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Preface: I have been growing SPS for a few years. I am not a guru, but I do not believe the below to be the result of inexperience for the new display tank I set up 8 months ago.
big 3:
7-8 dkh, daily swing less than .2dkh.
Cal: 450
Mg: 1350
Nutrients:
Po4: .1
NO3: 6
Tank background:
The tank has been up for about 8 months. Began adding corals 2 months ago.
All dry rock, no seeding from prior tanks.
Tanks primary nutrient control is a refugium.
Carbon dosing was used to bring down nutirents from no3 @ 80ppm and po4 @ .6 ppm in September to the amounts listed earlier. They have been stable at the above amounts listed for two months.
Tank Pictures
April 2022
June 2022
August 2022: Max nutrient load no3 @ 60+ / po4 @ .6
Nov 2022
So with all that out of the way. I went to add a handful of tester SPS frags after a couple months of strong coraline growth, and getting nutrients down.
Bali slimers, stylos, birdnests, tort, etc. I included a small handful of LpS. Elegence, Duncan, and bubble.
Over the last two months, most of the SPS frags have died. Any that are alive are just perishing slower than the other. It takes weeks for the frags to die and the STN typically starts from the center or the tips of the coral.
Frag tank:
Why did I post this:
I am throughly confused how individuals like reef cowboy and others can cycle a tank and get sps in the tank within 2 months on a full dry rock cycle. Yet, I give the new tank six months and it just can’t support anything but LpS
ICP shows no containments.
Does adding sps early, assuming big 3 and nutrient stability, allow for a favorable micro biome to develop without competition?
I can’t help but feel by waiting so long is the reason sps struggle is because the micro biome has to shift from the established environment.
I kind of want to cycle a 20 gallon and stick a slimer in it to see what happens because I am really annoyed that after all this time, the tank still seems to struggle.
big 3:
7-8 dkh, daily swing less than .2dkh.
Cal: 450
Mg: 1350
Nutrients:
Po4: .1
NO3: 6
Tank background:
The tank has been up for about 8 months. Began adding corals 2 months ago.
All dry rock, no seeding from prior tanks.
Tanks primary nutrient control is a refugium.
Carbon dosing was used to bring down nutirents from no3 @ 80ppm and po4 @ .6 ppm in September to the amounts listed earlier. They have been stable at the above amounts listed for two months.
Tank Pictures
April 2022
June 2022
August 2022: Max nutrient load no3 @ 60+ / po4 @ .6
Nov 2022
So with all that out of the way. I went to add a handful of tester SPS frags after a couple months of strong coraline growth, and getting nutrients down.
Bali slimers, stylos, birdnests, tort, etc. I included a small handful of LpS. Elegence, Duncan, and bubble.
Over the last two months, most of the SPS frags have died. Any that are alive are just perishing slower than the other. It takes weeks for the frags to die and the STN typically starts from the center or the tips of the coral.
Frag tank:
Why did I post this:
I am throughly confused how individuals like reef cowboy and others can cycle a tank and get sps in the tank within 2 months on a full dry rock cycle. Yet, I give the new tank six months and it just can’t support anything but LpS
ICP shows no containments.
Does adding sps early, assuming big 3 and nutrient stability, allow for a favorable micro biome to develop without competition?
I can’t help but feel by waiting so long is the reason sps struggle is because the micro biome has to shift from the established environment.
I kind of want to cycle a 20 gallon and stick a slimer in it to see what happens because I am really annoyed that after all this time, the tank still seems to struggle.