Hammer and Torch Coral - over skimming?

[jmardis]

For some reason I have been hang trouble keeping a torch coral and hammer coral happy. All my water is @0 and the PH swings from 8.0 - 8.4 thru the day.

All my other corals are happy including zoos, scoly, Acro, Monti, and plat corals. For some reason the hammer and branch are retracting. Even have tried spot feeding myosis and krill.

Tank is 330 gallon total.

Only thing I can thick of is over skimming. Anyone out there the hammer master?

 

[eliramos]

i think you ph swing may the culprit, in a tank of that size you really shouldn't see much of a swing.
have you checked your phosphates what are your tank stats, equipment, stock list, cal mag etc

 

[Velodog2]

I have similar problems. Was told tank was probly too clean. Seems unlikely though. Still a mystery as far as I'm concerned.

 

[fishes2889]

You need to give us something to work with ! Parameters are needed my friend (calcium, alk, salinity, temp, mag, etc.) and also pictures would help if you have a specimen(s) that are ailing currently.

 

[Tab28]

I have similar problems. Was told tank was probly too clean. Seems unlikely though. Still a mystery as far as I'm concerned.

I never believe that additive. People use it for several LPS as a catch all reason. Too clean that makes no sense unless you never feed your tank. You can go to WWC with its pristine water and they have acans, chalices, euphyllia looking breath taking in the same tank as huge acro colonies. Lps corals may need to be fed more often than sps but too clean would just be an nice way of saying you are starving your corals.

 

[Reefing Madness]

YEa, I'd say your LPS, like mine, dont like entirely clean water. I carbon dose so I had to let the trates come up a up for them then continue on. So overskimming may be an issue for those corals.

 

[Desert Orchid]

What about flow? Mine grow like crazy in a swaying flow but if I up the rate they get unhappy. I have some in an SPS dominant tank with low trates and some in a softie/LPS tank with dirtier water and there is no difference in growth or inflation unless the flow rate changes. Just my 2 cents.....

 

[jmardis]

Thanks everyone for their input. The hammer opened up today, the torch still not happy. I did move the torch lower and drier spot a few days ago with no change. He was in mod flow / med light and now in low flow bottom of tank under a shelf. Thought he might try to stretch out to the light.

I am using 3 radian pro LED fixtures @ 55% Is anyone else keeping torches with these LEDs? Also my tank is 36 inches deep with two darts pushing 7200 ph which gives the tank 26 x turn over per hour.

PH swing was better today 8.15 to 8.3. Today was the best of the week. What you all think is normal?

here is the week graph

 

[mkindsfather]

Much better