Help with SPS

[nyfisherman]

I can't figure out sps corals? I've had my tank set up for almost eight months. In it is one pagoda, two crocea clams, many shrooms, some ricordia, two rose anenomes, one sps birdsnest. Everthing is doing great. except I had bought two frags from a local place that very reputable and frag all their own stuff. I bought a Montipora Digita and an Acro "red table" both in good shape under 400 watt 20k. I put them under 250 watt 10k. The monti lasted two weeks then the skeleton started showing and is just about dead. The red table is starting to recess at the base. I got frusterated and took my water in to have them test it. All tests were good except Nitrate was at about 25, everything else was zero. Alk is at 9, Calc is way high I tested this my self and it was at 750ppm. Which the store told me is probably not the cause. Salt was were it needed at 1.025. Ph was 8.4. I really need some help with this from experienced people. I will attach some photo's when i resize them. Is it the Nitrates or the lights, the tank is a tall 25. Is the tank to small and fluctuates to much(temp-PH).

 

[seareef]

Do you have a calc reactor?
Do you use RO/DI?
What are your calc levels? ..what are they consistantly?
What is your temp?
What is your water flow?
are there water surges(Waves)? (sps NEED it)
Im noticing you mentioned you keep softies with the SPS ...this correct?
SPS can be kept with softies, but know that its normally hard.
Softies like more nutrients while SPS likes PERFECT water ..ie less nutrients.
How long are your lights on?
Do you spot feed your tank?
Just a few questions...

 

[murph145]

if your calcium was 750 thats not good i dont see how it can be that hight though cuz it would precipitate i would think.... try to test it yourself salifer test are good
your nitrates should be zero for sps they dont like that at all.... softies and clams can live that way but sps like perfectly clean water u need a large skimmer what are u running on your tank?
im thinking all the changes have stressed the corals too much and caused them to die or dying

 

[nyfisherman]

I am not running a skimmer on this tank. Just a 400 emperor, I don't want to try and run a sump on a tank that small. My Calc was even higher than that. I was adding way to much of sea chem's Advantage calcium. No precipitation occured, I test with a salifert test, crazy part is before I got these corals it was even higher. You know at the end of the test when you add calc 3 and wait for it to turn blue. Well I added a full ML and that means it was over 500ppm and added another full ML to it and it still didn't change. Might have been above 1000ppm. I checked the calc in my 55gal to see if it was the test and it was at 350ppm. So I did a 50% water change and brought it down to 750ppm. Temp was a little low at 75-76 and would get up to 80 at the end of the light cycle. So turned the fan on the canopy and uped the temp in the tank. Should be a little more constant in the upper 70's. Would it be better to run a filter or a skimmer due to room on the tank? The LFS said it could be PH swing. Does PH go up or down at night?

 

[nyfisherman]

Picts of tank

 

[seareef]

Originally Posted by NYFISHERMAN
I am not running a skimmer on this tank. Just a 400 emperor, I don't want to try and run a sump on a tank that small. My Calc was even higher than that. I was adding way to much of sea chem's Advantage calcium. No precipitation occured, I test with a salifert test, crazy part is before I got these corals it was even higher. You know at the end of the test when you add calc 3 and wait for it to turn blue. Well I added a full ML and that means it was over 500ppm and added another full ML to it and it still didn't change. Might have been above 1000ppm. I checked the calc in my 55gal to see if it was the test and it was at 350ppm. So I did a 50% water change and brought it down to 750ppm. Temp was a little low at 75-76 and would get up to 80 at the end of the light cycle. So turned the fan on the canopy and uped the temp in the tank. Should be a little more constant in the upper 70's. Would it be better to run a filter or a skimmer due to room on the tank? The LFS said it could be PH swing. Does PH go up or down at night?

I'm not trying to flame you, or be mean, so please dont take it as such!
Running a SPS tank without a skimmer is like driving a car with no oil. You need to figure out how to manage your calc better, anything over 550 is bad. Now again..it depends...thing with calcium is you need to have it CONSISTANT...it doesn't matter really what it is..could even be 400 ...if its consistant the animals will like it... .. Also im sorry I must have miss read your thread, i thought you said 125 gallon tank...not 25 gallon tank.
A 25 will work for an extremely experienced person with SPS ..... I wouldn't even try it myself...and I know what im doing....SPS when taken care of correctly grow like wildfire...meaning they would over grow your tank if you set it up correctly...in a matter of months.
I suggest getting a bigger tank. 55 (min requirements)
To take care of SPS correctly you need :
Perfect water (RO/DI for replacement)
Correct size skimmer (YOU HAVE TO SKIM) with sps tanks that is.
Calc recator as you need a consistant flow of calc
Chiller, because these tanks cant move more than a degree at any time
(Stresses the coral out way to much)
MH'S that are on a consistant light schedule (note proper watts as well) and color spectrum Studies have shown that they grow better in certin ones better.
Over all ... my advise to you is : completely change your tank (no offence).
I dont want you loosing more money. There are reasons people literally spend around $20k to properly set up SPS tanks ...thats why they are so amazing. Please dont take what i've said in the wrong way, i want you to have a SPS tank and have a nice one...but I dont want you spending more money and having more heart ache.