Corals looking bad and not growing

[blazedbeef]

Looks good I still think intensity is a little too hight but it all depends on how many lights you have, how big the tank is, how high you have them mounted etc. My advice would be to lower it more over time until you find the intensity your corals are happy with. It will take time. Wish you the best of luck!

Okay for sure! I only have one light on my 25g about 12 in up. I’ll start lowing the intensity day by day.

 

[Bdroid]

If your skimmer is over skimming then I would try to readjust it so it will leave a some nutrients behind for your coral. As for lights, try renting a par meter if you can. The par meter will give you a more accurate number and you can adjust the intensity accordingly.

I have mainly lps and softies in my tank and try to keep my phosphate at around .05-.1 and nitrate around 10ppm.

I would try checking for pests too. Maybe even a quick dip.

 

[blazedbeef]

If your skimmer is over skimming then I would try to readjust it so it will leave a some nutrients behind for your coral. As for lights, try renting a par meter if you can. The par meter will give you a more accurate number and you can adjust the intensity accordingly.

I have mainly lps and softies in my tank and try to keep my phosphate at around .05-.1 and nitrate around 10ppm.

I would try checking for pests too. Maybe even a quick dip.

I’ve been trying to get ahold of a par meter but no lfs in my city will let me rent one. I’m still trying to get ahold of one on local forums. I always look at my tank with a flashlight when the lights go off, and I dipped all my corals before putting them in. I’ll re dip if things don’t turn around soon. Thanks for the help!

 

[Bdroid]

I’ve been trying to get ahold of a par meter but no lfs in my city will let me rent one. I’m still trying to get ahold of one on local forums. I always look at my tank with a flashlight when the lights go off, and I dipped all my corals before putting them in. I’ll re dip if things don’t turn around soon. Thanks for the help!

Just keep in mind, too many drastic changes will only cause more stress to everything in your tank.

quick question, when you change your light schedule, did you run the acclimation mode on the ai? Also do you have any acan? If so, how are they doing?

 

[Dkmoo]

Regarding nitrate levels and algae - Contrary to popular belief, in a closed system like our tanks, nitrate/phosphate alone is not the main driver of algae growth. Thats why you have tanks that measure 0/0 and have gha explosions and other tanks with 10ppm no3 and pristine tanks. In ocean, nitrates are barely detectable yet algae still grow. Why?

Algae grow when there is "local" excess nutrient and available real estate to grow. Local excess nutrient isn't whats measurable in the water columns, but more like rotting organic matter on surfaces (like dying coral)

In newer tanks, algae tend to grow more with more no3 but thats more bc the rock surfaces are not mature so thats prime real estate for simple life forms like algae and bacteria to take over and colonize first. As a tank matures, coraline algae and other beneficial microfauna take over the surface which prevents algae growth.

If later algae comes back, most of the time its related to some kind of change to the stability that cause those surface biome to start to die, its this dying that gives algae a chance to come back.

As long as the surfaces are healthy, qlgae will have a hard time to grow even with elevated no3.

 

[elorablue]

You do not want your nitrate it’s great that it’s at zero phos needs to be a little higher though but you do not need nitrate nor do you want it!!!!

This is simply incorrect.

 

[Impala67]

This is simply incorrect.

Well I have to disagree

 

[elorablue]

Well I have to disagree

That is perfectly within your rights.
I'm hesitant to recommend that a reefer as new as you are give such absolute recommendations to others reefers though. I respect your passion for the hobby but perhaps some restraint is in order also. Ya know, that walk before you run thing.
0 nitrates can work and so can 50 nitrates. There really are no absolutes in reef keeping that I have found. Peace.

 

[Impala67]

That is perfectly within your rights.
I'm hesitant to recommend that a reefer as new as you are give such absolute recommendations to others reefers though. I respect your passion for the hobby but perhaps some restraint is in order also. Ya know, that walk before you run thing.
0 nitrates can work and so can 50 nitrates. There really are no absolutes in reef keeping that I have found. Peace.

Listen I’ve been in saltwater for years and the beginning of last year is when I started reefing I’m new to this website and I know from my experience you have no right telling me to restrain myself you should know when to be respectful just because you disagree with someone doesn’t mean you have to make a fool out of yourself and try to insult/make fun of people. It’s people like you who I avoid at all costs, and in the famous words of Robert downing jr sometimes you run before you walk. Also why are you here if your just wanting to insult people by saying there not right if you ask me it’s people like you who get others to leave the hobby!!

 

[elorablue]

Listen I’ve been in saltwater for years and the beginning of last year is when I started reefing I’m new to this website and I know from my experience you have no right telling me to restrain myself you should know when to be respectful just because you disagree with someone doesn’t mean you have to make a fool out of yourself and try to insult/make fun of people. It’s people like you who I avoid at all costs, and in the famous words of Robert downing jr sometimes you run before you walk. Also why are you here if your just wanting to insult people by saying there not right if you ask me it’s people like you who get others to leave the hobby!!

