Wall Hammer not looking so hot

[Tokash23]

Black box

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

What's Bb?

Black boX led

 

[burden2626]

i have some of those lights have mine with blue blasted 100% and whites at 65% i have an anemone climed to middle of tank i have mushrooms xinia star polyps and zoa's under it they all seem to be growing good

 

[Brandonsegula]

Title says it..i have had this hammer for about 2 weeks now for the first few days it looked great and since about day 7 its been flying half mast so to speak. The tank is only 3 months wet.

Water parameters were a tad off when i tested last...nitrates 2, phosphates .25 api, cal 330, mag 950, alk 6, temp 78-80 depending on time of day, salinity 1.023

I am running a chinese black box with the whites at 15% and the blues on 85%.

I think thats it let me know if theres any info i left put...i also have a small frag of zoas that are wilting as well. I have been doing some research and every tank and situation is so different i figured i would just see what sort of input i could get for my specific tank. Thanks in advance. [emoji482]

Calcium, mag and alk are really low. Although if you tested all 3 with an API test kit its most likely wrong. Invest in the Red Sea kit that comes with all three tests or salifert test kits. I like to have calcium at 420, alk between 8.6-9.0 and magnesium at 1350.

 

[Shaddow_wolf169]

No I run the 72" long

K. That 20/50 or 20/40 shouldn't be too far off.

@Shaddow_wolf169 are you on Bb's ?

No I run the 72" long 3" wide Chinese led strip

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Turn down the blues a bit. That's a lot of light. Try 50 to 65%


And +1. Young tank. Sometimes it happens.

Agree with salty... I run mine at 30/60/100% white/blue/uv auth SB Reef boxes. Under shooting is better than over shooting.

Aim for 430ppm Ca, 7.5dKH and 1320ppm Mg... ballpark. Your nitrates and phosphates are ok for now, you need to focus on the big three first. Go slow, nothing likes fast changes in this hobby.

 

[sheismynightlife]

As already mentioned, your params are very low. It would be worth investing in a 2 part solution to keep your calcium and alkalinity stable. There's heaps of them out there. It mah be worth checking out the BRS160 playlist on YouTube and watching the calc/alk videos

 

[CindyKz]

Not to confuse the issue but my euphyllia are all picky about flow. They like to "wave in the breeze" so to speak. If I start messing around with my powerheads mine get cranky and close up like that. Just something to double check.

 

[Tokash23]

Calcium, mag and alk are really low. Although if you tested all 3 with an API test kit its most likely wrong. Invest in the Red Sea kit that comes with all three tests or salifert test kits. I like to have calcium at 420, alk between 8.6-9.0 and magnesium at 1350.

I am using red sea for nitrates and alk, but its strange though when i start the alk test the directions say the solution should turn blue after first drop and mine never does. Not sure if this is something i am doing wrong or the alkalinity is just that low to start off with anyway.

As already mentioned, your params are very low. It would be worth investing in a 2 part solution to keep your calcium and alkalinity stable. There's heaps of them out there. It mah be worth checking out the BRS160 playlist on YouTube and watching the calc/alk videos

I think i am going to stick with the weekly waterchanges for a few weeks and see if that helps. Like i said earlier i have really only done 2 water changes since i put water in the tank in April. If that doesnt seem to help within a few weeks then i will look into a 2 part like you suggested. Do you have a brand or a specific product in mind? I did add some carbon mixed with zeolite crystals yesterday as was suggested so hopefully that will help with the algae and junk as well.

 

[Tokash23]

So did my water change Tuesday and just ran a water test. Cal is at 400 so came up a little Mag is 1200 alk still holding at 7 and Nitrates appear to be at 2 still maybe lower since i started running carbon. My hammer still isnt stretching out all that much but my numbers coming up a little is encouraging. Im going to look into doing a 2 part dose to help my parameters. I have never dosed anything before so advice is appreciated.

 

[Brandonsegula]

So did my water change Tuesday and just ran a water test. Cal is at 400 so came up a little Mag is 1200 alk still holding at 7 and Nitrates appear to be at 2 still maybe lower since i started running carbon. My hammer still isnt stretching out all that much but my numbers coming up a little is encouraging. Im going to look into doing a 2 part dose to help my parameters. I have never dosed anything before so advice is appreciated.

When raising your parameters just make sure you do it slowly. 2 part dosing is great. If you really wanna get into corals look into a doser. Jebao makes a great doser and not to expensive. Also what size tank do you have? In my aquarium I don't need to dose magnesium. It stays steady between 1350-1380. But I do dose calcium and alkalinity

 

[Tokash23]

When raising your parameters just make sure you do it slowly. 2 part dosing is great. If you really wanna get into corals look into a doser. Jebao makes a great doser and not to expensive. Also what size tank do you have? In my aquarium I don't need to dose magnesium. It stays steady between 1350-1380. But I do dose calcium and alkalinity

Its a 40breeder bout 50 gallons total with the sump.

 

[Brandonsegula]

Its a 40breeder bout 50 gallons total with the sump.

Go to your lfs and buy two part in calcium and alkalinity it will come together already mixed with a measuring cup. Also bring some rest water with you and have the test it to make sure reading are correct. I do this to to double check myself. Ask them what they would suggest on how much to dose. When I was dosing manually in my 75 with a 30 gallon sump I was doing 7ml of each on the dosing cup it comes with. You also wanna dose calcium and alkalinity at different times. Calcium in the morning and alkalinity at night.

 

[Tokash23]

Go to your lfs and buy two part in calcium and alkalinity it will come together already mixed with a measuring cup. Also bring some rest water with you and have the test it to make sure reading are correct. I do this to to double check myself. Ask them what they would suggest on how much to dose. When I was dosing manually in my 75 with a 30 gallon sump I was doing 7ml of each on the dosing cup it comes with. You also wanna dose calcium and alkalinity at different times. Calcium in the morning and alkalinity at night.

When you dosed that way did you do it everyday? Just trying to make sure i understand what i am getting into without a doser right off hand.

 

[sheismynightlife]

When you dosed that way did you do it everyday? Just trying to make sure i understand what i am getting into without a doser right off hand.

That would entirely depend on the amount of calcium and alkalinity your corals are using in a day. You'll need to dose and test every day for awhile until you learn the way your tank is working and how much is being used. My corals smash calcium way more than alkalinity.

 

[Tokash23]

That would entirely depend on the amount of calcium and alkalinity your corals are using in a day. You'll need to dose and test every day for awhile until you learn the way your tank is working and how much is being used. My corals smash calcium way more than alkalinity.

Noted so its like a guess n check sort of game. Appreciate the advice

 

[Brandonsegula]

Noted so its like a guess n check sort of game. Appreciate the advice

Just be careful. Remember dose everything but small amounts until you get it figured out.

 

[Tokash23]

BJD? Was cleaned off yesterday and this is it today.

 

[PSLReefer]

Your tank is still really new it's just settling in during the first 6 months I made the same mistake my wall hammer died they are a really touchy coral mine lasted a month and shriveled to nothing. See if the lfs will trade it back or hold it for you. For a couple more months.

This.

Tank is just too young for a wall hammer, plus those are difficult to keep anyway.

From that pic, it's a goner, sorry.

 

[Tokash23]

Yea i was afraid of that...i guesss jumped the gun on this guy. I have really wanted one for quite sometime i never tried one in my first tank. Are the branch type hammers easier to keep?