Coral growth

[Reef-_-Noob]

Any reason why my encrusting corals grow in a cycle? Every few weeks the coral encrusts at a faster rate that I can see the change daily. And then the other weeks it is stagnant. Is this normal? Do some refers maintain that growth day after day weekend after week? Or do they grow in spurts?

 

[blaxsun]

Water changes? Anything you're doing every few weeks (dosing, supplements, etc.) that might account for it?

 

[Reef-_-Noob]

Dose everyday balling method. No water changes since new years. Pretty stable. Haven't changed lighting schedule

 

[Reef-_-Noob]

Water changes? Anything you're doing every few weeks (dosing, supplements, etc.) that might account for it?

Are you inferring this is not normal

 

[blaxsun]

Are you inferring this is not normal

Usually you'll get consistent coral growth daily/weekly/monthly - aside from days where you may be performing water changes, supplementing, feeding, etc. Do your water (etc.) parameters vary at all during the week of excess growth?

 

[Stephen Glover]

Are your parameters stable?

 

[Reef-_-Noob]

dkh 9.2
Ph 8.4
Calcium 470-490
Magnesium 1460
Dosing replenish trace elements
Dosing iodide
Am suffering from GHA Nutrients are testing low.
The only coral that consistently grows is gsp. Other corals peak for about a week then take a few weeks off and peak again.

I am only topping off with fresh water.. and this is probably my problem as I pull water from the tap

 

[Stephen Glover]

Are you testing for nitrate and phosphate? Tap water is a not pure enough for most folks and causes many issues.

 

[X-37B]

dkh 9.2
Ph 8.4
Calcium 470-490
Magnesium 1460
Dosing replenish trace elements
Dosing iodide
Am suffering from GHA Nutrients are testing low.
The only coral that consistently grows is gsp. Other corals peak for about a week then take a few weeks off and peak again.

I am only topping off with fresh water.. and this is probably my problem as I pull water from the tap

Pics of said system. Tap water is not optimal.

 

[Reef-_-Noob]

Here are some different spectrums. I will say I have been testing stopping flow for 30 minutes to get polyp extension and my cyphastrea picked up the growth noticeably in 2 days.

I run the return pump and 4 power heads about 800 gph so my tank is constantly blasted with flow. No randomness