SPS Growth Puzzle

[Doug]

Originally Posted by StirCrazy

try it by holding the return line with your left hand, stand on your right foot, and stick your tongue in the water.

Or like me, put your head close to the halide reflector and then stick your hand in the water and see if an arc forms between your forehead and the reflector.

And as I cant keep acro,s alive, I have no advice on why they dont grow. They grew fine in my 90g with a pair of 250,s but not with T-5,s. However when I was laid up, the frags I had kept were in my 20g with cheap T-5,s and all though browned out, grew well. I,m assuming because the nutrients levels were increased, from the lack of filtration, {no skimmer}.

I have done things the same and had failure and visa versa. So who the hell knows. Many who have lost their sps, seem to have absolutely no explanation for it. You seem to be doing the exact same as before, but must be some little thing thats not the same, that affects the growth of your corals. Esp. with someone of your experience.

[One_Divided]

Hey Brad, I recently added more fish and started dosing MG every once in a while. I've really noticed growth take off and pigments deepen in the last 2-3 months.. When was the last time you checked MG? I have a test kit if you'd like me to bring it over some time.. I know it's one of the more expensive ones..

[Skimmerking]

I agree with divided I started to add more Magnesium and the SPS when I had them were growing fast.

I kept my mag at 1450

[Aquattro]

Ok, update and observations..

pH - 8.0
Mg - 1350ish
NO3 - non detectable
PO4 - 0.04
Ca - 450
Alk - 4.0

Ca and Alk are a touch high, but not enough to affect things and in fact are the values I used for years with great growth.

I notice that I have to clean precipitate from my pumps and power heads every 3 months. Any loose sand in my sump is solidified. Even my mesh bag with 1c of carbon had solidified.
Something is whacked with the chemistry in the tank, and not sure what.

Anyone have any experience with precipitation? I've added a small tray of sand to my sump to see if and how long it takes to solidify.

My previous sandbed turned into a slab of concrete that I removed in large sheets, some I couldn't even break up by hand.
WhenI ran a phosban reactor, even that media solidified.

Hate this freakin' tank!!

[christyf5]

I had a problem with sandbed clumping a many years ago when I was using kalkwasser. What reading I did indicated it was either precipitation or high levels of bacteria aggregating the sand together. I stopped using the kalk and broke up the sandbed, I don't remember where it went from there though as I likely had other issues at the time. There is a "test" for this by which you put a clump of sand in bleach. If it falls apart its bacteria, if not its precipitation.

I find it odd that every type of media clumps though, something odd is definitely going on in there.

I'm just working my way through this, maybe have a look and see if anything fits?

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1864522

[Aquattro]

Christy, I did the bleach test 2 years ago, it didn't break up at all. I could tell it wasn't a bacterial matrix holding it together, I could drop it and the slab wouldn't break
I have to scrap the inside of my sump walls, and even the PVC parts of my zeo reactor were completely white. Pretty sure this has something to do with the growth problem, just not sure what...

I used kalk for a while last year, then stopped and put my Ca reactor back online, no change. Not even sure where to look anymore. I had to just post on that "other" site for help

[Sebae again]

I noticed when I ran co2 24/7 my sand bed would solidify. Read somewere that mg has to be a minimum of 1300 or the corals can't use up the calcium as the proper chemical ratio is required for this to take place.With your calcium on the high side maybe try bumping up your mg a bit. I've run mg as high as 1500 and alk at 11 and had the best growth. Your alk is way to low.

[Doug]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

I had to just post on that "other" site for help

Nooooooooooo. Say its not so Brad.

My experience with precipitate,

When I lived in the country, on well water and had my large tanks, I had really bad precipitate. And my sps never grew, as a matter of fact they ended up bleaching, which I blamed on my 400w Radiums.

That had to do with mixing the IO salt wrong and if you remember the problem they had with high alk. That combined with the high alk. in my well water, which I never measured until it was to late.

Also the combination I use with my IO salt now, by mixing in an app. amount of magnesium and a little calcium, prevents any precip. as well as brings the water up to proper levels.

Not sure what you can take from all that, as I believe you use a different salt but the reference to adding some magnesium perhaps??? Although your level seems fine.

I had stupid precipitation everywhere in my 225g. Tank, pumps, you name it. I have not had any since. At that house I used ro BUT not DI behind it, which would have helped my alkalinity problem.

Since adding magnesium to my salt mix for water changes, I have never had a spot of precipitate. Not to mention I also run DI to but on city water in which the alk. is not bad anyways.

Hope something in there may help.