LPS Coral Keeping Question

[smalltownuser]

So I am very new to Corals, I only started adding them the last few weeks. I have been to my LFS, as well as a coral specialty store in my area. When speaking to both places, they gave me almost the exact same information, and since the LFS matched the coral specialty people, I figured it was trustworthy info. I only have soft corals in my tank and both places told me not to mess with any alkalinity or calcium or any of that, just to make sure my lights are super super low and do regular water changes. I have 2 XR15 Radeons for my 75 gallon tank (48 in wide) and I have them set to the number 1 recommended setting, AB+. I have their intensity set to 15% in the total intensity mode, with acclimation mode on where it increases gradually over a month, which means their actual intensity is lower than 15%. I even went into the settings to reduce the white intensity to about 5%, as was recommended from both stores, since new LED's are super powerful, and none of them were opening up much so I was worried they were getting too much light. I do not know the names of all my coral(because I'm a rookie) however I placed them in the tank as was recommended, either on the very bottom, very top, or middle based on the specialty stores recommendations. So far, 2 of my 6 corals seem to be dead. All the polyps are basically gone from the frag. One of them, which happens to be the largest one I have seems to be doing well, my second largest one seems to be alive, however it hardly "blooms." Its mostly barely blooming, meaning I can see the bright colors, but its not extending itself. The rest either seem dead or just wont open.
Both stores told me not to worry about alk and calcium and all that for now, and both also said that renting a par meter isnt really that crucial, and just told me where to place them in the tank with what settings to use for lighting. I have fed them all twice so far, and they do move around when I feed them, so they are still alive, but most of them just look terrible. I am wondering if there is anything I should be doing different (Im sure there is, I just dont know what).

I do not currently have a picture as I am at work but if a picture matters for advice I can get them tonight when I get home.

 

[twelvefive]

What corals are they?
How often are you doing water changes and how much?
I'd definitely test parameters, alk, cal, mag, nitrates, and phosphates. With enough water changes, you could be keeping your parameters in a good range, but without testing it's another variable for possibly why things aren't going well.

 

[Propane]

A picture will help the experienced reefers help you easier. Size setup and coral type all make a difference. They will ask you too post a pic.

 

[Uncle99]

Softies like nutrient rich waters.
It would take some months to mature to that level.
How old is that system?
While you don’t need the Alk/CA/Mg supplement for softies only, they still must be stable for the system to mature quickest, and no reason you can’t put them in the slot now so you’ll be ready to expand without changing chemistry.

 

[smalltownuser]

What corals are they?
How often are you doing water changes and how much?
I'd definitely test parameters, alk, cal, mag, nitrates, and phosphates. With enough water changes, you could be keeping your parameters in a good range, but without testing it's another variable for possibly why things aren't going well.

Im not sure what they are, I will upload pictures tonight. They are soft corals, thats all I know. For my first batch I just went in and asked which ones were the easiest to keep, since it was my first time trying them I wanted the easiest, and then within those options I picked the best looking ones. I do weekly water changes of 15% ish. I have a 75 gallon tank and I change out two 5-gallon buckets each time,

 

[smalltownuser]

A picture will help the experienced reefers help you easier. Size setup and coral type all make a difference. They will ask you too post a pic.

Ok I will upload pictures

 

[Stephen8169301]

So I am very new to Corals, I only started adding them the last few weeks. I have been to my LFS, as well as a coral specialty store in my area. When speaking to both places, they gave me almost the exact same information, and since the LFS matched the coral specialty people, I figured it was trustworthy info. I only have soft corals in my tank and both places told me not to mess with any alkalinity or calcium or any of that, just to make sure my lights are super super low and do regular water changes. I have 2 XR15 Radeons for my 75 gallon tank (48 in wide) and I have them set to the number 1 recommended setting, AB+. I have their intensity set to 15% in the total intensity mode, with acclimation mode on where it increases gradually over a month, which means their actual intensity is lower than 15%. I even went into the settings to reduce the white intensity to about 5%, as was recommended from both stores, since new LED's are super powerful, and none of them were opening up much so I was worried they were getting too much light. I do not know the names of all my coral(because I'm a rookie) however I placed them in the tank as was recommended, either on the very bottom, very top, or middle based on the specialty stores recommendations. So far, 2 of my 6 corals seem to be dead. All the polyps are basically gone from the frag. One of them, which happens to be the largest one I have seems to be doing well, my second largest one seems to be alive, however it hardly "blooms." Its mostly barely blooming, meaning I can see the bright colors, but its not extending itself. The rest either seem dead or just wont open.
Both stores told me not to worry about alk and calcium and all that for now, and both also said that renting a par meter isnt really that crucial, and just told me where to place them in the tank with what settings to use for lighting. I have fed them all twice so far, and they do move around when I feed them, so they are still alive, but most of them just look terrible. I am wondering if there is anything I should be doing different (Im sure there is, I just dont know what).

