Slow growth, no answers

Robert Patterso

Robert Patterso

New member
It's a 140 with 75 gal sump. ATS good skimming. Had been carbon dosing. My growth is very slow at best.
SG 1.026
Alk 9.4
Ca 450
MG 1480
No3 .5
Po4 0.00 Hanna
I do have a small bryopsis issue. Very little. My thoughts are a little to nutrient free maybe? Colors are fair. Not to worried about color right now but would like to see good growth.
All test are with Red Sea pro, tested multiple times. I'm scratching my head here. I would think these sps would be trying to grow out of the tank. And yes I feed a lot.
Any thoughts anybody??
 
What lights are you using. Maybe try getting a par meter and keep your corals in the 300 to 500 range
 
No sorry no before/after pics unfortunately. Meant to say I'm running two 400w XM 20ks. I have four tangs, swallow tail angel, 1 anthias, flame hog. Fish poop is not an issue. Fed 2-3 times a day a variety of food. Corals get oysters and reef foundation A&B. I use BRS carbon in a bag
 
Maybe it's a placement and waterflow issue. Which coral in particular are you having an issue with? Do you add Sr or Iodine to your tank?
 
waterman78 said:
Maybe it's a placement and waterflow issue. Which coral in particular are you having an issue with? Do you add Sr or Iodine to your tank?
Click to expand...

Pretty much all corals have slow growth. I have a closed loop with dart pump, mp40 and two hydor #4s. Eheim 1260 return. I add iodine twice a week, no Sr tho. Bi weekly water changes with Red Sea coral pro.
 
Are your corals new sometimes they take months and months to resume normal growth and sometimes they grow slow because they are frags cut from the sides or bottoms of the mother colony. Maybe try zeovit. try adding more light! thats what corals use to grow. Maybe your bulbs are just old.
 
Bugger said:
Are your corals new sometimes they take months and months to resume normal growth and sometimes they grow slow because they are frags cut from the sides or bottoms of the mother colony. Maybe try zeovit. try adding more light! thats what corals use to grow. Maybe your bulbs are just old.
Click to expand...

Bulbs are about 3 months old, could be a little high though. About 18"s bulb to water. I might be a little impatient, frags have been in 3-6 months. I see my friends tank once a week and seems to have new growth every week. Guess I need to chill a little.
Any thoughts about the height of lights. Using small lumenbrites
 
Your skimmer is a little undersized for that tank, I have it on a 90 with a 30 sump. Could you post up some pictures in general. With some coral close ups. What's the pH?
 
DopeCantWin said:
Your skimmer is a little undersized for that tank, I have it on a 90 with a 30 sump. Could you post up some pictures in general. With some coral close ups. What's the pH?
Click to expand...

I really the skimmers is doing a great job. It pulls a lot of nasty poop. I haven't checked the ph in a long time. I have an ATS and refugium running on a reverse cycle. The corals have pretty good PE I think it's more about my patience and looking at the tank closely every day and not seeing growth.
If I can figure out out to down load pictures from phone I will post some
 
Consider keeping the magnesium below 1400, and bump up the calcium just a tad closer to 480, and see what happens in two / three weeks.
 
This may sound a little different and too easy, but I have found carbon granules really irritates acropora. Even a small amount. Try taking the bag of carbon out. I know that carbon dosing usually recommends solid carbon. I would also try changing small amounts of water like: 5 gals a day. Try not feeding after 6 pm, there is a good article how calcification slows if coral are fed at night. I would keep alk more like 8 with carbon dosing and ca 420, more is not always better. You can also try adding zeovit zeolite rocks, you can just put them in a bag in a high water flow area, one liter to start is sufficient. Just rub the bag with your hands 2 x a day.

Good growth to me would be 1/8 to 1/4 inch a month. stags 1/2 inch/month.
 
Last edited:
Robert, what are the dimensions of the tank? LB Mini's are spotlights so it is possible you are over lighting the corals under the lights, and under lighting the ones away from under the spotlight. A pic of the display would help as well.
 
toothman said:
This may sound a little different and too easy, but I have found carbon granules really irritates acropora. Even a small amount. Try taking the bag of carbon out. I know that carbon dosing usually recommends solid carbon. I would also try changing small amounts of water like: 5 gals a day. Try not feeding after 6 pm, there is a good article how calcification slows if coral are fed at night. I would keep alk more like 8 with carbon dosing and ca 420, more is not always better. You can also try adding zeovit zeolite rocks, you can just put them in a bag in a high water flow area, one liter to start is sufficient. Just rub the bag with your hands 2 x a day.

Good growth to me would be 1/8 to 1/4 inch a month. stags 1/2 inch/month.
Click to expand...

Could you possibly send me a link to the article please. I've always fed at lights out. If it would be better to feed during the day I'll give it a shot. I quit carbon dosing a couple weeks ago. Letting the nitrates and po4 come up a bit. I'll pull the carbon bag and see what happens
 
sirreal63 said:
Robert, what are the dimensions of the tank? LB Mini's are spotlights so it is possible you are over lighting the corals under the lights, and under lighting the ones away from under the spotlight. A pic of the display would help as well.
Click to expand...

Tank is 48x24x29 tall. Bulbs are 18"s above water line. I wish I'd of stayed with the large reflectors
 
artkwan said:
Consider keeping the magnesium below 1400, and bump up the calcium just a tad closer to 480, and see what happens in two / three weeks.
Click to expand...

I had run my mg up just recently trying to kill of the bryopsis in the tank. It's not much but it just won't go away. I normally keep it around 1350.
 
Just out of curiosity, what is the pH, and is there a big swing between night and day?

Also, SPS do need a bit of phosphate to survive / grow.
 
I think you just need to give it time. Some corals are just very very slow growers. I notice that you didn't mention which corals you are keeping or that some are growing and others are not. So I would just wait it out and don't make any drastic changes to your system to compensate. I have had a few corals that seemed like they would never grow. A couple years later and I can't trim them fast enough. Just let it be and have patience.
 
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