Tips for a coral beginner(what am I doing wrong)

[smalltownuser]

So I recently started getting into corals. There is an LFS near me, that actually sells hardly any fish, and they specialize in coral. The owner has been a coral farmer for decades and seems to really know his stuff. I went to him and asked a million questions about the easiest corals for beginners, bought his suggestions, and placed them in the tank per his suggestions. I told him my lighting, and what salt mix I use, and he said its all perfect, and he even went through the trouble of labeling each bag of corals I got as to where in the tank to place them. He said as long as I do 10-20% weekly water changes, I dont need to worry about anything else, but clearly that wasnt enough information. My corals arent doing too well. I have had them about a month, and while they didnt really do any worse, they certainly didnt grow or look as beautiful as they did in the store. Research told me that newly transplanted corals can shrink up and take a while to go back to their normal size and color, but not only has that not happened, but they are actually looking worse. What are some tips I should be doing to firstly keep these existing ones alive, but also to be able to get more and help them thrive. I give them trace elements, 2-3 times a week, and reef roids once a week target feeding. Lighting is radions at about 15%(per recommended by the specialist) and I use the AB+ setting which is the most widely used setting. Should I change lighting, change the feeding regimen, dose water with something? I asked about calcium, magnesium, zinc, etc (all the minerals I have seen that I should be using but was told I dont need to worry about it). I recently bought an anemone for my clowns, and the little ****** moved itself to the back of a rock where I couldnt even see it. I noticed over the weekend that it shriveled up and died. I would love to have a beatiful reef tank with lots of corals. They look so amazing, but I dont want to spend more money on it before i figure out what I am missing.

 

[blaxsun]

First and foremost, you'll need to share some details on your tank, ie: size, filtration, equipment, etc. Second, what are your water (etc.) parameters? (this includes temperature and salinity)

 

[smalltownuser]

First and foremost, you'll need to share some details on your tank, ie: size, filtration, equipment, etc. Second, what are your water (etc.) parameters? (this includes temperature and salinity)

All of that is what the specialist told me to have. 75 gallon, 2x2x4 tank. Salinity is 38, temp is 78-79, Seachem tidal 110 filter, inkbird+2 heaters to control temp. I am about to install a refugium for the tank this week as well

 

[blaxsun]

All of that is what the specialist told me to have. 75 gallon, 2x2x4 tank. Salinity is 38, temp is 78-79, Seachem tidal 110 filter, inkbird+2 heaters to control temp. I am about to install a refugium for the tank this week as well

That's all fine and good, but what are your actual water parameters? ie: what were the test results?

 

[smalltownuser]

That's all fine and good, but what are your actual water parameters? ie: what were the test results?

What are you asking for specifically? Ammonia and nitrite zero, nitrate under 10, phosphate 0.

 

[blaxsun]

What are you asking for specifically? Ammonia and nitrite zero, nitrate under 10, phosphate 0.

Alkalinity, calcium, magnesium...

 

[BanZI29]

we really do need all the params
Temp =
Salinity = (1.025)
Ammonia =
Nitrite =
Nitrate =
Phosphate =
Calcium =
Alkalinity =
what lights? =

 

[smalltownuser]

Temp = 78-79
Salinity = 38
Ammonia =0
Nitrite =0
Nitrate = >less than 10
Phosphate =0
Calcium = unsure
Alkalinity = unsure
what lights? = radions at 15% intensity with the AB+ setting.

I am unsure of calcium and alkalinity because the "pro" told me not to worry about it with my current setup, which obviously was poor information since I am having trouble

 

[BanZI29]

Ok so. ammonia and nitrite are good.

Nitrate, which is a form of food for your corals, should be about 10-12 BUT higher doesn't hurt between 10-20.

Your phosphate however NEEDS to be there. that is another form of food for corals. should be around .05 - .100

if you have fish, FEED!! That will help. Get some Reef Roids and broadcast feed. that will help nitrate and phos. Be careful though. a little can go a LONG way.

if you have a skimmer, turn it off for a couple days.

Wait a week for your nest water change. when you change the water, it takes the good and bad with it.

lastly, YES you need to check calcium and alkalinity. those are important for coral growth.

Stability is the end goal in this game. Make the changes slowly and TEST TEST TEST. at least once a day for a week or so.

