I'll get the tank stats out of the way first.
20 Gallon Cube AIO with AI Prime 16HD running on David Saxby preset. It's about 6 months old (not including the cycle), and for the first few months everything was going well, corals were completely open and growing, and now pretty much all of my LPS is shrunken with low polyp extension. None of them have died, but they aren't opening all the way nor are they growing. My soft corals are all doing great.
My Hammer, Torch, Alveopora, Blasto, Candy canes, and Duncan are all smaller than they used to be and not doing well. My Acans are fine, though.
My Ricordea and Rhodactis mushrooms, GSP, Zoanthids and Palys, Clove Polyps, Green leather toadstool, and Kenya Tree are all doing very well and growing.
This has been going on for around 2 months, the previous 4 months before that everything was happy.
Nitrate: 10ppm
Phosphate: 0ppm
Magnesium: Over 1500
PH: 8-8.15
Alk: 8.6DKH
Temperature: 78deg Farenheiht
Salinity: 1.024
For water changes I've always used distilled water. I do a 25% water change around once a month, and I feed my corals once a week with reef-roids. I also dose amino acids.
I'm honestly not sure what the problem is, maybe it's my non-existent phosphates? Truly I have no idea why they're so low. My tank is overstocked to be honest, with 6 (small) fish in 20 gallons, and plenty of hermit crabs and snails. I feed quite a lot, around 2-3 times a day, both frozen and pellet foods.
In an effort to raise my phosphates I removed the Chemi-pure Blue (which I had because I heard that you need to run carbon because of toxins that leather corals release) and the majority of the Chaeto I have growing in the rear compartment of the tank around a month ago, but I still haven't seen an increase in phosphates.
Truly I don't even know if the phosphates are the problem but the rest of my parameters look perfectly fine to me, although I am definitely a beginner and not as knowledgeable about these things as most of you are.
As an example I'll post a picture of my hammer from 2 months ago, and a picture of what it currently looks like.
Any help would be appreciated. I've grown a love for this hobby and I'd like to be successful with my tank, though I understand that nothing good happens fast.
20 Gallon Cube AIO with AI Prime 16HD running on David Saxby preset. It's about 6 months old (not including the cycle), and for the first few months everything was going well, corals were completely open and growing, and now pretty much all of my LPS is shrunken with low polyp extension. None of them have died, but they aren't opening all the way nor are they growing. My soft corals are all doing great.
My Hammer, Torch, Alveopora, Blasto, Candy canes, and Duncan are all smaller than they used to be and not doing well. My Acans are fine, though.
My Ricordea and Rhodactis mushrooms, GSP, Zoanthids and Palys, Clove Polyps, Green leather toadstool, and Kenya Tree are all doing very well and growing.
This has been going on for around 2 months, the previous 4 months before that everything was happy.
Nitrate: 10ppm
Phosphate: 0ppm
Magnesium: Over 1500
PH: 8-8.15
Alk: 8.6DKH
Temperature: 78deg Farenheiht
Salinity: 1.024
For water changes I've always used distilled water. I do a 25% water change around once a month, and I feed my corals once a week with reef-roids. I also dose amino acids.
I'm honestly not sure what the problem is, maybe it's my non-existent phosphates? Truly I have no idea why they're so low. My tank is overstocked to be honest, with 6 (small) fish in 20 gallons, and plenty of hermit crabs and snails. I feed quite a lot, around 2-3 times a day, both frozen and pellet foods.
In an effort to raise my phosphates I removed the Chemi-pure Blue (which I had because I heard that you need to run carbon because of toxins that leather corals release) and the majority of the Chaeto I have growing in the rear compartment of the tank around a month ago, but I still haven't seen an increase in phosphates.
Truly I don't even know if the phosphates are the problem but the rest of my parameters look perfectly fine to me, although I am definitely a beginner and not as knowledgeable about these things as most of you are.
As an example I'll post a picture of my hammer from 2 months ago, and a picture of what it currently looks like.
Any help would be appreciated. I've grown a love for this hobby and I'd like to be successful with my tank, though I understand that nothing good happens fast.