What's wrong with my SPS? No growth. Parameters & Light OK?

[DarkSky]

BRS recommends these levels. There is a typo in this though. They meant to put 0.05ppm po4 in the 1-2 year box as the goal. They forgot the zero, i actually confirmed this on the BRS facebook page because i was confused. I would shoot for these levels. Personally my tank runs better with no3 around 8 though...0

Definitely. This is where the ramp up portion comes into play.

 

[FlyPenFly]

Feed sps specific food in a targeted manner. Run alk 10, cal 420, mg 1350.

I hate gyres, noisy and not clear to me that it’s the kind of flow we need for sps.

 

[Crustaceon]

This is how I see it: It’s not about having a certain detectable level of nitrates or phosphates, it’s about having available nutrients in the water for the corals to consume. That’s it. Your nitrates and phosphates can be undetectable and still be fine PROVIDED you feed the tank enough to prevent rtn/stn and your sps turning pastel. Not feeding the tank in order to keep low nutrients is probably the worst things that can be done when is comes to sps aside from adjusting alk too quickly. For reference, back when I was running an ATS and sps coral, I had to continually feed my fish several times per day and dose aminos to keep my sps from fading in color. The more I fed, the better the color and growth got and the more the algae on the scrubber screen grew. This was with completely undetectable nitrates and phosphates. It legitimately had me worried but as long as I fed the tank, everything went bananas, including my alk/cal/mg consumption. This is also how the ocean works as there is a very low but constantly available and endless nutrient level. The problem though is if the “machine” stops being fed at a consistent rate, it crashes and burns very quickly. Having detectable nitrates and phosphates seems to indicate there’s also a nutrient “buffer” of sorts in the tank.

 

[Camaro Show Corals]

My tank runs 10-15 nitrate and 0.08-0.10 po4. Dont chase numbers!!! let the tank get comfortable and find its nitch. Good flow and light with enough nutrients with stable alk is the key. Imo you can have your alk high and nutrients high and be successful as long as its not swinging. As for algae get some good snails and crabs and maybe a lawnmower blenny to take care of it.

 

[Camaro Show Corals]

You can also use acropower and live phyto to get some nutrients, as well as feeding reef chili, roids, etc. I target feed my sps 4 times a week and feed phytoplankton everyday.

 

[jda]

I would not chase N or P. .01p and .1n is enough. They are not "nutrients" like people think of food where the coral can do more with more. They are building blocks of life - a different type of nutrient. Once you have enough, then you don't need any more... any surplus is a surplus. More residual levels will not do you any good. Think of them like bricks on your home... you need a constant, but small supply that you apply slowly or else the mortar will collapse. Too many and the workers cannot work as fast with a sloppy workplace and no room to navigate... way too many and nothing can happen. Light will make the zoox produce energy which is actual food - you should be set here, but more of this is actually more and they corals can use the sugars as actual more energy. I am going to stay away from whether high or low N or P is better, but the point is not to chase them (for now). You are good with N and P and can do more damage if you start to mess with them. Just feed the fish and skim and use your fuge.

Availability is more important than residual levels. Most successful tanks have import and export that are balanced with low residuals and nothing is left to want, corals grow fast and are beautiful.

Nitrate is an inefficient way for most coral to get nitrogen - ammonia is better, which is why more feeding and less sodium nitrate work better. Most of the time, ammonia is produced in small quantities all of the time.

Increased levels of N and P are poison to all living things... the level depends on the creature and even the type of animal. Some acropora don't mind higher levels of N and P, but even small amounts can be death to some, which are often labeled as more difficult corals. Increased N and P also inhibits calcification - again, to different levels with different animals and specific corals.

To get back to the original question, just give them some time. SPS tanks less than a year need more dosage of patience than anything else. Unless you are having lots of death (everybody loses a few), then just wait it out.

 

[Stigigemla]

First of all: I agree with Your nutrition values are to low.
But I see another problem coming.
There are some reefers having their tanks crashed with dry rock only. It takes a year or two and then the stone is clogged with detritus and stops working.
If You add a living stone or two pods, worms and others will spread to the other rocks and slowly clean them.