First off"¦"¦.Hello and a big thank you to everyone out there who has helped me get this far in the hobby. Tons of reading and still so much to learn!
Why this post? When I moved an established 34gal to a new home, I upgraded it to a larger system and went mixed reef adding more SPS (11 months ago). But my SPS just don't seem to want to grow! I cant figure out why. Looking for advice from you SPS keepers.
Don't get me wrong, most of my SPS are growing but at this rate my grandchildren will be the ones who get to see the fruits of my labour. And after seeing so many amazing tanks with SPS growing like weeds I need some advice.
What should I be looking at?
Tanks specs are below.
65 GALLON DISPLAY
Drilled with Glass Holes overflow
40gal Breeder for sump
55 gal net system volume
WATER PARAMETERS (consistent for the past 3 mo.):
SG: 1.026 (using refractometer calibrated with solution prior to each reading)
Temp: 77.5F
PH: 8.0
dKH: 9.4-10 (swings by +/- 0.5dkh/7days)
Phosphate: 0 (Don't test. No visible algae but I know its there ☺)
Calcium: 460-480 ppm
Magnesium: 1200-1300 ppm
Nitrate: 10
NOTE: All water tests completed using either ELOS and/or Salifert test kits.
DOSING:
Soda Ash (Alk)
Calcium Chloride (Ca)
CIRCULATION:
(3) MPW10wES "“ 2 set to pulsing 1 to reef crest
EQUIPMENT:
Vertex Omega 150 skimmer
Tunze ATO
BRS dosing pumps x 2
FEEDING:
Pinch of Omega Veggie Flakes daily
2ml phytoplankton (2 times per week)
Small piece Nori (1.5"x3") 2 times per week
1cube Frozen Spirulina Bryne + 1 cube Cyclops (1x per week)
LIGHTING:
(2) Vertex Illumina 260 with the Aux colour module in each light.
PHOTO PERIOD:
9hrs with a ramp up and ramp down. Starting and ending with blues and UV. Blues, RB and UV max out at 85%, Whites on for 6hrs and max out at 20%.
FISH:
- Occellaris clowns x2
- Royal gramma
- Lubbock's fairy wrasse
- Chromis viridis x 3 (small)
- Yellow tang
- Hippo Tang (juvenile)
- Diamond Goby
CORALS:
Softies:
- Orange & blue mushrooms (lesson learned)
- Green Star Polyp
- Bicolour frogspawn
- Bicolour hammer
- Candy cane
- Elegance
- Favia (Dragon Soul)
- Acans (various x 4 frags)
- Zoas & Palys (various x 7 frags)
- Pulsing Xenia (again, lesson learned)
SPS:
- Meteor Shower Cyphaestrea
- Encrusting Montipoa (poker star?)
- Montipora setosa
- Seriatopora caliendrum? (teal birds nest)
- Seriatopoa hystrix (pink birdsnest)
- Pocillopora
- Purple Bonsai Valida
- Acropora caroliniana
- Green Staghorn Acropora
- Blue dream? Acro
- Red Dragon
OTHER INHABITANTS:
- Pink tube anemone
- Lots of Astreea Snails
- Red leg hermit crab
- Asternia starfish
- Emerald crab
MAINTENANCE:
I do a 9% WC every 7-10days with IO Reef Crystals and syphon the detritus in the sump. Usually add 10ml Bicrobacter7 or 2 drops KZ Zeobak (not sure if it helps).
Syphon the sandbed of the DT every 2-4weeks.
Scrape the glass for algae 1-2x per week max.
GFO when needed.
RANDOMS:
One of the first things I dealt with was starving my corals. I was so afraid of algae and polluting my tank that I just didn't feed enough. SPS would slowly go pale and eventually die back/out. There were not enough fish in the system. Things started to get better once NO3 got to noticeable levels (started dosing Amino Acids but have backed off). NO3 is now sitting nicely at 10ppm and coloration is getting better.
The carolinia started to grow nicely and then just stalled. When it was growing I could actually see it getting bigger week by week if not day by day (so I know how fast things can grow).
Introduced some new frags a few weeks back and lost one (purple dragon) to RTN. Never seen that before, but man was it ever rapid! Losing another frag (a purple acro) to STN. While these two have given up the ghost, the others are doing fine (good coloration & polyp extension but no visible growth)
IDEAS:
1. Allelopathy between the softies and the SPS. This is my best guess to start with as I used to run carbon and stopped. I think I'm going to start with carbon as my first change to the tank and watch for an improvement.
2. Photo inhibition. Definitely had some photo inhibition but coloration improved with shortening of the photoperiod from 12hrs to 9hrs. The carolinia seems happy at the top of my tank so perhaps there may not be enough PAR for the more light hungry corals (although the teal birdsnest is doing just fine at roughly the same level)? Will gradually increase the intensity of the LED's.
3. Light Spectrum. Had a previous issue with this as well (gotta love LED's). Things are getting better now that the Blues, RB & UV max out at 85% with Whites maxing at 20%. Increasing the Whites intensity is my second change after running carbon.
4. Potassium Deficiency. Some SPS that used to be blue and should be blue are not. Need to pick up a test kit for this although with weekly water changes this is not high up on my list.
5. Stray Voltage. I've tested this before and didn't find any. Will test again. Does everyone use a grounding probe?
6. Pests. I've looked and looked and don't see any.
7. Turbidity in the water column from the goby.
There you have it. I figured it was better to give as much info in one shot as possible. Let me know there is anything I missed. I'll post some pictures of the tank once the lights come on.