I do not currently have a picture as I am at work but if a picture matters for advice I can get them tonight when I get home.

what brand salt do you use?

 

[smalltownuser]

what brand salt do you use?

Tropic marin

 

[smalltownuser]

Softies like nutrient rich waters.
It would take some months to mature to that level.
How old is that system?
While you don’t need the Alk/CA/Mg supplement for softies only, they still must be stable for the system to mature quickest, and no reason you can’t put them in the slot now so you’ll be ready to expand without changing chemistry.

What do you mean put them in the slot?

 

[smalltownuser]

So I am very new to Corals, I only started adding them the last few weeks. I have been to my LFS, as well as a coral specialty store in my area. When speaking to both places, they gave me almost the exact same information, and since the LFS matched the coral specialty people, I figured it was trustworthy info. I only have soft corals in my tank and both places told me not to mess with any alkalinity or calcium or any of that, just to make sure my lights are super super low and do regular water changes. I have 2 XR15 Radeons for my 75 gallon tank (48 in wide) and I have them set to the number 1 recommended setting, AB+. I have their intensity set to 15% in the total intensity mode, with acclimation mode on where it increases gradually over a month, which means their actual intensity is lower than 15%. I even went into the settings to reduce the white intensity to about 5%, as was recommended from both stores, since new LED's are super powerful, and none of them were opening up much so I was worried they were getting too much light. I do not know the names of all my coral(because I'm a rookie) however I placed them in the tank as was recommended, either on the very bottom, very top, or middle based on the specialty stores recommendations. So far, 2 of my 6 corals seem to be dead. All the polyps are basically gone from the frag. One of them, which happens to be the largest one I have seems to be doing well, my second largest one seems to be alive, however it hardly "blooms." Its mostly barely blooming, meaning I can see the bright colors, but its not extending itself. The rest either seem dead or just wont open.
Both stores told me not to worry about alk and calcium and all that for now, and both also said that renting a par meter isnt really that crucial, and just told me where to place them in the tank with what settings to use for lighting. I have fed them all twice so far, and they do move around when I feed them, so they are still alive, but most of them just look terrible. I am wondering if there is anything I should be doing different (Im sure there is, I just dont know what).

I do not currently have a picture as I am at work but if a picture matters for advice I can get them tonight when I get home.

 

[smalltownuser]

A picture will help the experienced reefers help you easier. Size setup and coral type all make a difference. They will ask you too post a pic.

Had wife send pictures, they are uploaded

 

[smalltownuser]

What corals are they?
How often are you doing water changes and how much?
I'd definitely test parameters, alk, cal, mag, nitrates, and phosphates. With enough water changes, you could be keeping your parameters in a good range, but without testing it's another variable for possibly why things aren't going well.

Pictures uploaded

 

[Stephen8169301]

Pics don’t look terrible how long have they been in the tank

 

[smalltownuser]

Pics don’t look terrible how long have they been in the tank

The largest one(the one that looks like a bunch of mushrooms in a "Y" shape) and the very first pic, the one that is a bunch of little ones all clustered on one frag were purchased about 2.5 weeks ago, and the rest were purchased about 1.5 weeks ago. They all looked phenomenal at the store but once I got them home I did a coral dip, and glued them in the tank and they just never really opened back up. I know they went through a lot, one of them is definitely dead. I didnt upload its picture because there's no point, its just dead, and the other one which is the second one in the pictures has looked like that since I put it in the tank. It hasnt opened back up

 

[steveschuerger]

So basics like
Alk, Calcium, Magnesium, Nitrates, Phosphates, Salinity, pH, Temp
whats the flow like?
15% seems pretty low for lights . I run at 48 right now peak for blues, albeit different lights.
‘Most of those are softies(first 2 are probably zoas), but #3 looks to be a torch . They need moderate flow and medium lighting . Magnesium should be above 1300 for them to be happy . I’m running about 1450 ish

 

[twelvefive]

Pictures uploaded

Not sure what 2nd and 4th are . Zoas, hammer or torch, either clove polyp or pipe organ for 1, 3 , and 5 .Can we get a full tank shot so we can see placement in reference to lights?

