Trouble with GSP and Coral

[Piscean_Introvert]

hi all.

I’ve recently run into issues with my GSP coral and two of my Zoas. They have been in my tank for about a month, and my tanks has been up and running since the beginning of September. The corals were doing fine the first two weeks but then began not to open all the way if opening at all.

ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 10ppm
Mag: 1280ppm
Calcium: 410 ppm
Alkalinity:10.1dkh
Salinity: 1.025
Phosphate: .04ppm

I just started testing my phosphates last week and they were at 0 so I started dosing NeoPhos to get it up to .04pm.

I’m using the Current Orbit Marine Light trying to find the best lighting schedule. Right now it’s 6am-6pm with a 4 hour dedicated moon light.

any help would greatly be appreciated.

 

[cngh]

congrats on the tank. your aquascape looks great!

first, corals like gsp and zoas can be fickle... look great one day, and closed up the next. they might be closed for a few days or maybe a week or more. but overall, ends up nothing is wrong- they just do that. how long have yours been "acting up"?

in a tank as new as yours, it hasn't had time to establish stability. that might take another 6-8-10 months or more. what conditions/lighting were the corals under before you got them? could be they just need more time to acclimate to your tank conditions. what kind of flow do you have? maybe try moving them so they get more/less flow and/or light.

your numbers look fine, but don't make chasing numbers your mission. in that respect, i would not rush to add phosphates. you have a fish, you feed it, it poops, you will build phosphates. in a new tank, i wouldn't worry about low or zero phosphate. nothing good happens fast in this hobby, so i would discourage you from trying to rush it to a desired number. what are you using to test?

what are you using for top off? are you using carbon and gfo (again, no need to rush using these as your tank is still new)? if you are using carbon/gfo/dosing (not sure why you would be at this point, just spit-balling here) or just started any of that, it might affect how your corals react. if that's the case, maybe take them off line for a bit.

are you running a skimmer? maybe your water is too clean. unlike sps, gsp and zoas like dirtier water. if you're already skimming, especially if you're over skimming, it might be stripping their "food" out of the water.

anyways, like i said, i'm just spit-balling ideas here. more info about your tank might help diagnose a problem if there is one. or, it may just be they feel like being closed up for a bit...

good luck!