Again thank in advance for any thoughts or advice on how to get my SPS to thrive.
Why this post? When I moved an established 34gal to a new home, I upgraded it to a larger system and went mixed reef adding more SPS (11 months ago). But my SPS just don't seem to want to grow! I cant figure out why. Looking for advice from you SPS keepers.
Don't get me wrong, most of my SPS are growing but at this rate my grandchildren will be the ones who get to see the fruits of my labour. And after seeing so many amazing tanks with SPS growing like weeds I need some advice.
What should I be looking at?
Tanks specs are below.
65 GALLON DISPLAY
Drilled with Glass Holes overflow
40gal Breeder for sump
55 gal net system volume
WATER PARAMETERS (consistent for the past 3 mo.):
SG: 1.026 (using refractometer calibrated with solution prior to each reading)
Temp: 77.5F
PH: 8.0
dKH: 9.4-10 (swings by +/- 0.5dkh/7days)
Phosphate: 0 (Don't test. No visible algae but I know its there ☺)
Calcium: 460-480 ppm
Magnesium: 1200-1300 ppm
Nitrate: 10
NOTE: All water tests completed using either ELOS and/or Salifert test kits.
DOSING:
Soda Ash (Alk)
Calcium Chloride (Ca)
CIRCULATION:
(3) MPW10wES "“ 2 set to pulsing 1 to reef crest
EQUIPMENT:
Vertex Omega 150 skimmer
Tunze ATO
BRS dosing pumps x 2
FEEDING:
Pinch of Omega Veggie Flakes daily
2ml phytoplankton (2 times per week)
Small piece Nori (1.5"x3") 2 times per week
1cube Frozen Spirulina Bryne + 1 cube Cyclops (1x per week)
LIGHTING:
(2) Vertex Illumina 260 with the Aux colour module in each light.
PHOTO PERIOD:
9hrs with a ramp up and ramp down. Starting and ending with blues and UV. Blues, RB and UV max out at 85%, Whites on for 6hrs and max out at 20%.
FISH:
- Occellaris clowns x2
- Royal gramma
- Lubbock's fairy wrasse
- Chromis viridis x 3 (small)
- Yellow tang
- Hippo Tang (juvenile)
- Diamond Goby
CORALS:
Softies:
- Orange & blue mushrooms (lesson learned)
- Green Star Polyp
- Bicolour frogspawn
- Bicolour hammer
- Candy cane
- Elegance
- Favia (Dragon Soul)
- Acans (various x 4 frags)
- Zoas & Palys (various x 7 frags)
- Pulsing Xenia (again, lesson learned)
SPS:
- Meteor Shower Cyphaestrea
- Encrusting Montipoa (poker star?)
- Montipora setosa
- Seriatopora caliendrum? (teal birds nest)
- Seriatopoa hystrix (pink birdsnest)
- Pocillopora
- Purple Bonsai Valida
- Acropora caroliniana
- Green Staghorn Acropora
- Blue dream? Acro
- Red Dragon
OTHER INHABITANTS:
- Pink tube anemone
- Lots of Astreea Snails
- Red leg hermit crab
- Asternia starfish
- Emerald crab
MAINTENANCE:
I do a 9% WC every 7-10days with IO Reef Crystals and syphon the detritus in the sump. Usually add 10ml Bicrobacter7 or 2 drops KZ Zeobak (not sure if it helps).
Syphon the sandbed of the DT every 2-4weeks.
Scrape the glass for algae 1-2x per week max.
GFO when needed.
RANDOMS:
One of the first things I dealt with was starving my corals. I was so afraid of algae and polluting my tank that I just didn't feed enough. SPS would slowly go pale and eventually die back/out. There were not enough fish in the system. Things started to get better once NO3 got to noticeable levels (started dosing Amino Acids but have backed off). NO3 is now sitting nicely at 10ppm and coloration is getting better.
The carolinia started to grow nicely and then just stalled. When it was growing I could actually see it getting bigger week by week if not day by day (so I know how fast things can grow).
Introduced some new frags a few weeks back and lost one (purple dragon) to RTN. Never seen that before, but man was it ever rapid! Losing another frag (a purple acro) to STN. While these two have given up the ghost, the others are doing fine (good coloration & polyp extension but no visible growth)
IDEAS:
1. Allelopathy between the softies and the SPS. This is my best guess to start with as I used to run carbon and stopped. I think I'm going to start with carbon as my first change to the tank and watch for an improvement.
2. Photo inhibition. Definitely had some photo inhibition but coloration improved with shortening of the photoperiod from 12hrs to 9hrs. The carolinia seems happy at the top of my tank so perhaps there may not be enough PAR for the more light hungry corals (although the teal birdsnest is doing just fine at roughly the same level)? Will gradually increase the intensity of the LED's.
3. Light Spectrum. Had a previous issue with this as well (gotta love LED's). Things are getting better now that the Blues, RB & UV max out at 85% with Whites maxing at 20%. Increasing the Whites intensity is my second change after running carbon.
4. Potassium Deficiency. Some SPS that used to be blue and should be blue are not. Need to pick up a test kit for this although with weekly water changes this is not high up on my list.
5. Stray Voltage. I've tested this before and didn't find any. Will test again. Does everyone use a grounding probe?
6. Pests. I've looked and looked and don't see any.
7. Turbidity in the water column from the goby.
There you have it. I figured it was better to give as much info in one shot as possible. Let me know there is anything I missed. I'll post some pictures of the tank once the lights come on.
Again thank in advance for any thoughts or advice on how to get my SPS to thrive.
