Questions About Things

[mocha 75]

Figuring out what is causing the dragon breath to start becoming translucent (pic 1).

In pic 2 the ogo looks like it might be getting too much light? The down turned fronds. And pic 3. Is that algae sticking out or tentacles? The long sticks.

 

[mocha 75]

 

[mocha 75]

Phosphate and nitrate tests. Redid the nitrate as I was suspicious about the first read being yellow.

Standard API test kit.

I’ve been struggling to get the phosphate up. Have been dosing seachem phosphate at 2 ml. Testing 24 hours later.

 

[jabberwock]

How old is the tank? Can you post a full tank shot?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Pics 1 & 2 both show detritus settled on the macro algae and soon algae may start to grow. They need more flow IMO.
Pic 3 looks like its completely in the shade

 

[mocha 75]

How old is the tank? Can you post a full tank shot?

Two months.

 

[mocha 75]

Pics 1 & 2 both show detritus settled on the macro algae and soon algae may start to grow. They need more flow IMO.
Pic 3 looks like its completely in the shade

The Favia is in low-ish light.

Light is a AI freshwater 16 prime at 40% intensity. So keeping the Favia on the floor and not directly under. Should I move it higher? Perhaps shift it more central?

Flow is one sicce nano power head and the tidal 55. Both opposite sides of the tank.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I have an AI Prime reef light on a 15 gallon tank, set at 85% (12" depth) for mostly mushrooms and zoa's, you have a non-reef Prime and the settings are very low IMO.

Your flow seems ok but I have sicce nano's and they don't put out a strong flow at all. Detritus is building up on the macro algae, its easy to see in the picture, to me thats a clear indication of not enough flow IMO. I have the same macro as your pic 2, mine is under high lighting and high flow and grows like crazy,

My favia in my main tank is directly under a metal halide, IME favia's do well medium-ish light.

I politely suggest that you may be underestimating how much light and flow corals need.

 

[jabberwock]

Thanks for the pics. I think your tank is just way too young to do much of anything well. Needs more time to develop and reach stability.

 

[kizzy89]

I find that dragons breath needs very high lighting and the tips will start turning orange when it's got enough. I don't see any fish in the tank, is there any? I overfeed even in my 3 gallon to get nutrients up for the dragons breath, and i only have snails a blue legged hermit and copepods and it is very low flow yet i have twice as much now so the flow wont matter as much with that particular macro. The others do need more flow. Bold choice going with the cualerpa, i have the profilia in my 9 gal cube and I'm about to set it on fire, make sure you're 100% OK with it taking over your aquarium before it actually does or you'll be in the same boat as i am because once it gets ahold of the rockwork it's so very hard to remove. You're using a freshwater light which is great for macros, it's not ideal for coral.