Problems with my SPS

Yeah vacuuming sand beds is a touchy subject.
I keep a thin sand bed that I vacuum. Deeper sand beds may cause problems if disturbed. I have 1-3". I use use a variety of detritus removal techniques.
Vacuum sand
Vacuum rocks
Power head / turkey baste rocks. Try to get the nasties out of the holes and low flow areas.
Vacuum sump with shop vac. I use a bucket heat. Cost $25 at Home Depot.
I don't do most of that every time but alternate them around during water changes. Probably vacuum sump every few months or as needed.
I use filter socks so that prevents a lot from building up to begin with. As long as you clean them out properly they work well.
If I need extra vacuuming than a water change will allow I use a hose that just goes straight into a filter sock in sump. Then u can vacuum unlimited time.
Over time It's hard to tell what kind of nasty stuff builds up in our aquariums. So in my eyes best to keep the nasty stuff exported as much as possible.

 

I have 1-2 inches of sand and I have vacuumed it in the past i just like to hear other peoples experience with it. I think I will vacuum it tomorrow after blasting the rock tonight when I get home. How much of an impact do you think vacuuming the sand has on pod population?

 

Probably not much with the pods. I shut down my refugium, vacuum , have a green madarin and melanuras. Pods everywhere I see at night. (215 gallon)

 

I am hoping to get a Mandarin in the near future so my pod population is pretty important. There are tons that I see at night but the last thing I want is to watch a mandarin starve to death.

 

I usually vacuum small sections of my sandbed that is about the same depth as yours md. I agree with others in that the variables you described most likely is what affected your corals - fwiw, I don't get concerned with ph. If your other parameters are in check, especially alk, then ph will do its thing.

 

True, its not like there is much i can do for the ph anyway except make it not consistent.

 

Did another WC last night. All my parameters have been stable with my Cal and Alk steadily climbing. With the use of the limewater, both cal and alk are slowly climbing. Should I add more water to lower the saturation of the lime until things start to grow again? The Alk is getting to the upper limit at almost 11 last night. it is climbing less than 1 dkh a day using only lime, I just don't know what problems i could run into with high Alk and what amount is too high? Any advice here?

 

If they keep climbing, then yes, lower the concentration. Too high alkalinity can burn corals, especially in low nutrient systems.

 

If you have undissolved kalk in the bottom of your ato tank, it will continue to dissolve yielding a saturated solution, the same as what you have been adding. You would have to remove the powder from the bottom and add powder at less that the saturation rate. 2 teaspoons per gallon will saturate the solution. BRS recommends starting off with 1/2 teaspoon per gallon.
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/blog/how-to-use-kalk-in-your-auto-top-off/

 

I started with 1 tsp per gallon and was probably a little on the low side of that not knowing exactly how much water was in the reservoir, I couldn't see any powder at the bottom, but it is a bit hard to see through with the layer on the top of the water. I will fill my reservoir tonight without stirring it and hopefully it will bring the concentration down. I didn't see BRS's guide apparently because pretty much everything i read said to start with 1 tsp per gallon.