Coral growth

[Bryan47]

So being only about 6 months into this I feel like my corals are growing slowly. This could be because I look at my tank every day for a good amount of time. I just did a test and the only thing low was calcium but it was 420 a week or two ago. I usually keep it around 420-460.
I also want to preface this with I haven't done a water change in two weeks and I did a hefty water change to bring the nitrates down. They are almost always below 10.

Here were my numbers:
Temp: 78.4 F
PH: 8.2
Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrites: 0ppm
Nitrates: 40 ppm
Alk: 8
Calcium: 400
Phosphates: 0

I just purchased fluval sea iodine to see if that helps any. It's a standard 55G with 4 t5 HO. The fixture is an Odyssea so I think switching to a high quality bulb like ATI might help. Everything looks good and the corals I first added a frogspawn and hammer I can definitely tell these have grown.

All of my corals are still on frags as I know I will be moving and transplanting everything into the 72 bow-front I bought. It could be 100% me expecting more than possible and me not noticing because I look at them all day.

Could I be missing something ? I am still using tap water with prime until I buy my RODI on Black Friday maybe this is holding me back?

What else can I do to increase my coral growth?
I only have 6 months of research and knowledge mining in the hobby. This forum as a whole has A LOT more! Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[3Twinklets]

If you could get those nitrates down you may see quite a difference in growth. I am saying that without knowing what kind of lights you have and unknowing what is in your tap water.
I have multiple export systems for nitrate reduction. Nitrates seem to be a problem for a lot of us. (GFO, algae scrubber and or carbon reactors)
Try taking progression photos. I always take a photo when I first receive a frag. I know that I love to see progression threads.

 

[sassAwrasse]

Definitely try and take progression shots. It is something that Capt and I keep saying we are going to do and before ya know it, there's a ton of growth.

We have T5s on our frag tank. ATI Blue Plus and KZ Fiji Purple. The growth has been pretty outstanding. We have mostly zoas and acans in the frag tank, but even the Larry Jackson Tri-color SPS piece we won at the raffle 2 meetings ago has some good growth on it.

 

[Vaiodude]

I just purchased fluval sea iodine to see if that helps any.

Why do you want to dose iodine? Do you test for iodine?

 

[Bryan47]

I've seen the video...I'm doing a minimal dose. Many people noted increased coral growth and size. If after a couple months of s once a week dose I don't see improved results I won't be buying anymore $10 bottles trust me. But we'll see how it does.

 

[TarHeelReefer22]

before you start adding supplements I would get the no3 down to zero or below 10 ppm

 

[Vaiodude]

I would be cautious about dosing anything in your tank that you do not test for. How often do you do water changes and what%?

 

[Bryan47]

I usually do 5 gallons a week

 

[Bryan47]

But I missed one or two hence the high nitrates. I did about a 12 gallon water change today.

 

[Masedaddy]

Bryan tell us more about your setup. ie skimmer, reactors, water movement...etc. I would definitely look into new bulbs for the light fixture. I'm a big fan of ATI bulbs. Most reefers prefer those bulbs.

What type of corals are you wanting to keep? What type of salt do you use? What other things are you adding to the water? I agree with Vaiodude, I would not add things that I don't test for. How much do you feed? What is your livestock/bio load?

 

[Masedaddy]

I've seen the video...I'm doing a minimal dose. Many people noted increased coral growth and size. If after a couple months of s once a week dose I don't see improved results I won't be buying anymore $10 bottles trust me. But we'll see how it does.

I would not trust all the videos out there... Many companies make videos or advertisements with claims of exceptional growth or the next big thing, like Miracle Mud, Nualgi etc. I fell into many of those traps. I struggled with a tank for a long time. I eventually broke it down and started over.

I'm running a much smaller system now but I'm doing so much better. I just kept it simple. I do water changes, I dose the big three accordingly and only do the tried and true methods.

Basically, all you need is a light, skimmer, various pumps and water changes. Once you start growing in the hobby you will branch out and add more things like a fuge, reactors, dosing pumps etc. To begin with, I would suggest just doing the basics and getting in a good routine. Being consistent and patient is the key to this hobby. Don't try to reinvent the wheel or solve all possible issues at once. It can be overwhelming and frustrating...... But once you're dialed in and things take off you will feel very accomplished in your skills.

 

[gar732]

I would be cautious about dosing anything in your tank that you do not test for.

^this. Adding and not testing can only lead to trouble. *Stability is key* get your parameters where they should be and keep them there. Fluctuations will stall your growth or worse. And make sure you have your NO3 and PO4 in check. Keep your sand bed clean, this was the single most significant source of my nutrient problem. Do this and you will have great growth. Keep it simple. That's my 2 cents.

 

[Bryan47]

The video I was referring too was like a propaganda video telling you not to dose iodine like ever or your tank will explode. So I was assuming he had just seen the video too.
The I'm
Thanks for all the advice guys! Nitrates are down to 15 and I will do another water change when I get home. Right now the tank is a 55 with an emperor 400 hob, using a hob overflow into a sump with just some carbon in it, wanted to get the feel for sumps before drilling, I'm finishing up the plumbing on my cuttlefish tank now so I am going to build a custom acrylic sump with fuge so I can get maximum filtration. This will all be incorporated into my 72 bow front that I plan on transferring everything over to in 2-3 months. So for now all corals are still on frags and my Aquascape is temporary. I am running two hob skimmers, the remora, which is a powerhouse, and the instant ocean skimmer. Have two koralias with their wave controller. I generally want to keep a wide variety of lps, sps, and softies.

I use instant ocean reef crystals for salt, I dose seachem reef fusion part 1 and 2 (calc and alk) , I use Aquavitro ions for magnesium, I just started adding iodine once a week to see if I notice a difference in coral color or growth.

I only feed frozen, mainly mysis for fish, for corals I use a mixture of coral gumbo and aquavitro fuel and spot feed once or twice a week. No food goes un eaten. Like ever. That's why I like frozen because they like it so much they will hunt and pick it out of anywhere.
Bioload is 2 clowns, picasso trigger, purple firefish, 3 shrimps, peppermint, banded coral, and cleaner. Assortment of snails and crabs, one emerald crab and pencil urchin.

Just ordered my RODI today and today my overflow box and bulkheads came in for the cuttle fish tank.

I must say everything in the tank is doing magnificent, almost the whole back window is purple, love some good coraline. I've never raised coral before so I guess I have nothing to compare this to. My corals could be growing fast for all I know. I just wanted tips on speeding it up!
Thanks for helping everyone, I really appreciate it.