What did I do wrong?

[livinlifeinBKK]

As you probably know, these values are suitable for acropora. All except for tank age IMO.

Feel like I asked you this before but cannot recall the reply. Live or dead rock start? Or a hybrid start was it?

I'd say you are not "doing" anything wrong per se, other than having perhaps overly optimistic assumptions about how fast our little biomes can fully develop a stable mix of microorganisms. It is still a microscopic battleground in there at 6 months. Maybe 12 or even 18 months for dead rock starts and limited introduced microbial diversity.

It's live rock right out of the ocean

 

[ScottB]

It's live rock right out of the ocean

Excellent way to start IMO. I think just keeping things stabile should get you there over time. Assuming you can source tenuis at a reasonable price, just keep trying. Different pieces will have (slightly) different preferences.

With regard to alkalinity, your tenuis (originally) came from natural seawater @ 7 dkh. If these pieces are wild caught, maybe matching the dkh would lower the stress of introduction. Wild caught are certainly more challenging than aquacultured.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Excellent way to start IMO. I think just keeping things stabile should get you there over time. Assuming you can source tenuis at a reasonable price, just keep trying. Different pieces will have (slightly) different preferences.

With regard to alkalinity, your tenuis (originally) came from natural seawater @ 7 dkh. If these pieces are wild caught, maybe matching the dkh would lower the stress of introduction. Wild caught are certainly more challenging than aquacultured.

Honestly I think you're right. I'm not saying I did anything perfectly by a long shot and I know I have plenty to learn but I think I really just need to give it another shot and see how things turn out...it's not like this keeps happening to me or anything, it was my first attempt to keep a more difficult coral and things just didn't go perfectly my first time. I do have other easier SPS thriving in that tank so I think I should give it another shot and keep an eye on my parameter stability of course.

 

[ScottB]

Honestly I think you're right. I'm not saying I did anything perfectly by a long shot and I know I have plenty to learn but I think I really just need to give it another shot and see how things turn out...it's not like this keeps happening to me or anything, it was my first attempt to keep a more difficult coral and things just didn't go perfectly my first time. I do have other easier SPS thriving in that tank so I think I should give it another shot and keep an eye on my parameter stability of course.

Is the stuff you get all wild collected or grown captive?

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Is the stuff you get all wild collected or grown captive?

I believe it all comes straight from Indonesia

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Is the stuff you get all wild collected or grown captive?

I believe it comes straight fr Indonesia, although I'm not sure how much time it spends in the dealers tank...they don't grow the coral out though

 

[ScottB]

I believe it comes straight fr Indonesia, although I'm not sure how much time it spends in the dealers tank...they don't grow the coral out though

Roger that. Stateside, we call those dealers "chop shops". You can get some really cool stuff that isn't commonly available, but the mortality levels are much higher than proven, captive raised, acropora.

Maybe give some thought to running ALK around 7ish.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Thats a good idea...my alk was actually about 9.2 when I added the coral so that might have been what did it...btw, most coral dealers here sell their hard corals as fast as possible because it's technically illegal to sell Stony corals here...it's a ridiculous law that the police never enforce but they could if they wanted to so I think they try to cycle through it as fast as they can a lot of times...don't get me wrong, some are better than others though

Roger that. Stateside, we call those dealers "chop shops". You can get some really cool stuff that isn't commonly available, but the mortality levels are much higher than proven, captive raised, acropora.

Maybe give some thought to running ALK around 7ish.