Coral Growth

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sharkfinsean

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Dec 14, 2012
69
0
6
27
Baltimore, MD
Hello,
I have had my corals for a good six months now and it seems that none of them have grown at all. the tank stats are:
Salinity: 1.025ppm
Nitrates:10-30ppm
Ph: 8.4
I have a marineland reef capable led lighting system (18") on a 30" long 29 gallon fish tank. In my tank, there are multiple frags of zoanthids and palythoas as well as 2 ricordea mushrooms. Am I doing anything wrong?
Thanks
~Sharkfinsean
 
Have you tested your alkalinity? Have you checked your phosphate level? Too much phosphate will inhibit coral growth. Have you fed your corals? What kind of circulation?
 
My alkalinity is at 300 ppm, I have an mp10 in pulse mode. I try to feed my Zoas with mysis but they don't accept it so I squirt the less chunky stuff from the mysis at them, they close up and seem to accept. I put phytogreen-s (brightwell) I have read that ricordeas are filter feeders. I do 5 gallon water changes every other week but I have no way to test phosphate, I thought the water changes would be alright


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Your nitrates are a bit high for a SW setup, you really want to keep them under 10ppm. I noticed that my Zoas seems to start growing much faster once I started supplementing phytoplankton and marine snow regularly on top of the NLS and brine shrimp I feed.
 
Are your mushrooms in direct light? If they are try moving them in a shaded area so they have to stretch out for light. Try smaller particle food them the shrimp. Give Rods food a try. I think the lighting will be more of the issue them the food. For the zoas I have no idea I can't keep them alive in my tank.
 
You just gotta give them some time. Depending on each coral, some may reproduce faster. I have zoas that spread like crazy but this one particular colony has only grown 1 new polyp in the 6 months I've had them. Don't expect your ricordeas to split anytime soon. From my experience, they take forever.
Just keep up with water changes. I agree that your nitrates are kinda high for a reef so you should do one every week instead and you don't need to feed mysis to your corals. I've actually never heard of any zoas actually eating solid food. The lighting is good enough but I like to feed phyto everyday as well. Good luck man


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Will getting another protein skimmer help? I don't have enough time with school to do weekly water changes

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A protein skimmer will only get rid of dissolved nutrients in the water, it won't help with nitrates. A wc doesn't take very long. I'm a full time student as well and I figured out a way to do weekly wc's on a 150, 55, 40, 29, 20 and 14. I think you can do it


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Well not to start anything but I am an ap student ad well as I am a quad sport athlete so I have a very limited amount of time. Are there any filters/ in tank media reactors that would help with nitrates?

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