SPS Dying! Need advice.

[Irsug1]

Friends, a bunch of my sps are turning white rapidly, some even appear to be shedding its skin. I may have overdosed alk. How can I lower it?
PH - 8.0
Alk - 12
Calcium - 480
Nitrate - 5.0
Nitrite and Ammonia - 0

I recently got a BRS 2-part doser and ran about 12ml alk per day which is a fraction of the suggested amount. Calcium is holding steady with 7ml per day. I turned off the alk doser.
I have a 57g with sump, bio pellets and phosban reactor.
Help!

 

[strike2867]

I'd do water changes to get the Calcium and Alk in line slowly.

 

[KeishaKornbread]

That's pretty high for Alk. Do a water change as Yuriy recommended.

 

[DD]

Whatever you do, do it slowly. The only things that happen fast in a reef tanks are bad things.

*learned through experience*

 

[Irsug1]

Yes, I am surprised at how fast this is happening. Do you all think there is any chance of recovery of these sps that have turned completely white?
I did a 10% WC yesterday and I'll do another today.

 

[strike2867]

Yes, I am surprised at how fast this is happening. Do you all think there is any chance of recovery of these sps that have turned completely white?
I did a 10% WC yesterday and I'll do another today.

If there's still skin, they can come back. I've had corals come back from pretty much nothing.

 

[maidia]

How about your Phosphate? Nitrate seem high too.

 

[Irsug1]

I don't have a Phosphate test yet. But I run the Phosban/GFO reactor so I cant imagine that its high?

 

[Tank2379]

I would check your Nitrates for sure... Sometimes SPS don't take kindly to high Nitrates espcially if it's fueling your Phosphates

 

[fwadiver]

what is the volume of your tank? 12ml a day shouldnt spike anything, especially with your ph that low, likely based on not dosing calcium in equal amounts most of the alk was precipitating out with calcium

my guess is it could be an alk swing, but unless you have a nano, 12ml a day should not be enough to change the chemistry enough to cause RTN

 

[fwadiver]

12ml a day shouldnt spike anything, especially with your ph that low, likely based on not dosing calcium in equal amounts most of the alk was precipitating out with calcium

my guess is it could be an alk swing, but unless you have a nano, 12ml a day should not be enough to change the chemistry enough to cause RTN, I'd be looking more at a temp swing or other chemistry issue here, what was your alk before?
what is your mag? whats phos?

lighting/par?

what types of sps? how long were they in your tank. etc etc.

 

[Irsug1]

My tank and sump has roughly 60/65 gallons? SO Matt, am I hearing that I should turn off my calcium doser as well? Could you explain the equal amounts thing? I thought if I run each doser at the appropriate ml to hold that level steady I was good to go?

 

[fwadiver]

if your using the brs stuff you are supposed to be doing cal/alk in equal amounts.. its not essential, but its a non issue here..

 

[Irsug1]

I don't have Mag or Phos tests but run a GFO reactor.
I am running 2 AI Hydra's at around 50 to 60 percent for lighting.
The first SPS that started turning white was my tri color bonsai (1 week), next was my joe the coral (1 week), and now even some of the stags (1 month) are going too! All in a matter of a few days.
Temperature usually fluctuates between 78 to 81 daily.
I also have a Wellso that isn't inflating that is 1 week old as well.

 

[fwadiver]

youve got other issues probably, i would do the 10% water changes, but the sps are probably gone, that is a pretty significant daily temp swing

 

[Sawdonkey]

How old is this tank?

 

[Irsug1]

6 Weeks old, I used fully cycled live rock.

 

[skunkmere]

if you are carbon dosing with biopellets you need the alk to be 7-8 dkh. or you will get alk burn. 12 dkh would have been ok if you weren't carbon dosing with pellets. why are you using biopellets in the first place? your tank is really young and probably doesn't have that much nutrients to warrant dosing.

 

[Irsug1]

Bio Pellets is the set-up I was sold to act as filtration in conjunction with my skimmer. I have not heard anything about carbon?
Should I reduce the amount of pellets? I have only about 1/3rd of the suggested amount running at this point. I think about 60ml.

 

[fwadiver]

biopellets are considered and advanced reefing technique, if you dont know why you should be or not be using them, then you should not be using them.