So confused

[dlh]

I set up my IM Nuvo fusion pro 10 in February. I now know that managing such a small tank is hard and I should have gone with a bigger tank, but my wife was totally against having a tank so we finally agreed on a small tank. The tank has gone thru the ugly stage With lots of algae, but now is clear! Here are my water parameters;
TEMP 78
AMONIA 0
NITRITE 0
NITRATE 0
PH 8.2
SP GRAVITY 1.025
ALK 8.5
PHOSPATE 3
CAL 430
MAG 1280

i Do a 50% water change every other week
i am dosing All For Reef 3.5ml daily via Kimora dosing pump.

Livestock is 2 Clownfish who are doing great. Coral on the other hand is the issue and why I am seeking Help. I have tried Frogspawn, Zoas, GSP, Xenia. All have died within a week of acclimation. Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance.

 

[TokenReefer]

NITRATE 0

I'd maybe get this up a little

 

[dlh]

How? Forgot to mention I am also running the IM protein Skimmer

 

[Troylee]

What lighting do you have? Also 50% water changes are too much for that tank.. without corals you don’t need to really change the water at all.. I’d do a gallon a week or every 2 weeks at best…

 

[TokenReefer]

More food more fish poo. Less skimming? Less water changes?

 

[dlh]

Lighting is Fluval nano led and I’m running 80% blue and 10% white 9 hrs a day

 

[MrGisonni]

Your phosphates are high, maybe try a tiny bit of rowaphos....like a quarter teaspoon or less in a filter bag in your overflow. They will bring down your phosphates. Zero nitrates has always been the pathway for bad things for me, like cyano and diatoms. Between 20 and 30 ppm seems like the sweet spot for my reef. You can't pack the tank with fish, so you need something to produce NO3. Increased feeding will help but may contribute to phosphates as well. Consider a product like neonitro from Brightwell. Dose 1/3 of the recommendation. I use AFR also and have to dose a bit of mg to get my levels over that 1350 mark that most keep their reefs. Find the sweet spot. How about lighting?

 

[MrGisonni]

10-15% water changes weekly is fine. Maybe your Nitrates will come up on their own if you back off there.

 

[TokenReefer]

While I don't disagree with @MrGisonni that dosing could get the numbers up, personally I'd simply manipulate my export (skimming and water changes in your case) to do it at this stage of the tank. To each his own tho I suppose