown, i still thought too much light but i thought na cant be, so i kicked them up to 80% guess what, it was the light lol my green starts are growing so fast, my sps are growing like crazy!!! turn your lights up man, atleast to 50-60%