Corals are not thriving, need help.

[BrianGriff]

So as everyone will be asking, here is the list of equipment:

Tank:

• Fluval M40 (14 gallon system)

Lighting

• AquaIllumination Prime Led

Pump & Wavemakers:

• Sicce Syncra Nano return pump
• Hydor Koralia 240

Heater:

• Tetra 50watt submersible

Auto top-off system:

• Tunze Osmolator 3155

So now the livestock:

• Started with dry/white rock
• Bare-bottom

Fish:

• Black Ice Snowflake Clownfish

Inverts:

• 4 snails - 2 trochus, 1 astrea, 1 (unsure name, don't care really, he is beyond lazy)

Corals:

• Xenias
• Mushrooms
• Blue/Purple Cloves
• Green Xenias/Glove polyps..?
• Red Montipora (looks better in person, phone is bleaching it out a lot worse)

Macro-Algae:

• Not sure

And now for what everyone will be asking after all that - parameters etc. Fed clownfish 30 mins prior

Temperature: 77.5- 78.5 (max ends to which i have seen, does not vary more than .1 per minute at max usually at 78.1)
SG: 1.024 - 1.025 (Hydrometer)
---API test kits---
PH: 8.0
Ammonia: <0.25ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 0ppm
Phosphate: 0ppm
Calcium: 480ppm
---Reef Foundation Pro Test Kit---
Calcium: 450ppm
Alkalinity: 11.8 dKh
Magnesium: 1320ppm

So oddball additional information:
- Had 5lbs sand 2 months prior
- 4 gallon water change last night
- Lights currently running at about 35%, was running upwards of 50% last week (60-70% blues, 30-40% red,white,green 45% UV) ---> GSP were not coming out much, so I brought the lights down a little, and monti was bleaching out
- Filter media - Block of sponge, on top of that - layer of filter pad, on top of that is filter floss (change every few days)
- Was fighting GHA about 1 month ago


FINALLY the questions I would like help with:
1. What is going on with the corals? The softies do not spread, if not look worse.
2. Coralline algae? WHY IS THIS NOT COMING OUT!!! only small areas (size of a pencil eraser and like only 3-5 spots)
3. Why can I not succeed, is there other information that I am missing to help me?
4. What are the spiral things on the glass all over (Tried getting a shot of them but camera isn't focusing good)? I believe feather dusters.

Give your best answers, taking just about all suggestions at this point. I've invested quite a bit into this tank (as being a college student)

 

[Tahoe61]

So as everyone will be asking, here is the list of equipment:


Temperature: 77.5- 78.5 (max ends to which i have seen, does not vary more than .1 per minute at max usually at 78.1)
SG: 1.024 - 1.025 (Hydrometer)
---API test kits---
PH: 8.0
Ammonia: <0.25ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 0ppm
Phosphate: 0ppm
Calcium: 480ppm
---Reef Foundation Pro Test Kit---
Calcium: 450ppm
Alkalinity: 11.8 dKh
Magnesium: 1320ppm

So oddball additional information:
- Had 5lbs sand 2 months prior
- 4 gallon water change last night
- Lights currently running at about 35%, was running upwards of 50% last week (60-70% blues, 30-40% red,white,green 45% UV) ---> GSP were not coming out much, so I brought the lights down a little, and monti was bleaching out
- Filter media - Block of sponge, on top of that - layer of filter pad, on top of that is filter floss (change every few days)
- Was fighting GHA about 1 month ago


FINALLY the questions I would like help with:
1. What is going on with the corals? The softies do not spread, if not look worse.
2. Coralline algae? WHY IS THIS NOT COMING OUT!!! only small areas (size of a pencil eraser and like only 3-5 spots)
3. Why can I not succeed, is there other information that I am missing to help me?
4. What are the spiral things on the glass all over (Tried getting a shot of them but camera isn't focusing good)? I believe feather dusters.

Give your best answers, taking just about all suggestions at this point. I've invested quite a bit into this tank (as being a college student)

Awesome job on providing detail. Thanks that helps immensely.

Did I miss age of tank?

Prime is a lot of light on a 14 gallons. Coralline takes time to become established other than that it's my experience that coralline will do better in areas of less intense lighting, and it will eventually take off when Ca/Alk/Mag are consistently stable.

Spirorbid Worms as to your spirals.

Are you using an API test kit to test Ammonia, is that why there is a detectable value?

 

[BrianGriff]

Forgot to add that, thanks for bringing it up, started the tank roughly 4/1/15, so about 6.5 months ago. I was using truelumen led strips for the lighting before hand. The prime is roughly 2 months old. I kept reading everywhere to upgrade my lighting, in the future, I would realllllly like to make it into an sps tank (not expecting for like a year or two).

As for the API test kit, for the longest time I did not check on ammonia (never suspected anything, after the first 5 times earlier in the tank of reading 0ppm, gave up testing for it). I will check little later for ammonia, I suspect it from when I fed my fish (he missed like 3 pellets, but if I stick my hand in the tank, he can latch on like nothing, mean clownfish)

 

[BrianGriff]

So finally went to my LFS to have a double check on ammonia, my test kit is a bit off for the ammonia test, so 0 on ammonia. Soooo still trying to figure out why nothing is going on with the corals, no growth etc. I was occasionally feeding phyto plankton, but that did nothing. Store recommended trying zoo plankton as thats what they use.

 

[SifuMemphis]

Alk seems a tad high. I ran my SPS around 10.9, and it wasnt until i dropped it down to high 8s that it started to thrive a bit more.

 

[twilliard]

Lack of no3 and po4

 

[SifuMemphis]

Lack of no3 and po4

Agreed. Nitrate and phosphate are food for coral, without that, you're starving them.

 

[Lesley]

Agreed with above, start feeding your corals. I would consider amino's or possibly Reef Roids twice a week.
Try to run nitrates at around 0.05-0.2 and phos aroud the 0.03.
I personally would bring your
Alk - 7-9
Cal - 400-440
Mag - 1200-1250
Try to keep things as stale as possible and avoid large swings.
Are you dosing to get these higher numbers or is the salt mix your using very high ?

 

[BrianGriff]

How can I bring up my nitrates? more feedings? and for phosphate I am less concerned for just due to the algae that are all over the rocks and grows on glass occasionally.
I am not dosing, my salt mix tends to kick these levels up (red sea coral pro). Any suggestions on a salt that can hit those slightly lower levels?

 

[twilliard]

Imo feeding more will raise po4 before no3
Feeding a high quality food may help
I feed reef frenzy and nutridiet
Just sent off yesterday my triton test to see where my po4 is but usually stays around .014
I also dose no3

 

[BrianGriff]

What do you use for nitrate dosing?

 

[twilliard]

Potassium nitrate

 

[RMS18]

You need phosphates and nitrates in your water. Your lights should be ok now, before that was way to strong. I have a 18" Deep tank 30" long with 2 primes set at 80% on blues and violet, 20% white, 50%Uv and green and red 5% and I have par readings of 100 on sand bed 125 6" inches high, and 150 12" inches high.