Do I have to have a second tank

[stevieduk]

well for a while now i have had a tank with a few fish and soft corals including xenia which had luxurious growth, really strong, plus all the other soft corals were the same.
a couple of months ago i decided to try some SPS and started to get my water really pristein or as much as i could.
my readings were not bad apart from the nitrates which were quite high. so I have been bringing them down steadily, but now my xenia and others are looking quite sick ,and my mushroom has died and sent my water really bad.
So im thinking that they were all healthy and thriving because of the high nitrates, so, do i need another tank for sps with the water at near zero nitrates, to make both types of corals happy

 

[lester lloyd]

No up your water changes bring those nitrates down that should help what size tank and what’s your filtration

 

[stevieduk]

no you misunderstand. with bringing my nitrates down , the xenia and softies have deteriorated, ,the xenia was the strongest one i have ever seen, stems were around six inches long and as thick as my wrist. Now sinch altering my water the stems are as thick as my finger and all weak looking im sure they loved the higher nitrate level, so i should let it go back up again, but that wont suit the sps when i get them , so 2 tanks seem the only option. tank size is 6x2x2 ft, with a four foot sump

 

[stevieduk]

no you misunderstand. with bringing my nitrates down , the xenia and softies have deteriorated, ,the xenia was the strongest one i have ever seen, stems were around six inches long and as thick as my wrist. Now sinch altering my water the stems are as thick as my finger and all weak looking im sure they loved the higher nitrate level, so i should let it go back up again, but that wont suit the sps when i get them , so 2 tanks seem the only option. tank size is 6x2x2 ft, with a four foot sump

 

[lester lloyd]

Yes some Xenia likes a little higher nitrates but iodine dosing does strengthens their growth and water tolerance

 

[Vaughn17]

In my experience sps will tolerate high nutrients quite well as long as the water clarity is good (ie, you're skimming out the yellow water or doing regular water changes), they are provided with all their other biological needs, and they are given sufficiently strong lighting.