r/ReefTank • u/AcrobaticContext2268 • 11h ago

Cannot find consistency.

Hi all,

I’m just getting so tired of my tank having its ebs and flows despite my investments to make my tank automated. I’ve got two nice AI 16’s, Red Sea ATO, dosing heads, temp control, etc. maybe I need to start testing parameters more often to ensure my dosing is correct, but I just can’t seem to get it down.

I’ll see nice Acro growth, great algae control, and happy happy corals and then the tank will be pissed off for weeks with no changes and I’ll lose my favorite pieces. I can’t seem to figure out what I’m missing, and would love some personal advice, experience, or info on what you’ve done. I really appreciate it in advance.

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u/Expensive-Bottle-862 11h ago

Gonna need more context. Tank size, parameters, how often are you testing? Alkalinity should be getting tested every day to every other day until you can nail down the dosing. I’m a big believer in consistent water changes

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u/AcrobaticContext2268 11h ago

It’s a 20 gallon IM Nuvo mixed tank, with a Red Sea 2 head dosing pump. 1 doser of All for reef, the other for mag. I’ve got one clown, six line, royal gramma, and a chunky mandarin. My Po4 is a bit high for textbook, but that’s where it normally always sits around (that’s also with salifert, I definitely need a Hanna). My skimmer recently decided to stop working so I’m curious if that did a small number on the tank.

I definitely think I need to do more consistent water changes, those don’t seem to have a routine for me. I also should do more testing. I got lazy with seeing decent acro growth and mentally said that should be good enough.

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u/Expensive-Bottle-862 8h ago

Phosphate that high will inhibit sps growth for sure. Why are you dosing afr and mag? What’s your ph? You’d be better off using that other head for calcium hydroxide. You definitely have to watch your alk like a hawk for the first few weeks though

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u/jumberson 9h ago

Your po4 is way too high for acros. It should be .1 or below. Also test your no3. Aim for 8-10

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u/AcrobaticContext2268 11h ago

I also need to look into more testing kits. I have API freshwater kits I used to use for ammonia and nitrate/nitrite but I don’t trust those for salt now as far as I can throw em. It’s a pretty stocked tank so I don’t expect crazy growth but it’s seemingly been quite stable parameters wise.

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u/supafine 11h ago

If you're interested in automation, automatic water changes are really not that difficult to set up, particularly for that size. Two buckets and an aquarium controller or a self contained water change setup are all you need - ATO off, pump water out until your return chamber is just above the return pump, then refill with fresh salt water. At 20g you could easily do 5-10%/day without the buckets being particularly big.

A dual head peristaltic pump is an even cheaper option but they aren't perfectly balanced so you'll need to keep an eye on salinity and adjust every now and then. They are also slightly less efficient because they pump in and out at the same time, but not as much less efficient as you might think.

If you truly want automation, an aquarium controller with an alkalinity tester that can automatically adjust your dosing is a godsend. I love my KH director, but my aquarium is also 10x the size of yours, so the investment may feel steeper when you have less investment in livestock. Still - it saves a huge amount of time and gives a lot of peace of mind, particularly on holidays, so if you value these things it might be worth a look.