ESV 2 part problems - going crazy...

[Quiverfull]

OK, I have read as many of the articles I can regarding Alk, Ca, Mg balance and I just can't seem to get my balance right... I have a 120 g 90% sps and I am running ESV 2 part - through a bubble magus doser. I have my Ca at 100 ml per day and my alk at 120 ml per day and my parameters are Alk 9.3 and Ca >500. Mg is 1150. The person who helped me set up the system has recommended my parameters be Alk 10 to 11 and Ca 450. I just can not seem to get there. Am i just getting bad advice and should I just dose the same amount of each and let the alk remain at 9? Corals look OK but look great about 24 after water change (20% every 2 weeks - Reef Crystals) then slowly decrease in growth and PE. I only test about one time per week. When the system has been out of wack before, my LFS guy says to just do a massive, 70% water change. When I do this, the corals do look better. Can anyone using 2 part and sps have any advice for me?

[bobssecrtsn]

First thing, what is your no3 and po4, ulns require very less dkH 7-8, and calcium 400-450 and mg 1300-1400. after you get your parameters in it should fall into place and you should be a happy camper.

Another note: b bionic is 1:1 ratio so you don't need to dose one higher then the other, a FTS helps with your problem as well so we know what you are dealing with. How many acros, etc.

[Quiverfull]

Nitrate and phosphate both 0 on salifert kit.

[Quiverfull]

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1439073944.493561.jpg
2 bird nest
1 large stylo
1 large scroll
2 Millie's
2 medium poccillopora
8 acros ranging from small to large.

[Quiverfull]

What is FTS?

[bertoni]

The parameters are fine as is, IMO, but you can just stop dosing the calcium part and let that level drop. The water changes might be helping with other things, like organics, phosphate, or nitrate. Euro-Reef skimmers have a good reputation. Is that part of your tank description accurate, or is this a different system?

[heathlindner25]

Originally Posted by Quiverfull

What is FTS?

Full tank shot

[Quiverfull]

Changed the skimmer to an orphek cone. Have a 100 gal Rubbermaid tube for sump about half full. The rest of the system description is the same. Again, phosphate and nitrate are both zero. Magnesium is actually 1260 (salifert) just measured.

[bobssecrtsn]

If your not getting precipitation i would leave it alone and check something else that's causing the problem. How old is your dower tubes on the rollers? After time they may loose its accuracy and dose more then you would like.

[bertoni]

The test kit might be accurate, but we do see a fair number of testing problems. I might get second opinions, but it's quite possible, and probably likely, that the problem is not the dissolved nutrients. I might add a PolyFilter, since it'll turn blue in the presence of copper, and I might check that the skimmer is working well. Checking the bubble production and the water level might be useful, and should only take a couple of seconds.

I think those corals should be reasonably compatible, so I'll have to think some more about this issue.

[Quiverfull]

The doser is about 10 months old. I might try the PolyFilter in a couple of filter socks as I do not have a chamber that all the flow goes through. I don't seem to have precipitation as my pumps don't seem to get too fouled up. I usually have to vinegar soak my mp40 wet sides about every two months. The calcium has just been this high for the past month or so. I also wonder if it is more concentrated as I am at the bottom of my 5gallon bucket of part 2. I usually buy it in bulk 5 gallon buckets. Do you think that could be the issue? I usually mix the bucket pretty vigorously before I pour it in my reservoir.

[Quiverfull]

Skimmer seems to be doing fine I have to empty the cup once or twice a week. I have to believe it is fine since my nitrate and phosphate are 0.

[bertoni]

The calcium part should mix well and it won't settle after any precipitates have hit the bottom, so I don't think it's the problem, well, unless it's contaminated for some reason, but that's unlikely.

[bobssecrtsn]

let me ask you this.. are you running carbon? or gfo? i mainly ask because you do have lps, and they tend to have chemical warfare, also, is it only your sps doing bad or all lps and sps

[Quiverfull]

No carbon, no go. My observations:
LPS - pagoda cups, and green hammer doing great. Green and purple frogspawn surviving but no purple tips and not growing.

