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B1N4RY

Slowly Dropping pH, Calcium & Alkalinity Levels.

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by
B1N4RY
, 09-23-2013 at 01:47 PM (7080 Views)
So I have added a about 7 small mini Acropora colonies (more like large frags about 1.5 inches x 1.5 inches into my aquarium since the water parameters seemed stable enough and over the past three weeks my water parameters have started to take a dive. I've also noticed that a few of the Acropora colonies seem to be suffering from burned tips. No I have a very minimum bioload as there are no fish in my aquarium and I feed only twice a week. But I am curious what could be causing the drop in pH, Calcium and Alkalinity. The only thing I can think of it that I don't have enough surface agitation to break up the slime film on top of the water. I don't have any accurate means of measure but I do believe it getting worse. I can't get enough flow on the Vortechs to break up the surface without causing a sandstorm. Would this build really have a profound effect on my levels dropping (obviously the calcium would be in relation to the alkalinity)? I do not have a sump and if I need more surface agitation I was considering placing in to Tunze Nano Streams Aimed constantly at the surface. Any thought?

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Categories
‎ Tank Entry , ‎ NEED HELP STAT! , ‎ Water Chemistry , ‎ Questions - Need some input

Comments

  1. B1N4RY's Avatar
    Here are a few photographs of the current state of my aquarium and the corals. I'm not entirely please with the coloration of the corals but their polyp extension is acceptable. My clam on the other hand has no issues. I'm concerned about the slime coat on the water since I don't have a surface skimmer and I cannot ramp up the vortechs without creating a sandstorm.




    My aquarium as of Monday, September 23, 2013. See the film on the surface of the water.
  2. B1N4RY's Avatar



    One of my Teal Acropora Corals. Not sure if that is growth or a burn tipped on the right hand branch.



    My Derasa Clam enjoying itself as usual.
  3. B1N4RY's Avatar

    Another Acropora Coral. I'm not sure if the white areas are signs of growth.



    My Purple Tipped Acropora Coral. Not entirely happy with the color and the poly extension on this one.




    My Green Acropora Coral. I'm happy with the poly extension but I am not sure if the white areas are signs of growth.
  4. B1N4RY's Avatar


    Some of the coralline algae encrusting the aquascaping rather quickly.
  5. melev's Avatar
    To break up the surface more, move the vortech closer to the surface.

    You can blot off the slime with some white paper from your computer's printer. Lay the sheet on the water, and peel up. Repeat with another sheet of paper until you've removed it all.

    Your corals are getting used to a new system. Phosphates are up slightly, but not enough to explain burning. Perhaps you need to reduce the lighting intensity or the lighting duration per day to let the corals adjust.

    Bring up your alkalinity to 8 dKH.

    When are you going to add fish? Their waste feeds the corals, and corals without fish often bleach out.
  6. B1N4RY's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by melev
    To break up the surface more, move the vortech closer to the surface.

    You can blot off the slime with some white paper from your computer's printer. Lay the sheet on the water, and peel up. Repeat with another sheet of paper until you've removed it all.

    Your corals are getting used to a new system. Phosphates are up slightly, but not enough to explain burning. Perhaps you need to reduce the lighting intensity or the lighting duration per day to let the corals adjust.

    Bring up your alkalinity to 8 dKH.

    When are you going to add fish? Their waste feeds the corals, and corals without fish often bleach out.
    I just actually installed the RF Module in the EcoTech Marine Vortech MP10 ES so I could sync the two pumps together to see if that would improve the water flow and resolve the issue with the residue on the surface of the water. I have to wait until the lights come on today to see the outcome. But from what I can tell it looks like the flow is slighty better. I am actually just going to purchase a timer to keep the lighting period to 9 hours. I just finished up a contract so I have to behave with spending before I can purchase my Apex unit. Currently I just plug in the light and when I ever get home I unplug it. So the lighting period various greatly which I know is not the best thing. I just recently starting dosing Brightwell Aquatics Reef Code A & Brightwell Aquatics Reef Code B. So I will be testing later this morning to see what affects it has been having on the water. I'm actually going to take a look at the pet store today to see what they have in stock. I convinced my wife that even though I am currently not working I should at least purchase 1 fish to feed the coral.