Corals polyps won’t open

[Fishology]

that will at least get you going. although calcium is important, it would be the alk and phosphate that i would focus on when it comes to your issue.

Yes I have only been taking the hoot seriously for around 2 yrs I had a ten but never really gave it good care till I lost my favorite Clown 1 1/2 years ago so I’m still eating I have done research and have seen my coral get better if the last 4 month of better care I have pink zoas that have tripled in Size and even this Corla came back form the dead

 

[homer1475]

Golden rule in reefing, never add anything to the tank you do not test for.

How do you know you had a calcium deficiency without testing for it? Alkalinity is much more important then calcium.

 

[homer1475]

I would honestly skip the API kit, and order some salifert kits.

Salifert alkalinity is like $24.00
and alkalinity test is also like $24. Not sure where you get $200 from?

 

[Fishology]

Golden rule in reefing, never add anything to the tank you do not test for.

How do you know you had a calcium deficiency without testing for it? Alkalinity is much more important then calcium.

Some of my corals as forgspawn and this very one we’re slowly dying so I started dosing, there color stared to return and some got bigger so I thought nothing of it, and kept dosing till about a month ago when I wouldn’t does every week anymore and the corals seemed to do alright

 

[Fishology]

I would honestly skip the API kit, and order some salifert kits.

Salifert alkalinity is like $24.00
and alkalinity test is also like $24. Not sure where you get $200 from?

I might get both as I still do need phosphate and calcium and for around 50-60 bucks it’s bad

 

[homer1475]

Calcium depletes at a very slow rate compared to alkalinity. Alk is the most important element when keeping corals.

 

[homer1475]

I might get both as I still do need phosphate and calcium and for around 50-60 bucks it’s bad

I hate to be blunt, but if you cannot afford $50 for a couple test kits, stay away from hard corals until you can.

 

[homer1475]

I forget the actual numbers(@Randy Holmes-Farley would tell you), but the rate of calcium to alkalinity is something like 10ppm calcium to 2.8DKH(or 50ppm) of alk.

Something our test kits cannot reliable test for(within the margin of error for 99% of the test kits out there).

So as you can see, alk is much more important then calcium.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I would honestly skip the API kit, and order some salifert kits.

Salifert alkalinity is like $24.00
and alkalinity test is also like $24. Not sure where you get $200 from?

Whats wrong with API ????

Oh:

 

[homer1475]

API is ok for a general ball park, and I have used them in past for a very long time. But they are not reliable, and for the price, there are better kits out there.

 

[Fishology]

I hate to be blunt, but if you cannot afford $50 for a couple test kits, stay away from hard corals until you can.

Sorry I meant it’s not bad

 

[Fishology]

Sorry I meant it’s not bad

It’s a good price for 50buck

 

[homer1475]

Even with hanna meters, I still cross reference once in a while with salifert. Best bang for your buck IMO.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

Looks like lephastrea and some things that will cause this:
Too close to sandbed and irritated by sand
High salinity
High alk
low calclcium
High phosphate
High nitrate
Cyano or dino
Lack of flow
lack of light

I was going to say it looks like Cyphastrea, but I think some important steps were overlooked in this process, and need addressing.

 

[Fishology]

Even with hanna meters, I still cross reference once in a while with salifert. Best bang for your buck IMO.

I had the Hanna salinity tester I lent it to a friend who ended up keeping it , I think this is what I meant by 200 dollars for a test kit , since is 276 for all the electronic hannah testers

 

[Fishology]

I was going to say it looks like Cyphastrea, but I think some important steps were overlooked in this process, and need addressing.

This is what I believe it is as well it is these think just green

 

[homer1475]

I had the Hanna salinity tester I lent it to a friend who ended up keeping it , I think this is what I meant by 200 dollars for a test kit , since is 276 for all the electronic hannah testers

You don't need them all. As a matter of fact, the calcium checker is just plain not good.

If you were looking it them, they are easier to use as they give a hard number instead of guessing colors. But are a convenience not required.

I started with the ALK , and phosphorus ULR. Later on I added nitrate HR. Only ones I use. calcium is still salifert.

 

[Fishology]

So from what y’all have told me it’s can be cause my fluctuations in my parameters caused by the fact I don’t have the full testing kit parameters, which my have caused the coral to become irritated and start to close up.
Or it my just be sand or lack of light irrigating it?
Correct me if I’m wrong

 

[homer1475]

Correct.

If I was a betting man, I would say it's more to do with alkalinity, then calcium.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

This is what I believe it is as well it is these think just green

Yeah that was the first Google picture, but they come in allot of colors green being more common.