SPS White Out help!!!

[outcastjra]

Okay I'm wasting serious cash trying to get some SPS to live and grow.
Here's my set up, 65 or 75 Gallon Reef with a lot of softies.
I have a 250DE MH. I had only 1 wave maker, but I just got a 2nd one yesterday. My SPS will not keep. I have a frag rack at the top 3/4 of the tank. This is where I have put the new frags.
My Cal is above 500, my Alk is at 6 (Too Low I know, I have been trying to get it up), salt 1.026, Temp from 79 at night to 82 Day time. My PH was low at 7.9 (I am trynig to raise that too). I did a 15 gallon water change last week.
So my questions- Why is the damn Cal so high? I haven't dosed that in months!
Why is it so hard to get my Alk up? I just started using Seachem Reef Builder. Should I dose it a lot to get it up right away, or how offten should I dose it?
Is my PH dropping because of the temps from day to night?
Also with the temp, is it an issue to go from 79 to 82? If so should I raise my heater temp to get it at 81 and hope it will just go to 82?
Any advise would be great! I love SPS and want it to live first, and grow 2nd. Have you read any red flags as to why they are not making it?
Thanks
Joel

[LunarDDS]

How long has the tank been running? I know there are several tanks that just won't hold sps till the ecosystem gets well established. What salt are you using? Some salts just have high calc from the get go. If don't have anything growing in there the cal will just stay in the water. I would also check your mag levels and see where they are at just to be sure. Using the reef builder will bring your alk up but move slowly with it. I think you are not supposed to move more than 1 full point per day or something like that.

[LISound]

what brand of salt are you using?
I wouldn't add anything else until you get a stable hand on the tank or your SPS may keep dying.
your KH is a bit low at six. I suspect your salt is high in CA.
Test a batch of make up water and give us the readings.

You may want to start the sps down a bit lower as well and move them up as time goes by.
Any new sps i get, I find out where it was placed in the previous tank and try to get it in the same spot in my system.

but let's start with the salt first.

How old is the system? When did you notice KH first dropping?

[outcastjra]

The tank has been established for over 2 years when I bought it. I transfered everything to my home a from a few miles away. I even took all the water! I have had it for about 6 months. The salt I use is- Red Sea Salt. Is this a good brand?
I noticed the drop in alk about 6 weeks ago when I got my first Acro. It's on the bottom and doing well...
I know when I got the tank 6 months ago I was using the B-Ionc part 1 and 2 for about a week. So that could be where the Cal is coming from. I have stop using that product when I noticed the low Alk and Hight Cal.

[outcastjra]

Also I just moved the rack down to 1/2 the tank. I used a turkey baseter to blow off the junk on the frags.
I have a question about bulbs. Has anyone used the Reeflux 250 Watt 12K? I hear its great.
Thanks for the help!!!
Joel

[LunarDDS]

If you are using red sea coral pro that is probably the cause. A quick look at the salt test thread is showing rea sea tests out at about 490 cal and 7 alk from the get go. This is not really a problem. I would try and get your alk up higher if you are going to run cal that high or just switch salts to something else lower in calc. The ph and temp swings are normal so I would not stress out about them. Have you tested your nitrate/ phosphates lately?

[outcastjra]

The pho and nite are 0.
I know the cal should be at 460 for SPS or somewhere around there.
What's a good salt brand for SPS? I will switch today and do another 15 gallon change.
Thanks

[LunarDDS]

I don't think that is the reason things are bleaching out. You could switch but that is not going to solve the issue. Check out the salt comparison thread at the top of this forum. Just pick out a salt that tests out close to the parameters you want to run. Lots of good salts out there. I run a mix of tropic marine pro and reef crystals. No real reason, I got the reef crystals cheap and already had lots of tropic marine so i just mix them.

where did you the frags or are they from diff places?

[outcastjra]

Different places...

[LunarDDS]

How old are the lights and what type of sps are we talking about? Some stuff is just damn hard to keep alive. Is the frag rack close to any softies? Some stuff is really aggressive and could be reaching out and touching your sps is the wrong way.

[Genetics]

Before running out to buy new salt, you should look into dripping kalk water to fix both your pH and your Alk.

Red Sea has a fresh batch makeup alk of around 6dkH. I mix it 2/3 to 1/3 IO to help with the initial alk but I also run my alk in my tank around 7.5dkH. I was recently told mixing salts is trying to accomplish voodoo so this may not be the best course of action.

[Percula9]

If you have any leather corals they can cause a problem with SPS. It's called coral warfare. Leathers produce toxins that can kill SPS. Lower the temp below 80.

[outcastjra]

I don't have any leathers... I checked my levels today, and I think I'm on the money. My Alk is up to 10 and my Cal is at 500.
So the levels are better. I didn't think one dose would get it so high so fast. I think the Seachem Products are better B-inonc.
Thanks for the advie. I will change salts. And let you know what the results are! PS I think I still want a new Reeflux Bulb...
Any Thoughts?
Thanks
Joel