New 73 gallon tank setup

[Frogger]

Apparently the too much light issue is worse then I thought. About half of my acros are showing stress, I have tip dieback on my pearlberry and red planet. My aussie toxic yellow large colony has been hit hard I am not sure if it will survive, my highlighter is not looking too good.

I am wondering if the intense light (week) combined with the extremely low phosphates has caused the problem. I was running the GFO for several days with no phosphates and bright lights.

I knew the power outage affected the timer but I didn't think it would have affected the program.

I have covered my tank with a layer of transparent tracing paper to reduce the light to the corals, once they are responding well opening their polyps I will slowly remove the tracing paper.

[Bblinks]

Originally Posted by Frogger

Apparently the too much light issue is worse then I thought. About half of my acros are showing stress, I have tip dieback on my pearlberry and red planet. My aussie toxic yellow large colony has been hit hard I am not sure if it will survive, my highlighter is not looking too good.

I am wondering if the intense light (week) combined with the extremely low phosphates has caused the problem. I was running the GFO for several days with no phosphates and bright lights.

I knew the power outage affected the timer but I didn't think it would have affected the program.

I have covered my tank with a layer of transparent tracing paper to reduce the light to the corals, once they are responding well opening their polyps I will slowly remove the tracing paper.

You should see if your alk is fluctuating...I would start with that first then worry about your lights. You should also stop the GFO for a week also.

[Frogger]

Alk is at 9.5dkh. It went up from about 8.5 naturally when I brought my nitrates up. I have added very little buffer in several weeks

I haven't been using GFO since April 13, since my phosphates zeroed out.

I am currently checking nitrates, phosphates daily, alkalinity every other day and calcium twice a week.

My calcium requirements have more then tripled.

I checked everything last night

Alk-9.8dkh
Calcium- 450
Nitrates -1.5ppm
Phosphates at .006ppm or 2 ppb phosphorus on hanna ULR

[Bblinks]

Originally Posted by Frogger

Alk is at 9.5dkh. It went up from about 8.5 naturally when I brought my nitrates up. I have added very little buffer in several weeks

I haven't been using GFO since April 13, since my phosphates zeroed out.

I am currently checking nitrates, phosphates daily, alkalinity every other day and calcium twice a week.

My calcium requirements have more then tripled.

I checked everything last night

Alk-9.8dkh
Calcium- 450
Nitrates -1.5ppm
Phosphates at .006ppm or 2 ppb phosphorus on hanna ULR

If I were to guess without looking at your tank, I would think po4 might have been striped way too fast. I think you'll need to let it runs its course and don't do anything drastic, bump up the feeding a bit for sps corals using oyster feast or sps food like vitilas or any filter feeding food along that line. Wait a few days and see how the corals react.

[Frogger]

Originally Posted by Bblinks

If I were to guess without looking at your tank, I would think po4 might have been striped way too fast. I think you'll need to let it runs its course and don't do anything drastic, bump up the feeding a bit for sps corals using oyster feast or sps food like vitilas or any filter feeding food along that line. Wait a few days and see how the corals react.

I think your right. That is what I have been doing, I have upped the feeding, fed Oyster Feast last night and will do again. I am also feeding the fish several times a day. I have reduced the lighting to reduce stress.

Over the past few months the phosphate has been on a roller coaster ride, up as high as .3ppm before I dosed nitrates to absolute 0. I had to use a ton of GFO to keep the phosphates down. I was a little hesitant about taking the GFO off line too fast, I reduced it in half about 10 days ago and a half again about a week ago and I must have waited too long.

[Frogger]

My goal is to get the tank stable, its just I don't know what stable is yet.

[Bblinks]

Originally Posted by Frogger

My goal is to get the tank stable, its just I don't know what stable is yet.

It takes time to be able to read your tank and it's inhabitants. Slow and steady wins the race. Post some pics here if you can.

[Frogger]

Originally Posted by Bblinks

It takes time to be able to read your tank and it's inhabitants. Slow and steady wins the race. Post some pics here if you can.

Agreed. I thought I was taking it slow and steady, carefully monitoring the parameters, however I didn't expect the Led's to be on full for a week (normal is 75%-80% only for a short period). I also didn't expect the phosphates to drop so fast.

[Bblinks]

Originally Posted by Frogger

Agreed. I thought I was taking it slow and steady, carefully monitoring the parameters, however I didn't expect the Led's to be on full for a week (normal is 75%-80% only for a short period). I also didn't expect the phosphates to drop so fast.

Live and learn my friend....live and learn.

[Frogger]

I am attaching an image of two of the corals worst hit by the light and phosphate changes. My phosphate is still 0, not running any GFO and feeding heavily. I am going to lower my nitrates to raise the phosphates.

I have attached side by side. second picture was taken April 8. The other picture was taken today.

This is a Highlighter Acro
Attachment 15844

This is a Toxic Aussie yellow
Attachment 15845