1 yo...160g sw volume... corals not growing well

[kris2001]

I had same problem. Had reef tanks previously using the lazy man technique ie didn’t do much other than occasional water change... and they did well. Corals grew etc...But also had aiptasia, hair algae etc.
Then set up my 650 gallon tank (750 gallons total) and decided to run biopellets, skim heavily... was going for clean system with no hair algae etc. Nitrates 0, phos 0.... and corals didn’t last. They faded over 2-3 months, zoanthids shrunk and disappeared... reduced skimming and biopellets... added phosphate, nitrates, amino acids.... and now have nitrate 8-10, phosphate 0.1.... zoanthids have new polyps, corals frags showing growth.

Did you add po4 and no3 naturally or were you dosing store bought additives? That coralamino is expensive man.

Do you have a fuge to combat HA?

 

[X-37B]

I get good growth and color in my 1.5 year old 120.
Was 50% live rock.
No3 runs 5-10
Po4 .02-.06
Alk 7-7.5
No fuge no algae
11 fish
Good cleanup crew.
I do not do scheduled water changes and have done 1 10 gal and 1 12 gal in 1.5 years.
I dose trace daily run a carx and dose
a carbon mix of vinegar, sugar, and iron at a low dose of 10ml only.
2 250 watt mh only, on for 9 hours.
For me picking my parameters and keeping them stable is the key to good growth.

 

[Peng1606]

Did you add po4 and no3 naturally or were you dosing store bought additives? That coralamino is expensive man.

Do you have a fuge to combat HA?

I add calcium/magnesium/potassium nitrate and potassium phosphate from greenleaf aquariums.
Yeah the coralamino is being used up quite fast but I only use half dose every other day.
No hair algae in system... have a team of 2 hippo, 5 yellow, 1 purple, 1 scopas, 1 Kole tangs and also a gold spot rabbitfish (who I suspect ate my soft corals). The tangs together with my potters and coral beauty algae don’t get to grow...

 

[Super Fly]

Did you add po4 and no3 naturally or were you dosing store bought additives? That coralamino is expensive man.

Do you have a fuge to combat HA?

if u ever need to inc PO4, Seachem FLourish Phosphorus is cheap otherwise I'd first try increase feeding w nori while reducing skimmer.

 

[kris2001]

Hi all,
An Update:

Alk is now 9 dkh, NO3 10 ppm , PO4 0.25 ppm... Things are getting better with no other dosing . Skimmer.. at very thick /low setting. Now the challenge of what is the ideal point to maintain LOL. Zoas have opened up and that blasto recovered!

Thx much!

 

[kris2001]

Hello , An update after 4 months:

I find it very hard to maintain NO3 at a level I need... I ended up getting HA when I stopped vodka and increased feeding. Both no3 and po4 rose very high, then I resumed Vodka and now they are in check!

What is the best , easy, cheap way to dose Nitrates?
Mine is zero. I target maybe 5 - 10 ppm. Phosphates are 0.05 ppm. My corals are struggling to grow but they are alive. I don't wanna do Amino acids.
pls suggest tia!