Trying to understand the quality of my water

[deadwood]

Fellow Reefers,

I have been at a crossroads for the last month trying to understand my water quality. Let me start with a brief history.

My tank is now 4 months old. My current live stock includes:

- Blue tang
- Picasso Clown
- Tail Spotted Blenny
- YWM Goby
-8 trochus snails
-4 nassarius snails
- 5 red crab
- 3 zebra crab
- 5 scarlet crab
- Skunk Shrimp
- Pistol Shrimp

LPS:
Candy Cane
Branching Hammer
Rainbow Torch
Blue/Green Bubble Nem
Rasta Zoas (4 heads)
Fire/Ice Zoas (8 heads)
Rainbow Acan (1 head)
Orange Dendro (1 head)
Clove Polyp (5 heads)

Over the last month i have been doing strict water changes every week. I test my water every week as well. My main focus is on Salinity,Calcium, Magnesium and Alkalinity. I do test for Ammonia, PH and Nitrates once a month as they are often 0 PPM

Here are my latest numbers for the last few weeks.
PH: 8.2
Salinity: 1.026
Calcium: 400

PH: 8.0
Salinity: 1.024
Calcium 430
Alk: 10.4
Mag: 1280

PH: 8.0
Salinity 1.026
Calcium 400
Alk 9.5
Mag 1280

I had a blue.green algae outbreak between the second test and 3rd test as i was out of town on business.

So here are my questions. I have been dealing with brown dust algae for the last 2 weeks. I have cut my feeding down considerably and only feed the fish every other day along with the coral. I spot feed the nem, candy canes, acan and dendro frozen shrimp cut up and soaked in tank water, and I alternate between coral frenzy and white snow. I know my feedings are not the problem but i am really not seeing good growth out of my corals and i think im loosing my Acan for a second time. Its not as puffy anymore. The Dendro, hammer, torch and candy canes are doing great. In fact my Candy Cane coral is splitting and i see multiple mouths.

I have been researching and I know a lot of reefers keep their calcium at 430 or higher and magnesium around 1300 and higher. Do I look into dosing at this point? Do i keep doing my water changes? It has not had an affect on the algae growth at all. The tank has 2 power heads and i feel the flow is pretty good. I still get green algae on my substrate that i have to clean by hand. Is it better to keep water changes to once a month and then dose to keep my Cal, Alk and Mag in line?

Sorry if I am all over the place on this. I want to learn and the answers to my questions are scattered all over and its hard to put two and two together sometimes. Thanks in advance of all your comments.

 

[xmas_one]

Try testing for NO3 and PO4.

 

[805reef]

Are the algae outbreaks always in the same spots or is it always different spots?

Your salinity is 1.026 right, not 1.26?

 

[deadwood]

Try testing for NO3 and PO4.

Yes, these are probably 2 that i need to test for more often. My Red Sea or API kit did not come with those.

Are the algae outbreaks always in the same spots or is it always different spots?

Your salinity is 1.026 right, not 1.26?

Yes 1.026. I corrected it above. The blue/gren algae outbreaks start in the front right and go back towards the middle. The brown looks like a diatom outbreak and it is all over.

 

[Bouncingsoul393]

Sounds like there may be a phosphate or silicate issue. Unless I'm missing it, what size is your tank? Also, Magnesium needs to be kept at 1350 or above. I would test phosphate with a Hanna meter, nitrate, and silicate if possible. How often are you dosing the coral frenzy and snow?

 

[trunglippo]

Did you start out with dry rocks and sand? If yes, then they leach out a lot lot phosphate into the water in the first couple months. That happened to my tank, and I had to do a lot of water change to take them out. Test out your phosphate and nitrate to find out.

 

[dorkymk3]

As for what others stated, test for phosphate and nitrate. Also bump your Mag up to 1350 and calcium around 440. If you do add a doser system you need to start testing your tank daily for how much it consumes. But for now I suggests manual dosing to get your water parameters to your liking.

 

[Reefcube29]

There is no way possible to have a 0 reading for phosphate and nitrate if you have an algae outbreak. Sounds like you need new test kits.

 

[Smite]

I had zero reading for both with cyano, green and red. My chaeto was dying so I'm pretty sure it was correct. The algae can suck phosphates up as they become avaliable.

