Water quality

[Christyef]

Here are my results using the Hanna checkers. I’m thinking my phosphate is supposed to be zero? Have no idea what nitrite is supposed to be. I know alk is low. Maybe I need a bigger skimmer on my 55?

 

 

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[Isaac]

whats the Mg at?

[jolt]

Are you sure you are reading nitrite?  Nitrite should be zero.    Most people only measure nitrite when cycling a new tank, and typically measure nitrate later

[FarmerTy]

I'm sure Christy means nitrate. Phosphates don't need to be zero. For SPS tanks like mine, keeping it as close to zero as possible gives me the best growth and color. For most other tanks, I always aim for less than 0.10 ppm as a safe number. There are tanks that run higher and are fine, that's just the number I feel safe with.

If you decide to try to lower it, do it very very very slowly. I've seen more deaths associated with lowering it too fast then just being in higher phosphates alone.

[Isaac]

reason I ask for mg... alk+ca+mg are closely associated. having low alk and high CA doesn't give us the whole picture without mg. so based on mg.. you either have low alk to be corrected or high Ca to be corrected

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[Christyef]

I don’t know my Mg. I have the Red Sea ca/alk/Mg test kit but the Mg liquids are gone. [emoji848]. I looked to see if Hanna has a Mg test, but didn’t see one.


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[Christyef]

Are you sure you are reading nitrite?  Nitrite should be zero.    Most people only measure nitrite when cycling a new tank, and typically measure nitrate later

no sirs, meant nitrite. I tested for that 1) bc I had it [emoji6] and 2) bc someone said maybe my inability to keep sps longer than a week had something to do with nitrites. Im leaning toward my alk being low contributing to that. Maybe my bioload in my 55 is too much for my crappy skimmer and that’s why I keep battling algae



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[Christyef]

reason I ask for mg... alk+ca+mg are closely associated. having low alk and high CA doesn't give us the whole picture without mg. so based on mg.. you either have low alk to be corrected or high Ca to be corrected

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I tried to order just the refills for Mg. No dice. I’ll just get a new test


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[jolt]

20 minutes ago, Christyef said:

no sirs, meant nitrite. I tested for that 1) bc I had it and 2) bc someone said maybe my inability to keep sps longer than a week had something to do with nitrites. Im leaning toward my alk being low contributing to that. Maybe my bioload in my 55 is too much for my crappy skimmer and that’s why I keep battling algae



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LOL, OK  

That's a ppb tester so those numbers are pretty low, I think I would not be too concerned with that level of nitrite.

When I looked at your numbers what struck me was low alk and high calcium.  I'm with Isaac, seems like you may have an imbalance and the Mg reading would be interesting to know.

[Sascha D.]

Hmm, none of those numbers stand out to me as SPS killers. Plenty of people have kept SPS at 7 dkh. I've got 12 or so colonies right now that have been at 103 ppm for two months. When we first started keeping hard corals we weren't even testing Alk. They didn't have impressive color but they were alive. The problem could be the acclimation. If the corals are used to 11 dkh the sudden drop could bleach them. Could also be starved. What light/PAR are you running?

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[Christyef]

Hmm, none of those numbers stand out to me as SPS killers. Plenty of people have kept SPS at 7 dkh. I've got 12 or so colonies right now that have been at 103 ppm for two months. When we first started keeping hard corals we weren't even testing Alk. They didn't have impressive color but they were alive. The problem could be the acclimation. If the corals are used to 11 dkh the sudden drop could bleach them. Could also be starved. What light/PAR are you running?

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PAR. Not sure. I have a small stick in my 35 doing well under a kessil. It’s beginning to encrust the rock it’s on. But everything I put into my 55 doesn’t last. My euphyllia are beginning to slowly close up also. [emoji21]The lights in my 55 are what they call black box LEDs I believe. Nothing fancy. They’re on pretty high, mounted 18” above the tank.


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[Sascha D.]

1 hour ago, Christyef said:

PAR. Not sure. I have a small stick in my 35 doing well under a kessil. It’s beginning to encrust the rock it’s on. But everything I put into my 55 doesn’t last. My euphyllia are beginning to slowly close up also. The lights in my 55 are what they call black box LEDs I believe. Nothing fancy. They’re on pretty high, mounted 18” above the tank.


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Kessil's and generic black box LED's are known to grow every kind of coral that we keep in the hobby. Are you doing both water and light acclimation? Euphyllias need less light and flow than most SPS, but they're also known to close up periodically. Are they all closing at the same time? Multiple closing at once could mean something is amiss. If you're doing weekly water changes and the corals don't improve, then it's the source water. It could also be the gravity. What are your salt levels in both tanks?

[Christyef]

Kessil's and generic black box LED's are known to grow every kind of coral that we keep in the hobby. Are you doing both water and light acclimation? Euphyllias need less light and flow than most SPS, but they're also known to close up periodically. Are they all closing at the same time? Multiple closing at once could mean something is amiss. If you're doing weekly water changes and the corals don't improve, then it's the source water. It could also be the gravity. What are your salt levels in both tanks?

