Feel like quitting 2 years almost no growth please help sps dominate

[Ryan Mansa]

Yea, I have an alarm cat.
4:30 every morning he runs across my head and claws at me until I get up.

Haha what’s with these guys !!! Sleep all day and then 3-4 am is a witching hour !! Mine decideds wow 3:35 am time for parkour !!!! I’m like whyyyyyyy hahah

 

[Ryan Mansa]

Guys BTW PO4 was 0.06 and alk was 8.7 tonight , sorry forgot photos but wanted to document

 

[Ryan Mansa]

Also wanted to note with the more gradual pulsing flow instead of the madness that it was before everyone looks happy PE wise , no reduction some even have more

 

[X-37B]

Okay only reasons I asked was I thought 0-0.02 or 3 was mission critical for acros mine is always higher

I just started feeding the corals during lights off.
This morning a few squirts of oyster feast and every coral had massive polyp extension as in more than I have ever seen. Never saw much extention when lights were on.

 

[Ryan Mansa]

I just started feeding the corals during lights off.
This morning a few squirts of oyster feast and every coral had massive polyp extension as in more than I have ever seen. Never saw much extention when lights were on.

Pe has never been a issue , but I will start using my coral foods I had oyster feast I blew through that stuff my corals responded the best to that I will start up the bright well foods I have again seen in the photos a few pages back , go check them if you haven’t already let me know what you think of them

 

[stephj03]

60ml daily bionic 2 part spread out alk can be checked 3 times a day and it’s never not 8.6 dkh give or take .1

You dose 60ml of B-Ionic ALK daily into a 60g system and see no growth and alk tests stable?

How long have you dosed 60ml? What was your starting dose when you began dosing and how many times have you had to increase to maintain your alk?

60ml is roughly a .5dkh consumption rate on a 60g system. Seems like a normal rate for an LED driven tank that is growing out a bunch of frags.

Keep in mind we still say 1" frags, but they rarely are anymore, unless you bought from a crusty old school reefer that's hates the current state of the hobby.

It actually does take forever for 1/2-3/4" frags to grow out, and they love to base out first.

If I remember right bubbaque posted about it on his SPS thread once that he started frequenting a certain vendor bc they gave bigger frags and it was taking a yr for the standard sized frags of the high end guys to turn into anything.

And that was in one of the most successful SPS systems of the last few yrs.

 

[stephj03]

That .5dkh is going somewhere every day. If not to your corals then to coralline or precipitation. But you would have other problems.IMO

 

[X-37B]

Pe has never been a issue , but I will start using my coral foods I had oyster feast I blew through that stuff my corals responded the best to that I will start up the bright well foods I have again seen in the photos a few pages back , go check them if you haven’t already let me know what you think of them

I know nothing about those lol.
I use oyster feast and reef roids, again just started and only feed twice a week rotating each one.
I do feed my 11 fish 2 cubes 3- 4 times a day.
Along with some hikari pellets now and then.
Just stopped brine and feed larrys reef frenzy in place of one cube 3-4 times a day.
I feed the 3 shrimp a couple times a week when the lights are off with pellets designed for them.

 

[Ryan Mansa]

You dose 60ml of B-Ionic ALK daily into a 60g system and see no growth and alk tests stable?

How long have you dosed 60ml? What was your starting dose when you began dosing and how many times have you had to increase to maintain your alk?

60ml is roughly a .5dkh consumption rate on a 60g system. Seems like a normal rate for an LED driven tank that is growing out a bunch of frags.

Keep in mind we still say 1" frags, but they rarely are anymore, unless you bought from a crusty old school reefer that's hates the current state of the hobby.

It actually does take forever for 1/2-3/4" frags to grow out, and they love to base out first.

If I remember right bubbaque posted about it on his SPS thread once that he started frequenting a certain vendor bc they gave bigger frags and it was taking a yr for the standard sized frags of the high end guys to turn into anything.

And that was in one of the most successful SPS systems of the last few yrs.