Strong flow in the tank? No detritus build up in the sump, or if an all in one the rear chambers? Do you mix your own salt?

I chased numbers forever. Try to keep your alk as stable as possible . I shoot for a level close to my salt mix. Your calcium above 390ppm. Your magnesium should be 3x the amount of your calcium. Ex: 400 cal = 1200 mag

Since I started focusing on just that my tanks color and health have improved.

 

[Reefcube29]

I had zero reading for both with cyano, green and red. My chaeto was dying so I'm pretty sure it was correct. The algae can suck phosphates up as they become avaliable.

Strong flow in the tank? No detritus build up in the sump, or if an all in one the rear chambers? Do you mix your own salt?

I chased numbers forever. Try to keep your alk as stable as possible . I shoot for a level close to my salt mix. Your calcium above 390ppm. Your magnesium should be 3x the amount of your calcium. Ex: 400 cal = 1200 mag

Since I started focusing on just that my tanks color and health have improved.

Dude you don't have a zero for both if you have algae. Its impossible trust me. The only way you would get zero readings is if you are using bad test kits or those junk API kits that never give a true reading. Use a Hanna and I guarantee you will not have two zero while having an outbreak...

 

[janiners305]

Phosphate issue

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[Reefcube29]

Phosphate issue

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Exactly.. Algae can only thrive n grow with 3 things. #1 light #2 phosphate and #3 nitrates

 

[janiners305]

Our p04 testers cant detect all the p04 either i use a hanna and its at 0.00 but im having hair algae problems so just saying test kits are only accurate to a certain extent

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[deadwood]

Thanks everyone for your reply. I suppose its time to invest in the Hanna phosphate checker. I do like the RedSea test kits. Like i stated I was using API for Ammonia, PH, Nitrate and Nitrites. All were 0 for many weeks (except Ph).

Sounds like there may be a phosphate or silicate issue. Unless I'm missing it, what size is your tank? Also, Magnesium needs to be kept at 1350 or above. I would test phosphate with a Hanna meter, nitrate, and silicate if possible. How often are you dosing the coral frenzy and snow?

My tank is 28g. I am dosing snow once in the morning M-W-F and i just got the coral frenzy and spot fed once so I have no schedule as of yet. However my plan was to alternate them for variety until I saw some positive reactions to either one.

Did you start out with dry rocks and sand? If yes, then they leach out a lot lot phosphate into the water in the first couple months. That happened to my tank, and I had to do a lot of water change to take them out. Test out your phosphate and nitrate to find out.

I started with dry rock which had been garaged for 6 months and the sand was live from the LFS.

So what i am gathering is its time to invest in a Hanna for Phosphates, get the red sea nitrate test kit and continue with my weekly water changes? Tomorrow morning I'll post a picture of my tank so you can see visually see what I am working with. Again thank you everyone for your input here. I truly appreciate it.

 

[sea monster]

Also are you topping off with Ro/Di water : )

 

[xmas_one]

Dude you don't have a zero for both if you have algae. Its impossible trust me. The only way you would get zero readings is if you are using bad test kits or those junk API kits that never give a true reading. Use a Hanna and I guarantee you will not have two zero while having an outbreak...

Nope. I had the same thing going on as Matt. Using Red Sea NO3 test and Hanna Phosphorus for PO4. It is definitely possible to have zeros and still have an algae problem. You start off with an excess of nutrients, the algae blooms and sucks up said nutrients.

 

[deadwood]

Also are you topping off with Ro/Di water : )

Yes. I top off every 3 days or so. I don't get much evaporation since my wife is pregnant and we have the a/c running constantly.

 

[Smite]

Dude you don't have a zero for both if you have algae. Its impossible trust me. The only way you would get zero readings is if you are using bad test kits or those junk API kits that never give a true reading. Use a Hanna and I guarantee you will not have two zero while having an outbreak...

I wasn't saying I had zero for both. I said I was getting zero readings on my tests, which were hannah. And doubled check by a trusted LFS.

 

[deadwood]

I should also mention I am running filter floss and Chemipure Elite in my InTank

 

[deadwood]

So in researching Hanna checkers there are 2 for phosphates. The Low checker and the high checker? Which one would be best?