Pale Sps? Struggling colors !!!

[LuckySingh]

My tank is fairly new and this is the 1st time I am running a ULNS . Tank is couple months old and I introduced few Sps few weeks ago after it was completely cycled . Few of frags are 50% bleached not dead as I still see Poly extensions and others are light and pale As not to my expectations . Tips are growing but I don't see them encrusting or spreading from the base . This is not the 1st time I am keeping Sps . It could have to do with as a fairly new tank and with ULNS . PE is very good through out the day even from bleached frags . I am running 8x 24 watt t5 hybrid fixture with LEDs set to around 50% through out the day and t5s at 100% for total 10hrs a day setup ( 8 bulbs for 6hrs and rest of time 4 bulb each ). My skimmer is alpha 170 way too big for the tank
My parameters are follows

Salinity 35
Ph 8.1
Alk 7.5
Cal 1420
Mag 1250
Nitrates 0
Phosphate 0


I only have one mandarine goby in the tank since a month that I don't have to feed . I try to feed my corals twice a day( mix of ROE eggs , oyester feed , phyto and reef chillie) to get some nutrients in the tank .

[Dean]

Hey Lucky
You might try getting your alkalinity up to around 9-10 dkh. Lighting acclimation as well as just "new tank syndrome" could also be the cause for struggling sps.
I would get alkalinity up and perhaps lower the lights a little bit. I hope it works out for you buddy.

[Big_Pun]

if your doing zeovit that's one of the problems. that's why kz has all those foods and supplements to make up what's taken out. same issue I had with bio pellets I had to step back amount of pellets and supplement trace elements and feed them more

[Big_Pun]

zero phos and trates will cause the pale look need a lil of each

[LuckySingh]

Yea I figured but no matter how much I feed it don't raise nothing . I also left my filter sock last week unchanged still wouldn't help .
Forgot to mention I am feeding AA and CV three times a week also .

[Big_Pun]

hopefully as you get more fish it will improve but kz foods are great for Sps, my tanks thrived feeding Pohls xtra, vitalizer, also making sure potassium and other trace elements where added

[LuckySingh]

Hmm potassium totally forgot about that . Good thanks

[Bill S]

Lucky, I'm with some of the others: Too clean and/or new. I'd turn the skimmer off, too.

[CoryDude]

More fish and more food. But as said earlier alkalinity has a big part in growth and color. Is that dkh number constant? Have you measured for total alkalinity?

[LuckySingh]

I have always had good success with alk around 7 or 7.5 and it's consistent .
Don't know how many fish I could add in small system that I hve got. Had putting my hands in the tank and scare the fish to jump out . I only got two small pieces of rock work around 13lbs total

[LuckySingh]

Bought a potassium test kit and surely it was way too low around 230 . Will start dosing slowly and try to raise it up

[Dean]

I've been considering getting I to biopellets but from what I have read it sounds like using them adds more needed testing and dosing.

[Big_Pun]

I've been considering getting I to biopellets but from what I have read it sounds like using them adds more needed testing and dosing.

no more testing than any other reef especially Sps systems. I like bio pellets and the new products seem very promising lately, just need to have a good reactor and skimmer, make sure they stay fluidized. but there's no special testing that any other reef tank requires.

[ktipp]

Isnt CAL to high at 1420?

[350gt]

Hope he means 420... Lol

[Dean]

Ate we talking about milk or saltwater?

[Big_Pun]

potassium is used up quick, also are you running any carbon?

[Dean]

I've never tested for potassium. I never knew it was even recommended. Lol I do 20% biweekly water changes and dose kalk for the alk and calcium that my mixed reef does consume faster than water changes keep up with. I also run carbon and phosgaurd in a reactor. What are the side effects of low potassium?


Don't mean to jack your thread lucky

[Big_Pun]

it will lead to dull colors and over all health diminished, it's more relevant in low nutrient tanks that run zeo lights or bio pellets. the skimmer and if running carbon such as rox will pull out trace elements

[Dean]

Intersting. Good info, thanks