Hey guys.
I have a 75g lps/softie reef tank that I've had set up for about 3 years now. It's been through quite a bit: bad, cheap lighting, a season of neglect, a move from Pennsylvania to Florida, bad/faulty RODI filters, lack of proper test kits, algae outbreaks, and some other issues. In the past year, though, I guess you could say my tank has had a glow up. I finally got a new light of excellent quality, a Kessil AP700. I also have bought some more test kits, and I fixed my RODI filter and it's now at a steady 0 TDS reading. I've been doing 20-25 gallon weekly water changes to make sure my water is pure from that previous season of neglect and faulty tap filters. I've cleaned filter sponges and sifted the sand bed multiple times. Almost all algae is gone or has died off. My tank is looking very good compared to how it did before this light and the RODI fix and the time in which it was neglected. It's been on this path of success for a couple of months now.
I just need some advice on how I can perfect the looks of my corals and the tank overall. My corals look good, but not perfect. I don't get the same butterflies in my stomach as I do when I look at my saltwater store's display tank when I look at my tank. They have an lps/softie tank under Kessil AP700s just like mine, but the polyps on their corals are huge and colorful. I even checked with the caretaker of the tank and my Kessil is on the same exact blue as theirs is during the day. I just don't understand... The polyps on their corals are HUUGE. Like one of their palythoa grandis polyps is almost the size of my hand.
How can I get my corals to look fatty and obese like theirs? For example, I have a palythoa grandis colony of about 5 polyps but the polyps are about a quarter of the size of theirs. Is it just a matter of patience with this new light? I've had it up for about two months now. Could it be that my light is too close to the tank? My light is probably 10 inches from the top of my tank while theirs are probably 2 feet. Unfortunately I do not have a PAR meter to help. Could it be that the shimmer from the light is too intense? My powerhead is pretty strong and moves around the top of the water, causing waves and a lot of shimmer. Should I try to move the powerhead so it doesn't distort the top of the water too much? Should I slow down on water changes to allow for some nutrient build up for the coral? I've been feeding my coral almost every other night now, that seems to help some.
My water levels are pretty good, although some elements like magnesium and calcium are pretty high. Here they are:
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: <5
Phosphate: Undetectable
pH: 7.8
dKH: 9.5
Calcium≈520
Magnesium≈1750-1800
I occasionally dose Liquid Reef but have slowed down on dosing due to high levels of elements.
Any help would be great, thanks guys
I have a 75g lps/softie reef tank that I've had set up for about 3 years now. It's been through quite a bit: bad, cheap lighting, a season of neglect, a move from Pennsylvania to Florida, bad/faulty RODI filters, lack of proper test kits, algae outbreaks, and some other issues. In the past year, though, I guess you could say my tank has had a glow up. I finally got a new light of excellent quality, a Kessil AP700. I also have bought some more test kits, and I fixed my RODI filter and it's now at a steady 0 TDS reading. I've been doing 20-25 gallon weekly water changes to make sure my water is pure from that previous season of neglect and faulty tap filters. I've cleaned filter sponges and sifted the sand bed multiple times. Almost all algae is gone or has died off. My tank is looking very good compared to how it did before this light and the RODI fix and the time in which it was neglected. It's been on this path of success for a couple of months now.
I just need some advice on how I can perfect the looks of my corals and the tank overall. My corals look good, but not perfect. I don't get the same butterflies in my stomach as I do when I look at my saltwater store's display tank when I look at my tank. They have an lps/softie tank under Kessil AP700s just like mine, but the polyps on their corals are huge and colorful. I even checked with the caretaker of the tank and my Kessil is on the same exact blue as theirs is during the day. I just don't understand... The polyps on their corals are HUUGE. Like one of their palythoa grandis polyps is almost the size of my hand.
How can I get my corals to look fatty and obese like theirs? For example, I have a palythoa grandis colony of about 5 polyps but the polyps are about a quarter of the size of theirs. Is it just a matter of patience with this new light? I've had it up for about two months now. Could it be that my light is too close to the tank? My light is probably 10 inches from the top of my tank while theirs are probably 2 feet. Unfortunately I do not have a PAR meter to help. Could it be that the shimmer from the light is too intense? My powerhead is pretty strong and moves around the top of the water, causing waves and a lot of shimmer. Should I try to move the powerhead so it doesn't distort the top of the water too much? Should I slow down on water changes to allow for some nutrient build up for the coral? I've been feeding my coral almost every other night now, that seems to help some.
My water levels are pretty good, although some elements like magnesium and calcium are pretty high. Here they are:
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: <5
Phosphate: Undetectable
pH: 7.8
dKH: 9.5
Calcium≈520
Magnesium≈1750-1800
I occasionally dose Liquid Reef but have slowed down on dosing due to high levels of elements.
Any help would be great, thanks guys
