Help with LPS and SPS

[maginter]

Hi All -

I am making it my goal this year to be able to keep LPS and SPS Coral. I really struggle keeping them alive and could use some help in figuring out what is preventing me from doing that.I have been able to keep soft coral without issue. In the attached picture, I have a Candy Cane that I have had for about 2 plus weeks in the upper left of the picture. For the first 2 weeks, it looked great. lately, it has not become as full and emitting like a mucus film. This seems to always be the pattern I go through.

The tank is a 65 gallon about 2 years old, however I just moved it 6 weeks ago. I did replace the sand with new live sand and the tank has been very stable, with the exception of NO3, which I am working on bring down. I am running a refugium with Macro Algae. I am light the tank with 2 AI Prime HDs. My Parameters are as follows:

Salinity 1.024
NH4 0
NO3 10-25 ( Color is somewhere between the 2)
NO2 0
CA 400
PO4 0
KH 10.2
MG 1050

Any and all help and suggestions are appreciated

 

[Nemo1]

Your magnesium is a little low 1250-1350 is recommended
What is your ph?
And what flow?

 

[maginter]

PH is 7.7. Candy cane is in light to moderate flow.

 

[old salt reefer]

What are the settings on the prime's?
My Candy Canes like to eat, every 2-3 days meaty food(LRS Nano). I turn my pumps off and spot feed each polyp and wait until they suck the food in before turning pumps back on(I'm feeding all my LPS corals during this time).

 

[WallyB]

First figure out LPS, then move on to SPS.
Once you get the hang of LPS (which want less stability but good water quality), then you'll do better and waste less money if you have SPS issues and it won't feel like your failing. (BUILD UP your Skills, and confidence in your setup).

LPS can be very rewarding, and quite beautiful as they have colors, flow, and grow at medium rate.

Every LPS started with just one Polyp. They Grew/Split and Some I had to prune/split to make space. (Like the Candy Canes)

Sure throw one of the hardier SPS in just to see if you are lucky. Like an Monti. Stay away from Acros at the start.
I did into that LPS tank above and the Acro's never made it. (The LPS thrived)

I think what makes an LPS tank Tick is a bit different that SPS. LPS can be a bit dirtier, and LPS are to some degree great filter feeders to keep tank clean for other corals that you might feed..
LPS primarily need Light (they make food from light)
They are certainly much more forgiving that SPS, and give a bit of Advanced warning when you need to give you tank attention.. SPS just die a days, weeks, or hours.

So I started a separate SPS tank (for the SPS ich). Took me 3-4 years to figure out SPS. Getting there finally.

I'll never combine SPS and my LPS/Soft Corals ever.

LPS need really gentle flow. SPS need lots of aggresive flow that would damage, tear some LPS.
Same for lighting. LPS can handle a lot of light, but it take acclimation, and I learned they do best if your start low.
You can try placement but it's tough to make both happy.

BTW. PO4=0 isn't good for any Coral. What are you testing with. Hanna ULR is the best tester.

 

[Hydrored]

I would slowly bump up your salinity to 1.025 to 1.026 with water changes, also PO4 at 0 is a concern. What salt are you using? Seems like you parameters are a bit out of line especially with that KH.

 

[maginter]

What are the settings on the prime's?
My Candy Canes like to eat, every 2-3 days meaty food(LRS Nano). I turn my pumps off and spot feed each polyp and wait until they suck the food in before turning pumps back on(I'm feeding all my LPS corals during this time).

 

[maginter]

I would slowly bump up your salinity to 1.025 to 1.026 with water changes, also PO4 at 0 is a concern. What salt are you using? Seems like you parameters are a bit out of line especially with that KH.

Read Sea Coral Pro Salt

 

[maginter]

BTW. PO4=0 isn't good for any Coral. What are you testing with. Hanna ULR is the best tester.

Salifert Phosphate Test Kit

 

[WallyB]

Salifert Phosphate Test Kit

I think I used it ages ago. Not sure if it will test the Really Low Levels well. Maybe it does.

I switched over to the Regular Phosphate Hanna, but even it wouldn' pick up my P.
So I got an the ULR Phospourous Hanna Test (more accurate). Best tool to have, if you even want SPS and go Low on Phosphates.
I'm not suggesting you go spend more money, but your P is the only thing I see of concern. Maybe N too.
PO4=0 is not good if actually 0 (if even possible in a tank with Fish and food).
Unless you have a Algae Outbreak or are running too much GFO

If you are using Salifert for N)3, it will pick up something.
Are you trying the Sideway view, which you /10 and get a color? (Top view might not)

If your N & P are both Zero. Corals won't do well at all. May not even live if for a long time.
In General your N&P should be DECTECTABLE.

 

[WallyB]

Read Sea Coral Pro Salt

I also use Red Sea Salt. But the blue bucket since I like the lower Alk for SPS.
Both are fine. I actually used to use the Expensive Tropic Marin Pro for years, and recently switched to red sea. I'm Happy. Saving Money. Corals doing Just as good.

