I’ve lost most of the new corals I bought, as usually happens. It seems I can only keep the easiest ones. Anthelia and finger leather are okay, the rest are either dead or not looking good.
I used Phosguard to remove silicates in the tank and it worked because the Hanna tester gives probable results, ie 0.07 ppm Phosphates.
I stopped using the Saxby schedule and went back to my own, as I lost one coral immediately after starting using it (can’t remember which one).
I tried to shut down the UV but one clown didn’t look well 2 days later. It might be in my head but I didn’t want to take the chance so put it back on.
I had planned to try reefing for 2 years before deciding if it was doable for me. So far I am 50/50, not sure if I want to keep going or not. I am not having good enough results with the coral; no real growth and mostly, I can’t keep the ones I like most (euphyllia).
If I close the tank, it has to be done before winter (to be able to clean stuff outside) so that gives me 3 more months to decide or else I keep going until next summer.
But before I decide, I plan to do a second ICP test and see if my levels are stable since the first one. I also want to start using AB+ to see if I will get the growth I want. I will also rent a par meter and adjust my schedule if need be.
After that, if I’m not having acceptable results, then maybe I just did too many mistakes and it’s not sustainable to manage this tank without doing WC (which was my goal). That’s when I will have to make a decision.
