Mixed reef: soft corals growing slower than SPS?

[crav]

First, tank info:

• 35g tank, 15g sump, 1.3 years since first set up
• Filtering: filter sock, skimmer, algae scrubber (tried also carbon, purigen, and gfo)
• ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 1.5ppm, unknown phosphate, dkh 8, 1500mg, unknown calcium (still dose a little, proportionately to alk dosing)
• fish: 2 ocellaris, 1 hawkfish, 1 yellowtail damsel, 1 Myrichthys breviceps, 1 blue hippo tang (baby, 1.5 inch, no tang police please, thread's about coral)
• lights: maxspect razor 60W, on for 12h ramping up and down (3h peak light)
• sps/lps:
  • psammocora green neon
  • monti digitata
  • monti capri
  • pavona
  • chalice hollywood
  • hammer
  • trumpet
• softies:
  • leather spaghetti green - (it's not neon green as expected, more like mint colored)
  • mushroom blue (click for image) - reproduced for a while, now stalled
  • mushroom red (click for image) - like the ones on the top of the picture - got one head, it got smaller and now it's stalled, no reproduction and no growth
• Misc info:
  • tank has cyano, even with low nutrients in the water
  • all corals are frags, no colonies yet

Now to the question: although coral growth in general is slow in the tank, I've noticed the trumpet, pavona, monti digitata and psammocora all grew very noticeably.
How can I improve growth in general? Why is it that the soft corals are all stalling in growth?

 

[Coralreefer1]

For the most part Octocorals require less than pristine water for growth and overall health. Because your water seems to have little in the way of nitrates and phosphates your witnessing the slow growth of your soft corals.
Moreover, your Hexacorallia corals require more lighting, and demanding water parameters for their growth, health and success.
Having said this, there is a fine line between too many nutrients in your water spurring nuisance algae, but aiding in the likelihood that your soft corals will thrive under these conditions. At the other end of the spectrum is providing the right dynamics for stony corals to benefit from their own set of parameters and lighting needs to succeed.
So, it seems that your tank is more geared to achieving greater success with stony corals that softies mainly because of nutrient levels and lighting.

 

[crav]

For the most part Octocorals require less than pristine water for growth and overall health. Because your water seems to have little in the way of nitrates and phosphates your witnessing the slow growth of your soft corals.
Moreover, your Hexacorallia corals require more lighting, and demanding water parameters for their growth, health and success.
Having said this, there is a fine line between too many nutrients in your water spurring nuisance algae, but aiding in the likelihood that your soft corals will thrive under these conditions. At the other end of the spectrum is providing the right dynamics for stony corals to benefit from their own set of parameters and lighting needs to succeed.
So, it seems that your tank is more geared to achieving greater success with stony corals that softies mainly because of nutrient levels and lighting.

Thanks! That was a great post!
Is it possible to offset the lack of nutrients in the water column by target feeding? That way theoretically I could keep the water pristine, but also supplying the softies with more direct nutrients.

 

[Coralreefer1]

Not really as it isn’t like target feeding Duncan’s, Dendros or Tubastrea. It has more to do with the dissolved organics and nutrients in your water column that are assimilated in by their polyps I believe.

 

[crav]

Not really as it isn’t like target feeding Duncan’s, Dendros or Tubastrea. It has more to do with the dissolved organics and nutrients in your water column that are assimilated in by their polyps I believe.

Well then, now I have an excuse to build a bigger tank with bigger fish (maybe a bamboo shark). Nobody would want softies to die from lack of nutrition, right?

 

[Hemmdog]

Well then, now I have an excuse to build a bigger tank with bigger fish (maybe a bamboo shark). Nobody would want softies to die from lack of nutrition, right?

Or take the algae scrubber offline lol.

 

[crav]

Or take the algae scrubber offline lol.

I'm too lazy for that. LOL
My tank has only seen 1 water change since the initial setup!
Also, I think the LPS and SPS would quickly not like that.

Maybe I can try no skimmer though...Mixed tank with rocks and ATS as the only filters sounds interesting. Any of you tried this approach with sucess?

I would leave out the filter socks, but they're there mainly to keep the sump and other equipment clean without maintenance on my part (again, lazy).

 

[Hemmdog]

I'm too lazy for that. LOL
My tank has only seen 1 water change since the initial setup!
Also, I think the LPS and SPS would quickly not like that.

Maybe I can try no skimmer though...Mixed tank with rocks and ATS as the only filters sounds interesting. Any of you tried this approach with sucess?

I would leave out the filter socks, but they're there mainly to keep the sump and other equipment clean without maintenance on my part (again, lazy).

Glad you said that. With the ats and no water changes, it’s 100% a trace element deficiency.API are inaccurate you prob have 5 NO3 or so. Do a few 30% changes or a big 80%. I bet things will turn around for you.

 

[crav]

Glad you said that. With the ats and no water changes, it’s 100% a trace element deficiency.API are inaccurate you prob have 5 NO3 or so. Do a few 30% changes or a big 80%. I bet things will turn around for you.

Will try a big one to see outcome!
What is interesting is that SPS seem to be less affected by the lack of trace elements, since they are still growing.

I've confirmed the NO3 reading using 2 different tests (sera and a local brand). According to the sera one it's almost indetectable, since it's not very precise at the low end. Confirmed reading using another local brand (which can differentiate between 1 and 2 ppm).

do you recommend any dosing product that supply trace elements?

 

[Hemmdog]

Will try a big one to see outcome!
I've confirmed the NO3 reading using 2 different tests (sera and a local brand). According to the sera one it's almost indetectable, since it's not very precise at the low end. Confirmed reading using another local brand (which can differentiate between 1 and 2 ppm).

do you recommend any dosing product that supply trace elements?

I use Red Sea trace elements but it’s much easier to do water changes. I have to send out icp tests to make sure I’m on track, traces are tricky to test for.