GSP just never stay open

[Bushnell]

Hello! I’ve had my Red Sea max nano for about a year and a half now. For some reason I just have no luck with GSP. I’ve had two frags on a rock and just but a large frag from my LFS. The frag at the LFS was thriving. Now that it’s in my tank it’s been closed since I’ve purchased it over a week ago. In the beginning a few heads of it opened but it was never even fully opened.

I have a Kenya tree thriving and dropping babies. Waving hands, and some Zoas.

I just checked all of my levels. I do a bi weekly 20% WC with Red Sea salt mixed with RODI.

Salinity 35
Alkalinity 10.1
Phosphate 0.06
Calcium 400
Nitrate 0
Temperature 78.8

I use the filter sock and clean it every few days, have the stock skimmer working, and feed pellets twice a day for my two clowns.

Any advice? Everything else is thriving, it just seems like I can’t keep GSPs out and flowing! The front rock has been like this for over a month. They’ll come out for a few hours then go away.

 

[Bushnell]

I also meant to add that for my lighting I’ve been using the stock RS-50 with 100% blue and 30% white, the stock return pump, and I added a power head to the top right front side of the display for added flow and to help keep food suspended in the column. none of these variables have been changed

 

[kevgib67]

Gsp and soft corals in general like dirtier water. You need to get your nitrate up to 10-15 or even higher since you only have soft corals.

 

[Bushnell]

Is there a way to do that? Should I dose ammonia?

 

[kevgib67]

Is there a way to do that? Should I dose ammonia?

More import and less export. Import ,feed more and more often. Export, decrease amount and frequency of water changes. If you have a skimmer turn it off until you get to the level you want to achieve. Make changes slowly over time and you’ll have a happy gsp. Your other softies will appreciate it as well.

 

[NonstopSoda]

get them nitrates up! gsp are just dramatic sometimes but they are pretty much impossible to kill. I would recommend neonitro its cheap and super easy to up nitrates in nanos. I use it for dosing my tank and its doing great : D

 

[Bushnell]

get them nitrates up! gsp are just dramatic sometimes but they are pretty much impossible to kill. I would recommend neonitro its cheap and super easy to up nitrates in nanos. I use it for dosing my tank and its doing great : D

 

[Bushnell]

Thank you both very much! I was looking at adding some LPS, would higher nitrates still be a safe solution? I’ve always wanted a torch

 

[NonstopSoda]

Thank you both very much! I was looking at adding some LPS, would higher nitrates still be a safe solution? I’ve always wanted a torch

I have a mixed nano and i like to keep my nitrates around 10-20 but I have never had a torch so Im not quite sure about them, my hammers sure seem to be happy though!

 

[VintageReefer]

Not sure it’s nitrates. I ran 0 nitrates for months. It could be though. But it could be something else.

See the Feb tests in the chart and then my pic of gsp from cooresponding date. My gsp was growing mats onto the sandbed.

 

[kevgib67]

Thank you both very much! I was looking at adding some LPS, would higher nitrates still be a safe solution? I’ve always wanted a torch

I have been running them higher for three and a half years.

 

[Bushnell]

I have been running them higher for three and a half years.

Wow your tank is beautiful! Okay so higher nitrates it is. Never thought I’d be in the situation of having too clean of a tank lol. I will over feed and pause the skimmer until I get them to 10-15. Thank you again!

 

[Bushnell]

Not sure it’s nitrates. I ran 0 nitrates for months. It could be though. But it could be something else.

See the Feb tests in the chart and then my pic of gsp from cooresponding date. My gsp was growing mats onto the sandbed.

Your tank is beautiful as well holy smokes. I love how organized your notes are with keeping a log. I should be better about that. If it’s not the nitrates, any idea what else it could be? It’s always just the GSPs that are upset

 

[kevgib67]

Wow your tank is beautiful! Okay so higher nitrates it is. Never thought I’d be in the situation of having too clean of a tank lol. I will over feed and pause the skimmer until I get them to 10-15. Thank you again!

The funny thing is I had a tank for over 16 years I started in the mid nineties. The general consensus was 0 nitrates and phosphates which thankfully I could never achieve even though I tried.

 

[NanoNana]

GSP will also retract if it’s getting too much flow.

 

[Uncle99]

Wow your tank is beautiful! Okay so higher nitrates it is. Never thought I’d be in the situation of having too clean of a tank lol. I will over feed and pause the skimmer until I get them to 10-15. Thank you again!

It would be faster and easier to dose up nitrate and increase food as a long term solution.

I just bumped my nitrate from 1 to 5ppm with neo nitro.

Increase in food does work well but takes time to break down.

 

[Uncle99]

Thank you both very much! I was looking at adding some LPS, would higher nitrates still be a safe solution? I’ve always wanted a torch

Not only safe, but required for long term health.

 

[Bushnell]

GSP will also retract if it’s getting too much flow.

I could try turning off the power head to see if this is causing it too. I was having detritus build up a few months back so I thought it was a flow issue. It’s only a Red Sea max nano 26 gallon so maybe the return pump will be enough flow

I’ll also order some neo nitro to speed the process up a bit. Thank you all again so much

 

[VintageReefer]

Your tank is beautiful as well holy smokes. I love how organized your notes are with keeping a log. I should be better about that. If it’s not the nitrates, any idea what else it could be? It’s always just the GSPs that are upset

I track with a free app I got in the apple store.

I take pics of the tank and each coral about once a week. If I have a coral issue I go through the photos to the last known “good time” and I look for any changes in that time frame. It also lets me make notes like a journal so I make entries such as:

- added anthias
- spilled reed roids lol
- added 2 tsp baking soda due to low alk. Recheck tomorrow

Here’s current tank pics. I do recommend raising nitrate but I don’t believe it is the source of the issue

 

[NonstopSoda]

may i ask fro t

I track with a free app I got in the apple store.

I take pics of the tank and each coral about once a week. If I have a coral issue I go through the photos to the last known “good time” and I look for any changes in that time frame. It also lets me make notes like a journal so I make entries such as:

- added anthias
- spilled reed roids lol
- added 2 tsp baking soda due to low alk. Recheck tomorrow

Here’s current tank pics. I do recommend raising nitrate but I don’t believe it is the source of the issue

may i ask for the name of this app :3