SPS sunset and pink Millie good polyp extension and moderate growth, good coloring. Red planet most pink with little green, growth is slow but steady - mostly encrusting at the base, tri-color acro slow steady growth but poor coloring. Pink and blue milli only blue and no growth. Purple/pink/blue stylo good PE steady slow growth. Blue tort great growth, minimal to no PE and good color. Green slimmer slow growth, good color, small PE. Pink monti cap good color and slow growth, orange digi monti appears to be receding and not doing well. Yellow turbinaria great PE, good growth and color, gold turbinaria great growth and good color. ORA frogskin good growth, very washed out, little to no PE, ORA plum crazy little growth, no PE, blue coralites, brownish body, ORA purple nana minimal to no PE, good growth, blue tips, brown body, ORA joe he coral blue growth tips, brown, body, no PE but with small ?mucous strings (unless that is the polyps) slow growth. Superman monti with small area of RTN started about a month ago when calcium got out of whack.

Ricordia doing great.

Acans: one green - green hulk good color very slow growth, red fluctuates with its inflation and no growth.

Zooanthids stable, good color. Had pink palys but they are gone - not sure if something is eating them. Have several types of green and yellow Wild palys that came on live rock and grow well. Some metallic green mushrooms that are fine

Most all have fairly good PE at night except the tort. I do have a dwarf potters angel in the tank.

[Quiverfull]

I do not add any supplements and feed usually only one time per day. Fish livestock includes:
1 yellow tang
1 starry blenny
1 potters angel
3 green chromis.

Inverts:
2 peppermint shrimp
3 emerald crabs
1 Sally light foot crab
Various trochas, Astraea, few blue leg hermits.

Forgot to mention green birdsnest and green and pink poccillopora all with great PE good growth - thinking of getting rid of these as they almost grow too fast however lately not as fast with growth.

[Quiverfull]

Oh and if you did not notice, it's bare bottom. Thanks for your help.

[bobssecrtsn]

Your not running carbon or gfo? It highly impossible for your no3 And p04 to be at zero. Double check your test kit with another.

My theory, no3 and po4 is high, you do a wc and it lowers, corals are happy, fish poo and detritus builds up again behind your rock work, no3 rises with po4.

There is stories of people running skimmers only but no3 and po4 are on the higher level, given you do have a small amount of fish.

Also.. You said you have a potters angel, and you feed once a day! <~~~ put 2 and 2 together, she might be nipping at your corals. Angels do need a good amount of food

Also I would dip your tri color for any pest, they seem to be the number one food list for pest.

[Quiverfull]

Tested both nitrate and phosphate with both salifert and API kits, both kits not expired. Both reading 0 for both parameters
Phosphate:
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1439150541.176569.jpg
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1439150555.078824.jpg

Nitrate:
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1439150576.918403.jpg
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1439150590.492061.jpg

[Quiverfull]

Even checking the low scale nitrate (holding container on side) still is 0 no color.

[bobssecrtsn]

Do not rely on api, they're junk. Very very junk test kits for nitrates and po4.


If you can check your lfs and see if they can check for you. If not buy another saliferts test kit or Hanna checker

[bertoni]

I don't see any reason to believe that those numbers are wrong, given the sensitivity of those kits. I might consider trying some carbon, to see whether organics might be an issue.

[Quiverfull]

I think I am going to turn off the calcium part 2 and check calcium until that at least gets in a more normal range. Then try the carbon. I don't want to try too many things at once because I will never know what fixed the problem. Does that sound like a good plan? I know for sure my calcium is too high. The rest is just conjecture.

[Quiverfull]

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1439162354.485466.jpg

Skimmer seems to be running fine. This is about 36 hours of production.

[bertoni]

The calcium level is high, but people have run at high levels for years without problems, so I doubt that is the problem.