problem with orange yuma

[piranhaking]

I have a frag of an orange yuma that was doing very well. It was larger than a quarter, and still only had a small amount of "body" on the cut side of its mouth. I removed it from the broken piece of tile it was on and netted it down to a rock. I didnt damage the foot as far as i know, i pulled it loose from the tile with and algae scraper so i wouldnt cut it. since it reattached it hasnt opened up any larger than about 2/3s the size of a dime. My ammonia and nitrite are 0. My nitrate is around 2 or 3. My sg is 1.023. It is in a 10 gallon tank with 40 watts of 10,000 k and 30 watts of actinic NO lighting. It is more or less on the bottom of the tank, but it was before i moved it. Any ideas whats wrong with it? It has been this way for probably a month now. Its still opening and closing with the lights, but barely changing.

 

[Don Berry]

The nitrates probably aren't helping and your salinty should be a little higher. Have your checked your alk and ca lately? Yumas are pretty tough and cutting them doesn't usually bother them long term.

 

[piranhaking]

i really dont think nitrate of 2 or 3 is going to bother much of anything, but i had my water tested at my lfs and their test read 0. I dont have a ca or alk test. I heard ca tests are about $50 and i dont really have the money for that right now.

 

[Sk8r]

calcium tests aren't that expensive: look at Salifert. I think you can get the test and the additive for less. Ultimately you'll want a magnesium, an alkalinity, and a calcium test. With those 3 and the accompanying additives, you can keep things pretty stable.

 

[piranhaking]

i think i may have found the problem. I have found some other things about my tank that are a sign of high disolved nutrients. I am begining to think that i am getting such a low level when i test because the nitrate is being used as fast as it is formed, but is still somewhat of an issue. I am taking some steps to try to combat that issue. I will update how it goes later.