Help with ID, please

C

Carl T

Please help me ID what is on my rock. This is a tank started on Oct 24. The water does not have great parameters as I have been using water from a couple different LFS. The tank is a DSA 65, Trigger 30 sump, mag 7 return. I am using a Reef Octopus Diablo 160XS but it is still not pulling much skimate and it is extremely "wet". Lighting is AISol Blues.

Livestock is 3 sm-med sized clowns, 1 small 6 Line, 1 watchman goby, 2 brittle stars, several various hermits and snails and 3 emerald crabs.

LPS such as Kenya, Frogspawn, xenia, GSP.

Current parameters are...
SG 1.022
Temp 78
PH 7.85
Alk 7.7
Ca 446
Mg 1200
Nitrate 0.25

[attachment=0]uploadfromtaptalk1358826315282.jpg[/attachment]
[attachment=1]uploadfromtaptalk1358826343526.jpg[/attachment]
[attachment=2]uploadfromtaptalk1358826366002.jpg[/attachment]
Sent from my SGH-T889
 
Lights run around 8-9 hours. No powerheads at the moment. The return seems to produce a decent flow with the kenya and Frogspawn waving. I generally feed Mysis and it also moves around without just sinking. I'm sure it is too low for other type corals. As far as diatoms, I thought they mostly form on the substrate?

Sent from my SGH-T889
 
I would definitely get a powerhead or two as cyano likes low flow areas, you could also try dialing your lighting back to 8 hours and reduce the amount of food you feed for a week and see if that helps. Some people use a turkey baster to suck out what they can but a powerhead will definitly help keep it from coming back.

I'm assuming the .25 Nitrate has something to do with it as generally swings in Nitrate and phosphate lead to cyano blooms.

How often and how much are you changing in your water changes? Are you buying premixed from the LFS or mixing it yourself? If buying premixed from a LFS make sure you're using only one LFS as different LFS's use different formulations and types of salts which could explain the fluctuation in nitrates & phosphates.

The key to a successful reef tank is consistency so try your hardest to use the same stuff as often as possible, the less you change, the more successful you'll be.

Also remember that cyano feeds on any free organic phosphates to which most all test kits only test for reactive phosphates. So even though you are getting a 0 on your phosphates test only means you don't have reactive phosphates, not that you have no phosphates at all.

Regarding your parameters above:
SG 1.022 [(You're a tad on the low side, 1.023-1.027 is ideal)]
Temp 78 [(Good there)]
PH 7.85 [(This is pretty low (not astronomical, but definitely low), you want to shoot for 8.1-8.3, 7.9-8.1 is more common, not "ideal" but doable. You may have an increase in CO2 in your tank due to lack of flow resulting in a lowered PH, powerheads will definitely help this)]
Alk 7.7 [(This is ok, 7 - 11 dKh is the target here)]
Ca 446 [(You're good here, 380 - 450ppm is the goal)]
Mg 1200 [(On the low side, do you dose at all? 1250 - 1350 is the goal, should be roughly 3x you Ca levels)]
Nitrate 0.25 [(this should be below 20ppm, period, fish and corals do not like Nitrates, especially SPS and for your LPS you want it closer to 0 - 10ppm)]

What's your Ammonia at? Should be 0ppt at all times.
What are your Phosphates at? Should be at 0 or as close as possible.

If you don't have a test kit for ammonia and phosphates take a water sample to your LFS (have the sample as fresh as possible, don't take the sample in the morning then test on your way home from work) and they will test it for you for free.

Also, are you using test strips or a liquid test kit? World of difference in the accuracy between the two.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top