I think I may be having problems with coral growth based on encrusting?

[Dilan Patel]

So I have been wondering why some of my corals do not ecrust nearly as fast as some of my other ones. I have them for a couple months and see no growth at all? I know it kind of depeds on the species but I still would have thought these acros would encrust some. Any thoughts

Here are parameters from 12/18/17
Alk: 7.75(working on getting it up)
Calc:486(IDK why it all of a sudden went high usually sits at 420)

Test from today (12/19/17)
Nitrate: 20ppm(working on this too lol been feeding heavy since working on Ick management)
Magnesium:1550
Salinity: 1.026
Phosphate:.28(due to the heavy feedings and the fish from my old tank which is getting broken down for the upgrade)
Alk and Calc will be givern tonight when I test for these.

I just feel like frags ive had should have encrusted on the rock by now. im running gyres on antisync mode pulsing. and runin g sbreef lights and t-5 retro kit

 

[BoomCorals]

In my mind I think your phosphate and nitrate are much too high. I personally prefer an alk of 7.0 to 8.0.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Depends on the type of coral, water pramameters, lighting, placement.......etc.

Some of my frags took six months to encrust down and over their plugs.

Each tank is different.

 

[Dilan Patel]

Maybe I am expecting too much? I thought corals should be fully encrusted in a month or two at the max. Phosphate and Nitrate are too high and I am currently working on bringing both down. the reason for both bein super high is me not maintaining my nitrate reactor and me not running any GFO since my reactor has been broke. basically dosing lanthinum chloride.

 

[Zack K]

What kind of coral is it? And what are you comparing it to? Some corals take A lot longer than others. IMO the nitrates and phosphates are fine. Mine are 8 or 9 times that.

 

[alten78]

Maybe I am expecting too much? I thought corals should be fully encrusted in a month or two at the max. Phosphate and Nitrate are too high and I am currently working on bringing both down. the reason for both bein super high is me not maintaining my nitrate reactor and me not running any GFO since my reactor has been broke. basically dosing lanthinum chloride.

A month isn't a long time at all, I have a WWC Christmas Mirabilis that encrusted for over a year that just started shooting up, right next to it is a Pink Lemonade that encrusted for 11 months before it started vertical...oddly enough they both started branching at the same time which coincidentally or not started when they about touched each other.

 

[Dilan Patel]

Well I am just talking in general but for instance my red planet has taken forever to grow I got it spring of this year...it was moved once but it really only encrusts on the back side not the front.

 

[ChrisOFL]

I've had an unknown green acropora frag in my tank for about 8 months now and it was only within the last month that it began encrusting/growing new polyps. The pocillipora I bought 7 weeks ago has just about doubled in mass, I've never seen anything grow so fast. The montipora digitata I bought around the same time, first bleached it's base and then browned out and died within just last week after staying a nice vibrant orange for the entire time before. I have a 10polyp frag of zoas that has not produced one polyp yet I have another 2polyp frag that now has 15polyps in the same time period. I have never seen any consistency in my tank between corals and I've learned that corals are just going to do their own thing and it's best to just focus on the proper conditions and not trying to add things for better growth. High phosphates and nitrates will definitely hinder coral growth and could be the source of issue in your tank.

 

[Donovan Joannes]

You are thinking too much my friend. Don't sweat if some corals took off like mad, some doesn't grow at all. I have acros that grows 1mm a year, whilst some turns into 7" colony in 8 months or so. Some will encrust before shooting to the sky, some will grow vertically first to a point of tumbling because of too much weight with weak base. As long as they are not dying, paling, rtn/stn or peeling off, just relax and do you maintenance when it's due. It's normal

 

[Dilan Patel]

Yeah I guess I have high expectations lol. good to hear.

 

[BoomCorals]

Nothing in this hobby that’s good comes fast.

 

[Dilan Patel]

Learned that the hard way

 

[Mattrg02]

Nothing in this hobby that’s good comes fast.

Unless Xenias are your thing.

 

[BoomCorals]

Unless Xenias are your thing.

You’re killin me smalls.

 

[Dilan Patel]

I prefer GSP lol

 

[Bruce Burnett]

I've had an unknown green acropora frag in my tank for about 8 months now and it was only within the last month that it began encrusting/growing new polyps. The pocillipora I bought 7 weeks ago has just about doubled in mass, I've never seen anything grow so fast. The montipora digitata I bought around the same time, first bleached it's base and then browned out and died within just last week after staying a nice vibrant orange for the entire time before. I have a 10polyp frag of zoas that has not produced one polyp yet I have another 2polyp frag that now has 15polyps in the same time period. I have never seen any consistency in my tank between corals and I've learned that corals are just going to do their own thing and it's best to just focus on the proper conditions and not trying to add things for better growth. High phosphates and nitrates will definitely hinder coral growth and could be the source of issue in your tank.

I have a digitatathat has bleached a couple of times and looked dead both times. I did away with GFO and Biopellets and it is now more like when I got it and starting to grow.

 

[Bruce Burnett]

So I have been wondering why some of my corals do not ecrust nearly as fast as some of my other ones. I have them for a couple months and see no growth at all? I know it kind of depeds on the species but I still would have thought these acros would encrust some. Any thoughts

Here are parameters from 12/18/17
Alk: 7.75(working on getting it up)
Calc:486(IDK why it all of a sudden went high usually sits at 420)

Test from today (12/19/17)
Nitrate: 20ppm(working on this too lol been feeding heavy since working on Ick management)
Magnesium:1550
Salinity: 1.026
Phosphate:.28(due to the heavy feedings and the fish from my old tank which is getting broken down for the upgrade)
Alk and Calc will be givern tonight when I test for these.

I just feel like frags ive had should have encrusted on the rock by now. im running gyres on antisync mode pulsing. and runin g sbreef lights and t-5 retro kit

Your nitrate and phosphate is higher than I keep mine but with those levels you could take your alk to 10 or 11 and get faster growth. Some corals will take months to encrust and others you can see growth over night. I have seen some that seem to have almost no growth or encrusting and then 3-4 months later they grow like crazy. Don't drop your levels to fast and don't shoot for zero.

 

[John23]

maybe its your lighting...... what kind of lights r u running?

 

[larangcon]

Maybe I am expecting too much? I thought corals should be fully encrusted in a month or two at the max. Phosphate and Nitrate are too high and I am currently working on bringing both down. the reason for both bein super high is me not maintaining my nitrate reactor and me not running any GFO since my reactor has been broke. basically dosing lanthinum chloride.

You just answered your question

 

[TX_Punisher]

Start with a series of water changes. Get your phosphates and nitrates down.

I'm in a similar boat. I had to dose sodium nitrate as I was at zero. Per the calculators I doses the recommended amount and wound up at 20ppm. Performed a 30g water change and brought it down and a few days later it was then around 5ppm. I'm trying to keep it around 5 and see what happens.

Patience isn't Always easy especially when you see all these great tanks on this forum.