Hard core-eled

[Heather w]

In reality...from hard corals success stories, what is the optimum calcium ppm? There are as many suggested levels as there are sources. I've gone all over the place, but I CANNOT keep a LPS or hard coral alive. I have 1 Candy Cane that onceI I got the fish to leave it alone has not died. It has not changed in a year either. And this guy I dont know what to do? I bought him, got him home, acclimated him, put him on the subsrate like my fish guy said to. He closed up and hasn't opened. Soft corals, my zoas and others are thriving, as are my fish and anenome. So I would love to get some real world suggestions?

 

[madweazl]

380-500 all seems to work out just fine. I'm usually in the 450 range without issue but it isn't that critical. 420 seems to be the typically preferred amount but again, being that precise just isnt critical with calcium. Can you post the rest of your parameters?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

FWIW, there’s little evidence that an exact calcium level matters as long as there is enough. Say, 400 ppm. At much higher levels, other undesirable things may begin to happen not involving corals, such as abiotic precipitation of calcium carbonate on pumps. So as best I know, any value from 400 to 550 ppm is fine, and even a bit outside that range is likely ok

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Alkalinity is more important, as are other factors such as flow and lighting.

 

[Factory909racer2]

+2 on the alkalinity being more important, if alk gets below 7 stuff starts to die. That coral is super dead too BTW. Thats classic brown jelly disease i would get that out ASAP if you have other LPS. And dont let that crap blow around the tank pull it out will all the jelly still intact on the coral.

 

[Factory909racer2]

Brown jelly just seems to happen... ive lost a few LPS from it randomly. search brown jelly in the search bar.

 

[madweazl]

+2 on the alkalinity being more important, if alk gets below 7 stuff starts to die. That coral is super dead too BTW. Thats classic brown jelly disease i would get that out ASAP if you have other LPS. And dont let that crap blow around the tank pull it out will all the jelly still intact on the coral.

Stuff doesn't die because the alkalinity is below 7 dKH, good lord.

 

[Factory909racer2]

For me it seems corals get stressed whenever my tank got below 7dkh and LPS died eventually usually from brown jelly. Maybe it was other things but once the alk came up all the corals opened again and were happy, and no further brown jelly infections. Not saying below 7 will kill corals, just saying it could stress them out and stress will eventually kill the coral. Swinging alk is probably worse than constant low alk... but ive never heard people recommend alk lower than 7 either for a healthy reef.