coral growth secrets

[Moneymaks24]

Knugenx i dose iodine 1 drop per day again because someone told me it helps and does no harm. So i figured why not its cheap and ive tried everything else.

Btw i have a gfo reactor so shouldnt that take care of any phosphtes that may be prohibiting calcification of corals?

Should i try vodka dosing?

 

[Tonyscoots84]

you underestimate how much phosphates we put in by feeding and rocks and whatnot leaching out...

 

[Moneymaks24]

So basically i need tostart a new tank and take out paver stones and try keep fish to a minimum?

 

[Dimitrios91]

So basically i need tostart a new tank and take out paver stones and try keep fish to a minimum?

You're right about adding things to the water and they eventually become live to a degree, paving stones are pretty dense from forming them and heating them up. Live Rock which I'm sure you are aware of gets the name from all the micro-organisms that can live within the rock as filter feeders etc, feeding on detritus etc. Dead rock is the opposite, all life within has been killed off. So a paver stone even though it could sustain some life, it would basically be on the outter sides and possibly within the very small surface pores at best. I would remove the paver personally and continue the wc's and continue to lower the phos. Plus do we ever fully know what the compounds used to make a paver are ? What they claim and do are not always the same. A mouse could fall in the mixing batch as an example, or anything for that matter, the machine isn't going to care that's compressing the paver to it's maximum pressure, just my .02

 

[KathyC]

The issue with the paver is that it is (I will assume this due to the mention that the person who suggested this also suggested leaving it outdoors for months before use) made of concrete and that it is leeching lime (most likely.) So if you can, I would remove that from the tank.

If you are dosing iodine, you do need to be testing for it. You can OD a tank with it. Any additive should be tested for.

I agree with whoever mentioned the phosphates..only a Hanna meter/checker will give you an accurate reading (unfortunately). Test kits are notoriously inaccurate for this particular reading.

How often are you changing out your GFO? What brand are you using and how much? Are you rinsing it before use and is it moving - like at a slow boil- in the reactor? If not used properly or changed often enough, it won't help the tank.

(sorry for all the questions!)

Any algae issues in the tank? a Pic perhaps?

No need to keep fish to a minimum, but you don't want to overstock a tank either or you will have on-going issues chasing bad parameters and lots of algae issues.

Your DkH being at 5 would inhibit coral growth. Any idea how long it was that low?

As far as Vodka dosing- until you get this tank stable, I would not suggest doing this (and you shouldn't need to do it anyway imo)

 

[Dimitrios91]

The issue with the paver is that it is (I will assume this due to the mention that the person who suggested this also suggested leaving it outdoors for months before use) made of concrete and that it is leeching lime (most likely.) So if you can, I would remove that from the tank.

If you are dosing iodine, you do need to be testing for it. You can OD a tank with it. Any additive should be tested for.

I agree with whoever mentioned the phosphates..only a Hanna meter/checker will give you an accurate reading (unfortunately). Test kits are notoriously inaccurate for this particular reading.

How often are you changing pout your GFO? What brand are you using and how much? Are you rinsing it before use and is it moving - like at a slow boil- in the reactor? If not used properly or changed often enough, it won't help the tank.

(sorry for all the questions!)

Any algae issues in the tank? a Pic perhaps?

No need to keep fish to a minimum, but you don't want to overstock a tank either or you will have on-going issues chasing bad parameters and lots of algae issues.

Your DkH being at 5 would inhibit coral growth. Any idea how long it was that low?

As far as Vodka dosing- until you get this tank stable, I would not suggest doing this (and you shouldn't need to do it anyway imo)

Plus GFO if not changed often can leach the baddies back into the water column. I don't think dosing would be needed anyhow, most salt mixes with wc's keep the levels substantial enough for softies and LPS. One additive or additives I used prior to getting sps was the Kent line of products like Cora-vite, Essentials etc. Those improved things immensely for all my softies, and I didn't test for those because the coral will tell you if something is wrong generally

 

[troywalkerphoto]

Rowaphos

Plus GFO if not changed often can leach the baddies back into the water column. I don't think dosing would be needed anyhow, most salt mixes with wc's keep the levels substantial enough for softies and LPS. One additive or additives I used prior to getting sps was the Kent line of products like Cora-vite, Essentials etc. Those improved things immensely for all my softies, and I didn't test for those because the coral will tell you if something is wrong generally

Definitely +1!
I like Rowaphos because it does not leach back and yes its more expensive but its a trade off as I sometimes get busy with life and other things. I do change it regularly along with my kent nitrate sponge, and BRS fine carbon. Just works for me.

 

[TUSI]

Carefull with iodine every day. Test it. Cause too much is toxic.

 

[jackson6745]

Simple "beginner" corals like mushroom ( riccordea and ultra red) have not spread or got bigger in 5 months!

Certain zoanthids wont grow new heads( blue hornet) in 5 months!

Ricordea are super slow growers for most, and everyone has some stubborn wild zoos. What else ins't growing? Posting a tank pic gives us a better idea what's going on.

 

[d5332]

In addition to what some have said, once you have full control of everything the final step to realize is that corals do grow relatively slow.

Some things are like weeds but even then it takes months.

Ricordea only grows "fast" in the ocean. I purchased an orange polyp 18 months ago and today it is only 5 individual polyps.

