Chris! Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 Actually, it does. It is a part of alkalinity, so our test kits do measure it. Though, really, borate is just a buffer and doesn't really need to be added back as alkalinity, should use carbonate/bicarbonate instead hmmm I coulda swore I read that it either didn't show up somewhere... stupid internet can't ever believe what ya read Link to comment
HM3105 Posted November 9, 2015 Author Share Posted November 9, 2015 So good news, I tested my alk this morning and it read 10. I'm going to test it tonight just to make sure it's holding. So assuming my alk isn't swinging, what other reasons are there for LPS receding and zoas melting/disappearing ? Link to comment
Chris! Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 So good news, I tested my alk this morning and it read 10. I'm going to test it tonight just to make sure it's holding. So assuming my alk isn't swinging, what other reasons are there for LPS receding and zoas melting/disappearing ? Fish, pest, phosphates..... they just aren't happy with their life anymore LOL Link to comment
HM3105 Posted November 10, 2015 Author Share Posted November 10, 2015 Fish, pest, phosphates..... they just aren't happy with their life anymore LOL So either I've got a phosphate issue or my corals are suicidal......... I'm going to try and some reading on the phosphate alk connection but if I may ask you some questions that would be helpful. You mentioned earlier that having a higher alk was fine as long as my phosphates were elevated. I don't have very much algae and I run GFO. Could that be part of the issue? I realize this is guess work since I don't have a good phosphate test kit readily available but I'd like to maybe discuss some possibilities. I'm going to try and order one shortly though. Link to comment
Chris! Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Its definitely a possibility. Low phosphates can be a bad thing to if they are to low, and lps are more tolerant (and really tend to do better IMO) of slightly higher phosphates as well. Link to comment
HM3105 Posted November 13, 2015 Author Share Posted November 13, 2015 Ok I either found the problem or I am doing something wrong. I got my Salifert Po4 kit today and tested my water, I got a 0 reading? I did the test twice same answer. Is this even possible? I literally feed my fish a pinch of flake daily and that's pretty much all the food that goes into my tank. plus I've been running GFO. Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 Considering how little you feed, it's not surprising. Are any corals suffering? Link to comment
HM3105 Posted November 13, 2015 Author Share Posted November 13, 2015 Considering how little you feed, it's not surprising. Are any corals suffering? Yes, zoas melting, LPS receding but my sticks look good.... I guess I know went wrong, I stopped feeding my corals regularly trying to get my nutrients down when I was fighting byropsis and then bubble algae and now I've overshot I bet. I guess I'll start feeding the corals more often. Just need to go slow......such a simple solution.... Link to comment
Chris! Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 Considering how little you feed, it's not surprising. Are any corals suffering? +11111000010010001 0 is badddd. Link to comment
HM3105 Posted November 13, 2015 Author Share Posted November 13, 2015 +11111000010010001 0 is badddd. Well I didn't think it was possible, clearly I was mistaken. Link to comment
Chris! Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 Well I didn't think it was possible, clearly I was mistaken. Oh yeah definitely possible to strip out everything. Thats why biopellets and GFO get a bad rep. Everythings gotta eat Link to comment
HM3105 Posted November 15, 2015 Author Share Posted November 15, 2015 Well crud somehow I bleached that multicolor milli. Dang it! Advice? It has good PE so I'm assuming it'll recover.. Link to comment
Chris! Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 Well crud somehow I bleached that multicolor milli. Dang it! Advice? It has good PE so I'm assuming it'll recover.. Without knowing anything else.... time and leave it be. What are phosphates at now? Where is it in the tank, high/moderate/ lower light? Link to comment
HM3105 Posted November 16, 2015 Author Share Posted November 16, 2015 Without knowing anything else.... time and leave it be. What are phosphates at now? Where is it in the tank, high/moderate/ lower light? Phosphates still reading zero per Salifert... I've got it at the top of my rockwork next to my other Milli, I think the PAR in this area is ~220. It was originally under MH and T5 at the shop, dead center. I dipped it in Bayer and put it into the tank last night after lights out, I checked it today right as my lights came on so it never really had a chance to experience my lights and it was white. Link to comment
Chris! Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 Get your phosphates up around .03-.04 and keep them steady. Link to comment
HM3105 Posted November 17, 2015 Author Share Posted November 17, 2015 Get your phosphates up around .03-.04 and keep them steady. H Apparently my return pump impeller swelled and has a gash in it now....so I wonder how much that has to do with my tank not looking so hot... I've started feeding LRS twice a week so I'll see how that goes Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 H Apparently my return pump impeller swelled and has a gash in it now....so I wonder how much that has to do with my tank not looking so hot... I've started feeding LRS twice a week so I'll see how that goes TLF Metasorb is your friend. Link to comment
Chris! Posted November 18, 2015 Share Posted November 18, 2015 H Apparently my return pump impeller swelled and has a gash in it now....so I wonder how much that has to do with my tank not looking so hot... I've started feeding LRS twice a week so I'll see how that goes Definitely very possible that is part of the cause tho the ultra low nutrients with higher alk definitely doesn't help IMO either. Link to comment
HM3105 Posted November 18, 2015 Author Share Posted November 18, 2015 Definitely very possible that is part of the cause tho the ultra low nutrients with higher alk definitely doesn't help IMO either. Well feeding is up, GFO is out and the skimmer is turned down so here we go! TLF Metasorb is your friend. Thank you Ben, its on the list! Link to comment
Chris! Posted November 18, 2015 Share Posted November 18, 2015 Well feeding is up, GFO is out and the skimmer is turned down so here we go! Thank you Ben, its on the list! You don't want to over do it either tho or adjust it to quickly. Even though it is a "good change" you still don't want to do it to fast Link to comment
HM3105 Posted November 18, 2015 Author Share Posted November 18, 2015 You don't want to over do it either tho or adjust it to quickly. Even though it is a "good change" you still don't want to do it to fast Yeah I'm just feeding a little more, so using small piece of LRS twice a week to spot feed my corals again. I'm using the algae growing on my glass to tell me if its too much. I'll probably turn the skimmer on in a couple of days. If I start to see more algae growth then I'm comfortable with I'll add the GFO back. I only ran 3-4 table spoons anyway. Link to comment
HM3105 Posted November 20, 2015 Author Share Posted November 20, 2015 So how long do you all think before I start getting phosphates that are detectable by my test kit? Link to comment
HM3105 Posted November 21, 2015 Author Share Posted November 21, 2015 TLF Metasorb is your friend. Quick question for you Ben, lets assume my pump was running with that broken shaft for a month or more. The gash in the magnet on the impeller shaft looked rusty. I've got some corals receding and my zoas have been melting on me for a while. However, I've got other corals and BTAs which are doing fine and are still growing. Do you think the busted impeller shaft is causing the issue or is it more likely my tank may have just been too clean? I'm starting to get dark green diatoms, you know the dusty type that are easy to clean, but still no reading on the test kit. I presume that is because the algae/corals are consuming all of it. This is my least favorite part, I hate seeing these animals not doing well but I'm kind of not sure what the issue is. Probably I'm not being patient enough. Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 Could be a combination, man. I would get the TLF stuff and then work on getting nutrient up. Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.