Help!! Help with biocube.

Here are water parameters and a pic of the tank.

Calcium tested at 400.
I don't have other test kits currently, but do have a magnesium kit on the way from fostersmith.
Temp stays at 79 constantly
LEDs stay on at all times
Actinic and 10,000k stay on 10-7 everyday on timer


I can't seem to be able to keep some corals alive, namely the one I want to have in my setup the most...a nice hammer/frogspawn.

I could really use some help as to why

Stock 36w actinic and 10,000k daylight and 3 LEDs.

Bio balls (and I recently added fluval biomax on top of the bio balls) in the back chamber, biocube Carbon filter in first chamber and a biocube protein skimmer that I can't seem to get working.

I've had the setup a little over 3 years and there was a period (a little over a year ago) of about 2 months it sat idle while I was between moves...that period hurt everything in the tank and I've been fighting to get it back to normal since.

Any good advice for next steps to take would be helpful.

 

I've tried putting a hammer or frogspawn in there 3 different times and all three didn't make it.

Are there other crucial test kits I should look into getting that would cause a hammer or frogspawn to die off?....as I said, I do have a magnesium test kit on the way (and some magnesium to dose, if needed)

 

Isn't alkalinity the same as ph? (Rookie question that would love elaboration)

 

Is there a good way to get rid of the ammonia by adding something specific to the ecosystem?

 

It looks like the Fluval Biomax things I put on top of the bio balls are working because I did tests again today and ammonia, Nitrate and nitrites all tested 0! I've also gotten my PH up to 8.2.

According to the Manual for the test kit, carbonate hardness is the same as alkalinity. That one tested on the high end today and has gone up the last couple times I've checked. It's up to 12dKH (214.8 ppm kh)...I screwed up and added a teaspoon of Kent Pro Buffer DKH yesterday so that may be why it's tested so high.

I have some phosphate sponge eliminating the minimal amount of phosphates that are in the water, too.

 

Until 2 months ago, I was buying 5g boxes of "real ocean water" from petco to do bi-weekly changes...but when I moved to CF a year and a half ago, the tank sat idle (just timers for lights and my brother feeding the fish) and I lost a lot and the tank got out of balance....There isn't a local fish store for saltwater in CF/Waterloo..since then, I've been buying culligan rodi uv sterilized water and mixing with reef crystals.

Last night, I received a RO buddy that I ordered from fostersmith and a magnesium testing kit as well as the big box of reef crystals and I'm gonna order the di attachment to get delivered next week...but I still have 10 gallons of rodi uv sterilized to do another water change before it arrives.

The biocube has 3 blue LEDs that stay on all the time. Should I change that? The 10,000k and actinic are on a timer for 1030-730, I believe.

Interesting on the phosban and cuprisorb suggestions. Maybe I'll order them when I order the di attachment for the RO buddy.

 

yeah, I recently stopped trusting that salinity tester that suction cups to the tank and got a refractometer
And it reads 1.026 (just checked)...the other POS reads 1.022-1.023.

The flow I have is stock. The 3rd chamber jet and a power head on the left side facing right. The power head on the left has also had a red algae grow on the top of it the last week or so. Bright red.

 

Clubs par meter?

 

I did just replace the actinic bulb a couple weeks ago because it has gone very dim. I hadn't replaced it till after I lost my last hammer.

I'll try to post some new pics of the tank later today, but it seems like everything is doing well in there now.

I'll contact him to see if I can use the par meter. I appreciate that tip.

 

The biocube is an enclosed system with a hood that keeps it all in. As long as all the chamber doors are closed, I don't have a big problem with evaporation.

If I upgrade the lighting and do away with the hood, I will definitely add a auto off system.

 

A few questions (sorry for my rookie level of knowledge)

...

Do you guys clean out your power heads?
Is the red algae on the top of the power head a good or bad thing?