My corals dont extend its polyps!! My reef is stagnant!

[nicorojas99]

Hi everybody. greetings from Colombia.
I hope someone can help me.
This is my little 20 gal reef tank. And im giving up

Hello, this is my tank and I'm about to give up. (Can you id the algae and how get rid off?)
I've had it for about a year and a half, but it seems to be stagnant, my corals don't grow, sometimes they extend their polyps and sometimes they don't, they almost never extend them completely, my zoas don't open completely either, my sps only survive, their color is a little pale. A year ago I was fighting against turf algae, which covered and killed some corals, currently I am fighting against some algae as you can see.
My light is a phlizon, my skimmer is an aquamaxx, I use carbon brs, my skimmer is on 10 hours a day, my photoperiod is 12 hours blue 90% white 30% I feed fish once a day, corals twice a week with ab+, reef roids, and phols vitalizer by korallenzuchten, additionally I give them liquid rotifers from aquaforest. my current parameters are:
-PO4: 0
-No3:0.2
-calcium:420
-kh: 8.0-8.3
-mg: 1350
-Ph: 8
-Salinity: 1025
I use salifert test
(i dint think i have no3 and po4 at 0 since i have algaes as you can see)
And my stock:
-1 clownfish
-1 goby
-1 cherub angel
-peppermint
-4 turbo snails
-1 bubbletip nem (is in the back of the rock)
I also run chaeto algae on reverse photoperiod
I'm desperate, it frustrates me a lot to see other people's aquariums advance in a short time and mine go backwards. kh, calcium and mg I dosed with red sea abc, a few days ago I started using all for reef from tropic marin. Please, if anyone can help me, tell me how to improve, what to change, what I can improve, I would greatly appreciate it. Sincerely i dont know what am i doing wrong.
(I attach some photos of my sad corals)
Pdta: i have a backsump

 

[Spare time]

You are probably strongly overlighting the corals with the light at such a high intensity and so close to the water. Are you able to rent a par meter?

 

[nicorojas99]

You are probably strongly overlighting the corals with the light at such a high intensity and so close to the water. Are you able to rent a par meter?

Is 8” inches above the surface. Should i put it higher? Ill try to rent a par meter

 

[Rusty_L_Shackleford]

I would bump up the nutrients. Corals need some nitrate and phosphate.

 

[DJF]

+1 low nutrients

 

[Spare time]

Is 8” inches above the surface. Should i put it higher? Ill try to rent a par meter

I'd raise it and lower the intensity to maybe at most 50% total between the two channels until you can rent a meter.

 

[Spare time]

Personally I wouldn't worry about the low nitrate and phosphate given how much you are feeding the tank. If you aren't already, try and spread out the coral feedings across each day of the week, rather than all of those coral foods mixed together twice a week.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

How often you do water changes? Thats an established layer of algae growing on the back glass and starting to choke your powerheads. What kind of powerheads are they? I kind of feel like your tank is low flow. I would definately suggest a major water change and scrub some of that algae out and clean the powerheads and check the flow is correct.

 

[Cell]

Looks like some sort of hair or turf algae covering your rock? If so, all that algae covering the surfaces is sucking all your nutrients up and preventing corals from spreading.

 

[nicorojas99]

How often you do water changes? Thats an established layer of algae growing on the back glass and starting to choke your powerheads. What kind of powerheads are they? I kind of feel like your tank is low flow. I would definately suggest a major water change and scrub some of that algae out and clean the powerheads and check the flow is correct.

I do water changes once a month due the low nutrients. have 2 Powerheads, 1 is 1050 gph and the hydor is 565gph.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I do water changes once a month due the low nutrients. have 2 Powerheads, 1 is 1050 gph and the hydor is 565gph.

A water change is something like opening the window in your home and letting fresh air in. Water change has no negative effect (99.9% of the time). And like you mentioned in your OP, the nutrients are too low since you have a lot of algae. Algae needs nutrients more than corals. Besides you are adding several types of additives.

I'm sorry, but in my opinion, the "dream tank" we all want needs more effort than just one water change per month. When I had algae problem, I was doing 2 water changes per week, always using a toothbrush to scrub that algae off. It takes a little more hands on work than just once a month, especially a small tank like yours, its not that hard.

 

[dadnjesse]

Your phosphate is not Zero with that algae problem. It may not show on the test because the Algae is consuming it. I would stop the reef Roids. Feed your fish more that once a day, the corals can feed off the fish waste.

 

[Spare time]

PS Algae should never be limited by nitrogen/phosphate, but rather by predation and competition. I still believe the the issue with the corals is photoinhibiton and not nitrate, phosphate, or algae. I think the algae is unrelated.

 

[nicorojas99]

A water change is something like opening the window in your home and letting fresh air in. Water change has no negative effect (99.9% of the time). And like you mentioned in your OP, the nutrients are too low since you have a lot of algae. Algae needs nutrients more than corals. Besides you are adding several types of additives.

I'm sorry, but in my opinion, the "dream tank" we all want needs more effort than just one water change per month. When I had algae problem, I was doing 2 water changes per week, always using a toothbrush to scrub that algae off. It takes a little more hands on work than just once a month, especially a small tank like yours, its not that hard.

Yes, youre right and thank you for that. Before i was making water changes que every 15 days, and then 10% weekly, but it does not seems to work, insted the corals looked worst than now, so i stop making water changes weekly, i used to use red sea blue bucket.
and some people say that i have to make water changes once a week, others twice, others once a month, i dont know whos right, and im making in this way (once a month) due my light bioload and my strong skimmate.

 

[Troylee]

Yes, youre right and thank you for that. Before i was making water changes que every 15 days, and then 10% weekly, but it does not seems to work, insted the corals looked worst than now, so i stop making water changes weekly, i used to use red sea blue bucket.
and some people say that i have to make water changes once a week, others twice, others once a month, i dont know whos right, and im making in this way (once a month) due my light bioload and my strong skimmate.

Are you using tap water or rodi?