Corals doing poorly and everything seems fine

[ruger11]

If you say your light is 500 par. Look for the measurements of par from where the light is sitting to the surface of the water also measure how far the corals are from the light because 500 par is wayyyyy too high for soft and some LPS corals. That would completely fry the corals especially since you said the blues are at 80%? That’s way too much light for Zoas they like 100-200
Par range. Not 500 par. That’s crazy they would die

Zoas are near bottom of tank in 100 par

 

[ruger11]

@ruger11, what is your specific light? You also have that light right on top of your tank. All LED lights have spread problems. The LED's put out light in a concentrated burst that spreads out over distance. This causes hot spots and low light spots. I would recommend raising that light to at least 6-8 inches above the water line.

I also agree with all of the recommended steps @W1ngz mentioned. You could also send in an ICP water test to establish where your parameter really are. I would do a set of tests at the same exact time you take the sample for the ICP water test and compare your test results to the ICP results. This could help you understand if you are not performing the tests correctly or need to invest in different test kits that give more accurate results.

ok and heres the exact light I have https://www.marineandreef.com/Coral...ozCkuYXlhaKyAX1HD1qWLcYYZpW-fphsaAr6bEALw_wcB

 

[IslandLifeReef]

Zoas are near bottom of tank in 100 par

So have you gotten a PAR meter and measure the PAR, or is this just a guess?

ok and heres the exact light I have https://www.marineandreef.com/Coral...ozCkuYXlhaKyAX1HD1qWLcYYZpW-fphsaAr6bEALw_wcB

Looking at that light, it looks like the maximum PAR 12 inches below the surface would be 40 PAR. Not sure where you got that the light produced 500 PAR.

My guess is your tests are either off, or the water you use is bad. Mag at 1800-1900 ppm is way to high. You also added way to much calcium. Also, you are probably slowly starving your corals. If your nutrients are really as low as your numbers suggest and the light that you have only puts out that little PAR, then the corals aren't getting enough food. The description even say "These lights can be used for either freshwater or saltwater aquariums, and for low light corals in shallow tanks." Your tank isn't a shallow tank.

I would slow down and do the following.
1. Get your testing in order.
2. Add more flow.
3. Measure PAR in the tank, it should be 80 at the bottom and 250-300 at the top of your rock work.
4. Wait to add more coral until you accomplish the above.

 

[Bryce M.]

I'm following this, just to see how everything goes

 

[W1ngz]

I have no words for that light. At least none the swear filter will let me type. It will do for a planted freshwater, or fish only marine tank. It shouldn't be anywhere near a reef.

I really don't like seeing people tell a new reefer that everything is wrong, but... everything is wrong :(

Start with the chemistry, because over time nothing will survive parameters that are so far out of normal.
Flow would be next, because it's likely to be easier to figure out and shop for.
Lighting is an entirely other topic and is best discussed in it's own separate thread, for no other reason than the number of different opinions you'll get.

The good news is you're here to get yourself on the right track, and lots of people are going to give you lots of ideas.

 

[Bryce M.]

I have no words for that light. At least none the swear filter will let me type. It will do for a planted freshwater, or fish only marine tank. It shouldn't be anywhere near a reef.

I really don't like seeing people tell a new reefer that everything is wrong, but... everything is wrong :(

Start with the chemistry, because over time nothing will survive parameters that are so far out of normal.
Flow would be next, because it's likely to be easier to figure out and shop for.
Lighting is an entirely other topic and is best discussed in it's own separate thread, for no other reason than the number of different opinions you'll get.

The good news is you're here to get yourself on the right track, and lots of people are going to give you lots of ideas.

that was my thought reading this
and hey OP, it's okay we are all trying to help on here. We all want to help you and don't want to be mean but sometimes we need the hard facts.

 

[Natescorals]

That light might be okay if your only keeping soft corals like mushrooms, zoanthids, green star polyps, and Xenia coral. Those don’t need very strong lighting. But you’ll never keep any SPS with that light. To be honest your probably even getting less PAR than the website says. I wouldn’t trust that light.

 

[IslandLifeReef]

So @ruger11, how did the water parameter verification go? Is it your water or your testing?