lower phosphates!

i had a 55 gallon tank with the traditional wet/dry sump for years with just aggresive fish, probably over feed im sure. Large crush coral for a substrate, then one day i lost them all due to a malfuntion of a heater. i was pretty bummed, but i tried something different with the tank with zoos and mushrooms. I had lots of success got a couple clowns, now its a full blown reef tank. No success at all with hard corals so i started checking other parameters.... phosphates off the chart, mag little low, iodine little low, alkalinity very high calcium very high...regular water changes 0f 10 gallons a week, built a sump with live rock 30 gallon and added two reactors from bulk reef supply (awesome) phos/carbon! phosphares are down to 1.0 in one day amazing but still my cal / and dkh are high, im even trying to remove the large substrate little at a time

 

no coraline!

got a clam, looks great had about 2 weeks opens everday alk still a little high as well as calcium. My new sump seems to work great, needs an auto top off though, i would love to have that coraline growing but not happening

 

Not sure what you are asking?

 

me either

hard corals die like candy cane, slipper,and acans and no coraline thats what im asking, i just did these reactors so i may have luck but id like to see puple all over, coraline thats my question

 

If you could please list parameter values for

Calcium
alk
mag
pH
Nitrates as well please

The iodine should be replaced by routine water changes, and not dosed IMO.

A full tank image would be of assistance, including lighting type please.

Also are you using carbon, and RO/DI water only. Candy canes are pretty darn hardy corals so something is going on.

The fact that the tank is established and you are still having little to no coralline growth leads to believe you have a water chemistry issue or something in your system is so good at eating the coralline that it appears like it is not growing.

 

parameters

ph 8.3
ammonium .25
nitrate/nitrite 0
phosphates 1.0 / 1.5 and dropping
dkh 14/15 high
calcium 480 high
mag1120
salinity 1.026
blue tang, 4 clown, six line, watchman goby
55/ 30 gal diy sump full of live rock tank and sump
phosban reactor / carbon reactor
t5 lights
cheap skimmer though ... my next big purchase any suggestions
lots of flow

 

yes i bought a coralife ro system two months ago because i tested my tap water and it had lots of phosphates, im trying to remove the substrate little at a time and go with sand eventually

 

An established tank should consistently have an ammonia level of 0. Stony corals will not tolerate any ammonia.

First I would test your make-up water values of ca and alk before you add it to the tank.

Next I would double check those values against another test kit, like at the local fish store.

Mg should be around 1300 ppm at least.

Lastly you need to find out where that ammonia is coming from and why your nitrite and nitrate levels do not reflect it. Possibly over feeding but you should show a nitrate level at least, which leads me to suspect your test kit.

Are you dosing anything at all?

TIA

 

i just redid those three
ammonia 0
nitrate 0
nitrite 0
u where right about ammonia i must have put the wrong drops in
i run in the carbon reactor a little layer of de nitrate i forgot to add in my post when the lights come on later i will take a full tank pic and check the mag again its been a week since i checked that....
is it better to remove the large substrate for sand?

 

only feed frozen brine and zooplankton half a cube a day thats it no chemicals i did get that clam and slipper hoping it would use the calc and alk and bring down the levels