Adventures in keeping a SPS reef

[Llorgon]

Since last time I tested my water the nutrients have gone from N - 7.8ppm to 2.9ppm and N04 - 0.14ppm to 0.08ppm

Still lots of gha, but also seeing growth of the caulerpa in the sump.

[gogeta]

Hey man! I’ve been away from Here for a while (4ish years) and just came back as I’m starting another smaller tank. I usually have quite large tanks but got bit by the bug of smaller tanks. I usually am really good at keeping sps. Anyway sorry enough of me, I’ve read through and I have one thought to provide to you.

 

IMO very few tanks need dosing phosphates and nitrates with fish and feeding and a healthy ecosystem. The reason you generally get problem algae is because of excess nutrients but what most people get confused and thinking they have very low nutrients with problem algae and I’ve learnt this the hard way too over the years and tried all sorts of things. The reason nitrates and phos usually read low is because the problem algae is out competing and utilizing it, and out competing sps for these too. There would have been a spike and started your problem algae and then it’s flourished with the excess nitrate and phos you dosed thinking they were low. If you look back your sps struggled since the beginning of the problem algae, so chances are you problem wasn’t too little nutrients it was too much, just the problem algae was smashing it. And also probably why your refugium wasn’t really growing being out competed by the problem algae and way too often people don’t light a fuge strong enough. 
 

I have an idea for you because you need to bring the tank back to homeostasis without the problem algae. Clean out as much of the problem algae as possible from the display tank, clean out your refugium as spotless as you can. Get a new stronger light for your refugium you want this area to outcompete problem algae in the display tank and it won’t happen if the display tank is a better environment for it. Grab some chaeto and put it in the refugium once you’ve cleaned it properly. You don’t have to do a full black out but for 5-7 days significantly lower your display tank lights while keeping your refugium light on strong 24/7. After the 5-7 days start ramping your display lighting back up and start lessen your refugium lighting to run for the 12-16 hours on the same schedule you have been to be opposing mostly to the display tank. Let the tank reach a homeostasis over the next month, dont dose anything other the your big 3 and feeding the fish. See if that brings it back to minimal problem algae and the refugium actually doing it’s job and the corals not having to compete with the problem algae.

[Llorgon]

4 hours ago, gogeta said:

Hey man! I’ve been away from Here for a while (4ish years) and just came back as I’m starting another smaller tank. I usually have quite large tanks but got bit by the bug of smaller tanks. I usually am really good at keeping sps. Anyway sorry enough of me, I’ve read through and I have one thought to provide to you.

 

IMO very few tanks need dosing phosphates and nitrates with fish and feeding and a healthy ecosystem. The reason you generally get problem algae is because of excess nutrients but what most people get confused and thinking they have very low nutrients with problem algae and I’ve learnt this the hard way too over the years and tried all sorts of things. The reason nitrates and phos usually read low is because the problem algae is out competing and utilizing it, and out competing sps for these too. There would have been a spike and started your problem algae and then it’s flourished with the excess nitrate and phos you dosed thinking they were low. If you look back your sps struggled since the beginning of the problem algae, so chances are you problem wasn’t too little nutrients it was too much, just the problem algae was smashing it. And also probably why your refugium wasn’t really growing being out competed by the problem algae and way too often people don’t light a fuge strong enough. 
 

I have an idea for you because you need to bring the tank back to homeostasis without the problem algae. Clean out as much of the problem algae as possible from the display tank, clean out your refugium as spotless as you can. Get a new stronger light for your refugium you want this area to outcompete problem algae in the display tank and it won’t happen if the display tank is a better environment for it. Grab some chaeto and put it in the refugium once you’ve cleaned it properly. You don’t have to do a full black out but for 5-7 days significantly lower your display tank lights while keeping your refugium light on strong 24/7. After the 5-7 days start ramping your display lighting back up and start lessen your refugium lighting to run for the 12-16 hours on the same schedule you have been to be opposing mostly to the display tank. Let the tank reach a homeostasis over the next month, dont dose anything other the your big 3 and feeding the fish. See if that brings it back to minimal problem algae and the refugium actually doing it’s job and the corals not having to compete with the problem algae.

