Euphilla placement

[Cichlid Dad]

 

[machome79]

This photo is 1hour after lights on. I run 2 blue+ 7to 1 all light , 3 blue+ 1 coral+ 1 atintik one 6500k from 1to 6 then back to 2 blue+ until 7pm

those look very nice! I have my lights set to actinic led stip 530 to 7 full light 7 to 630, actinic strip comes back on 630 to 830.

 

[Cichlid Dad]

those look very nice! I have my lights set to actinic led stip 530 to 7 full light 7 to 630, actinic strip comes back on 630 to 830.

Thank you!The one on the right is a wall hammer, very proud of that one,

 

[machome79]

Thank you!The one on the right is a wall hammer, very proud of that one,

I checked the trunk/stalk of the hammer. it looks like its trying to grow more heads. same with frogspawn. let me see if I can get a picture. I believe i read somewhere that would make them shrink up as well but not positive

 

[Lavey29]

All of my hammers, and frammers have done really well at the side of a rock face. Flow is really high in my tank but the rock wall protects them but still have random flow.

That branching archway is cool

 

[machome79]

Maybe trying to grow?

 

[Cichlid Dad]

Maybe trying to grow?

I will have to give this one to a more experienced reefer. I have one splitting head right now, but that is the head itself splitting. I have my first frogspawn growing something from the side like you're hammer, just not sure if it's a new head growing from the side.

 

[Lavey29]

LOL thank you reefers for your responses.
here is the answers to your questions
tank is 4 months old. live rock came from my other set up when i moved 4 months ago
did my bi weekly testing just now
gravity is 1.025
ph 8-8.2
temp 79.4
calcium above 520
mag above 1500
alk 8
nitrate 5
phos 0.25
nitrite 0
ammonia 0

as far as filtration, I have a sump with live rock,media, cheato,carbon, bag,purigen bag, filterfloss. I use a sock when I clean the glass.
I do a water change every two weeks. about 15-20 gallons.
you are correct about the powerheads I only have two jebao sow 10 (I think) besides my return pump running at 45%. I have the powerheads running at 100% random flow on one side and 75% on the other. they are 3 inches from the surface so i have some water agitation on I will get a film on top of the water. dont run skimmer.

Euphyllia can be difficult in a 4 month old tank. Rent a par meter and map your tank. You will need better flow for that size set up. Your nitrates should be 10 to 15 for LPS. Your phosphate is elevated. You want .05 to .1. Your calcium is slightly elevated and your magnesium to. Keep up weekly water changes the first year. The first year will be challenging for your coral but if you focus hard on stability of the tank and let the tank evolution process run its course you will be successful.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I would like a second opinion on where I have my hammer and frogspawn. They started out ok but now they have not grown. It's been months and there only getting smaller.
Here's my tank stats.
120 gallon
24" deep.
For lighting I have four t5 ati bulbs 8" over the water.
Not sure if they are too high in the tank or too low. I have some more live rock on hand I can add.
I can also adjust height of light.
Water parameters are stable .
If you have any thoughts please let me know!
Corey

Lower third of tank is best where there is subtle light and water flow. You dont want to blast these guys with high light or flow especially risking tearing the flesh off the skeleton. Also assure calcium is no less that 390 for their skeletons. Phos range .04-.08 and tank age should be fine- Just maintain good water quality. They are quite tolerant of ranges. Your calcium and Mag are spot on -Not high
Here's where mine are focused:

 

[machome79]

Lower third of tank is best where there is subtle light and water flow. You dont want to blast these guys with high light or flow especially risking tearing the flesh off the skeleton. Also assure calcium is no less that 390 for their skeletons. Phos range .04-.08 and tank age should be fine- Just maintain good water quality. They are quite tolerant of ranges. Your calcium and Mag are spot on -Not high
Here's where mine are focused:

that picture is mind blowing. thank you!

 

[machome79]

I am not surprised phosphate are bit high. I have tried feeding reef roids for the past few weeks. it seems to just clog up filter sock, floss and cloud the water. I normally feed ab+. I think Im just going to stick with that. It has produced good growth in previous reef tanks I have had. I'm trying now to position my power heads to not have them get too much flow. kind of tricky with a mixed reef, trying to accommodate various types of needs.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I am not surprised phosphate are bit high. I have tried feeding reef roids for the past few weeks. it seems to just clog up filter sock, floss and cloud the water. I normally feed ab+. I think Im just going to stick with that. It has produced good growth in previous reef tanks I have had. I'm trying now to position my power heads to not have them get too much flow. kind of tricky with a mixed reef, trying to accommodate various types of needs.

Getting flow right can definitely be a balancing act and takes a bit of trial and error.
I think if you rearrange your scape (whether by moving some of the existing rock or adding more) so that there are some higher points, you'll have more options on where to place things for the best flow/light. I've also found that adding a small pump to the back of the tank can create a cross flow and help to make a more random pattern.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Regarding your lights, 4 T5 bulbs over a 24" deep tank is fine. While I do think it's helpful for everyone to know the PAR of their lights at different depths, in general, T5s have a more even spread of light and most coral will adjust to higher than "preferred/normal" light conditions if they are acclimated slowly (within reason of course). Some (most?) LED lights have such focused lenses that higher (than preferred) PAR might have a more negative effect. I don't think 8" is too low and will probably be fine even if you place some coral higher in the tank.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I suggest trying to get your nitrates a bit higher. A lot of LPS like dirtier water and will do well in nitrates of 20-50. But - don't chase numbers! Just monitor your nutrients and if you see nitrate drop even further, try to feed more, reduce export, etc.
The "recommended" ratio of nitrate to phosphate is 100 to 1. Instead of trying to lower phosphate, raising nitrate might be the better option. But again, don't stress over the exact values, just track trends and observe your tank.

(Btw, the 100:1 has ZERO to do with the often (wrongly) recommended "Redfield Ratio". The RR does not apply to aquariums -it likely doesn't even apply properly to what it was originally supposed to... The RR is 100:16:1, where CARBON is 100, nitrate 16, and phosphate 1. )

Thanks for coming to my TED talk

 

[machome79]

I suggest trying to get your nitrates a bit higher. A lot of LPS like dirtier water and will do well in nitrates of 20-50. But - don't chase numbers! Just monitor your nutrients and if you see nitrate drop even further, try to feed more, reduce export, etc.
The "recommended" ratio of nitrate to phosphate is 100 to 1. Instead of trying to lower phosphate, raising nitrate might be the better option. But again, don't stress over the exact values, just track trends and observe your tank.

(Btw, the 100:1 has ZERO to do with the often (wrongly) recommended "Redfield Ratio". The RR does not apply to aquariums -it likely doesn't even apply properly to what it was originally supposed to... The RR is 100:16:1, where CARBON is 100, nitrate 16, and phosphate 1. )

Thanks for coming to my TED talk

 

[machome79]

I don't mind ted talks, thanks everyone for your responses, it's appreciated