I Need Some Comments

[reefmatenate]

ok folks heres my current setup I need some advice feel free to comment,burn or tell me to just give up!

my tank is a 65 gallon marineland
sump consists of a 15 gallon rubbermade tote
euroreef rs80 skimmer
400 watt 15k xm MH not sure of manufacturer....
192 watt PC 96ac 96 10k coralife fixture disassembled
cap2200 return from sump
seio m620
aquaclear model 70 and 110
modded mj900
unmodded mj1200
fluval 204 only running carbon and phosban

aquamedic 400 watt digital heater
temp consistent between 79.7-80.5

params are as follows FINALLY

SG 1.0245 science grade fracto
the following tests were done using Aquarium Pharmaceuticals test kits

cal-480
alk 9 dkh
trates 10
ammonia 0
phosphates 0
ph 8.2
I use RO/DI water for topoff and do five gallon weekly water changes with coralife salt (just switched from oceanic)

to this date I have had a heck of a time keeping sps as they would all RTN, STN back when my alk was around 4dkh

I use kent two part to supplement and baking soda when needed
i dose kents zooplankton and phytoplankton once weekly
I also dose coralvital once a week

livestock is following

1 kole tang
1 4 stripe damsel
a few snails and blue legs unknown numbers because they die ETC

corals are, flowerpot, anthelia, pearl bubble, starburst polyps, branching type torch, yellow acropora unsure of the species. and also a tubinaria

any comments on my setup and anything I can change to make things more stable Ive been considering probidio suggestions THANKS!

[distallassazn]

everything seems in good range

[reefmatenate]

thanks! still looking for more additions certainly someone can offer some oppinions? Ive been considering switching salts and today i bought a 5 gallon bucket of coralife salt switching from oceanic I hope this is a good idea I will be posting pics as soon as i find my digi thanks again

[zuzecawi]

How often do you feed your fish? How old is your tank? 10 on the nitrates isn't high but it certainly isn't optimum either, a lot of sps are very picky about that. I notice with mine that they aren't as radiant in color when my nitrates hit about 5, I usually start doing water changes at that point. I used Oceanic for a while but really didn't like it, I had high calcium but very low ph with it, and my corals weren't as well colored as they are now that I switched to Pacific Coast Imports salt. Which, seeing as I live in Oregon, is very cheap. The only bummer for me on switching salts was I have to dose more with calcium. What are your magnesium levels at? Do you have a Mg test kit? What is your morning to night ph swing?
IME/IMO Kent phytoplankton and zooplankton are good for nothing but muddying your water. If you're going to dose phyto, might as well do it with the live, fresh stuff. You can get it easily enough on eBay from several different small time people, and you know it's fresher than anything on any LFS store shelf unless the LFS is culturing it themselves. As to zooplankton, you can also buy live rotifers on eBay or several places on the internet.

The phosban might also be the culprit. Several people have had problems with that stuff and SPS or clams. If you're using RO/DI water, doing frequent PWC's, and don't overfeed, there's no reason you can't get away with not using that stuff.

Not an expert, just an idiot with a keyboard!

[reefmatenate]

Thanks for the comment zuzecawi this is what I was looking for. I will definetely look into what you mentioned about the live fresh stuff any particular person to look for on ebay? Phosban causing problems hmm? I haven't heard that although Im sure its a possibility. I definetely don't overfeed although I do try to keep a schedule. Im going to try doing more waterchanges and less additives. Heres my question and I'll probably post this in the chemistry forum but am I correct in thinking that if I mix one gallon of fresh saltwater from my Coralife salt and test that then would it tell me what amount of baking soda or other additives I would need to bring my params up to par I ask this because alk is always depleted quickly and I do five gallon water changes weekly THANKS AGAIN

[zuzecawi]

I'd have no clue about that, I don't add baking soda to my tank (for some reason, maybe my substrate, or the cultured live rock, even with RO/DI water my alk is ALWAYS around 10dkh-12dkh). But I definitely am an advocate of more water changes and less additives. I got my rotifers from Davyk182 on eBay, and my phyto from chenevey. Both sellers were super fast shippers, both sent directions for care with the items, and Davyk182 sent a cool little homemade sieve for the rotifers and food to keep them going. Davyk182 even threw in a free heatpack.

Check on the chemistry forum about the phosban too, I'm sure somebody there can explain why it causes problems sometimes. I think it depends on the flow rate, but again, I've never used the stuff (my reef is remarkably low tech) so I really don't know enough to comment too much on it. Check out Randy's 2 Part solution while you're there as well. I have my own version but people really rave about Randy's for good reason!!! The guy is great about answering questions.

Hope this helps