Hey! ya, I suspect now they are reading lower since I still have the gha and the caulerpa in the sump has started growing. I actually had to prune it back last week.

 

My SPS were dying off before the gha started. The gha started after some over feeding by the house sitters while away for a week. But I agree, I was trying to correct low nutrients, went to far then overfeeding for a week while I was away and I came back to a bunch of gha.

 

Looking back through my testing logs, I got the frags in Jan along with the caulerpa. From Jan - end of june frags were growing, but caulerpa wasn't. SPS colours were never great, but they were growing. Especially the elkhorn and forest fire. During that time my nutrients were around N 2ppm and N04 - 0-0.03ppm. During the entire time I was doing weekly 10g water changes. When I got the first montipora and elkhorn when I setup the tank. I was finding anything more than 2 weeks and both corals would get dull. So I stuck with the 10g/week. Then after one water change SPS started dying off. Both RTN and STN. Nutrients were at the same levels, but it seemed like low nutrients might be the cause so I raised them. But I have noticed after every water change more corals would start to die. It then started in my stable 3 year old 25g. Except that tank didn't experience any nutrient swings. Anyways!

 

I have been meaning to do something with my refugium. It's a bit of a mess and just looks nasty. So that is definitely something on my list to do. Got any recommendations on a good refugium light?

Once I get back from my last summer vacation I am planning on adding some pods and live phyto along with MB7. I've heard that can help with problem algae and excess nutrients. Other than that, since it's mostly the euphyllia that have survived I'm looking into changing the tank over to a euphyllia/LPS dominant tank and hold off on SPS for awhile. Since the 25g is also having the same issues, I'm going to slowly move all the corals over to the big tank and turn the 25g into a frag/coral QT tank.

Here's what the tank is looking like today.

[gogeta]

What are you using for your alk too btw?

[Llorgon]

On 9/2/2022 at 8:57 PM, gogeta said:

What are you using for your alk too btw?

red sea foundations powder.

[Llorgon]

I ordered some live phyto and MB7 yesterday. I am hoping that dosing those in combination of scrubbing the rocks daily will help me get ahead of this gha

[Llorgon]

Here's the tank after a couple days of scrubbing rocks. It's starting to look a bit better. There's tons of gha in the refugium and it's starting to choke out the caulerpa. I removed a cup full of gha tonight.

 

The 2 remaining SPS that have no tissue lost seem to be doing ok. The euphyllia are still unhappy. I might try moving things around this week. The one octospawn I put on the rocks seems to be liking it.

[Llorgon]

I looked at the tank a few hours after lights out. Saw a ton of snails on the glass and an oddly large, what looked to be asterina starfish?

[DevilDuck]

I just tried Flux Rx for the first time this month. A half dose killed pretty much most of the GHA in 2 weeks for me. I run grape calupura in the sump, they were stressed but bounced back in a week after the Flux Rx was removed by carbon. Maybe something to consider if you get tired of scrubbing rocks.

 

[Llorgon]

23 hours ago, DevilDuck said:

I just tried Flux Rx for the first time this month. A half dose killed pretty much most of the GHA in 2 weeks for me. I run grape calupura in the sump, they were stressed but bounced back in a week after the Flux Rx was removed by carbon. Maybe something to consider if you get tired of scrubbing rocks.

 

I used it on my 25g as a reset when the ugly stages were at it's worst. It worked really well. I am definitely tempted to use it on this tank as a reset. But I think I am going to try and get things back on track without it first before going that route.

