Having some issues, advice please.

[Chyendra]

So I've been having several small issues with my tank, that don't seem to be going away.

 

System specs

 

30 gallon hex tank ~25 gallons of water & 25 lbs of LR (15lbs LR & 10lbs of base when started, attached together with superglue (gel) and epoxy (aquamend)) barebottom

150w MH 14,000K 9hr photo period.

Penguin 150 HOB with nothing in it but a bag of carbon that gets changed every 2 weeks.

aquaclear powerhead at bottom of tank

stealth 100w heater.

I use RO water from the grocery store, and IO salt. Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, and phosphate are a 0 in WC water.

Been running 2 months.

Most recent water tests.

Ammonia 0

Nitrite 0

Nitrate 20ppm

pH 8.2

Alk 14 dKH

Cal 470

Phosphate 1.0ppm

temp 79-82 depending on the time of day

SG 1.024

 

I dose a small amount of Seachem reef complete and kent marine probuffer dKH when my cal or alk levels gets low (I've only dosed once so far)

 

Stocking levels:

1 chromis, 1 firefish, 2 hermit crabs, 5 astreas, 1 peppermint shrimp. I feed small amount of mysis and cyclopeeze everyday, and the fish eat most if not all of it.

corals: ricordea, toadstool leather, pulsing xenia, Discosoma (rhodactis?) sanctithomae, green striped mushrooms, Rhodactis Indosinensis (bleached), GSP, Cynaria (or lobo?), sm amount of cheato

 

 

Here are my issues.

 

1) My Phosphate and Nitrate levels have been consistently high even before I got the second fish. First I thought my salifert test kits were too old, and not accurate, so I had my LFS test my water and they still tested high. this was 3 weeks ago, so I thought maybe it just needs more time, and I kept my water changes at about 15% once a week. Last week, I tested and they were still high (nitrate 20 and phosphate 1.0) so I did Two 15% water changes about 4 days apart, and tested my water 2 days later, and they were STILL the same. I added cheato about 3 weeks ago hoping it would help, but it hasn't really grown much at all. is there anything that could be leaching phosphate into my tank? Should I do more water changes??? I'm at a loss.

 

2) I've had my ricordea frags for a month, and I still have 3 that won't attach to a rock, (and I've tried everything) most recently, I've had them loosely covered by wedding netting for the last 2.5 weeks and 1 of the 4 attached. Also, some that were previously attached have detached themselves. The ones that are attached, however, are colorful and look healthy. It is driving me CRAZY that they won't attach. I hate seeing my tank full of netting.

 

3) About 3 weeks ago I added a rock with 2 heads of Rhodactis Indosinensis that looked a little bleached but I hoped they would recover. I've tried feeding them cyclopeze, keeping them in an area out of direct light or flow, but they seem to have only gotten worse. I would hate to scrape them off the rock and throw them out, As I would really like to seem them recover. About 1.5 weeks after I added the new Rhodactis, my original Rhodactis sanctithomae detached itself from it's rock. Previously it was often open, and large, and beginning to really show some pretty color. Now, its shrunken, detached and It looks like it's "foot" is gone. I REALLY don't want to loose this coral. It still has color, but I don't know how to help it reattach.

 

4) my pulsing xenia I got about 2 weeks ago, still seems healthy, but it doesn't pulse as much as it used to.

 

5) I have some nice rocks with purple coralline and I'm hoping it will spread, but so far it hasn't. I haven't had much of an algae problem, except this weird, brown/green coralline algae. It looks like coralline algae, as it has been growing in small circles all around my tank, it's hard like coralline algae, but it's this nasty puke green color, and I don't want it to over take my pretty purple and pink coralline.

 

6) my fish, shrimp, leather coral, GSP and mushrooms seem happy. The bleach cynaria I rescued from the LFS is looking better everyday, and is getting fleshier and pinker.

 

I can take pictures of anything that would be helpful for a diagnoses... I've never had these problems with my previous tank.

[onefish2fish]

1. could be from your RO/DI water

2. they should eventually attach with patience

3.idk

4. flow rates seem to effect pulsing

5.?

6.is this even a question?

 

and id like to see a FTS

[Chyendra]

here's a FTS and some side shots... Forgive the corals because they were asleep for the night and I turned the light on them to take a picture, so most of them are closed. I'll try to get a better shot tomorrow after they've been open a few hours.

 

FTS

 

Front panal

 

right side

 

left side

 

weird algae

 

6 isn't a question i guess, just.. its weird that some of my corals are fine while others aren't

xenia are in a medium flow area, and their heads sway a little bit

I've been patient with my unattached rics... but why are some detaching?

[r20crazy]

Phosphates:

what are you feeding and how often? If you are feeding frozen foods the liquid they are packaged in almost always contains phosphates, this liquid should be drained off b4 feeding.

Nitrates:

are you using any 'sponges, bioballs, polly filter' etc? these tend to be nitrate factories. also if you are feeding to much...

[Chyendra]

i think i might have been feeding too much, so I cut back. I didn't know about the frozen liquid being a problem, I usually just drop a small chunk in and it thaws in the tank. I will thaw it seperately and drain it from now on... well at least the mysis I'm not sure how I should do that with the cyclopeze. I feed my fish everyday because my chromis was really skinny when I got him. He's better now though. I feed probably 1/3 a cube of mysis (cubes are like.. 1.5cm long) and 1/2 peasize amount of cyclopeze now.

 

I don't have any sponges or filter pads, only a mesh bag with carbon in it, and some wedding mesh holding my rics in place.

 

any other thoughts?

[r20crazy]

the phosphates are from the frozen mysis liquid, drain it all of as much as possible PRIOR to feeding. Cyclopeeze is supposed to be phosphate free.

 

Nitrates are from the uneaten food, becasue you are feeding to much. feeding should be every few days, especially with no skimmer. I feed my tank/fish every 3-4 days if they are lucky. one cube of mysis drained, feeds my 4 small tanks for a week.

 

drain the frozen food and cut your feeding WAY WAY back. then the waterchanges should start showing some results.

 

and FYI, stay away from DT's Phyto, its even worse in terms of phosphates

[r20crazy]

as for the rics, easy way is to put them in something like a soap dish with rubble on the bottom, put rics in with the rubble. they should easily attach within a few days to the rubble, then glue rubble to wherever you want ric to be. to get rics to attach to the rubble, LOW LOW flow is best, as its hard to attach to something if its getting tossed around constantly

[r20crazy]

some of your corals are not happy because of the high nitrates. nitrates shouldn't be more than 0-1 in a reef tank. high nitrates=stressed corals

[Chyendra]

Thanks for the feeding advice, i will try to cut back, but my fish just seem so hungry. I don't want their bellies to look sunken in like when I got them I'm not feeding DT's, but I'll keep that in mind

 

Also, I've tried putting my rics in a dish with rubble, for the first 2 weeks I had them and it didn't work. Some attached, but I have a few that are refusing to attach to anything.

 

I will keep doing my water changes, and cut back on feeding. how much and how often can I do WCs with out further stressing out my corals? If I get my nitrates/phosphates down, will my rics and rhodactis be more likely to reattach?

 

anythougts on the yucky coralline? anybody else have this problem?

 

Thanks

[Chyendra]

bump for question about brown coralline.

 

I cut back my feeding to every other day, and did 35% WC yesterday. My nitrates were less then 10 and my phosphate was less then .5, today, so it's getting better, but I'm not sure how often would be ok to do large water changes. It was suggested that I supplement with trace elements in case my ricordea weren't getting what they needed from IO, so I started doing that as well, oh and I took out the carbon in my HOB in case it was taking out minerals they might need.