Whats wrong with my tank

[dr_ fish]

I have a 34G Solana that has been setup for a few months. Everything was transferred from my previous 29G biocube. With my biocube I had nitrate issues, but corals still seemed to flourish.

Now that I have swapped everything over to the Solana nothing is growing, but nothing is dying either. My zoas havnt grown a single polyp nor are they as open as they use to be. I have a couple SPS and they seem to either be stagnant with no growth and/or polyp extension seems to be reducing.

Params:
S.G. 1.025 Refractometer
pH 8.02 RKL...Adding a CO2 scrubber to help
Cal 430 Salifert
Alk 9.3 Salifert
Nitrate .2 Salifert
PO4 0.00 Hannah checker

My skimmer seems to be doing a great job since my NO3 and PO4 are so low. I have an ATI sunpower with 6 ATI bulbs, so I should have plenty of light.

I have raised and lowered the light to see if there is any difference and I cant really say it changes anything. Is it possible that I have TOO much light? I introduced an anemone several weeks ago, it is completely healthy but seems to like to stay in the back, on the sand bed, and out of direct light.

I am stumped as to what the issue is. I tried to do everything right from the start, but the tank doesn't want to thrive.

FRUSTRATED:mad2::mad2::mad2:

 

[ripped tide]

With low nutrient, are you adding amino acids?

 

[dr_ fish]

I did buy a bottle of Elos AA's because I was thinking the same thing. I estimated by total volume to be about 40G's so I have been dosing about 10 drops per day.

Should I be dosing this with the skimmer off? The reason I ask is because I feel like the AA's are being skimmed out as my skimmate is quickly turns to look like the AA color.

Dose more, less, or does it take time for them to work?

 

[ripped tide]

I</em> don't turn off the skimmer when I dose, however it is recommended. Most if the time a skimmer will pull them out.

I can usually notice a differance in PE when I dose. It does take time to work long term(if corals are adjusting to a change)

How long ago did you start dosing?

 

[dr_ fish]

Maybe 2 weeks but I am in the middle of a tough semester at school and have forgotten a few days.

The directions say 3-6 drops per 13G's. I am thinking of upping my dose to 15 drops. IDK though. I am use to black and white explanations and dangit if this hobby doesn't fit that model.

 

[ralph atl]

I don't think you should dose that much AA...

at least do just 1/2.....until you can pinpoint it closer.

What is your lighting and how high?
what are you using for powerheads, tank only?

what are you doing for nutient export?

how many fish?

Which Hanna Checker? The 713 is not any more accurate than any good test kit, and you must be precise with insuring cuvette is spotless at all testing points and every bit of powder is in the cuvette and dissolved.

 

[dr_ fish]

mysterybox;794088 wrote: I don't think you should dose that much AA...

at least do just 1/2.....until you can pinpoint it closer.

What is your lighting and how high?
what are you using for powerheads, tank only?

what are you doing for nutrient export?

how many fish?

Which Hanna Checker? The 713 is not any more accurate than any good test kit, and you must be precise with insuring cuvette is spotless at all testing points and every bit of powder is in the cuvette and dissolved.

My lighting is an 6x24W ATI fixture with 4 blue+, 1 Coral+, and 1 Purple+ and currently about 10 inches above the water, but as I stated I have moved it up and down.

I have an MP10 set at 75% on Reefcrest mode

Skimmer is a SC65 and pulls good skimmate, my NO3 and PO4 are minimal if not zero.

I have 4 fish and 3 shrimp. 2 juvenile Picasso clowns, 1 cryptic six line wrasse, 1 yasha goby, 1 pistol shrimp, 1 cleaner shrimp, and 1 peppermint shrimp.

The Hannah checker I have is the standard one. I am ridiculous meticulous with using it for testing. I have a chemistry background and understand the importance of repetition in chemical testing. I am completely confident in my testing abilities.

 

[ripped tide]

I think that your corals are still adjusting to the over all change/ reacting to the lower nutrients.

I add two eye droppers full of amino acids to my ~120 total volume. I use the brightwells coral amino. I try to dose daily, but sometimes I do forget. Some times I double dose!

 

[dr_ fish]

Ripped Tide;794110 wrote: I think that your corals are still adjusting to the over all change/ reacting to the lower nutrients.

