Can someone please help me with my hammer coral!!!

[W1ngz]

Carbon too? OMG stop adding filter media. You really shouldn't be adding things unless you research what they are, and know that you in fact do need them. Just because they sound good doesn't mean they're needed.

 

[45ZoaGarden]

My 45g cube is running sponge, two bags of purigen, two pads of poly filter, gfo reactor, carbon reactor, cheato reactor, uv sterilizer, mangroves, and skimming heavily. My euphyllia are doing just fine

 

[Natescorals]

Do you know how I could do the ICP testing? Also which test kits do you guys use or recommend?

 

[45ZoaGarden]

Carbon has no ill effects. It binds to chemicals/waste to make skimming them out more effective. It also clears the water

 

[45ZoaGarden]

You don’t need an icp test. Lol you need a Hannah phosphate checker. What salt do you use?

Do you know how I could do the ICP testing? Also which test kits do you guys use or recommend?

 

[Natescorals]

A lot of research has told me the carbon will help with removing a lot of the toxins that corals will add to the water. Especially with the soft corals. I’ve heard it can help clear up the water and remove the yellow tint. To help enhance par on lighting? I’m getting a lot mixed suggestions on what to use and not use

 

[45ZoaGarden]

A lot of research has told me the carbon will help with removing a lot of the toxins that corals will add to the water. Especially with the soft corals. I’ve heard it can help clear up the water and remove the yellow tint. To help enhance par on lighting? I’m getting a lot mixed suggestions on what to use and not use

Use the carbon. It’s a good thing.

 

[Natescorals]

I’m using just regular instant ocean

 

[Natescorals]

Why is W1ngs saying to remove everything?

 

[Natescorals]

Do you think it could be stress from the shrimp? Plus also I’ve been moving it all around the tank and been changing the flow around. Do you think that could be part of it?

 

[Magellan]

Do you think it could be stress from the shrimp? Plus also I’ve been moving it all around the tank and been changing the flow around. Do you think that could be part of it?

^^this! It will be happy with a nice mild random flow. Pick a spot and leave it there. Wouldn’t hurt to feed some reef roids either. However, you probably do have more filtration than you need. If it was my tank, I would remove the poly filter and the fuge, leave everything else.

 

[Natescorals]

Okay I will try removing the poly filter and see how things play out. The chaeto isn’t even growing either at all

 

[Natescorals]

Hasn’t grown at all for atleast a month now

 

[Natescorals]

Should I add more fish and feed more too? I feed the clownfish twice a day and still no nitrates. I test nitrates with API and Salifert both

 

[W1ngz]

Why is W1ngs saying to remove everything?

The moving, shrimp harassment and too much flow could very well be your answer. But here's why I think you have too much happening with the filtration.

First, to simplify things, especially on a 3 month old tank. You seem to be running almost every major type of filtration possible, and most of them for no specific reason. Chemical filtration is like dosing, it's not a good idea unless you have a specific reason, and are testing for what you're adding or removing. Let's break yours down:

Polyester batting aka Filter floss. Great, no one will argue that, unless you leave it dirty for weeks. Change it at least every water change.

Poly filter: used for removing medications, toxins and metals when you suspect contamination. The Poly removes copper and iron, which are trace elements needed in cellular processes. Iron is required in trace amounts for photosynthesis. Maybe that's why your chaeto is stalled.

Purigen: Helps control ammonia/nitrite/nitrate (quote from Seachem). Your live rock does this, and your corals and chaeto need the nitrate. If you don't have a nitrate problem, there's no need to use it. Save the money and buy some salifert test kits.

Matrix: biological filter media for canister filters. It won't hurt anything, but again, it's doing the same thing your sand and live rock is already doing. Whoever sold you on it should have spent their effort upselling you on test kits.

Carbon (activated granular I assume), sure, it helps clear the water and remove toxins. On a 20 long with a T247 above it, it won't do anything to help the par, that light itself is way more than sufficient.

Refugium: Not a bad thing, as it helps manage nitrates and phosphates, but is probably starving due to the competing media that is stripping the nitrate and iron.

