What if anything should I be doing differently?

[drakebuffie]

I have a 75 gal mix reef. Fish include a mimic tang juvenile, one spot foxface, pink skunk clown, file fish, dart fish, lawnmower blenny. I had 3 stoplight cardinals added a few weeks ago that disappeared. Not sure what happened to them but only saw 1 once after adding to tank.

CUC is a few bumbee snails, dwarf cerith snails and a couple other different snails as well has hermits. Have a emerald crab in there if he is still alive and a cleaner shrimp.

Corals are nepthea tree, pheonix monti, another type of monti, devils hand leather, 2 different sets of GSP, bam bam zoas, candy cane, elephant ear mushroom.

The elephant ear mushroom is huge and happy all the time. The one monti has grown quite large compared to what I started with. The zoas have spread nicely. one of the GSP spread a little bit and the candy cane went from 2 heads to start to 10 or so now. The other corals seem to do fine havent really noticed much chage in them.

I test weekly with hanna checkers for salinity, calcium, trates, phosphates, ph, alkalinity and calcium. Phosphates are a little high so I am bringing that down with GFO in a bag next to return pump. Nitrates were a little low under 1. Last check it was up around 4 so thats getting where I need it to be as well.

I feed 1 cube of whatever food I have. Mysis shrimp, krill, have had other mixes. I occasionally add pellets and/or flakes. Feeding amount varies depending on what my nitrates are doing. I broadcast feed making sure the slower fish and the shrimp get some every feeding. I feed nori as well especially now that the GHA is well on its way out thanks in large part to the tang and lawnmower as well as getting the phosphates down steadily

I don't direct feed any of the corals.

I did 5 gal weekly water changes pretty much all the first year. I have slowed to every 2 weeks recently to get my nitrates up.

I guess my question is I see people dose iodine and stuff like that. I also see people talking about direct feeding things like reef roids. Some people do this others say no need. SHould I be more diligent about directly feeding any of these corals. Dosing anything?

Last tank readings were
salinity 1.023
ph 8
nitrates 4.0
alk 8.1 dkh
phosphate .44
calcium 500

Water change coming in next few days.

 

[Bucs20fan]

Doing water changes weekly or bi weekly will always replace the necessary iodine, People dose iodine that do one or two water changes a year.

If you are happy with the coral growth, never change anything. There are only a few corals that benefit immensely from direct feeding.

 

[drakebuffie]

Doing water changes weekly or bi weekly will always replace the necessary iodine, People dose iodine that do one or two water changes a year.

If you are happy with the coral growth, never change anything. There are only a few corals that benefit immensely from direct feeding.

I would like the gsp to spread more than it has and faster growth from the montis would be nice though dont know if thats possible.

 

[Lavey29]

Are you intentionally keeping salinity at 1.023? Most salt optimizes mixing at 1.026

 

[Cell]

Don't look for fixes for problems you don't have.

In other words, if everything is going well and looks good, no need to change anything.

 

[drakebuffie]

Are you intentionally keeping salinity at 1.023? Most salt optimizes mixing at 1.026

It always ran around1.025 but last time I checked it it was a little low. I believe I added too much ro water I will be slowly bringing that back up to around 1.025.

Last water change I used a white bucket and didnt mix all the salt up good enough and couldnt tell until I was finished is another reason its a little low

 

[Bucs20fan]

I would like the gsp to spread more than it has and faster growth from the montis would be nice though dont know if thats possible.

So. The gsp will spread. And it will spread fast sooner or later trust me. Dont urge it along lol or you are going to be cutting it every three days. Montis will grow as faster the more light and calcium they have to take in.