HELP!! SPS Dying

[OAcalgary]

your Alk value needs to be up. at least 9 and your nitrate is a major major problem. since the nitrate is 25ppm = parts per million. it is very difficult to do 25% water change for the numbers to go down... and also, when your test is shown this figure, your LR has already absorb some of the nitrate, so your total nitrate should be LR absorbed nitrate+ 25ppm + error on test kit. i will not purchase SPS if you have a testable number in nitrate.

you can try using RO water for water changes, in large amounts, like 40-50% weekly, plus a full blown refugium. in the mean time, the skimmer is just going to lower DOM's = the inital organics that make nitrate, but in my experience, a 25%nitrate reading will not be lowered by anykind of skimmer alone.

so my opinion is 3 things. water change in large quantities, refugium and RO system.

Cheers