- Joined
- Feb 26, 2018
- Messages
- 33
- Reaction score
- 15
I am having serious problems keeping certain SPS and LPS coral alive.
My tank is around 2 years old now, and I have had huge success in keeping soft corals and zoas, but any LPS or SPS coral that I get usually lose their flesh. Montis, Acros, Acans.....they all look great when they go into the tank, they are all acclimated properly, but within 1-4 weeks they either lose their flesh or start turning white.
My first lot of LPS/SPS that I got about a year ago, all perished other than a Caulastrea and Euphyllia Divisa, which are still looking great. I assumed it was maybe because my tank was not established enough. I recently purchased a new load of LPS/SPS, and the same thing is happening again. When my lights come on today, I will take some pictures and show you what my new corals looked like a week ago when I purchased them, compared to today.
Successful Coral
Duncan
Caulastrea
Euphyllia Divisa
Sarcophyton
GSP
Kenya Tree
Sinularia
Xenia
Anthelia
Zoanthids
Gorgonia
Ricordia
Rhodactis
Coral that Died
Various Acroporas
Hystrix
Stylophora
Montipora Digitata
Montipora Capricornis
Acan Lord
Favites Complanata
Favia Marshae
Chalice
Lighting Schedule
I have two bulbs turn on at 14:30pm. These remain turned on on their own for an hour until the remaining four bulbs turn on at 15:30. They all stay on until 21:30, when the four go off, leaving the remaining two bulbs on for another hour until 22:30 when it is lights out.
Feeding
I usually feed my fish 3 times a week, alternating between frozen mysis, frozen brine shrimp and Formula One pellets. I usually add coral food to the water at the same time (Microbe-Lift Coral Food Plus and Coral Food SPS), and tend to let the flow take the food around the tank - maybe this is the wrong thing to do?
Water Changes
Water changes are done weekly. I change 45L per week (12G), so roughly 10%. Tests are done weekly, and any reading that is off is double checked, and then dosed appropriately with Nyos elements (Magnesium, Calcium, Alkalinity etc). When doing the water changes, I also clean out the skimmer, clean the glass, and remove and clean the pumps.
360L (95G) DT
Tunze E-Jet 1605 Centrifugal Pump
2x Tunze Turbelle Nanostream 6045 Pumps
Giesemann Matrixx II Dimtex 6x39W Light
160L (42G) Sump
Aquarium Systems I.Ocean Skimmer 1600L
JBL ProTemp S300W Heater
Eheim Compact+ 2000 Pump
UV Filter
Media reactor with Active Carbon
Inhabitants
1 Peppermint Shrimp (moved to the sump through thoughts of maybe him eating the coral flesh)
2 Cleaner Shrimp
1 Blood Red Fire Shrimp
1 Orange Tuxedo Urchin
1 Blue Tuxedo Urchin
6 Hermit Crabs
6 Trochus Snails
2 Ocellaris clownfish
2 Chromis
2 Yellow Tail Damselfish
1 Bi Colour Blenny
1 Firefish
1 Pacific Blue Tang
3 Rose Bubble Tip Anemone
Current Readings (from 2 days ago)
Salinity - 1.025
Temperature - 25 Degrees / 77 Fahrenheit
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 5
Alkalinity - 8dkh
pH - 8.2
Phosphate - 0.1
Calcium - 420
Magnesium - 1400
I am thinking that maybe my flow is not good enough where I am sitting them on the sandbed when they are acclimating; seeing as the Duncan, Euphyllia and Caulastrea are in a higher area of flow and are doing great. Would this be the problem?
If anyone can see any indication of something that I am doing wrong, or something that is wrong with anything I have said, please, any help would be greatly appreciated. If I have missed anything out, just ask and I will send you more details.
Thanks.
My tank is around 2 years old now, and I have had huge success in keeping soft corals and zoas, but any LPS or SPS coral that I get usually lose their flesh. Montis, Acros, Acans.....they all look great when they go into the tank, they are all acclimated properly, but within 1-4 weeks they either lose their flesh or start turning white.
My first lot of LPS/SPS that I got about a year ago, all perished other than a Caulastrea and Euphyllia Divisa, which are still looking great. I assumed it was maybe because my tank was not established enough. I recently purchased a new load of LPS/SPS, and the same thing is happening again. When my lights come on today, I will take some pictures and show you what my new corals looked like a week ago when I purchased them, compared to today.
Successful Coral
Duncan
Caulastrea
Euphyllia Divisa
Sarcophyton
GSP
Kenya Tree
Sinularia
Xenia
Anthelia
Zoanthids
Gorgonia
Ricordia
Rhodactis
Coral that Died
Various Acroporas
Hystrix
Stylophora
Montipora Digitata
Montipora Capricornis
Acan Lord
Favites Complanata
Favia Marshae
Chalice
Lighting Schedule
I have two bulbs turn on at 14:30pm. These remain turned on on their own for an hour until the remaining four bulbs turn on at 15:30. They all stay on until 21:30, when the four go off, leaving the remaining two bulbs on for another hour until 22:30 when it is lights out.
Feeding
I usually feed my fish 3 times a week, alternating between frozen mysis, frozen brine shrimp and Formula One pellets. I usually add coral food to the water at the same time (Microbe-Lift Coral Food Plus and Coral Food SPS), and tend to let the flow take the food around the tank - maybe this is the wrong thing to do?
Water Changes
Water changes are done weekly. I change 45L per week (12G), so roughly 10%. Tests are done weekly, and any reading that is off is double checked, and then dosed appropriately with Nyos elements (Magnesium, Calcium, Alkalinity etc). When doing the water changes, I also clean out the skimmer, clean the glass, and remove and clean the pumps.
360L (95G) DT
Tunze E-Jet 1605 Centrifugal Pump
2x Tunze Turbelle Nanostream 6045 Pumps
Giesemann Matrixx II Dimtex 6x39W Light
160L (42G) Sump
Aquarium Systems I.Ocean Skimmer 1600L
JBL ProTemp S300W Heater
Eheim Compact+ 2000 Pump
UV Filter
Media reactor with Active Carbon
Inhabitants
1 Peppermint Shrimp (moved to the sump through thoughts of maybe him eating the coral flesh)
2 Cleaner Shrimp
1 Blood Red Fire Shrimp
1 Orange Tuxedo Urchin
1 Blue Tuxedo Urchin
6 Hermit Crabs
6 Trochus Snails
2 Ocellaris clownfish
2 Chromis
2 Yellow Tail Damselfish
1 Bi Colour Blenny
1 Firefish
1 Pacific Blue Tang
3 Rose Bubble Tip Anemone
Current Readings (from 2 days ago)
Salinity - 1.025
Temperature - 25 Degrees / 77 Fahrenheit
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 5
Alkalinity - 8dkh
pH - 8.2
Phosphate - 0.1
Calcium - 420
Magnesium - 1400
I am thinking that maybe my flow is not good enough where I am sitting them on the sandbed when they are acclimating; seeing as the Duncan, Euphyllia and Caulastrea are in a higher area of flow and are doing great. Would this be the problem?
If anyone can see any indication of something that I am doing wrong, or something that is wrong with anything I have said, please, any help would be greatly appreciated. If I have missed anything out, just ask and I will send you more details.
Thanks.