Help! Birdsnest trouble

[Reefer Matt]

Ok update: i fragged off the best looking spots that I could, glued over the ends, and moved them up a bit. They’re small but hopefully they pull through

When I went in for my first stony corals my calcium was at 300 and my Kh was at 8. My shop told me I needed 400+ and 10. Mag was quite low too. Around 900-1100 if I remember correctly and he said I needed it at 1440
I mix my saltwater(Rodi with instant ocean) my alk

Ok. I suggest switching to reef crystals and not dosing until you have a large alk/cal draw that water changes cannot keep up with. Dosing up your salt mix can be more complicated and expensive, unless there are availability issues. Also, a dkh of 8 is pretty good, imo. I keep mine around 8.5.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

it looks like a parameter issue to me, I'm not sure what age the tank is (it looks new) or how tight you keep fluctuations. I would lower alkalinity, and run low to medium par with a good amount of flow..I run from 7-9dkh max. with low nutrients and high par. that coral may not recover but I would keep trying! if it's a new tank continue to bring in corals from different systems to add diversity keep N&P In the system at all times and feed the tank coral foods including benepets reef food and reef nutrition brand foods like oyster feast are great. after some time the system will be able to support most corals with no issues.

my birdsnest spawns all over I'm constantly pulling it out, it grows in a range of par and even under rocks, most of mine are spawns so they picked the locations not me and I have them on the bottom of the tank even the overflow so light isn't the biggest factor with this coral.

 

[Saltyreef24]

it looks like a parameter issue to me, I'm not sure what age the tank is (it looks new) or how tight you keep fluctuations. I would lower alkalinity, and run low to medium par with a good amount of flow..I run from 7-9dkh max. with low nutrients and high par. that coral may not recover but I would keep trying! if it's a new tank continue to bring in corals from different systems to add diversity keep N&P In the system at all times and feed the tank coral foods including benepets reef food and reef nutrition brand foods like oyster feast are great. after some time the system will be able to support most corals with no issues.

my birdsnest spawns all over I'm constantly pulling it out, it grows in a range of par and even under rocks, most of mine are spawns so they picked the locations not me and I have them on the bottom of the tank even the overflow so light isn't the biggest factor with this coral.

Wow! Thanks for the comprehensive response. I set up the tank in February, it just hit the 5 month mark a couple days ago. I was suspicious of the levels that my lfs told me to maintain. That’s nice to hear they do well at 8-8-5. On a small tank like this(13.5 evo I’m not quite sure how to manage flow. I could get random flow generators and a stronger return pump if that would be best. I have a small power head in there now but the lid really limits my placement of it.
Nitrates are at 20ish rn, and phosphate is closer to 0 than 0.25 on my api kit, so idk if it’s actually 0 or it could even be 0.1. The data resolution on that test is pretty poor.

I’m running white/blue stock light 9-6:30 and reefbrite blues 8:45-7:45.
I could dial down my blues intensity pretty easily or adjust times, but my stock light intensity is fixed.

That’s awesome about your birdsnest spawning and growing wild. Where are you in Florida?

 

[Saltyreef24]

Ok. I suggest switching to reef crystals and not dosing until you have a large alk/cal draw that water changes cannot keep up with. Dosing up your salt mix can be more complicated and expensive, unless there are availability issues. Also, a dkh of 8 is pretty good, imo. I keep mine around 8.5.

Okay thank you. What kind of water change schedule would I be following under that protocol? Weekly-biweekly 10% maybe? Or just base it off of my alk and calcium levels?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Okay thank you. What kind of water change schedule would I be following under that protocol? Weekly-biweekly 10% maybe? Or just base it off of my alk and calcium levels?

I do 1-2 gallons daily and it keeps levels in check and restores traces daily
You can do weekly and see how things look

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

Wow! Thanks for the comprehensive response. I set up the tank in February, it just hit the 5 month mark a couple days ago. I was suspicious of the levels that my lfs told me to maintain. That’s nice to hear they do well at 8-8-5. On a small tank like this(13.5 evo I’m not quite sure how to manage flow. I could get random flow generators and a stronger return pump if that would be best. I have a small power head in there now but the lid really limits my placement of it.
Nitrates are at 20ish rn, and phosphate is closer to 0 than 0.25 on my api kit, so idk if it’s actually 0 or it could even be 0.1. The data resolution on that test is pretty poor.

I’m running white/blue stock light 9-6:30 and reefbrite blues 8:45-7:45.
I could dial down my blues intensity pretty easily or adjust times, but my stock light intensity is fixed.

That’s awesome about your birdsnest spawning and growing wild. Where are you in Florida?

pinellas county! :)

 

[Reefer Matt]

Okay thank you. What kind of water change schedule would I be following under that protocol? Weekly-biweekly 10% maybe? Or just base it off of my alk and calcium levels?

