Problems with my acros

[alemab3]

Okay, I need some help. I have a 72 bow front tank
2 150-watt HQI 20k
2 96 watt actinic
1200 mag drive running the system
500 mag drive running carbon, phosphate and uv sterilizer
3 maxi jets 1200 on a wave maker
Ecosystem reefugium (doing well)
Remora skimmer
Geo ca reactor
Using ro water for water changes and top off water

Water parameters
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5
Phosphate .25
Ca 420

The Problem is my acros do not polyp even the corals that are suppose to have extended polyps. I am keeping mostly LPS and Mushrooms but the Montiporas and the Acro I have never polyp. They grow very slow some die but they do not look healthy. Everything else in the tank does very well. I had a large Toadstool in the tank that I removed yesterday. I wanted to know if anyone had any other ideas and how long it should take for the carbon to remove the chemicals that the toadstool releases? Please Help I would love to do more SPS but I need to figure out what I am doing wrong.

 

[mbbuna]

what's your water temp? how long have you had them? what fish do you have? do they come out when the lights are out?

 

[alemab3]

temp runs between 77-79
they do not come out at night
I have a yellow tang, 2 perculla clowns, a lawn mower blenny, a flame angel, and a mandrin
I have had most of them for 6-8 months

 

[MCary]

I've had acros that I never saw the polyps, but they had beautiful color and grew like crazy.

 

[ShipMate]

It seems that you have a nutrients excess, judging by your elevated nitrate + phosphate levels. Many acros do not fare well in nutrient rich waters.
You need to increase your nutrients exports, clean your water up. Carbon gets exhausted Fairly quickly, needs to be replaced every so often or it will accumulate detritus.. Harvest your algae periodically. Feeding smaller amounts more often is better then large amounts at a time.

 

[mikeatjac]

"I am keeping mostly LPS and Mushrooms but the Montiporas and the Acro I have never polyp". Sometimes the chemical warfare from LPS and Softies affects SPS. I have much better luck with just SPS.

 

[alemab3]

You know I hear that all the time about mixing LPS with SPS but I have seen tanks with both and they look great. I have also seen tanks with higher levels of Nitrates and Phosphates that have SPS in them and again the tank looks great.
Go figure

 

[cw150]

I've heard the shrooms specifically cause SPS problems. LPS ok, leathers and shrooms bad. Also 20k lighting is probably not enough par for the SPS. 3 maxijets probably not enough flow either.

 

[mbbuna]

do you ever see the Angel pick at them? it could be the PO4 +NO3 but i doubt its caused by a mixed reef. chem warfare is a little over rated unless they are right on top of each other.

 

[143gadgets]

I agree with Mbbuna about the Angel. I think that he may be your culprit. IMO. But I could be wrong.