Once you see things start to stabilize, you can cut back on the testing and start water changes to 10% again.

Lastly, keep you lights where they are now but slowly turn them up to about 20% over a week and see how the corals respond.

I hope this helps

 

[BanZI29]

Forgot to ask what your Ph is at

 

[smalltownuser]

Ok so. ammonia and nitrite are good.

Nitrate, which is a form of food for your corals, should be about 10-12 BUT higher doesn't hurt between 10-20.

Your phosphate however NEEDS to be there. that is another form of food for corals. should be around .05 - .100

if you have fish, FEED!! That will help. Get some Reef Roids and broadcast feed. that will help nitrate and phos. Be careful though. a little can go a LONG way.

if you have a skimmer, turn it off for a couple days.

Wait a week for your nest water change. when you change the water, it takes the good and bad with it.

lastly, YES you need to check calcium and alkalinity. those are important for coral growth.

Stability is the end goal in this game. Make the changes slowly and TEST TEST TEST. at least once a day for a week or so.

Once you see things start to stabilize, you can cut back on the testing and start water changes to 10% again.

Lastly, keep you lights where they are now but slowly turn them up to about 20% over a week and see how the corals respond.

I hope this helps

So nitrate is wanted? I thought it could be 10-20 but better if its zero. I also do not know what my ph is. So you are suggesting to turn off the skimmer. I dont have a skimmer, I have the tidal HOB filter, and will be setting up a refugium.

 

[BanZI29]

So nitrate is wanted? I thought it could be 10-20 but better if its zero. I also do not know what my ph is. So you are suggesting to turn off the skimmer. I dont have a skimmer, I have the tidal HOB filter, and will be setting up a refugium.

Ok so you NEED to know your Ph. That is important. Low Ph will kill everything. Get a test for that ASAP. Should be between 8.0 - 8.2.
Yes some nitrate is good. 10-20
Hold off on the refugium till you stabilize your tank. That will just strip nutrients even more.

 

[smalltownuser]

Ok so you NEED to know your Ph. That is important. Low Ph will kill everything. Get a test for that ASAP. Should be between 8.0 - 8.2.
Yes some nitrate is good. 10-20
Hold off on the refugium till you stabilize your tank. That will just strip nutrients even more.

Ok, how would I raise or lower my Ph depending on what the levels are?

 

[BanZI29]

Ok, how would I raise or lower my Ph depending on what the levels are?

Depends on what it is. water change with higher Ph. I know I said no water changes but if you Ph is off, that would be a fast fix.
you can also get an additive called eight four from seachem. that can raise Ph till it can stabilize.
Get your Ph checked first.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

can we see a pic of the tank? How old is the tank? How is the flow in the tank? Radions at only 15%? What size is the tank, how deep? What kind of corals died?

 

[afrokobe]

Salinity at 38? 38 ppt? that seems a bit high, you should verify your salinity

 

[BanZI29]

I just converted that and @afrokobe is correct. 1.023 - 1.026 ( 31-36 ) is ideal

 

[hunterallen40]

So nitrate is wanted? I thought it could be 10-20 but better if its zero. I also do not know what my ph is. So you are suggesting to turn off the skimmer. I dont have a skimmer, I have the tidal HOB filter, and will be setting up a refugium.

Yes. You do want some nitrate, and you definitely want some phosphates. I will recommend 0.1 as a target for phosphate, as this is what I personally have found to be best.

A great way to increase pH is kalkwasser, but you need to know where your alkalinity and calcium are...

You can also increase surface agitation and crack a window. You'd be amazed at how much CO2 can be generated by people in a home.

38 ppt is definitely on the higher end of salinities, I recommend 35 ppt.

Stabilizing alkalinity and calcium is a great, proven method to get better results. Using kalkwasser to do so is a solid, and very affordable approach. Then, once you exceed your evaporation, consider two part.

I think 15% on AB setting is pretty low tbh... I ran much higher than that on my 75 gallon (same dimensions as yours). Heck, my frag tank runs at 30% and that is 10" of water... I would increase slightly and observe how they respond.

 

[paragrouper]

Salinity at 38? 38 ppt? that seems a bit high, you should verify your salinity

Yeah, that’s a SG around 1.028.

 

[paragrouper]

What type of corals do you have?