Haha maybe I’m on par with bubba(doubt it but maybe ), highest I ever hit was 70 idk why it fell off 10 but I was at 70 a day , okay you say I’m doing well maybe I’m just thinking I should be doing better (Probably just my mind set , causing issues ) , my starting alk was maybe 30s or so that was a long time ago I would have to check my logs from a year back but it’s gone up over the years consisently

 

[Ryan Mansa]

I know nothing about those lol.
I use oyster feast and reef roids, again just started and only feed twice a week rotating each one.
I do feed my 11 fish 2 cubes 3- 4 times a day.
Along with some hikari pellets now and then.
Just stopped brine and feed larrys reef frenzy in place of one cube 3-4 times a day.
I feed the 3 shrimp a couple times a week when the lights are off with pellets designed for them.

The oyster feast seemed to make the corals respond the best for me too but I’m out

 

[Ryan Mansa]

That .5dkh is going somewhere every day. If not to your corals then to coralline or precipitation. But you would have other problems.IMO

Maybe it’s just going to coraline then , I do have it all over the place as you can see in the photos and I get little dots daily all over the glass if I don’t run the scraper by it so maybe it’s that , the corals have certainly grown since I have bought them I’m not doubting it and I do have 5 or so full blown mini colonies but I just through I would be further I guess

 

[Ryan Mansa]

I know nothing about those lol.
I use oyster feast and reef roids, again just started and only feed twice a week rotating each one.
I do feed my 11 fish 2 cubes 3- 4 times a day.
Along with some hikari pellets now and then.
Just stopped brine and feed larrys reef frenzy in place of one cube 3-4 times a day.
I feed the 3 shrimp a couple times a week when the lights are off with pellets designed for them.

You think I just feed the fish more then ? I only do a cube at night 2 turns on a auto feeder and a small piece of nori a day

 

[Kev The Fish Keeper]

Im new and I dont have any advice. I just want to say your tank is gorgeous...

 

[Ryan Mansa]

Im new and I dont have any advice. I just want to say your tank is gorgeous...

Haha thanks man appreciated for sure , trying hard !

 

[DHill6]

Tropic marin pro mixes to 7.5
Red Sea blue bucket mixes to about 8

Since changing to the smaller bucket of TM Pro alk mixes to 7, each and everytime

 

[X-37B]

You think I just feed the fish more then ? I only do a cube at night 2 turns on a auto feeder and a small piece of nori a day

I just started feeding the corals this week. I have always believed you feed the fish and the fish feed the corals. I have had good growth so far so time will tell.

 

[Ryan Mansa]

I just started feeding the corals this week. I have always believed you feed the fish and the fish feed the corals. I have had good growth so far so time will tell.

Okay I can always do a cube in morning before I leave for work and cube when I get home , they won’t mind those dang hogs hahaha they always seem hungry (roll eyes lol)

 

[Jonify]

Oh my god, I just read 20 pages worth and feel like I should get a special badge for that. I'm with all of those that say hold the line, you're already doing well, and your SPS will branch out and up as soon as they are good and ready to. Sure, small changes over time might encourage new/different growth, but you made a plan for what you wanted your reef to be; you stuck with it; and your corals look great. Hold the line.

 

[Justdrew]

I use Muriatic acid to lower dKh in salt mix. Gallons * desired dKh drop * .123 is the number of MLs of Muriatic Acid to use. You have to aerate the mix another day or to to drive off all of the excess co2 and get the pH back up.

Here is my IO formula - 44g brute filled to the top with COLD RO water, 50g bag of IO, 2 tbsp of dowflake. Mix. Add in heater and 20mls of Muriatic. Mix for another few days. I do not even test this anymore, but it is something like 35ppt, 425 and 7.1.

I would have to doctor up any salt that I used, so why spend more when IO is as consistent as it gets.

What’s the strength of your muriatic acid. MA sold at pool stores is 29%-32%, while MA sold at retailers is only 14.5%.

Thanks

 

[Ryan Mansa]

Oh my god, I just read 20 pages worth and feel like I should get a special badge for that. I'm with all of those that say hold the line, you're already doing well, and your SPS will branch out and up as soon as they are good and ready to. Sure, small changes over time might encourage new/different growth, but you made a plan for what you wanted your reef to be; you stuck with it; and your corals look great. Hold the line.

Haha thanks man appreciate it I’m open for changes I’ve “held the line “ for 1.7 years , time to make some moves , I’ve done 2 changes like you’ve seen and read and I’ll be on a 60 day plan , the first go is the lighting in flow if I get no alk drop in 60 days proving I have growth I’ll being going to chems and starting 60 days over again and so on and so on till I get the growth