Hello all,
I am brand new here but I figured after a few days of lurking I would attempt to put myself out there to try and benefit from the depth and breadth of knowledge available on this forum. I've recently been trying to dip my feet into the Infamous world of acropora after trying in a larger tank years ago and failing. I have since then honed my knowledge a bit more but I'm always humbled by the finicky-ness of acros. I've managed about a 3/5 success rate on frags establishing in my mixed reef; my issue is, I am completely smitten with the strawberry shortcake acro and after two failed attempts I am looking for advice. The first frag I attempted isn't totally dead yet, but it's been steadily STN-ing for the past 3 months. The new frag i placed yesterday melted overnight. My staghorn and other acros are happy as can be. I will post pictures, specs and water parameters below.
Kh: 8.5
Mg: 1380
Ca: 465
Ph: 7.8
Sg: 1.024
Po: 0.5
Temp: 77°
Flow; sicce return pump. Hygger mini powerhead on ramping flow pattern
Lighting: Red sea ReefLED50 ~41%
ATO with Rodi water that I test for 0tds each fill
Reefdose pump for kh, ca, mg
I dose acropower daily
I feed phyto, reefroids, and LPS pellets twice a week
I feed frozen mysis/brine/cyclops pods for mandarin and clown daily
I've noticed an increase in algae and what I think are diatoms. My NO3 and NO2 are undetectable on my hanna checker, salifert teste and quick test strips. Ammonia also zero. I'm puzzled because the tank has been up for 2 years and is properly cycled, and I know I am putting nutrients in. I'm wondering if I should start dosing Nitrate.
I welcome all thoughts, comments, and ideas from anyone with experience!
I am brand new here but I figured after a few days of lurking I would attempt to put myself out there to try and benefit from the depth and breadth of knowledge available on this forum. I've recently been trying to dip my feet into the Infamous world of acropora after trying in a larger tank years ago and failing. I have since then honed my knowledge a bit more but I'm always humbled by the finicky-ness of acros. I've managed about a 3/5 success rate on frags establishing in my mixed reef; my issue is, I am completely smitten with the strawberry shortcake acro and after two failed attempts I am looking for advice. The first frag I attempted isn't totally dead yet, but it's been steadily STN-ing for the past 3 months. The new frag i placed yesterday melted overnight. My staghorn and other acros are happy as can be. I will post pictures, specs and water parameters below.
Kh: 8.5
Mg: 1380
Ca: 465
Ph: 7.8
Sg: 1.024
Po: 0.5
Temp: 77°
Flow; sicce return pump. Hygger mini powerhead on ramping flow pattern
Lighting: Red sea ReefLED50 ~41%
ATO with Rodi water that I test for 0tds each fill
Reefdose pump for kh, ca, mg
I dose acropower daily
I feed phyto, reefroids, and LPS pellets twice a week
I feed frozen mysis/brine/cyclops pods for mandarin and clown daily
I've noticed an increase in algae and what I think are diatoms. My NO3 and NO2 are undetectable on my hanna checker, salifert teste and quick test strips. Ammonia also zero. I'm puzzled because the tank has been up for 2 years and is properly cycled, and I know I am putting nutrients in. I'm wondering if I should start dosing Nitrate.
I welcome all thoughts, comments, and ideas from anyone with experience!