What's my next step to get my SPS growing?

[Murraydar]

So I've finally got my tank and water parameters where I want them and my corals are alive and happy-ish. Unfortunately I am getting basically zero growth on any calcifying corals. I've got trumpets, blastos, pocillopora, montipora, pagoda cup, couple acros, etc etc. All have polyp extension and decent colors but no growth. Here's my parameters:

Salinity 1.026
Temp 78f
Calcium 440
Alkalinity 7kh
Mg 1400
Nitrates 0 on hanna checker
Phosphate 0.03 on hanna checker
Par around 100 on sandbed and up to around 250 where my sps are.

Currently all my fish are in QT for velvet treatment but I'm still feeding the tank fairly heavily with coral food and blender mush for the inverts every night. Only using chaeto and filter socks for filtration, no protein skimmer. I can't imagine that my nitrates are at true zero but i could be wrong.

The tank has been stable like this for around a month or so now. What should my next step be to get some growth going? I was thinking of bumping my alk up to 8.5 or so and seeing what happens. Any suggestions are welcome, thanks.

 

[gbroadbridge]

Your Nitrates are too low, you should have around 5ppm
You could take your Alk up tp 8 over a week or so.

PAR is okay. How long is the photoperiod?

Are you dosing amino acids?

 

[Fish Think Pink]

So I've finally got my tank and water parameters where I want them and my corals are alive and happy-ish. Unfortunately I am getting basically zero growth on any calcifying corals. I've got trumpets, blastos, pocillopora, montipora, pagoda cup, couple acros, etc etc. All have polyp extension and decent colors but no growth. Here's my parameters:

Salinity 1.026
Temp 78f
Calcium 440
Alkalinity 7kh
Mg 1400
Nitrates 0 on hanna checker
Phosphate 0.03 on hanna checker
Par around 100 on sandbed and up to around 250 where my sps are.

Currently all my fish are in QT for velvet treatment but I'm still feeding the tank fairly heavily with coral food and blender mush for the inverts every night. Only using chaeto and filter socks for filtration, no protein skimmer. I can't imagine that my nitrates are at true zero but i could be wrong.

The tank has been stable like this for around a month or so now. What should my next step be to get some growth going? I was thinking of bumping my alk up to 8.5 or so and seeing what happens. Any suggestions are welcome, thanks.

think your answer is in your own post, above where you wrote "stable like this for around a month or so now" ... month stability isn't long... agree your alk could/should be raised... but do it slow and realize that too is a CHANGE

you don't talk about light, and of course light spectrum is/can be factor - good for you knowing your par values - you are ahead of us there... we move things around after a few months if it doesn't seem to like spot placed

if you have algae, then you aren't likely at true zero

you don't mention coralline growth - we use that to get a sense of overall coral general happiness (its explosive in our tank)

magic in this hobby is patience. sounds like you are on right path - just 'follow one course until successful - "focus"

 

[Murraydar]

Your Nitrates are too low, you should have around 5ppm
You could take your Alk up tp 8 over a week or so.

PAR is okay. How long is the photoperiod?

Are you dosing amino acid?

10am to 10pm photoperiod. Highest intensity for 7 hours. I do dose a few ml of acropower daily.

think your answer is in your own post, above where you wrote "stable like this for around a month or so now" ... month stability isn't long... agree your alk could/should be raised... but do it slow and realize that too is a CHANGE

you don't talk about light, and of course light spectrum is/can be factor - good for you knowing your par values - you are ahead of us there... we move things around after a few months if it doesn't seem to like spot placed

if you have algae, then you aren't likely at true zero

you don't mention coralline growth - we use that to get a sense of overall coral general happiness (its explosive in our tank)

magic in this hobby is patience. sounds like you are on right path - just 'follow one course until successful - "focus"

I agree a month isnt too long, just felt like I should see some type of growth by name. I'm using a reefbreeders photon v2 running an ab+ spectrum which others seem to have success with,

I have a bit of hair algae, nothing out of control. I have coraline algae on the glass but its grow is pretty glacial.

I think I may try bumping up my alk for a few months and see what happens before I go dosing nitrates. Thoughts?

 

[madweazl]

There isn't anything wrong with any of your parameters, don't go messing with them. If it has only been stable for a month, don't mess with it. If things aren't declining, keep on doing what you're doing and observe for the next few months.

 

[Fish Think Pink]

wouldn't dose nitrates

would raise alk ... 7 is roughly seawater equivalent but most aquariums and/or salt mixes run 8-11 (we run about 8.3 - 8.5 - have to manually dose alk daily due to coral alk consumption... and looks like we've stayed stable enough that our mag is starting to drop...)

keep your parameters as stable as possible - its more important than parameter itself... the rest will come in time... month is not enough time... testing your parameters to know when/if they begin dropping will tell you when things are starting to grow

our magic came from expanding testing and expanding frequency of testing (not just on weekends, as things change too much from consumption)

 

[BeMoto]

How long have the corals in question been in the tank?