 

I have been scrubbing the rocks everyday and replacing the filter floss that catches all the scrubbed off stuff daily as well. After 3 straight days of that, I can already see a difference in the amount of gha on the rocks. I am away this weekend for a friends wedding so I will see what the tank looks like on Sunday.

 

My live phyto arrived yesterday and I added 10ml to the tank. I took the skimmer cup off the skimmer for awhile. Hopefully that's ok? The MB7 I ordered isn't supposed to come until Monday or Tuesday though.

 

I tried to aiptasia x as many aiptasia as I could find. I am definitely going to have to get something that will eat them.

 

I will also need to replace the one line coming from my ro/di booster pump since it seems like one of the cats has chewed a hole in it. I had water everywhere when I went to make more ro/di....Then on my formerly stable 25g I had an entire head of one of the hammer corals bail out.... so that sucked.

 

My enjoyment of the hobby is definitely at an all time low right now.

[Llorgon]

MB7 came today. I added 3 cap fulls and 10ml of the live phyto. I missed 3 days of rock scrubbing while away for the weekend, but I will get back to that tonight.

 

Some of the hammer and frogspawn are opening up more, so hopefully that is a sign things are turning around. No more tissue loss on the remaining SPS which is a good sign.

 

gha in the refugium seems to be out-competing the caulerpa. I'm not sure if I should just leave it be or look to into adding some chaeto instead.

[Reefkid88]

I would say 1 thing at a time. Let the MB7 and phyto work their magic ans give it about a week or 2 then decide what to do about the GHA. 

 

 Have you thought about adding some pods though ? Really beef up your "natural" cuc ? 

[Llorgon]

32 minutes ago, Reefkid88 said:

I would say 1 thing at a time. Let the MB7 and phyto work their magic ans give it about a week or 2 then decide what to do about the GHA. 

 

 Have you thought about adding some pods though ? Really beef up your "natural" cuc ? 

Yep, I have thought of that. I was going to wait a few weeks and see if the pod population I already have will increase with the phyto. If not I might order a varied seed pack of pods

[Reefkid88]

I tried the samw thing,and did not see pods even sustained with just phyto. Now when I added pods in my last tank,they blew up and before I knew it I had about 3-4 types of pods. Idk how it happened. 

[Llorgon]

19 hours ago, Reefkid88 said:

I tried the samw thing,and did not see pods even sustained with just phyto. Now when I added pods in my last tank,they blew up and before I knew it I had about 3-4 types of pods. Idk how it happened. 

Interesting. I would have assumed with the phyto there would be a population increase. I guess I will have to order some. I will give it a few weeks of adding phyto and MB7 first though.

[Llorgon]

Some good news is there is a small hint of green on my one montipora. It's not much, but it's there.

[Llorgon]

I'm going to need to get new lids for the tank. The hawkfish jumped out last night and landed behind the tank! Luckly I heard something weird and found it in time to get him back in the tank.

[Llorgon]

I missed a couple weeks of water testing due to holidays and a wedding. So, since I have been home on the weekend for what seems like forever I tested my tank water.

Temp: 78
Salinity: 1.026
Alk: 9.4
Cal: 490
Mag: 1500
Nitrate: 0
Phosphate: 0.05

Should I dose some nitrate to get it above 0? I still have gha growing in the display so I assume it's not actually 0. Also, my montipora is starting to get some colour back now.

Next week, I plan to do a 15g water change and get on a schedule of once a month water changes.

I lowered my dosing of all the big 3. Aiming to let them drop slowly.

As for corals, no more tissue loss in the few remaining SPS and the one montipora is slowly getting some green colouring back. Euphyllia are still unhappy though.

I've been dosing 15ml phyto and 3 capfulls of MB7 daily.

[Llorgon]

Nitrate was at 2.5ppm so I dosed a bit more. Once I get it to 5ppm, I will see how much it drops per day then I might put it on a doser.

 

I definitely need more cuc, I'm scrubbing rocks and in a few days the algae is back.

