Save my tank!

[acepumping]

Sps need very very little phos. Like minimal. But if phos are 0, still shouldn't affect corals that much
.like 0.01-0.03 are perfect

get a low range phos test kit. Hanna checker

[Slyguy00]

http://www.reef2reef.com/forums/reef...lp-please.html

[jason604]

K I just took out more than half of my rowa. Gonna feed fish and corals double to help my sps not die. I think my zoas r done. Too much algae on it n still haven't opened

[Reef Pilot]

Despite some seeming evidence, I am skeptical about low P04 linked to STN and RTN of SPS. I think it is more the rapid change in parameters especially KH that SPS don't like.

I say this, because my SPS grew fastest (and I mean really fast) and had the best colour when my P04 and N03 were the lowest. When I say low, my P04 usually measured zero with my Hanna checker (only occasionally up to .02 to .04). Then last spring due to some issues (mistakes) it went up to 0.10 and my N03 to 30 ppm. My SPS then lost some colour and growth drastically slowed. But then in the summer I had another problem where my KH dropped to 5 (doser plugged), and that was a fatal blow to some of my SPS. It started with some STN and burnt tips on my SPS, and turned to full out RTN on some others. This continued for a while even after correcting my KH and bringing my P04 and N03 back down. But the good news now, a few months later, everything is turning good again, with SPS colour and growth returning. Even with some of my badly injured SPS (which I had cut off the dead parts) I have signs of life and new growth again.

So I think the big thing with SPS is they don't like change. And once they become unhappy, it takes them a while to recover. Get your parameters in check, and keep them stable, and with a bit of time, things should recover. But if you keep tinkering and changing things, you may continue to have problems. Anyway, that's my theory,... FWIW.

[jason604]

Ok so here's my corrective actions I'm going to take in the next few months to try n save my tank. Slowly remove more rowa from my reactor till I only have about half an inch. Replace my blue/white led fixture with 2 full spectrum LED fixtures in about 2-3 weeks when my tank heals a bit. About a month or so after that I'll take out half of my live rock in 1 go and put in half of my newly cycled live rock. Wait another 2-3 weeks and replace the rest of the rocks. Do u guys think this will work?

[Slyguy00]

Why remove rowa slowly? Just take half out and call it good.

[Galizio]

I did not know Rowa could be that much of a b****, always learning something new....

[Reef Pilot]

Well, it's your tank, so do what you like. But raising P04 is certainly not the route I would go.

If low P04 is so bad, then explain to me why ocean water is typically less than .03 ppm and as low as .005. Here is what Randy Holmes-Farley has to say about that. Do you think he is wrong!??
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-09/rhf/index.php#1

[jason604]

Originally Posted by Reef Pilot

Well, it's your tank, so do what you like. But raising P04 is certainly not the route I would go.

If low P04 is so bad, then explain to me why ocean water is typically less than .03 ppm and as low as .005. Here is what Randy Holmes-Farley has to say about that. Do you think he is wrong!??
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-09/rhf/index.php#1

I don't think it's wrong but my problem was stripping water of p04 way too fast that I believe crashed my tank

[Reef Pilot]

Originally Posted by jason604

I don't think it's wrong but my problem was stripping water of p04 way too fast that I believe crashed my tank

I thought you said your P04 was already zero, so how could you be stripping P04 from that??

Are you sure it was zero? Are you using a Hanna Checker? The color test kits will show zero long before the Hanna. The color kits can show zero while the Hanna will show .1 or higher. Then indeed you have to be careful not to lower too fast. But you still want to lower it, just more slowly.