Skimmer: Also not a bad thing, good for aeration and pH stability and removing excess organics from the water before they break down and cause N and P to spike.

 

[45ZoaGarden]

Should I add more fish and feed more too? I feed the clownfish twice a day and still no nitrates. I test nitrates with API and Salifert both

Just leave it alone. Pick a spot and wait. Leave it alone. Don’t mess with filtration or lighting. You still need a phosphate checker to give you a real number

 

[Natescorals]

The moving, shrimp harassment and too much flow could very well be your answer. But here's why I think you have too much happening with the filtration.

First, to simplify things, especially on a 3 month old tank. You seem to be running almost every major type of filtration possible, and most of them for no specific reason. Chemical filtration is like dosing, it's not a good idea unless you have a specific reason, and are testing for what you're adding or removing. Let's break yours down:

Polyester batting aka Filter floss. Great, no one will argue that, unless you leave it dirty for weeks. Change it at least every water change.

Poly filter: used for removing medications, toxins and metals when you suspect contamination. The Poly removes copper and iron, which are trace elements needed in cellular processes. Iron is required in trace amounts for photosynthesis. Maybe that's why your chaeto is stalled.

Purigen: Helps control ammonia/nitrite/nitrate (quote from Seachem). Your live rock does this, and your corals and chaeto need the nitrate. If you don't have a nitrate problem, there's no need to use it. Save the money and buy some salifert test kits.

Matrix: biological filter media for canister filters. It won't hurt anything, but again, it's doing the same thing your sand and live rock is already doing. Whoever sold you on it should have spent their effort upselling you on test kits.

Carbon (activated granular I assume), sure, it helps clear the water and remove toxins. On a 20 long with a T247 above it, it won't do anything to help the par, that light itself is way more than sufficient.

Refugium: Not a bad thing, as it helps manage nitrates and phosphates, but is probably starving due to the competing media that is stripping the nitrate and iron.

Skimmer: Also not a bad thing, good for aeration and pH stability and removing excess organics from the water before they break down and cause N and P to spike.

Thank you for the detailed information

 

[Natescorals]

I’ll remove that stuff and see how it does

 

[Natescorals]

The moving, shrimp harassment and too much flow could very well be your answer. But here's why I think you have too much happening with the filtration.

First, to simplify things, especially on a 3 month old tank. You seem to be running almost every major type of filtration possible, and most of them for no specific reason. Chemical filtration is like dosing, it's not a good idea unless you have a specific reason, and are testing for what you're adding or removing. Let's break yours down:

Polyester batting aka Filter floss. Great, no one will argue that, unless you leave it dirty for weeks. Change it at least every water change.

Poly filter: used for removing medications, toxins and metals when you suspect contamination. The Poly removes copper and iron, which are trace elements needed in cellular processes. Iron is required in trace amounts for photosynthesis. Maybe that's why your chaeto is stalled.

Purigen: Helps control ammonia/nitrite/nitrate (quote from Seachem). Your live rock does this, and your corals and chaeto need the nitrate. If you don't have a nitrate problem, there's no need to use it. Save the money and buy some salifert test kits.

Matrix: biological filter media for canister filters. It won't hurt anything, but again, it's doing the same thing your sand and live rock is already doing. Whoever sold you on it should have spent their effort upselling you on test kits.

Carbon (activated granular I assume), sure, it helps clear the water and remove toxins. On a 20 long with a T247 above it, it won't do anything to help the par, that light itself is way more than sufficient.

Refugium: Not a bad thing, as it helps manage nitrates and phosphates, but is probably starving due to the competing media that is stripping the nitrate and iron.

Skimmer: Also not a bad thing, good for aeration and pH stability and removing excess organics from the water before they break down and cause N and P to spike.

Also with the ocean revive lights I’m running them from 10:30am to 11pm. With the blues at 17% and the whites are only at 2%. Should I turn up the whites? Or increAse intensity on the blues? Any advice on this? The lights are about 6 inches from the water surface

 

[W1ngz]

The lighting period might be a bit long.

Can't really say about the intensity. I had a pair of them over a 75, but a 20 long is a much smaller tank. If the corals like it, don't change it.