They’re closing at different times. But not all. I have a huge frogspawn doing awesome! And have another one doing bad. Lol. I had a pretty big candy cane, but slowly every head has fallen off. Over the course of about 6-8 months I’d say. In the 55, one huge acan, one withering one. Enough to make me go bonkers! I don’t do weekly Water changes anymore. Every 3-4 weeks. And my salinity tends to run a wee bit high at 1.026/7


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[jolt]

Sometimes when I've had things decline I feel like it has to do with my RODI not being as clean as it should be.  I try to really keep a sharp eye on my RODI media now.

[Sascha D.]

When you get a chance test the current sg in both tanks. It may not be an issue but it's worth ruling out. 

[Gig 'em @ NDstructible]

I can't see your alk being the culprit here if it has been a long term issue. Heck, my alk dipped to 4.9 and then spike to over 9 in two days and everything was fine! I'm with Jolt, anytime my corals are dying and all the major testable components are "fine" the first thing I do is check my RO filter age. 9 times out of 10 the filters have reached 6 months in age and it's time to swap them out.

[Christyef]

I can't see your alk being the culprit here if it has been a long term issue. Heck, my alk dipped to 4.9 and then spike to over 9 in two days and everything was fine! I'm with Jolt, anytime my corals are dying and all the major testable components are "fine" the first thing I do is check my RO filter age. 9 times out of 10 the filters have reached 6 months in age and it's time to swap them out.

My filters are about 8 months old.... I thght I was supposed to be looking at my gauge to see if it was losing pressure. I made a batch yesterday and did notice I’ve lost about 5 psi. Another question.... do you leave your filter on all the time? I’ve been turning mine off when I make a full barrel full to avoid any potential flood disaster. I installed a valve at the splitter and just keep that off until I need it


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[jolt]

I look at the color of the DI resin, when about 2/3 to 3/4 of it has turned colors its time to do a change.  I've seen TDS start to climb on the output water well before all the resin has changed color.

[Sascha D.]

I follow the same principle as Jolt. I change out all of my stages at the same time to avoid confusion. The RO membrane changes every two years, or about every 2nd to 3rd stage change. 

One thing that tripped me up last year was not discarding enough water before using the RODI. I run my filter for 1 hour straight into the drain before I flip the switch and begin filling the barrels. In one sitting I filter about 100 gallons of water, flush the membrane for 5 minutes and then turn the water off until next time. 

[Sascha D.]

Have you checked your TDS? I had been using the BRS meter on the RODI filter for years but it always read zero. I switched to a hand-held meter for $7 at Walmart and discovered the BRS meter wasn't functioning properly.

[Gig 'em @ NDstructible]

1 hour ago, Christyef said:

My filters are about 8 months old.... I thght I was supposed to be looking at my gauge to see if it was losing pressure. I made a batch yesterday and did notice I’ve lost about 5 psi. Another question.... do you leave your filter on all the time? I’ve been turning mine off when I make a full barrel full to avoid any potential flood disaster. I installed a valve at the splitter and just keep that off until I need it


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People suggest different ways to identify when it is time to change filters, pressure changes, waste water TDS, filtered water TDS, I just stick to a 5 month schedule to play it safe. I have noticed at the 6-7 month period corals start randomly looking terrible for no other explanation. After a few large water changes with RO water made from new filters the issue disappears. To play it safe now I just change filters at 5 months. With the bioload of expensive SPS in my tank, it's not worth trying to eek out another 50 gallons of RO water IMHO.

 

I don't leave my RO unit running. Once I have emptied out my storage tanks I will purge the RO unit for 10-15 minutes and then filter about 100 gallons of water. This helps extend the life of my filters and I can be sure the unit has been purged of old stagnant water.

[Timfish]

Trying to remember last time I tested for iodine and it's been a while but I'm pretty sure I did test one of my tanks at least once this century.   As mentioned above I'd like to know what the magnesium is also.   Getting either PAR or Lux readings would be helpful.   I've found a lot of variation in the "black box" LED fixtures, so "high" might be ok or it might not be.  

[Isaac]

I change my pre-RO filters when i see a pressure drop before the RO membrane while its running (this is dependent on your municipal water quality... i seem to have to change mine yearly around spring time) .  I change my RO membrane when the pre-DI TDS is over 5-6.  I change my first DI canister, when my second di canister shows a slight color change.  (ie, my second one lasts forever, because im always changing out the first one)

[Gig 'em @ NDstructible]

52 minutes ago, Isaac said:

I change my pre-RO filters when i see a pressure drop before the RO membrane while its running (this is dependent on your municipal water quality... i seem to have to change mine yearly around spring time) .  I change my RO membrane when the pre-DI TDS is over 5-6.  I change my first DI canister, when my second di canister shows a slight color change.  (ie, my second one lasts forever, because im always changing out the first one)

haha see even when my pre filters are brand new, the TDS reads 9-12 before the membrane. It's crazy how much water quality changes through the Austin area.

[Reburn]

9 hours ago, jolt said:

Sometimes when I've had things decline I feel like it has to do with my RODI not being as clean as it should be.  I try to really keep a sharp eye on my RODI media now.

What he said.

 

the biggest issues I've had to contribute to sps death.

stripping phosphates too fast.  I don't even run gfo anymore.

letting my RO go a bit too long on filter changes.