Mixed reef question

[OrlandoReef]

Mixed reef questions

Started my first mix reef a little over a year ago
Salinity 1.26
Nitrate 10
Phosphate .1
Cal 420
Alk 11
Mag 1320
My lps and softies were doing great for the first year. About a year in I started sps when I had full Coraline and stable parameters. Those are growing and doing well. But my polyps and toadstool seem to be declining and my gsp was full and green and now has barely anything coming out. Only softie that is thriving is my nepthea. Is my tank too “clean” or anyone have a similar experience?
Thanks in advanced

 

[BryanM]

Mixed reef questions

Started my first mix reef a little over a year ago
Salinity 1.26
Nitrate 10
Phosphate .1
Cal 420
Alk 11
Mag 1320
My lps and softies were doing great for the first year. About a year in I started sps when I had full Coraline and stable parameters. Those are growing and doing well. But my polyps and toadstool seem to be declining and my gsp was full and green and now has barely anything coming out. Only softie that is thriving is my nepthea. Is my tank too “clean” or anyone have a similar experience?
Thanks in advanced

Assuming salinity is a typo.

I do not believe your tank is too clean, these are reasonable nutrient levels IMO.

Pics? Flow? LIghts?

 

[tzabor10]

Are you feeding your corals? Are you using carbon, GFO, or something else? How are you testing those parameters? Ever consider doing a ICP test?

 

[Science/G]

Alkalinity is high at 11 IMHO

 

[OrlandoReef]

Assuming salinity is a typo.

I do not believe your tank is too clean, these are reasonable nutrient levels IMO.

Pics? Flow? LIghts?

I run two gyre and a 4 bulb t5 led hybrid. 3 hydra 32 and yes 1.026

 

[OrlandoReef]

Alkalinity is high at 11 IMHO

Yes I’m in the process Of adjusting my dose to maintain 8-9

 

[OrlandoReef]

Are you feeding your corals? Are you using carbon, GFO, or something else? How are you testing those parameters? Ever consider doing a ICP test?

I feed reef roids and benereef. I haven’t ran any carbon or gfo until this week I put chemi pure elite in high flow area of sump. I use hanna checkers for all but salifert for magnesium and a refractometer for salinity. I have two and calibration fluid. I recently took my water to a LFS and was shown basically same parameters. I did just start dosing trace elements as suggested by lfs due to using reef crystals but the issue was before then and no change in corals yet. What is icp test?

 

[OrlandoReef]

165g total volume 135 display and running refugium with red dragons breath algae

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I run two gyre and a 4 bulb t5 led hybrid. 3 hydra 32 and yes 1.026

Do you have anything that could potentially be bothering your coral? To me your tank looks great!

 

[OrlandoReef]

Do you have anything that could potentially be bothering your coral? To me your tank looks great!

Nothing that I have seen. I do have an increasing asterina star population that hopefully gets maintained by my new harlequin. I don’t ever see any of my inverts messing with my coral and thank you

 

[tzabor10]

Nothing that I have seen. I do have an increasing asterina star population that hopefully gets maintained by my new harlequin. I don’t ever see any of my inverts messing with my coral and thank you

I know asterina stars get a bad rap, but Than from Tidal Gardens @Tidal Gardens says they brush off rockwork and don’t eat coral.
My corals improved after switching to all for reef. Also started dosing chaeto grow and phyto grow from Brightwell. Hope this helps

 

[slogan315]

The numbers all seem good, and I’d say flow or lighting but your sps are doing fine! My general issues with my last mixed reef were nutrient based, but your nutrients seem fine.

What’s your water change schedule like? I got lazy for about 6 months and did minimal water changes. Corals did good for a while then started to decline. Most testable parameters were fine. I then read about ionic balance somewhere and decided to do a series of big water changes to hopefully reset the balance of the things I wasn’t testing for. That fixed something and corals started to improve. I wouldn’t go out and do a bunch of big water changes just on my advice, but there’s another thread to pull on.

Good luck!

 

[OrlandoReef]

I know asterina stars get a bad rap, but Than from Tidal Gardens @Tidal Gardens says they brush off rockwork and don’t eat coral.
My corals improved after switching to all for reef. Also started dosing chaeto grow and phyto grow from Brightwell. Hope this helps

I don’t think the stars are the issue but I also don’t love them everywhere and prefer harlequin shrimp and free food. I’m using all for reef as well. I will look into phyto and cheato grow but I use red dragons breath not cheato wonder if it’ll benefit the same.

 

[OrlandoReef]

The numbers all seem good, and I’d say flow or lighting but your sps are doing fine! My general issues with my last mixed reef were nutrient based, but your nutrients seem fine.

What’s your water change schedule like? I got lazy for about 6 months and did minimal water changes. Corals did good for a while then started to decline. Most testable parameters were fine. I then read about ionic balance somewhere and decided to do a series of big water changes to hopefully reset the balance of the things I wasn’t testing for. That fixed something and corals started to improve. I wouldn’t go out and do a bunch of big water changes just on my advice, but there’s another thread to pull on.

Good luck!

I did get lazier about once a month from biweekly but I’ve been pretty consistent the last month doing around 15% weekly.

 

[Dburr1014]

Mixed reef questions

Started my first mix reef a little over a year ago
Salinity 1.26
Nitrate 10
Phosphate .1
Cal 420
Alk 11
Mag 1320
My lps and softies were doing great for the first year. About a year in I started sps when I had full Coraline and stable parameters. Those are growing and doing well. But my polyps and toadstool seem to be declining and my gsp was full and green and now has barely anything coming out. Only softie that is thriving is my nepthea. Is my tank too “clean” or anyone have a similar experience?
Thanks in advanced

I'm going to say something that has not been said on this thread.

Mixed tanks are tough. You have to use GAC and change it regularly.

That one coral that's doing great is killing the others in warfare.