why no growth or PE on this milli?

[dixiedog]

Before:

After 23 months:

Funny, I knew it wasn't growing, but I really never noticed the lack of PE until I posted these two pics in another thread and someone else mentioned it.

I've had it almost two years. The first pic is from March 2010, the second is from last month. I guess the PE went away really slowly as the coral colored up, and I just didn't notice it happening. It's looked just like this for probably a year and a half.

It's currently located at the very top of the tank, about 9" from my MP10.

Ca: 420
Alk:8.5
Mg: 1340

 

[dixiedog]

BTW maybe this tricolor valida could lend a clue. Or the Joe the Coral behind it?

People always think my tank is nutrient starved, but (in 30 gallons total) I have a tailspot, a royal gramma, a chromis, and two fat gluttonous neon gobys. I feed the tank a LOT. I do run a pretty oversized skimmer though (Octopus 110).

Okay I'll shut up and listen now.

 

[reefyourself]

I run the same skimmer on my 25 gallon....lol ill chime in too

Sent from my LG-P999 using Tapatalk

 

[aqua80]

what kind of light do you have on this ?
they looked bleached/starved or maybe some pest ?

 

[Allmost]

hard to tell.

they do look bleached and or starving, but the stylopora behind it is looking very nice, and that would be the first to show signs of starvation.

do check for pests, the last pic looks like no polyp at the bottom ? or is it just very pastal colors ?

but hey, many including me dose copper to get those pastal colors haha, so your ahead on that.

 

[allsps40]

I also stay lack of food for the corals or bleaching. Are you running a ULNS? There is some growth but nothing like it should have had in 2 years. Try feeding a bit more or dosing AA's. Dosing copper in a reef tank is a bad thing to do, copper is very toxic to all inverts.

 

[dixiedog]

hard to tell.

they do look bleached and or starving, but the stylopora behind it is looking very nice, and that would be the first to show signs of starvation.

do check for pests, the last pic looks like no polyp at the bottom ? or is it just very pastal colors ?

but hey, many including me dose copper to get those pastal colors haha, so your ahead on that.

Haha, that's funny, I really want those DARK colors!! The irony!

There's no pests. I've been searching for signs of them for as long as I've had pale SPS, which is always. I've had redbugs but they were beaten easily with interceptor.

The light is a 4x24 TEK, throwing a maximum of about 450-500 PAR at the very most. I've experimented with photoperiods extensively and seen no change for the better. Ironically the shorter the photoperiod, the less vivid the colors become.

 

[dixiedog]

I also stay lack of food for the corals or bleaching. Are you running a ULNS? There is some growth but nothing like it should have had in 2 years. Try feeding a bit more or dosing AA's. Dosing copper in a reef tank is a bad thing to do, copper is very toxic to all inverts.

No ULNS as it's commonly defined. I dose nothing but the Big Three. No pellets, vodka, vinegar, etc etc.

Nutrient levels have always been zero however, as measured by Salifert.

 

[DBarsotti]

how are you dosing?

 

[Dog boy Dave]

The corals are in a low nutrient tank and are barely hanging on. That lil bit of growth in two years is amazing. You need to make some changes in your routine or set up before those guys just fade away. If you want dark deep colors then go hi nutrient hi flow and high light.

 

[chadfarmer]

fish?

 

[franklypre]

I've seen ALOT of folks running t5s with this issue lately, ULNS is kinda useless if the coral doesn't grow. Maybe I just don't see the beauty in it, I'm wondering if it isn't an issue with T5s needing more available nutrients due to the higher PAR vs Halides. I run halides and even in lower nutrients I've never seen a coral like that live for very long.

 

[Allmost]

I would start dosing Amino acids, to see the changes it makes, after 2 weeks, include other foods too.


just as Dave said .

also, 4 T5s only ? hmm they could use more light for sure.

all in all, your problem seems to be the other end of the spectrum, which is more fun to deal with. than brown corals and algae growth, just increase food input bit by bit. different products for 2 weeks to see the changes it would make.

I would advice Pohl's Xtra, but I love Zeovit so Im biased.

 

[aqua80]

also, 4 T5s only ? hmm they could use more light for sure.

he has a 30g
with 450-500 PAR he is more on the high light side than low...
and to have a pink stylo pink like that is another sign of high light...
for me high light and low nutrients = pale coral
I would also feed more (fish and/or corals)
JMO

 

[dixiedog]

fish?

Masked goby
trimma goby
neon gobys, x2
royal gramma
tailspot
chromis

how are you dosing?

2 part, via drew's dosers on a RKL. Magnesium I do manually.

 

[dixiedog]

BTW I have a sun corals and acans that get fed a lot as well.

So the consensus is I still need to feed more then??

 

[msp307]

I would start dosing Amino acids, to see the changes it makes, after 2 weeks, include other foods too.


just as Dave said .

also, 4 T5s only ? hmm they could use more light for sure.

all in all, your problem seems to be the other end of the spectrum, which is more fun to deal with. than brown corals and algae growth, just increase food input bit by bit. different products for 2 weeks to see the changes it would make.

I would advice Pohl's Xtra, but I love Zeovit so Im biased.

That Pohls Xtra is some great stuff love it

 

[saltyh20]

get a smaller skimmer.

 

[allsps40]

Yeah you need to increase the nutrients going into the tank either by feeding more to the fish, adding more fish or feeding the corals with something like an amino acid or zoaplankton coral food.

 

[deeznutz1]

Too much light. Frag a piece and move it lower and see what happens. I'd wouldn't feed more, but I would just do less water changes and let the nutrients rise slowly.

Dan