The few folks that I have seen grow corals faster are folks that are super and deeply committed both with time and money to their tanks. By this I mean they don't miss a day of ensuring that their water parameters are in absolute pristine condition, this is more expensive and time consuming than most realize.

The bottom line is, patience in regards to coral growth is needed. Most of us do not understand this and this is why we see so many folks buy a tank and sell it a year or two later, misconception is that some how corals can be grown super quickly and they simply cannot, most we can do is setup our tanks with ideal conditions to promote said growth, some of us are more committed than others.

If your corals are not currently dying then at the very minimum you are doing something right.

In regards to coralline, some tanks never grow it and new tanks can take up to a year or two for coralline to really take a foot hold unless most of your rock was already covered with it to begin with. The fact that you are already seeing coralline spotting is a good sign, within months you should begin seeing it grow all over.

Don't dose vodka until you figure out which corals, inverts and fish are sensitive to it. Vodka is good but it does kill some stuff.

 

[Moneymaks24]

Thanks for all the help people!! I really appreciate it. For some reason i cant post pix with this new iphone app but ill try at home later.

For now heres a list of some coral that did grow: candy cane ( double in siZe in like 2 months). Pulsing xenia (grows like a weed) montipora ( purple haze) (spreading on rock nicely). GSP doesnt come of the plug but grew a lot on the plug itself. Frogspawn (im happy with its growth rate).

I know feeding has a lot to do w corals like frogspawn some mushrooms and candy canes all benefit from feeding ( however i try not to feed my corals since i have shrimp that steal the food and i believe i may have phosphate issues).

 

[Moneymaks24]

The issue with the paver is that it is (I will assume this due to the mention that the person who suggested this also suggested leaving it outdoors for months before use) made of concrete and that it is leeching lime (most likely.) So if you can, I would remove that from the tank.

If you are dosing iodine, you do need to be testing for it. You can OD a tank with it. Any additive should be

How often are you changing out your GFO? What brand are you using and how much? Are you rinsing it before use and is it moving - like at a slow boil- in the reactor? If not used properly or changed often enough, it won't help

Your DkH being at 5 would inhibit coral growth. Any idea how long it was that low?

I use GFO from BRS. The cheaper version i think. My dkh could have been low for months i never used to check it.( bad move i know). I change gfo every month using recommended dosage. Its in s IM reactor ( large version) tumbling like boiling water.

 

[Moneymaks24]

heres some pix

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BYLBkZwCEAAV51B.jpg:large https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BYLBhoRCIAApdSE.jpg:large https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BYLBeL2CYAAysE2.jpg:large https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BYLBZ_ECIAANbn3.jpg:large https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BYLBWS_CEAAlFP5.jpg:large

 

[Yani1133]

I think the low alk would def be your issue. I had similar growth issues when i added some frags and didnt up my dosing for two months. Tested and fixe my alk and mag and my setosa jump started growing again like a switch. I would def lower your iodine dose to more like a drop every week or two. Drop a day is wayyyy too much unless you have a tank of massive amounts of shrimp. Dont know how much id trust they iodine test kits they only pick up certain types depending on the kit. Keep your major chemicals(alk mag cal) stable and ull see growth in time. Corals like stability and some wont invest in growing until theyve got it. Im also dont know if phosphate is your issue, if its was that would be affecting your stony corals like your haze and frogspawn more then the zoas. Just turn down the iodine and keep a stable high alk primary lit has shown that to be extremely important

 

[Moneymaks24]

Almost forgot, my chalices are doing horrible, all the expensive ones that i bought almost all turning into white skeletons losing flesh. I read im not supposed to have chalice in a non established tank( less than 1 year) unfortunatly i didnt listen.

I would really like to get a par meter and figure out if my corals need more or less light.

My 145w triton s leds are on 60% any advice on turning this up or down? Fixture is 10" from surface. Thanx

 

[duke62]

Never heard of the established tank for chalices but i know they can not tolerate high PO4 and nitrates.

 

[SanmanReefer]

Never heard of the established tank for chalices but i know they can not tolerate high PO4 and nitrates.

+1 on that. My tank has been running since April and I have 5 chalices, they are all doing great and growing. I also have very, very low nitrates and phosphates. I think temperature is also a big overlooked factor. I run my tanks at 75-76 degrees and I noticed bright colors also as opposed to when I used to run the at 79 degrees. I've always done the same maintenance routine and I don't go crazy on water changes either. I use Aquavitro Salinity salt, not sure if that makes a difference but I like it so why change it. Hope this helps.

 

[Ledreef]

No secrets to grow coral. Just the light and water.

 

[SteveZ15]

Get yourself a hanna checker and get a good idea of the phos in your tank.do some water changes and add a small amount to the reactor and test the effluent of the reactor every other day and change it when it shows phos.It should take a few weeks if its is really high and leaching from rock or sand.When you have it on the low side you can add more to the reactor and change less but keep testing it till you know it stoped leaching and then you can find out how much you add by feeding.If you use rowa dont add too much I did and a few acros stripped and got naked overnight.I also dose a small amount 3x a day instead of one amount once.I am seeing better results in coral growth and color.I have a small tank and its pretty full so I have to be on top of it.I am no expert but this is what worked for me when I has a phos issue.Like someone said in a earlier post I under estimated how fast you can build up phos.

 

[Ledreef]

Again no secret for grow coral