Duncan help

pete.healey · Apr 10, 2025

twentyleagues said:
It was probably in tank for at least a couple weeks then. Which is good. I still dont think its coralline covered live rock though. It may have had some on it again good. Sounds like a typical cycle so also good. I used to use api for all testing years ago was about all we had. I find api to be just as reliable as other tests for the most part. Hannah has a bonus of giving you actual numbers though no a range of sometimes hard to read colors. Api is fine if you are consistent in your testing methods and can discern the color shifts properly. Hannah calcium is a nightmare. Salifert or red sea is what I use when I want to be as close as possible or api for a quick look. Testing procedures are always the driving factor of accuracy so take your time and do it by the book.

Here is the rock
Listed as live reef rock. They didn’t when i purchased but now also offer SDC Eco Live rock

twentyleagues · Apr 10, 2025

pete.healey said:
Here is the rock
Listed as live reef rock. They didn’t when i purchased but now also offer SDC Eco Live rock

Oh boy. It looks like the typical "man made" dyed rock to me. Yes its in water. The color is too uniform to be real live rock. Is it live? Maybe? it has bacteria on it from the system might have some critters in it too. That display is unfortunate imo. It gives "people" the wrong impression.

pete.healey · Apr 10, 2025

DanyL said:
API test kits are known to be quite unreliable for a reef.
What test kit are you using for Alk?
How are you testing salinity?

17dKH is unrealistically high, you would have seen precipitation of Calcium Carbonate by now if it was really this high (or rather before it would be able to climb this high).

Had the all checked at the store and it was at 10
I must have run it wrong

BryanM · Apr 10, 2025

FWIW If I test amonia in my tank with hanna it always comes out .08 or so, and I was told this is completely fine and nothing to worry about.

Glad your alk is 10 and not 17... I too was going to say that had to be a testing error.

Your LFS must have a TON of faith in the rock they sell, and so far your tank looks fantastic... I'm also a little skeptical that you won't still have issues due to the tank being very new, but I wish you luck.

As for the duncan, sometimes we just get duds.

DanyL · Apr 10, 2025

pete.healey said:
Here is the rock
Listed as live reef rock. They didn’t when i purchased but now also offer SDC Eco Live rock

“Real Reef Rock” is a brand name.
They are basically cured man made rocks, which your LFS put into their system to make it live.

How live they are depends on how long they have been sitting there.

pete.healey said:
Had the all checked at the store and it was at 10
I must have run it wrong

It makes much more sense, I’m glad you sorted this out.

Like I said in my first comment, I suspect the frag itself is fragile due to the way its been cut, and it simply reacted to the turbo snail touching it.

jabberwock · Apr 10, 2025

pete.healey said:
I’ll double check on the type of rock. It was in a tank, i added the rock and sand and water, over the following week it went white in spots. I have noticed a few small brittle stars come out of the rock also.
Then Added two clowns and a royal gramma.

The following week had a small algae bloom, added a clean up crew (12 turbo snails and 12 hermit crabs) algae was eaten and subsided.
Used some night out throughout the week

Was told I cycled fully the Following week and added the juvenile yellow watchman goby, Tiger pistol shrimp, and coral Beauty. 4 days after that added two gsp’s and the Duncan and 2 Candy corals.

Following week added the 2 hammers, acro, starfish and emerald crab

Four days later added the two cardinals and the canary blenny

Last week i started using all-for-reef. Since the KH is high, i didn’t use this week.

Did a 25% water change yesterday

You have made the jump to light speed without completing the calculations.