Slow zoa growth

[Nezareth]

So Ive had a couple of zoas for almost a year now and they look healthy but they have not grown in the time Ive had them and although I realize my PO4 is high at a 0.90ppm Ive been watching a lot of the tank tours WWC does and a lot of people have very successful and healthy/ lush zoa gardens even with high PO4, even one reporting as high 1.4ppm. Yeah I know all systems are different and I have slowly been reigning in my phosphate numbers to get them to about 0.3-0.10ppm with Nitrate at 5-10ppm. My salinity is 1.025, dkh 9.3. Cal 430 Mag ~1290. Temp 79°F. I dose coral aminos once a week. My setup is a 20 gallon AIO JBJ. Lights POPBLOOM RL80.

All this being said my gsp that I am trying to get to grow on the back wall has suddenly taken off and has grown almost an 1 and 1/2 off the frag it was on (which is about the size of a quarter) and was hoping that my other corals would follow suit as well as my pulsing xenia split and is growing new polyps.

So what am I doing wrong, what am I doing right and what could I do to improve?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Is it just the zoa's not growing, what are the "other corals" that are not growing? What intensity is the light? How is the flow in the tank?

 

[Nezareth]

My light is on about 50% intensity for about 4 hours a day and ramps up and down for about 2-3 hours each.

The list is from oldest to most recent.

Gsp (growing)
Pulsing xenia (growing)
Green leather cabbage (growing)
Green devils hand (not growing)
Firework clove polyps (not growing)
Magician zoa (not growing)
Gifted zoa (not growing)
Black light torch (not growing)
Frost skirt Acan (not growing)
Red discosoma (not growing)
Red monti cap (growing)
Green monti cap (not growing)
Green kenya tree (not growing)
Green birds nest (not growing)
Assortment of gifted zoas (not growing)

Forgot to mention my Ph is 8.0.
Also everything in my tank is expanding and look very full and healthy (except for the assortment of gifted zoas because I just got them on Saturday and they were dying) but otherwise they are all happy healthy and full. I will also say that I everything from the GSP to the first gifted zoas has been in the tank for 7 plus months. Everything from the torch to the red discosoma mushroom has been there for 4 plus months and everything from the monti caps downward has been there for 3 months or less.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I feel 4 hours a day is too short, should be 8 minimum IMO. My lights are 12 hours peak, give your corals light and they will grow. I'm not so sure about the 50% intensity either, that means your only using 40 watts on a 20 gallon, I would want to test that with a par meter. My own opinion is that this is a lighting issue. Good luck

 

[Roatan Reef]

Iodine, Manganese, trace elements Zoas really need Iodine and Manganese imho...I dose every other day about 2.5ml of each.

 

[Nezareth]

Okay I have them on half the intensity and Im actually running them from 7:00am-8:00pm

 

[Skippy The Meh]

Are you using hannah tester for phosphate? If so, fun fact, it maxes out at .9 you may be way higher. Learned this the hard way:)

 

[Nezareth]

Wow. Yeah I am using a hanna checker!! Thanks for the info!

 

[Nezareth]

Update. I have been using about 3 and a half tablespoons of phosgaurd since I posted and as of last week on Friday March 13th, the PO4 is reading ~0.80ppm. That being said my montipora caps are dull and I lost my green birdsnest frag and my torch coral is not extending as much as previously. All parameters are the same and the only thing changing is the PO4. And before you ask yes the levels have been dropping painfully slow but they are dropping and thats whats best as to not shock the tank. All this is to ask, once I rope in the PO4 how fast could I expect my corals to color up and to react/ adapt to the low levels? And will using something like red seas reef energy ab+ help?