I add two eye droppers full of amino acids to my ~120 total volume. I use the brightwells coral amino. I try to dose daily, but sometimes I do forget. Some times I double dose!

Could it rally take a couple months though to adapt? It looks as if my corals are really unhappy.

 

[ripped tide]

It may take as long as a year for some sps to adapt to just a subtle change. The amino acids help the healing/growing process. Certain corals take a LONG time to adjust.

 

[ralph atl]

Ripped Tide;794127 wrote: It may take as long as a year for some sps to adapt to just a subtle change. The amino acids help the healing/growing process. Certain corals take a LONG time to adjust.

anecdotal at best.

When my tank is "spot on", any Coral (except Acans which my peppermint shrimp devour, lol) will acclimate and start to grow within 2-3 months. Most way less time.

I used to dose years ago, Elos AA...the only thing I got was algae, lol.

when my tank has phates below 0.3 & trates below 0.5 consistently, day after day, week after week, my corals explode since the basic requirements of 800 watts radiums, Flow w Vortechs & Calcium, Mag, and Alk are all consistent.

I have found that if you have the basics covered (again, high par lighting, random flow, Calcium, Mag, and Alk consistent), then nutrient export is usually the limiting factor.

However, I could be wrong....just never had any correlation with AA.

BTW, Dylan I still got your frag! wth?

 

[nholderried65]

im not sure but i dont think they truly know which dietary amino acids are required by corals if any at all.

and over dosing aa is a bad thing

 

[ripped tide]

nholderried65;794160 wrote: im not sure but i dont think they truly know which dietary amino acids are required by corals if any at all.

and over dosing aa is a bad thing

Why? What are the detrimental effects of overdosing? Won't a good skimmer remove most of it before things go bad?

 

[nholderried65]

it can be a food for stn and rtn in a sps tank

 

[dr_ fish]

I'm staying within the range that the directions call for to dose the AA's, so I should be fine in that dept.

Either way I'm still not sure why my zoas look so piss poor, they dont open all the way and have shown zero growth since they have been in the tank. Some are on the sandbed and some are a couple inches above on my rocks.

On a side note I made a homemade CO2 scrubber. Coke bottle with holes drilled in it and the soda lime from BRS. Connected my skimmers tubing through the bottles cap. Initially I started to see my pH raise from 7.93 to about 8.11 within a few hours. I woke up the next morning and my pH was back to 7.93 and my skimmer was going crazy, the cup was completely filled with tank water.

Does soda lime have the potential to mess with the skimmers operation?

 

[falos]

<p style="text-align:left">wouldn&#8217;t worry about over dose of aa if your skimmer is good worst thing would be a bad cyano outbreak

 

[eagle9252]

Dr. Fish;794098 wrote: My lighting is an 6x24W ATI fixture with 4 blue+, 1 Coral+, and 1 Purple+ and currently about 10 inches above the water, but as I stated I have moved it up and down.

I have an MP10 set at 75% on Reefcrest mode

Skimmer is a SC65 and pulls good skimmate, my NO3 and PO4 are minimal if not zero.

I have 4 fish and 3 shrimp. 2 juvenile Picasso clowns, 1 cryptic six line wrasse, 1 yasha goby, 1 pistol shrimp, 1 cleaner shrimp, and 1 peppermint shrimp.

The Hannah checker I have is the standard one. I am ridiculous meticulous with using it for testing. I have a chemistry background and understand the importance of repetition in chemical testing. I am completely confident in my testing abilities.

So your at 10" and no Whites? Could be wrong here but i would think to swap 2 blues for 2 whites. And maybe lower the lights if that does not help

 

[johniii]

eagle9252;794781 wrote: So your at 10" and no Whites? Could be wrong here but i would think to swap 2 blues for 2 whites. And maybe lower the lights if that does not help

Coral+ is white lamp

 

[eagle9252]

JohnIII;794787 wrote: Coral+ is white lamp

thanx, I would add another. i was told mostly the blue does nothing for growth. it's mostly for our eyes

 

[johniii]

eagle9252;794789 wrote: thanx, I would add another. i was told mostly the blue does nothing for growth. it's mostly for our eyes

The ati blue+ still has plenty of par.

I run 3 blue plus, 1 purple +, 2 blue special