What caused my sudden and huge softie growth spurt?

[Just John]

I went on vacation for a week and when I came home everything had grown an amazing amount. Leathers were noticeably larger, a couple of small zoa colonies grew by about 50%, single polyp zoas that have have been waiting to grow a polyp grew two, etc. Unfortunately, algae also had a growth spurt.
House temperature was set the same and water parameters were not much different when I returned as when I left. A couple of things will have been different while I was gone. For zoas there was no spot feeding, which I did every other day since it never harmed the water parameters. So, much less food (they can eat a lot) but also not disturbed by food being dropped on them. (Obviously doesn't explain leathers or algae). And a more defined light schedule - when at home there was always a lamp or two on in the room for a couple of hours after the tank light went out and corals closed, but not while I was away. That's all I can think of. Any ideas?

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

Nitrate and phosphate increase I’d bet.

 

[Just John]

Nitrate and phosphate increase I’d bet.

Why would they go up after I've stopped feeding? I have fed the corals for months now.

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

Id test those now. You didn’t get many responses for lack of data. Any answer is a guess based on that users experience.

 

[RyanHoan]

Thread title made me lolz

 

[MabuyaQ]

Somebody must have been feeding your fish. The question is, how did this effect your tank, and nobody sticking their hands in the water to do stuff always seem to have a positive effect as well.

 

[Spare time]

I would bet they were already on their track to this point.

 

[Just John]

The phosphates were .01 and nitrates were 10. I just remembered this afternoon that two weeks before I left I had dosed them to increase nitrates. They are normally low two but 2 weeks before I left they were up to about 30.

 

[Just John]

Somebody must have been feeding your fish. The question is, how did this effect your tank, and nobody sticking their hands in the water to do stuff always seem to have a positive effect as well.

No one was feeding the fish. Right now I don't have any in the tank.

 

[CMMorgan]

 

[mindme]

A lot of times what you see today is a result of what was done a week or further in advance. I think the real question here is - what did you do before you left in preperation of knowing you were going to be gone for a week?

 

[Just John]

It looks like you're going to miss out on all the excitement. We are still in the center of the cone and I have seen on the news anywhere from 70 miles an our with others saying 90 to 100 miles an hour winds.

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

It looks like you're going to miss out on all the excitement. We are still in the center of the cone and I have seen on the news anywhere from 70 miles an our with others saying 90 to 100 miles an hour winds.

I think you just hit the wrong thread. But I’m getting my generator ready now.

 

[Just John]

A lot of times what you see today is a result of what was done a week or further in advance. I think the real question here is - what did you do before you left in preperation of knowing you were going to be gone for a week?

All I did was make sure that I had a battery backup for the filter.

 

[Just John]

I think you just hit the wrong thread. But I’m getting my generator ready now.

 

[Just John]

I was just replying to CMMorgan. She lives in Punta Gorda. Where are you?

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

Jacksonville. We are gonna be good. Most likely. But I’m in a neighborhood built between 59 & 64. All the wires are above ground. We lose power all the time. Doesn’t need a hurricane or even a mild storm.

 

[Just John]

Jacksonville. We are gonna be good. Most likely. But I’m in a neighborhood built between 59 & 64. All the wires are above ground. We lose power all the time. Doesn’t need a hurricane or even a mild storm.

I live in a neighborhood built in the 80s and all the power lines are underground. We lose power all the time too. Quality work was done, apparently. Lol

 

[CMMorgan]

It looks like you're going to miss out on all the excitement. We are still in the center of the cone and I have seen on the news anywhere from 70 miles an our with others saying 90 to 100 miles an hour winds.

Keep in mind that the news stations always exaggerate so you'll stay tuned in. They need to get that AD revenue somehow. So far, this has been anticlimactic. I can't believe that I missed physical therapy for this. My sprinkler does more soaking. Ho hum - a little more rain.
Stay off the bridges and you'll be OK. If you have a battery backup for your wavemaker and your phone, you'll be good. Hang in there!!

 

[Just John]

Keep in mind that the news stations always exaggerate so you'll stay tuned in. They need to get that AD revenue somehow. So far, this has been anticlimactic. I can't believe that I missed physical therapy for this. My sprinkler does more soaking. Ho hum - a little more rain.
Stay off the bridges and you'll be OK. If you have a battery backup for your wavemaker and your phone, you'll be good. Hang in there!!

You know how it is here. We are too used it. "Category 1? Good. We could use some rain". I am annoyed that they closed the YMCA early!