Help!! I Need To Keep Torch Coral Tissue On Skeleton!

[lessans]

I regularly supplement my tank with Iodine and Strontium, and my Calcium level is 520ppm, but it looks like there is less tissue on the Ca(CO3)2 skeleton than when I bought the coral about 3 months ago. I'm ashamed to admit that my pH is 7.7, but I'm trying to bring that back up with Kent Marine pH buffer. The decrease in pH was probably due to a lack of water changes for a couple weeks, but no more than a month without a water change. Usually I do a 10 gal water change weekly on my 65 gal reef. (1)How do I lower Calcium level to about 450ppm if I have to lower the calcium level?(2)How can I prevent the coral's tissue from detaching?

 

[Sk8r]

Bring up your alkalinity to 8-10.
Wait for your calcium to drop to about 400.
I'd stop dosing with Iodine and Strontium until you've got this ironed out...get a test for them and establish what the readings ought to be.

Keep flow moderate and as chaotic as possible, no one-sided gales if you can help it.

Light moderate to high.

Make sure there's no leather or zoo upwind of it.

 

[Sk8r]

Randy in the Chemistry forum can give you much more specific help in getting the water chemistry on the level.

 

[Sk8r]

Randy in the Chemistry forum can give you much more specific help in getting the water chemistry on the level.

 

[lessans]

Why would you stop dosing Iodine and Strontium? I thought Strontium helps keep the tissue attached to the skeleton.

 

[kau_cinta_ku]

if you are not testing for iodine or Strontium do not add it. over dosing can and will do more harm than not adding it at all. the CA will lower itself over time

 

[sarduci]

To draw a bit more drastic parallel, you wouldn't make new salt water with testing the salinity, would you?

Rule of thumb: If you can't test it, don't add it.

On a second note, good luck with your torch, I had three froggies, two of them completely pulled off, one almost did but hung on. Now I have 2 small ones from tissue that stuck onto the skelleton on the one who hung on, and one small part that remained on another. So out of my origional 3, I have one big one and 3 small ones....