I change mine by my nitrate level. When they get too high, I do a water change (my tank requires dosing). But I'd start with 10% weekly/biweekly, and see if your alk/ca/mg stay consistent without lowering nitrate and phosphate too much. When your daily alk draw lowers the dkh where your water change schedule won't keep it stable (usually a tank full of colonies) then that's when I suggest dosing.

 

[Dburr1014]

Are you recommending that to help feed the birdsnest coral with?

Previously I was feeding the fish &inverts with pellets, just what they’d eat in a few minutes. 1-2 times daily. For that week I was feeding 1-2 of these cubes a day as instructed by lfs. I also target feed my corals reef foods about 2-3 times a week. Now I’m feeding pellets and then target feeding my banggai cardinal mysis because he doesn’t like the pellets.

Just from the stock evo light I’d guesstimate it’s about 130 based off this par map for the same tank: https://www.nano-reef.com/forums/topic/389982-fluval-evo-135-par-stock-lighting/

However, I also have two 12” reefbrite actinic LED’s that I got second hand so I don’t have the paperwork for them. They are on the second brightest of 6 settings

Yes, get some phosphates in there. Having 0 phosphates and 20 nitrates is almost as bad as 0/0 nitrates/phosphates.
Phosphates are feeding bacteria, bacteria are feeding coral. Your missing part of the food chain.

 

[Dburr1014]

What do you mean NG? And yes api is hard to tell. It goes right from 0 to 0.25 which is high

NG = no good

 

[Tired]

Overfeeding your tank is a bad way to raise nutrients. To raise nutrients, feed as much as your animals would like to eat, and don't do unnecessary water changes. If that doesn't do it, dose nutrients directly.

Feeding Reef Roids can be a good way to raise specifically phosphates, and your various filter-feeders will like that.

 

[Dburr1014]

Ok update: i fragged off the best looking spots that I could, glued over the ends, and moved them up a bit. They’re small but hopefully they pull through

When I went in for my first stony corals my calcium was at 300 and my Kh was at 8. My shop told me I needed 400+ and 10. Mag was quite low too. Around 900-1100 if I remember correctly and he said I needed it at 1440
I mix my saltwater(Rodi with instant ocean) my alk

Alk, 7 to 10. I prefer 8 dkh
Calcium >400 I run about 420
Magnisium >1325 I'm currently 1475
PO4 0.05 to 0.1ish I'm at 0.11 currently
NO O3 0.2 to 15ppm just need something... I'm at zero for the past 3 months. IMO, not as important as PO4 as long as you are feeding the fish frequently.

 

[Dburr1014]

Overfeeding your tank is a bad way to raise nutrients. To raise nutrients, feed as much as your animals would like to eat, and don't do unnecessary water changes. If that doesn't do it, dose nutrients directly.

Feeding Reef Roids can be a good way to raise specifically phosphates, and your various filter-feeders will like that.

Feeding is a better way to raise nutrients than dosing.
Coral prefer ammonium over nitrates. Fish secrete ammonia coral uptake it. Fish poop phosphorus. Bacteria (and coral) eat the poop, coral eat the bacteria.

 

[Saltyreef24]

I do 1-2 gallons daily and it keeps levels in check and restores traces daily
You can do weekly and see how things look

Okay great, thank you! What size tank is that on?

Also I saw that you’re delayed to Florida cause of the storm damage. Where are you headed pending repairs? I’m on Sanibel

 

[Saltyreef24]

pinellas county! :)

Nice! It’s beautiful up there

 

[Saltyreef24]

I change mine by my nitrate level. When they get too high, I do a water change (my tank requires dosing). But I'd start with 10% weekly/biweekly, and see if your alk/ca/mg stay consistent without lowering nitrate and phosphate too much. When your daily alk draw lowers the dkh where your water change schedule won't keep it stable (usually a tank full of colonies) then that's when I suggest dosing.

Thank you Matt, that sounds like a great plan

 

[Saltyreef24]

Yes, get some phosphates in there. Having 0 phosphates and 20 nitrates is almost as bad as 0/0 nitrates/phosphates.
Phosphates are feeding bacteria, bacteria are feeding coral. Your missing part of the food chain.

How do I raise phosphate without raising nitrate?

 

[Reefer Matt]

Thank you Matt, that sounds like a great plan

You're welcome! I record all my reefing, and here is a general video on dosing I did a while back.

 

[Reefer Matt]

How do I raise phosphate without raising nitrate?

This will work. But use very little. It is easy to overdose.
Brightwell Aquatics NeoPhos - Phosphorus Supplement for Ultra-Low Nutrient Reef Aquarium Systems, 500ml https://a.co/d/5M0Dt9C

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

Nice! It’s beautiful up there

not today lol,feels like the surface of the sun!!!!

 

[ReeferTang44]

Sad. It got munched by a sea star about a month ago and has been pretty much fully retracted ever since. First pic was before and the second is now. Pardon the lighting, my blues and whites are both on rn but just my whites were on in the first pic

Poop man !! I know the feeling