I have a 55 gallon with 3-96 watts pc's all 50/50. I am tring to get the readings into check, so they may be a bit high, but compared to what they were. Phos .25, Ph 8.5-8.6, Alk hard to read to exacy the range but seems to be normal. Nitrites and Amon are 0. Nitrates long battle to get around 10, Salinity is in normal range. I feed all soft corals, like shrooms, leather, and zoa's the bottled stuff for filter feeders. I also add bi-weekly trace additives with iodine, calcium, mag etc. But they all seem to be really washed out, there is even a rock anemone that was bright sage green and now he is almost tranluscent green. What else should I be doing, adding or cheching for? I do have lots of carbon added to the sump to help try and get my numbers down could this be too much carbon cleaning the water too well of my feedings?
My corals seem washed out
- Thread starter Tab64
- Start date
I have never used carbon in my reef. I feel that carbon takes out to much of the trace elements that the corals need. I could be wrong but that is what works for me.
When you dose, are you testing to see if what you are dosing is really needed. The only thing I ever have dosed is calcium and now that I use Tropic Marin salt, I don't need to dose it that often.
I also use 250w Reeflux12 without any supplementation.
When you dose, are you testing to see if what you are dosing is really needed. The only thing I ever have dosed is calcium and now that I use Tropic Marin salt, I don't need to dose it that often.
I also use 250w Reeflux12 without any supplementation.
I quess I over stated. I do not dose calcium bi-weekly. Just keep it in check, which is not that often. As for the other trace elements I do not check I just followed the directions, But if you are asking, than maybe it is something I should check. I removed all the bioballs above the water line of my trikle to help control the nitrates. So high amon. worried me so I used lots a carbon to make up for the bioballs loss. I removed some of the carbon from my sump figuring this may the the problem and see what happens in a few days.
How old are your light bulbs? The actinic part of the 50 / 50 bulbs burns out faster than the daylight part, which can make a tank look overly white and have that washed out look. Have you considered using a straight actinic bulb and 2 50/50 bulbs or any other combination that includes at least one straight actinic instead of 3 50 / 50 bulbs? Are most of the washed out corals on / near the bottom of your tank? There may be an issue of inadequate light reaching the bottom of the tank. If possible, you may want to try moving one of the washed out corals higher up in the tank a little and see if it improves.
How often are you feeding your soft corals? The ones that you listed can all thrive without direct feedings. I keep all of those in our tank (plus some others), feed them only 1 or 2 times per month, and have to frag several of them often to keep them from becoming too large or spreading to areas I prefer them not to be. Like skippy said, this is just what works for me. With your phosphate levels being that high, I'd say you're feeding too much / too often, unless the phosphate problem is related to your source water. Are you using RO/DI filtered water or just tap water? Regardless, elevated phosphate levels can stress corals. Are you running a skimmer? That can help remove some of the excess organic waste (including organic phosphates).
Generally, regular water changes are enough to maintain magnesium levels. Direct magnesium additions are otherwise few and far between.
Dosing trace elements frequently can be harmful if there's not a clear reason to do so. Trace elements are just that -- compounds that should be around only on trace levels. Too much of them can be more harmful than too little. If you're running carbon constantly (and keeping it fresh), it'll remove trace elements along with organics. Running an excessive amount of carbon can essentially strip all the trace elements out of the water.
It really sounds like there's more than one possibility. Work through each one as you can, and try to pinpoint the one causing the problem (sounds like you're already doing). Keep posting if things remain unchanged or you have more questions.
How often are you feeding your soft corals? The ones that you listed can all thrive without direct feedings. I keep all of those in our tank (plus some others), feed them only 1 or 2 times per month, and have to frag several of them often to keep them from becoming too large or spreading to areas I prefer them not to be. Like skippy said, this is just what works for me. With your phosphate levels being that high, I'd say you're feeding too much / too often, unless the phosphate problem is related to your source water. Are you using RO/DI filtered water or just tap water? Regardless, elevated phosphate levels can stress corals. Are you running a skimmer? That can help remove some of the excess organic waste (including organic phosphates).
Generally, regular water changes are enough to maintain magnesium levels. Direct magnesium additions are otherwise few and far between.
Dosing trace elements frequently can be harmful if there's not a clear reason to do so. Trace elements are just that -- compounds that should be around only on trace levels. Too much of them can be more harmful than too little. If you're running carbon constantly (and keeping it fresh), it'll remove trace elements along with organics. Running an excessive amount of carbon can essentially strip all the trace elements out of the water.
It really sounds like there's more than one possibility. Work through each one as you can, and try to pinpoint the one causing the problem (sounds like you're already doing). Keep posting if things remain unchanged or you have more questions.