1st year tank. How many corals did you add ?

[Taxus812]

So I have a question. I am kinda horrible at growing coral. I buy a few and over a few weeks provide them a slow cruel death. Needless to say $20 is about the highest I will spend now on corals every few months.

Are you slow and methodical about adding your corals to your new tanks, or are you like Zap Brangan throwing waves and waves of corals at it until you eventually win ?

Just curious.

 

[Jon Fishman]

In my first year now. Probably 40-50 corals, lost about 3-4

 

[AZMSGT]

It really would depend on the size of the tank wouldn’t it?

 

[Jon Fishman]

Also, it’s not really “until I win”. The few losses I had were easily explained by my fault, or arrived in poor condition

 

[X-37B]

It depends on your experience really.
My tank will be 5 months the end of the month.
I have over 40 corals all sps and 1 lps frogspawn the clown lives in.
Stability is paramount with whatever system you are running.

 

[motortrendz]

I've spent 20$ also if you ask my wife... but I've probably bought about 50 frags in the last year. Lost about 5. 3 to falling into the rock work and 2 to rtn. The first year was hit or miss expecially with sps. I'm now in year 3 on this tank. So its come a long way.

Making sure your system is stable and ready is the biggest factor in keeping sps.

 

[Magellan]

Tank is 10 months old, 28g, currently with 22 species of coral in it. No losses, and had coral from my very first purchase thanks to a hitchhiker. (A green Paly). I very slowly added small frags and almost always only one at a time.

 

[Taxus812]

Lol I need to be in another hobby. 7 months old and probably 15 coral 4 still alive (kinda). I’m successful at killing all sorts of corals. Not due to poor equipment or neglect.

I just wondered if perhaps I wasn’t trying enough. I guess killing corals at first is not the norm.

(although my 10g BB tank grows everything like weeds)

 

[Magellan]

Lol I need to be in another hobby. 7 months old and probably 15 coral 4 still alive (kinda). I’m successful at killing all sorts of corals. Not due to poor equipment or neglect.

I just wondered if perhaps I wasn’t trying enough. I guess killing corals at first is not the norm.

(although my 10g BB tank grows everything like weeds)

What are your parameters? I almost killed my first corals due to a faulty thermometer, I thought my tank was 78 degrees and it was 84....

 

[TheOne]

Mine is around a year old. I've added close to 40 corals and probably have 30 left. Of course I jumped off the deep end and went with 90% SPS. Also most that didn't make it were from the same order off of Ebay so I wouldn't recommend buying corals from there. Plus all of my corals were $15 each or less.

 

[Taxus812]

What are your parameters? I almost killed my first corals due to a faulty thermometer, I thought my tank was 78 degrees and it was 84....

Thank you but I’m not going to troubleshoot . I just wanted to confirm what I suspected.

My DT just doesn’t grow coral well. Hell I even killed the Coraline algae on the live rock I started the tank with (some is just starting to return). My fish and inverts are happy.

The 10g Petco tank I threw together with a crap HOB filter A few months ago grows corals like weeds. I have zoas, a monster Dunkin, Kenya tree, hammers and frogspawn, a few others I don’t remember, but they are growing big and fast. the only issue I have is I tend to have high phosphate but twice weekly water changes keeps that in line.

This is why I asked the question.

I’m may move my sickly coral frags from my DT to the 10g and call it a day. I may move my DT to another room and start over. Not sure yet

 

[Taxus812]

Mine is around a year old. I've added close to 40 corals and probably have 30 left. Of course I jumped off the deep end and went with 90% SPS. Also most that didn't make it were from the same order off of Ebay so I wouldn't recommend buying corals from there. Plus all of my corals were $15 each or less.

Interesting thought. All of the coral died were from the same source. The ones that are in my 10g are from various other sources.

 

[Jon Fishman]

There is something more going on, no such thing as “this tank just doesn’t grow coral”

 

[Brew12]

I had struggles with my 187g when it came to corals. I would say I had 30% or more in SPS loses, mostly in the first 6 months. This is my tank at it's one year anniversary.

After that, things got much better. It's almost 2 years old now.

 

[Taxus812]

Ok I wasn't going to troubleshoot but I think I would like your opinions on a few things. (I honestly was giving up on the DT with coral, but for some reason posting makes me want to try again). I suspect my issues are things that fall outside of the norm. I don't use any additives unless its a last resort (to date I have only used chemiclean for a cyano outbreak after a pump failure) .

I am planning getting an ICP test to see if there is anything in the water outside of the normal parameters.

Since I don't have anything really growing, I have been toying the idea of moving my DT it into my basement office (I work from home). This is where the 10g tank is plus it is next to the room with RODI and salt mixing station.
The reason is 1) It is next to the bathroom door so when you shower that "clean showered smell" (and others) gets in the room. 2) There is a Lot of ambient light in that room.


The pic was the first day I installed it.

 

[Magellan]

It sounds like something is badly out of wack in your DT, or the source of those corals was a coral cemetery! If you take some water into an LFS they will test it for you, but the ICP test would of course tell you everything you need to know. Heavy metal contamination, perhaps?

 

[Taxus812]

Okay thank you ! mine is right at the top of the bed as well, however my flood gate is all the way open to get foam production even going. its so weird.

It sounds like something is badly out of wack in your DT, or the source of those corals was a coral cemetery! If you take some water into an LFS they will test it for you, but the ICP test would of course tell you everything you need to know. Heavy metal contamination, perhaps?

LFS gets the same results I do. ICP test is on deck I guess. I suppose I could rule out source water since both tanks use the same source and salt mix.

 

[Steve Elb]

So I have a question. I am kinda horrible at growing coral. I buy a few and over a few weeks provide them a slow cruel death. Needless to say $20 is about the highest I will spend now on corals every few months.

Are you slow and methodical about adding your corals to your new tanks, or are you like Zap Brangan throwing waves and waves of corals at it until you eventually win ?

Just curious.

This is about 10 months now