Sps frag issues

[NorwichReefer]

Hi there first post here so be patient with me :). I have recently added two acropora frags (a blue tenuis and a strawberry shortcake and they haven't done to well. They seem to have lost tissue from the base and the shorcake has gone brown. I'm after some pointers as to what I could be doing wrong. Montipora grows fine I have seriatopora and stylophora as well as a green slimer and sarmentosa as well as LPS, all growing great. I will be as detailed as I can with my set up below :)

 

[Ron Reefman]

Hi Chris and welcome to R2R!

More info would be helpful. Pics wouldn't hurt either.

Basic tank info, age and water parameters as well as any info about the flow and lights?

 

[NorwichReefer]

Ok so heres my set up. Red sea reefer 250. Lighting is 2 hydra 26hd on for a total of 12hrs daily (soon adding a ghl t5 hybrid) flow is 1x ai nero 5 and vortech mp10. Sump return reef octopus varios 4 and skimmer is bubble magus curve 5 ( soon adding reef octopus 150s) I dose 1.2ml tropic marin bacto balance daily and 1.2ml tropic marin a elements daily. I dose 8ml of red sea reef energy + daily and 1/4 spoon of reef actif weekly. I have a dd p4pro doser dosing fauna marin balling light I dose 36ml alk daily spread over 24hrs a day. I do 10% wc fortnightly using tropic marin pro reef. Here are my params

Alk 8dkh
Mag 1350ppm
Cal 450ppm
Nitrate 5ppm
Phosphate 0.092 (elos)
Temp 26
Potassium 400
I've ordered an ati icp test to check everything but really want to grow acros!!

 

[Ron Reefman]

How long has this tank been running?

 

[NorwichReefer]

Around 18 months

 

[Ron Reefman]

Well, I can't site anything you've got or done that is out of line. But then everybody says sps corals are harder to keep , and there is a reason for that belief.

I hope you find a solution.

Maybe we should call in the rest of the #reefsquad

 

[ScottR]

Did you do a dry rock start? I’ve found certain acros are much harder to keep in tanks without enough biodiversity. I know your tank is 18 months old and that is plenty old enough but some just can’t support harder to keep acros unless the system is ready for them.

 

[desagon]

Im in the same boat as you. Sort of. I keep a lot of sps and they do well, but I don’t have any tenuis. I always hear they can be very finicky and that kind of prevents me from trying. Hopefully you find out what’s causing the problems!

 

[NorwichReefer]

Only thing I can think of is either not enough light, or some kind of pollutant or elevated level. I'm sending off an icp as soon as I receive it. My rockscape is fairly low (around halfway up the tank bit didn't think this would be a problem.

 

[NorwichReefer]

Yes the rock is 100% marco dry rock.

 

[NorwichReefer]

I should also add j have been toying with the idea of adding a small amount of live rock if I can source some as I have read about the whole biodiversity issue.

 

[IslandLifeReef]

Ok so heres my set up. Red sea reefer 250. Lighting is 2 hydra 26hd on for a total of 12hrs daily (soon adding a ghl t5 hybrid) flow is 1x ai nero 5 and vortech mp10. Sump return reef octopus varios 4 and skimmer is bubble magus curve 5 ( soon adding reef octopus 150s) I dose 1.2ml tropic marin bacto balance daily and 1.2ml tropic marin a elements daily. I dose 8ml of red sea reef energy + daily and 1/4 spoon of reef actif weekly. I have a dd p4pro doser dosing fauna marin balling light I dose 36ml alk daily spread over 24hrs a day. I do 10% wc fortnightly using tropic marin pro reef. Here are my params

Alk 8dkh
Mag 1350ppm
Cal 450ppm
Nitrate 5ppm
Phosphate 0.092 (elos)
Temp 26
Potassium 400
I've ordered an ati icp test to check everything but really want to grow acros!!

I bet you will see a big difference when you add the T5 hybrid. Just be sure to slowly increase the photo period of the T5 when you add the light.

 

[NorwichReefer]

That's the aim. With the t5s do you guys think that lighting shouldn't be a limiting factor for acros?