greyhunter
Community Member
Help with reef tank
Hi reefers,
I’m looking for some help diagnosing issues in my 20-gallon cube reef.
Stock
\* Helfrichi firefish
\* Trimma goby
\* Pink streaked wrasse
Current Problems
1. Stylophora decline
My Stylophora frag was doing great at first — good polyp extension and encrusting well. Recently it suddenly started bleaching and losing previously encrusted tissue.
2. Zoanthid growth stall
My zoas used to grow fast but have completely stalled
They keep buds and baby polyps that never develop for months now.
Meanwhile, my acans, GSP, kenya tree, toadstool, and mushrooms are all growing well.
\---
Tank Setup & Maintenance
Tank is about 1 year and 7 months old
\* Weekly water change: 2.5 gallons
\* Salt: Tropic Marin Pro
\* Filtration:
\* Filter floss
\* Small amount of carbon (changed every 3 weeks)
\* Sponges
Lighting
\* Sand bed: \~75–100 PAR
\* Stylophora placement: \~200 PAR
\---
Parameters
\* Salinity: 1.025
\* Temperature: 26°C
\* Alkalinity: 8 dKH
\* Calcium: 420 ppm
\* Magnesium: 1300 ppm
\* Ammonia/Nitrite: 0
\* Nitrate: 5–7 ppm
\* Phosphate: 0.07 ppm
\* pH: 8.0 (night) → 8.3 (day)
One thing I find strange: ALK, Ca, and Mg barely drop at all, even between water changes.
\---
Goal
I mainly want strong zoa and acan growth — those are my favorite corals.
If the Stylophora isn’t compatible with how I want to run this tank, I’m okay prioritizing LPS/softies instead.
You can find a photo of the tank in the post (pumps where off when the photo was taken thats why there is no flow)
Any ideas what could cause:
\* SPS decline
\* Zoa growth stalling despite otherwise healthy corals?
Thanks in advance!
Hi reefers,
I’m looking for some help diagnosing issues in my 20-gallon cube reef.
Stock
\* Helfrichi firefish
\* Trimma goby
\* Pink streaked wrasse
Current Problems
1. Stylophora decline
My Stylophora frag was doing great at first — good polyp extension and encrusting well. Recently it suddenly started bleaching and losing previously encrusted tissue.
2. Zoanthid growth stall
My zoas used to grow fast but have completely stalled
They keep buds and baby polyps that never develop for months now.
Meanwhile, my acans, GSP, kenya tree, toadstool, and mushrooms are all growing well.
\---
Tank Setup & Maintenance
Tank is about 1 year and 7 months old
\* Weekly water change: 2.5 gallons
\* Salt: Tropic Marin Pro
\* Filtration:
\* Filter floss
\* Small amount of carbon (changed every 3 weeks)
\* Sponges
Lighting
\* Sand bed: \~75–100 PAR
\* Stylophora placement: \~200 PAR
\---
Parameters
\* Salinity: 1.025
\* Temperature: 26°C
\* Alkalinity: 8 dKH
\* Calcium: 420 ppm
\* Magnesium: 1300 ppm
\* Ammonia/Nitrite: 0
\* Nitrate: 5–7 ppm
\* Phosphate: 0.07 ppm
\* pH: 8.0 (night) → 8.3 (day)
One thing I find strange: ALK, Ca, and Mg barely drop at all, even between water changes.
\---
Goal
I mainly want strong zoa and acan growth — those are my favorite corals.
If the Stylophora isn’t compatible with how I want to run this tank, I’m okay prioritizing LPS/softies instead.
You can find a photo of the tank in the post (pumps where off when the photo was taken thats why there is no flow)
Any ideas what could cause:
\* SPS decline
\* Zoa growth stalling despite otherwise healthy corals?
Thanks in advance!