Do you have any test kits?

 

[Stephen8169301]

my personal opinion when adding frags to a tank I will always put in sand bed for a week at least then after everything opens up then I will put in desired location that’s recommended for that coral so for your first two corals appear to be zoas I’d put in sand bed they don’t like much lighting the frogspawn that’s what it appears to me likes more light moderate flow and the Kenya you can throw that outside and it’ll somehow grow in your tank jk you can put that anywhere it’ll be fine and the cloves pipe organ frag in sand but looks like it may open soon these frags still appear to be retracted you may need to up the lighting a little more slowly over time but once you get home post a few more photos as well as your parameters

* how did you acclimate these corals do you know what gravity your lfs runs there water at?

 

[smalltownuser]

So basics like
Alk, Calcium, Magnesium, Nitrates, Phosphates, Salinity, pH, Temp
whats the flow like?
15% seems pretty low for lights . I run at 48 right now peak for blues, albeit different lights.
‘Most of those are softies(first 2 are probably zoas), but #3 looks to be a torch . They need moderate flow and medium lighting . Magnesium should be above 1300 for them to be happy . I’m running about 1450 ish

So when I first added them, they looked terrible without getting any better, and with the coral specialty guy saying new LED's are crazy strong and to put them lower, I thought I was burning my corals so I tuned it down a lot on the radeons. He said you can kill them with too much light in a matter of days, but it will take weeks with not enough light. I also saw online, that if they dont have enough light, they will stretch out looking for light, and they are almost all pretty closed up so Ive been worried Im hurting them.
I have 2 powerheads aimed at the surface for water tension, but they are on opposite sides of the tank, meaning they are creating a decent whirlpool effect in the tank. When I feed the fish, the pellets move around quite a bit while they sink, so I believe there is good flow in the tank. The biggest coral, the third photo, gets plenty of movement. Its always waving around, but the rest are so curled up that they dont move much because theyre closed up

 

[steveschuerger]

So when I first added them, they looked terrible without getting any better, and with the coral specialty guy saying new LED's are crazy strong and to put them lower, I thought I was burning my corals so I tuned it down a lot on the radeons. He said you can kill them with too much light in a matter of days, but it will take weeks with not enough light. I also saw online, that if they dont have enough light, they will stretch out looking for light, and they are almost all pretty closed up so Ive been worried Im hurting them.
I have 2 powerheads aimed at the surface for water tension, but they are on opposite sides of the tank, meaning they are creating a decent whirlpool effect in the tank. When I feed the fish, the pellets move around quite a bit while they sink, so I believe there is good flow in the tank. The biggest coral, the third photo, gets plenty of movement. Its always waving around, but the rest are so curled up that they dont move much because theyre closed up

I’ve found zoas in particular to be kind of moody. I’ve had some stay closed for days at a time then be open as if nothing was wrong. One thing besides parameter testing, is what are you supplementing the tank with for trace elements and such?

 

[smalltownuser]

my personal opinion when adding frags to a tank I will always put in sand bed for a week at least then after everything opens up then I will put in desired location that’s recommended for that coral so for your first two corals appear to be zoas I’d put in sand bed they don’t like much lighting the frogspawn that’s what it appears to me likes more light moderate flow and the Kenya you can throw that outside and it’ll somehow grow in your tank jk you can put that anywhere it’ll be fine and the cloves pipe organ frag in sand but looks like it may open soon these frags still appear to be retracted you may need to up the lighting a little more slowly over time but once you get home post a few more photos as well as your parameters

* how did you acclimate these corals do you know what gravity your lfs runs there water at?

So im not sure what those names refer to lol. Like I said, Im a rookie with coral. I dont know whats what. I literally just went to the stores and asked which ones were easy and then picked the ones that looked good. I thought they said they were all soft coral but I guess thats not the case. As far as acclimating, I dont know. I did what I was told by both stores, which was to dip them with a coral dip, and put them in. I dipped for a few minutes (different times for different corals which was recommended) then cut the excess frag plug and glued them in. As far as putting them in the sand, that is a nice idea, but I have a tiger goby and I have heard goby's will terrorize corals, so I am worried he goby would knock them over while I'm at work. As far as these corals go, they are already all glued in to place, so I dont think I should mess with them further by ripping them off and putting into the sand, but on the next batch I will think about it, depending on the goby issue