Please rate my setup

[beyarbrough]

Looking for advice on what I should change if anything for best coral growth. I would like to emphasize growth because at the moment growth is more important than colors. My current setup is a 40 breeder roughly 3/4 full above a rubbermaid stock tank roughly 3/4 full to what I estimate to be about 100 gallons. In the stock tank is 100 pounds of rock, one molly and at least on baby molly, and a big chunk of chaeto lit by a 150 watt hps grow lamp. In the 40 breeder is one rock to hold down the frag rack and 18 sps frags, and one six line wrasse. Lighting is one 250 metal halide. Circulation is provided by two koralia evo 1500s on opposite sides of the tank on 30 minute intervals opposite one another. Parameters are
Kh-8-9
Ca- 440
Mag-1400
Nitrate-0
Phosphate-0

Maintenance is daily one gallon water change and weekly five gallon water change. 3/4 cups carbon changed bi weekly. Kh is checked daily and everything else weekly. Kalk is dripped but still trying to dial it in so kh is maintained via two part (soda ash) mostly.

Goal is best coral growth. At the moment I am seeing decent growth in most of the coral. The entire setup has been operating for nearly a year, but has only had coral and fish for about a month. I know the first thing most will say is add a skimmer but with just two fish I don't see it as necessary. Please try to change my mind if you disagree. Anything else I should change for better results? Thanks!

 

[Frop]

What is your pH? Also some nitrate/phosphate is good. How are you testing it?

 

[beyarbrough]

Ph I'm not sure because I don't have an accurate way to test yet. Red sea kit shows 8.4 but I don't trust it. Everything is red sea test kits except phosphate which is salifert. Salifert test is hard to read low range, though it's been clear every time to my eyes. I should also add I have an auto top off and a temp controller set to 79.

 

[mtraylor]

Not sure what you mean by rating a setup, but here is my 2cents worth.

What kind of coral do you want to grow? You have allot of SPS so I will go that route. Forget about rating your system.......Rate your water quality In order to get good growth and color, you need steady parameters that stay within the boundary's that we all talk about. So you will need test kits to test them all regularly. You will need to keep phosphates down for the sps. If you have phosphates that get on the sps, it will slow the growth etc. You will need to keep tank parms constant and in spec to get growth. So if you are not testing for these things and keeping them within range like .......
Phosphates
Alkalinity
PH
Calcium
Magnesium
Nitrite,Nitrate
etc,etc

then you are not in the ballpark to get what you are looking for. Once you get these things in check and constant you will get exactly what you are looking for. If you need additional equipment to get those things in check, you will figure it out as you go. Good clean water is good for good growth. Good Luck.

Happy Reefing.

 

[reefs+waves]

I would say raise the nitrates with stump remover to 3-5 ppm if you want growth.

 

[e572]

Looking for advice on what I should change if anything for best coral growth. I would like to emphasize growth because at the moment growth is more important than colors. My current setup is a 40 breeder roughly 3/4 full above a rubbermaid stock tank roughly 3/4 full to what I estimate to be about 100 gallons. In the stock tank is 100 pounds of rock, one molly and at least on baby molly, and a big chunk of chaeto lit by a 150 watt hps grow lamp. In the 40 breeder is one rock to hold down the frag rack and 18 sps frags, and one six line wrasse. Lighting is one 250 metal halide. Circulation is provided by two koralia evo 1500s on opposite sides of the tank on 30 minute intervals opposite one another. Parameters are
Kh-8-9
Ca- 440
Mag-1400
Nitrate-0
Phosphate-0

Maintenance is daily one gallon water change and weekly five gallon water change. 3/4 cups carbon changed bi weekly. Kh is checked daily and everything else weekly. Kalk is dripped but still trying to dial it in so kh is maintained via two part (soda ash) mostly.

Goal is best coral growth. At the moment I am seeing decent growth in most of the coral. The entire setup has been operating for nearly a year, but has only had coral and fish for about a month. I know the first thing most will say is add a skimmer but with just two fish I don't see it as necessary. Please try to change my mind if you disagree. Anything else I should change for better results? Thanks!

Your system sounds great!! If this were my system, and I were doing what you are, I would back off on water changes because you have no nitrate or phosphate. I say this because you have almost no bio load for that amount of rock and the fish you have. To me with no trate or phate the only thing I can see the water changes doing is make your water parameters fluxuate, which is bad for coral growth. I would add more fish if it were me. That's the only things different I would do. You should see great results with that setup and I wish you the best of luck!!

 

[beyarbrough]

I would say raise the nitrates with stump remover to 3-5 ppm if you want growth.

That's interesting thanks for the advice. I will look into that.

Your system sounds great!! If this were my system, and I were doing what you are, I would back off on water changes because you have no nitrate or phosphate. I say this because you have almost no bio load for that amount of rock and the fish you have. To me with no trate or phate the only thing I can see the water changes doing is make your water parameters fluxuate, which is bad for coral growth. I would add more fish if it were me. That's the only things different I would do. You should see great results with that setup and I wish you the best of luck!!

Thanks for the advice. I will add a few more fish once I settle on what would be a good addition. Being a grow out tank, I want fish that would do some work while it's there (like eating algae or pests) so any suggestions would be appreciated. I'm doing the daily water changes the help keep parameters stabilized. Do you think I could be causing instability instead? I thought daily 1% changes would be better than biweekly large changes, but perhaps I don't need them at all right now?

I probably should clarify that this is a grow out tank for sps only, mostly acropora. No lps or soft corals. Thanks!