Not seeing much growth

Kingkold020

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So I’ve had my tank (20 gallon long) up and running since around November and it completed the cycle around mid December ish. Maybe I’m expecting too much in too little time but I feel like my tank hasn’t had much growth. I have had some growth with hammers, acans, montipora, and GSP, but I feel like my zoanthids had really plateaued. I’ll get some growth when their first added but after that nothing really happens. My parameters have been pretty consistent:

Mg: 1470
Alk: 9
Salinity: 1.025
Nitrate and Nitrite both 0
Calcium: 470
Phosphate: 0
pH: 7.8

Any tips on just sustaining growth? My one problem is that I can’t get my nitrates and phosphates to raise at all. I’ve fed a bunch and their still at 0. I’m getting an auto top off from Amazon on Tuesday so that helps in keeping salinity stable.
 

RobB'z Reef

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It's an exception to the rule to see explosive growth in tanks that young. Work on getting the nutrients up, this is kinda where I'm at as well. My past tanks have shown me it takes a while to find their groove and many tanks can be quite different in that respect. Some good advice by previous posters.
 

Jekyl

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Do you still have an algae problem in the tank? Seems like you could still be in the ugly phase time frame.
 

Jekyl

GSP is the devil and clowns are bad pets
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The algae is what is sapping your nutrients. At the same time competing with your coral for food. Remove what algae you can by hand. Getting it under control will help your coral without any other changes.
 
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Kingkold020

Kingkold020

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The algae is what is sapping your nutrients. At the same time competing with your coral for food. Remove what algae you can by hand. Getting it under control will help your coral without any other changes.
I was doing that a bit earlier today actually. My snail looked like a mobile refugium until I gave it a haircut lol.
 

blasterman

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I would raise nitrate with sodium nitrate but leave phosphate alone because it will just fuel the algae.

You will not get solid softie growth until the algae is mostly gone. They are direct competitors and 0 nitrates will hurt zoas eventually.
 
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