 

I can tell I am annoying the euphyllia by having to pull algae off the bases, hopefully I can get this under control soon.

[Llorgon]

I noticed last night, after lights off that I have tons of small snails all over the glass, but not a single snail on the rocks. Is that odd or is it just me? Are all these snails actively avoiding the rocks and all the good algae on them. It could just be too long for them.

 

I am seriously considering the flux rx route. At the very least to get rid of the algae around the euphyllia and then adding more cuc after treating the tank to hopefully keep the gha from coming back.

[Jaren45]

Whats your current snail/hermit count? Flux rx also works very well but I consider it a last ditch effort

[Reefkid88]

Also,grab a pincushion urchin. I had one and it DESTROYED my hair algae. 

[Llorgon]

16 hours ago, Jaren45 said:

Whats your current snail/hermit count? Flux rx also works very well but I consider it a last ditch effort

I have no hermits as I always found them to kill all the snails. For snails, there's tons of what look like stomatellas on the glass at night and then an unknown amount of trochus and cerith. Also a fighting conch in the sand, but I haven't seen it in awhile. It has been weeks since I have seen any sort of snail on the rocks. They all seem to be on the glass, but not on the back wall. Pretty much any place there is gha they aren't...

16 hours ago, Reefkid88 said:

Also,grab a pincushion urchin. I had one and it DESTROYED my hair algae. 

I've been looking for an urchin, but the place I order livestock from is sold out, still.

[Jaren45]

I would try more trochus and turbos especially if you can find them. In a tank that big, I would say around 3 dozen total crabs/snails would be a good range. In my 20g I have around a dozen hermits and a dozen assorted snails. Sounds like a lot but i'm feeding heavily and yet no gha in sight

[Llorgon]

Since for now, the coral losses have stopped I figured I would take a look at some things I need to deal with regarding the tank.

Things I want to address, probably in order

1. cyano and algae

2. Apex hasn't connected to fusion all freaking summer

3. CUC needs updating

4. Refugium needs a bit of an overhaul

5. Dosing needs to be dialed in again since the coral losses seem to have stopped

6. I have an aiptasia problem... this is in both tanks

7. Euphyllia still aren't opening or coloured up like they used to be.

 

This is a lot, but I have a plan...somewhat.

 

1/3/4. These all sort of fall in together. Right now, since the scrubbing and picking of the gha seems to be really annoying the remaining coral( it's growing on the dead tips of the space invader) I'm going to run flux rx to kill off the gha. Order a pod seed pack and add more cuc. I am going to try and get a variation of snails and urchin if back in stock. Once I have run the course of flux rx, I will clean out the refugium and add some chaeto instead of the caulerpa. I may also need to either get a new fuge light or add a second one. I will also continue the MB7 and live phyto dosing to the tank. I will switch MB7 to weekly, but continue phyto daily.

 

2. The stupid Apex just decided not to connect one day, status light is orange, but refuses to connect to wifi no matter what I try. I will probably have to reach out to support for help since I have tried everything else. Once that is connected I can increase the refugium light time.

 

5. For this, I may turn dosing off for 4 days, test on day 1 and 4, take the average and go from there. I am almost out of red sea foundations Alk. I am thinking of switching to the ESV B-ionic. I am not sure what the best way to do that is since I have a bunch of calcium left. I guess doing a quick switch of everything would be best. The red sea stuff wasn't bad, but expensive and the mixing can be a pain, it would never mix well for me.

 

6. I have been trying to keep up on this with aiptasiaX, but that just isn't doing it. I guess I have the choice of nudibranch, file fish or peppermint shrimp. This tank doesn't have too bad of a problem...yet, but my small tank has way too many. I am leaning towards peppermint shrimp for both tanks since that is the cheapest option.

 

7. I am really not sure on this one. I hope if everything else is on point then this will solve itself. If not, I can look into the par levels and flow. I do have a few SPS left so I don't want to change things up too drastically.