No growth

[SassyAngel111]

I have several different types of zoas, a couple of mushrooms and a green star, I am not getting any growth. I have had these softies for 3 months and no growth at all. Could it be my lights or something else? The only one that seems happy is the one under the rock.

I have my lights on a timer the blues come on around 7am and off around 9pm and the whites on at 9am and off at 6:30pm.

If some one could give me some ideas on what to change or should I do something different?

Some updated info on the tank:
72 pentagon
Lighting: MarsAqua Dimmable 300W LED Aquarium Grow Light Full Spectrum Reef Coral LPS/SPS
Refuguem: Eshopps http://www.amazon.com/Eshopps-AEO15...d=1437944915&sr=8-1&keywords=eshopps+refugium
Skimmer: Eshopps S-120
Parameters:
Red sea tests
PH = 8.1
NO3 = 0
NO2 = 0
Salifert test
PO4 = 0
Cal = 420
Alk = KH is 8.3 alk is 2.96
Nyos test
Mag = 1350
Sal. 1.026
Salt mix: IO reef crystals

Live stock:
1 yellow tang, 2 firefish, 2 blue chromies, 1 yellow candy hogfish, 1 platinum percula clownfish, 2 peppermint shrimp, 1 emerald crab, 5 nassarius, 5 blue legged hermits, a couple of cerith snails and 3 or 4 turbos.

 

[dillct]

Zero Nutrients=Zero Growth

 

[SassyAngel111]

Zero Nutrients=Zero Growth

So how do I increase the Nutrients? Do I stop the Skimmer? Really over feed my tank? I have been battling hair algae for the last month or so. and just put the tang and emerald in about a week ago and they have almost got the HA gone.

Unless it is my test kit that is bad for NO2 and NO3. Which is what I was running into on MAG. and Alk. had to go by different tests.

Also the lights I have the blues at 100% and the whites somewhere between 25 and 50% power.

 

[roninmagik1]

have you checked and counted polyps, maybe there is just a small amount of growth, but you're not noticing? I had some tubbs blues, that i didn't think were growing, but when i examined it closely, there was a polyp on the side, so its growing albeit very slowly....iv'e heard that a polyp a month is considered slow growth, but then we have to consider what's the source. for instance 1 polyp growing another polyp in a month, would be a better return, vs. having a colony of 20 polyps, and only getting 1 polyp of growth for the month. i'm no expert myself, but i'm also in the same boat, wondering why my zoas aren't growing as fast as i'd like them to...so i've been going over some ideas in my head. I have learned a thing or two...

1. placement is important. it doesn't seem to be a "the more light the more growth" principle...., my pink zippers didn't grow at all for months, but once i put them lower in the tank, so they were barely getting what i considered adequate lighting, they did better and i got 2 baby polyps in about 3 weeks. I was really surprised.

2. don't move them around too much.. - if you get impatient and keep moving them around and changing stuff, i think it upsets the zoas. i now try not to change anything w/ them for at least a week, once i've made a change in placement of the tank...

anyhow, take it for what it's worth!

good luck, J.

 

[organism]

The main thing that jumps out at me is your blues being on for 14 hours and your whites on for a long time as well. From the picture it looks like they're getting too much light, if it were me I'd try keeping the blues on for 12 hours and the whites at 10-20% for 6 hours at a time instead of 9 and a half.

 

[SassyAngel111]

I will move them down closer to the bottom and try putting them out of the direct light for a couple of weeks as well as only keeping the blues on for 12 and the whites on for 6. Thanks roninmagik1 and organism.

 

[dillct]

I'd still bump the NO3 to the 5-10 territory. Your lighting is fine, although I personally wouldn't run any of the chinese boxes above 85%. If you're worried about a algae, buy a few more snails. I don't see any algae in any of the pics that would worry me much.

 

[Ocean envy]

Try turning off your pumps and feeding them with something like cyclopeez, or ground up pellets ect.. then 20-30min. later you can start your pumps again. You could try this 2-3 days a week and see how it goes. That way your nutrient levels should be going up, but in the corals themselves

 

[organism]

Try turning off your pumps and feeding them with something like cyclopeez, or ground up pellets ect.. then 20-30min. later you can start your pumps again. You could try this 2-3 days a week and see how it goes. That way your nutrient levels should be going up, but in the corals themselves

Please don't start pouring food into the tank to troubleshoot issues, a lot of zoas don't eat and stressed ones won't.

 

[SassyAngel111]

No I have just adjusted the lights and have moved the zoas down a bit and I'll see how that goes

 

[balz3352]

Unforunately a lot of times you just have to find the happy place for the zoas. But like said before moving them too much stresses them out causing them not to open. Who knows. In my tank some zoas grow like crazy, others look great but have had 1 polyp for 3-4 months.

This whole coral thing is crazy, and what we do to make them happy and grow is even crazier but were all addicted!!!

 

[Dmantz1]

I changed my light schedule to around 10 hrs. I also adjusted my whites to 30% and blues to 70%. I've seen new polyp growth at a high rate.