Sinularia trouble

GoReefin · Feb 18, 2022

Hi all my sinularia just isn't opening up all the way. Been this way since I purchased the coral.

Parameters
Sg 1.0265
Calcium 420
Alk 9
Mag just raised to 1300 from 1200.
Nitrates near undetectable but I have a lot of macros growing like weeds.
Phosphates near undetectable.
Ammonia 0

Debating on lowering my salinity down to 1.025? I can also increase my lighting. Running a kessel A360W E series at 10% currently. Not really sure what else I can do...

CrimsonTide · Feb 18, 2022

It might like your nitrates to be higher.

GoReefin · Feb 18, 2022

CrimsonTide said:
It might like your nitrates to be higher.

I have lots of hair algae and macro algae. Probably higher than showing as these guys suck it out of the water like crazy!

CrimsonTide · Feb 18, 2022

If the macros are eating the nitrates it is probably low.

GoReefin · Feb 18, 2022

CrimsonTide said:
If the macros are eating the nitrates it is probably low.

Should I start dosing nitrates? (I've never dosed nitrates before.

Thanks for the help much appreciated!

CrimsonTide · Feb 18, 2022

GoReefin said:
Should I start dosing nitrates? (I've never dosed nitrates before.

Thanks for the help much appreciated!

I'm not sure about dosing them. You could feed the fish a little more a first but the rest of your numbers look fine. I think the only other thing is really nitrates. I would like another opinion. Also leathers can take about as much light as you can give them. I used to have one in 400 par that did fine. So idk if more light would help but its probably not hurting with as much light as ots given.

GoReefin · Feb 18, 2022

Bump any other opinions would be greatly appreciated

CrimsonTide · Feb 18, 2022

Bump bump

muzikalmatt · Feb 18, 2022

I definitely think it's the lack of nutrients (nitrates and phosphates). Soft corals especially leathers appreciate higher nutrient levels. I have a nice green sinularia in my tank and my nitrates hover around 13-15ppm and my phosphates are anywhere between 0.10-0.20ppm.

Regarding your lighting, since you have your A360WE set so low I don't think that's the issue but you can definitely stand to increase it slowly over time. As @CrimsonTide pointed out, leathers can handle a lot of light. I have a toadstool that's at the top of my rockwork in probably 250-300 PAR.

As far as how to increase your nutrients, I'd recommend increasing your feeding and dialing back your refugium light photoperiod (maybe even remove some macro algae as well) to try and increase them more naturally.

Lavey29 · Feb 18, 2022

O nitrates and 0 phosphate leads to slow coral decline and death from starvation.

GoReefin · Feb 18, 2022

Thanks everyone! I'll dial back the photo period in my sump. Increase my light and also increase my feeding and remove some algae. Hopefully that'll increase my nutrients some.

Lavey29 · Feb 18, 2022

GoReefin said:
Thanks everyone! I'll dial back the photo period in my sump. Increase my light and also increase my feeding and remove some algae. Hopefully that'll increase my nutrients some.

I have the exact same sinularia and I put mine at the bottom of the tank attached to a rock directly under my lights. It gets probably 100 par and low to moderate flow. Probably double in size over the past few months but closes down tight at night.

GoReefin · Feb 18, 2022

Lavey29 said:
I have the exact same sinularia and I put mine at the bottom of the tank attached to a rock directly under my lights. It gets probably 100 par and low to moderate flow. Probably double in size over the past few months but closes down tight at night.

Awesome I love the look of this sinularia hopefully it'll come around with some increased light and nutrients.

Lavey29 · Feb 18, 2022

GoReefin said:
Awesome I love the look of this sinularia hopefully it'll come around with some increased light and nutrients.

I'm sure yours will and your other corals will improve also with better overall parameters. You know leathers get moody sometimes for a week at a time and shed also. Be sure to run carbon because they release toxins in the water as their defense mechanism and that will hurt your other corals unless you filter it with carbon.

CrimsonTide · Feb 18, 2022

Sell some of the macro to some other people and let it grow back. I would take some if I was near you hard to find in Alabama. But I think just more nutrients will help all together.

GoReefin · Feb 21, 2022

Hi guys just wanted to update looks like it is starting to come back out after dialing back my photo period in the sump, increasing the light in the tank and increasing flow.