1.025 or 1.026. Both are fine, If you stay stable. (Not much difference, unless fine tuning)
(Remember when you raise, Salinity, you raise ALK,CALC, and MAG)
It shows that on the Bucket.

 

[maginter]

I think I used it ages ago. Not sure if it will test the Really Low Levels well. Maybe it does.

I switched over to the Regular Phosphate Hanna, but even it wouldn' pick up my P.
So I got an the ULR Phospourous Hanna Test (more accurate). Best tool to have, if you even want SPS and go Low on Phosphates.
I'm not suggesting you go spend more money, but your P is the only thing I see of concern. Maybe N too.
PO4=0 is not good if actually 0 (if even possible in a tank with Fish and food).
Unless you have a Algae Outbreak or are running too much GFO

If you are using Salifert for N)3, it will pick up something.
Are you trying the Sideway view, which you /10 and get a color? (Top view might not)

If your N & P are both Zero. Corals won't do well at all. May not even live if for a long time.
In General your N&P should be DECTECTABLE.

I just checked my PO4 again using the sideways method and still saw nothing, but with that color of blue and as light as it is, it is very difficult. I think that I will go your path with the ULR Phospourous Hanna Test for starters. Any other testers for other elements that you would recommend?

 

[PicassoClown04]

Hi! I don’t really measure my water chemistry unless I see issues in my tank but I am noticing that your candy cane is pretty high up, is it turning white at all? High light will kill a coral 10x faster than not enough light, place it lower then move it up slowly over a few weeks so it has time to adjust to the higher par. I don’t really know about that though, since you said you have a 65 g tank and only 1 HD Prime light, not on full power. I have a 20g peninsula with 2 AI Primes (only 1 HD) and they’re both on full power, so I suspect lack of feeding instead of a light issue. I definitely think that most if not all LPS corals need to be fed at least weekly for them to do well, I use reefroids for this purpose but I’m sure they get meaty bits since I purposely overfeed my clowns so the euphyllia can filter feed. I would try reefroids (or similar, reefroids has had the best results for me and in a scientific experiment that I can link) since it doesn’t look super hot right now and eating larger chunks takes quite a bit of energy. Definitely try feeding reefroids (take a small cup and fill with water, add reefroids according to the instructions and mix) with a syringe an inch or so away from the candy cane and squirt slowly so it doesn’t scare the coral into defense mode. As mentioned above, the pumps and powerheads should be off and stay off for probably 5-10 minutes or until you see the polyps take in the food completely. Feeding weekly/ biweekly, you should start to see results fairly quickly. I’ve also noticed tremendous growth in my sps, and my zoanthids are splitting much faster since I began target feeding 2x a week. Hope this helps!

 

[maginter]

OK, Feeding the andy Cane was something that I didn't consider, so I just feed them with Coral Frenzy. I have started raising Salinity and MG. I have tipped the light so that it is not directly hitting the Candy Cane. Also, I just ordered the Hanna Reef Testing Kits for PO4, ALK, and CA. So I should have that shortly. So, one or all of these hopefully, will address my issue.

Thanks for all your help and input.

 

[dadnjesse]

Unless your running some kind of Phosphate reducer I doubt you have Zero.

 

[old salt reefer]

OK, Feeding the andy Cane was something that I didn't consider, so I just feed them with Coral Frenzy. I have started raising Salinity and MG. I have tipped the light so that it is not directly hitting the Candy Cane. Also, I just ordered the Hanna Reef Testing Kits for PO4, ALK, and CA. So I should have that shortly. So, one or all of these hopefully, will address my issue.

Thanks for all your help and input.

When you say you feed them coral frenzy what do you mean--you squirted some in their direction or you turned of the pumps and sucked some up in a turkey baster and held the baster above each polyp until the top of the polyp was brown and then waited until ever polyp had swallowed the food before turning the pumps back on(that's what you want to do)?

 

[maginter]

When you say you feed them coral frenzy what do you mean--you squirted some in their direction or you turned of the pumps and sucked some up in a turkey baster and held the baster above each polyp until the top of the polyp was brown(that's what you want)?

I did the latter, except I used a syringe like you would use to irrigate the gums when wisdom teeth are removed. It has a nice long curved nozzle. Spent a lot of time battling the Banded Coral Shrimp to stay away.....

 

[old salt reefer]

Great, and the Candy Cane swallowed it----are the polyps more fluffy now?
And that's what I use is a syringe--mine has a long straw on it.


Love your RBTAs.

 

[maginter]

Great, and the Candy Cane swallowed it----are the polyps more fluffy now?

I could see the polyps take it, I think they are puffier, but it could be my imagination. I will do it again tomorrow. Hopefully I am not to late. We will see. Tomorrow AM I will check mentioned chemistry and feed again.

 

[old salt reefer]

took some pictures of one of mine eating--they like to eat. 3rd picture shows food almost swallowed