20 gallon reef tank

Just started a 20 reef tank I have 20 pounds of live rock/live sand a 20 filter and three Dalmatian Molly’s to cycle the tank on of the mollies gave birth do I leave them in there or take them out and what do I need to buy next to have a full coral reef tank.

www.reef2reef.com

Maybe this isn't you?

 

[outhouse]

OP your getting a lot of bad advise. Your water was fine coral loves clean water. What I see was the same problem I had and just fixed. My light intensity was way to high. Leds are strong and having intensity to high won't bleach corals as much as having what happened to you. My advise is to turn intensity way down. I'm at 10% blue and 1% white and now my growth and color all came back. I never feed, that's optional. But clean water the most important. This slightly dirty water a new fad I don't buy into. All my spawning events happened in the best water possible. Good luck

 

[attiland]

Listen I’ve been in saltwater for years and the beginning of last year is when I started reefing I’m new to this website and I know from my experience you have no right telling me to restrain myself you should know when to be respectful just because you disagree with someone doesn’t mean you have to make a fool out of yourself and try to insult/make fun of people. It’s people like you who I avoid at all costs, and in the famous words of Robert downing jr sometimes you run before you walk. Also why are you here if your just wanting to insult people by saying there not right if you ask me it’s people like you who get others to leave the hobby!!

Just a friendly advise since you have said you are new in R2R. The reason people like this website is that the people remain calm even when disagree and I really hope we can keep it this way.

 

[attiland]

+1 on 0 nitrate and phosphate is no good for your corals.
I would keep the lights as they are till you can measure PAR. Sceneeye has a cheap one but suitable for your purchase.

 

[Impala67]

20 gallon reef tank

Just started a 20 reef tank I have 20 pounds of live rock/live sand a 20 filter and three Dalmatian Molly’s to cycle the tank on of the mollies gave birth do I leave them in there or take them out and what do I need to buy next to have a full coral reef tank.

www.reef2reef.com

Maybe this isn't you?

Omg dude that was my first 20 gallon tank on this website

 

[Impala67]

My first tank was a 55 gal and I was doing it very incorrectly so I thought maybe next tank I do I will go on a website and try to ask people there but it turns out all I get are jerks like you saying ohh he doesn’t know what he’s doing and ya know what buddy I don’t have to prove myself to you you probably only been in this hobby for a year as well I’ve done saltwater for years just not reef tanks and I did reef tanks last year!!!!

 

[Rmckoy]

You do not want your nitrate it’s great that it’s at zero phos needs to be a little higher though but you do not need nitrate nor do you want it!!!!

I don’t know where you heard 0 nitrate is good

you want something detectable but little …
Depends on the test kits used and their accuracy .

 

[Impala67]

20 gallon reef tank

Just started a 20 reef tank I have 20 pounds of live rock/live sand a 20 filter and three Dalmatian Molly’s to cycle the tank on of the mollies gave birth do I leave them in there or take them out and what do I need to buy next to have a full coral reef tank.

www.reef2reef.com

Maybe this isn't you?

Oh and another thing when did I say I was brand new to reefing I said I have a new 20 gal not hey I’m here brand spanking new to a saltwater aquarium if your a real reef person like me you will get very upset when people say you don’t know anything I started aquariums when I was 15 years old had my own job to support my family and a little bit to have a hobby then I went to college graduated DU with a marine biology degree for what just so I can get told to restrain myself you know it’s people like you who destroy the world!!!!!

 

[elorablue]

20 gallon reef tank

Just started a 20 reef tank I have 20 pounds of live rock/live sand a 20 filter and three Dalmatian Molly’s to cycle the tank on of the mollies gave birth do I leave them in there or take them out and what do I need to buy next to have a full coral reef tank.

www.reef2reef.com

Oh and another thing when did I say I was brand new to reefing I said I have a new 20 gal not hey I’m here brand spanking new to a saltwater aquarium if your a real reef person like me you will get very upset when people say you don’t know anything I started aquariums when I was 15 years old had my own job to support my family and a little bit to have a hobby then I went to college graduated DU with a marine biology degree for what just so I can get told to restrain myself you know it’s people like you who destroy the world!!!!!

oh boy ;Facepalm

 

[Impala67]

oh boy ;Facepalm

Hey you started I’m finishing it

 

[Dkmoo]

"Getting nitrates as low as possible" was all the craze a few years back for algae control. Thats when all the ULNS became popular. But even then, the goal was never about making no3 0. It was more about heavy in heavy out bc corals need those nutrients

The problem with having 0 no3 is that you don't know if your system is deficient in no3. Corals and the zooxanthellae in it NEEDs no3 to grow. It is one of the few things that corals cannot get by photosynthesis so it must be captured in the water column.

It was always about managing the "excess" no3 in the water column and never about getting to 0 and starving your corals of nitrate.

Edit: now the pendulum seem to have swung back to "some excess nitrate" is OK, bc people realized algae growth is not completely corellated with no3 levels, as my first post mentioned