addboy Posted September 25, 2006 Share Posted September 25, 2006 I have a 90 Gall RR with a 20 gal sump refugium and a euroreef rs-6 skimmer....2 seio 800 gph and a Hagen 802 for flow. Is it the 81 degrees??? (That's the hottest the tank ever gets..usually tops out at 80 in the summer) Too much light??? (2x250w 12K MH for 6hrs and 220watts of Super Actinic VHO for 12hrs.) Is it my Dkh...It keeps climbing....very strange....I think I am the only person to ever have problems with thier Kh being too high (14, 15 & 16 sometimes) Food??? (My tank is pretty heavily stocked: Tons of acro frags, Monti. Cap., zoo.s, 2 Clams, 8 fish..small and medium size) Plenty of calcium, Magnesium, stron./molyb., and Iodide. Been using a UV sterilizer too....seems to be really beneficial. Any thoughts??? Any at all?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GKarshens Posted September 25, 2006 Share Posted September 25, 2006 The only thing that seems out of whack to me is your Alk. Are you using a kalk reactor or dosing something to buffer that would cause it to rise? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
addboy Posted September 25, 2006 Author Share Posted September 25, 2006 I am using kalk,...but the funny thing is that it doesn't boost the alk as much as the calcium reactor....which I am selling for 300.00 w/trade....I just learned how to dose kalk corectly and my corals seem to love it.....directly into the tank too!!.....I am finished with calcium reactors man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GKarshens Posted September 25, 2006 Share Posted September 25, 2006 You might want to hold off until your Alk is back down. The Tropic Marin guy said that the Germans are having better success staying at 6-9 rather than the higher numbers most people try to have here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
addboy Posted September 26, 2006 Author Share Posted September 26, 2006 Man!! really digg'n this ARC thing....some of the coolest people are on here....Thanks again for the frags....They are coming along nicely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedude Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 The calcium reactor was on way too much and boosted your alkalinity up. If you try one again, try putting the CO2 on a timer and running it only during daylight hours. Phosphate is another major contributor to brown outs. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
addboy Posted September 26, 2006 Author Share Posted September 26, 2006 Well....I thought the Ph controller was suppsed to handle the reaction...I was just doing a drop a second and keeping it at 6.5ph.....Maybe I started at too high of a level....as for the phosphate approach, I am a freak about that...I run a phosphate reactor (2 little fishies) and Seachem Phosphate packs on 2-3 day cycles.....and I have a refugium full of Chaetomorpha. I think that high alk. is a real killer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
addboy Posted September 26, 2006 Author Share Posted September 26, 2006 By the way....I am not trying to be difficult...just playing Devil's advocate....I do appreciate any feedback...so if I didn't mention it....THANKS: (for now and future) this is a really great site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedude Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 Ok since you add phosphate religiously it could be the exact opposite of my first statement, not enough phosphate. The only way to know is with a high sensitivity test kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
addboy Posted September 26, 2006 Author Share Posted September 26, 2006 Not enough phosphate....Hmmmm???? Thats new to me. maybe I'll just calm down on the phos. control eh?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedude Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 Or spot feed corals more. The key to this is.... YOU NEED TO BE TESTING Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingfish Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 I second the testing. After a long conversation that john and i had with Bruce from Rowa-usa I have a good understanding of phosphate in a reef. Here it goes: A reef aquarium stony or not needs between .008 and .01 mg/L of organic phosphate. This PO4 initially binds with free calcium ions released from a calcium reactor, or participates in the bonds between calcium hydoxide (kalk), or calcium chloride (liquid ca). The zooxanthellae incorporate this calcium phosphate molecule into their cells where the Ca-PO4 bond is cleaved supplying the skeleton with Ca and the algae (zooxan.) with the necessary phosphate. So in short, a tank without any phosphate can have trouble with both color and growth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
addboy Posted September 27, 2006 Author Share Posted September 27, 2006 Ca-PO4 bond cleaving!!!...........OF COURSE!!!.....I was just about to mention that....*lol*.....That's pretty heavy chemistry man but I think I understand....that zooanthelia is some funky stuff....but seriously,..that does make sense....and I do have a phos. test kit,...I have been preoccupied with my Alk. So, question 1: Should I shut down my 2 little fishies phos. reactor or just chill with the Phosguard question 2: Did you used to work at Aquatek?? BTW: Increadible tank project you have going....was looking at the pics. Outstanding woodwork!!....Is that an acrylic tank?? (Guess thats 3 questions) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingfish Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 Q1: I am just regurgitating things that I heard at macna, again. But what Bruce at rowa recommends is that you do not constantly remove and add phosphate absorbing resins. You regulate the phosphate in your tank by adding a small valve to your 2 little fishes or kent reactor. You adjust the flow while testing both the tank water and the water coming out of the reactor (the effluent), much like you would a calcium reactor. Q2: And yes, I worked at Aquatek for about 6 years during college. (and yes I went to college for 6 years) Q3: The tank that I am finishing up on is about 600 gallons, it is a custom made acrylic tank that is 96"x48"x30"tall. It is home to mostly stonies, clams, and lps. Due to time and budget constraints, the tank and support stand have been set up for some time, but I am just now getting to finish building the cabinet and canopy. I will post a ton of pics in 2 weeks when it is done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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