GSP Not fully open for long time!!

[j.speaks]

Hello everyone

I have been running my first tank, a 65g for about half a year now and I have had this gsp frag for a little over half that time. In the beginning, it was open and swaying around, like you see in the store. Eventually it started closing up completely but after a few days it opened slightly. It never went back to the original state, along with it pretty much not growing at all. I’ve seen it grow a bit but it’s nowhere near how fast the store described it to grow.

My params:
Salinity - 1.026
Ammonia - 0
Nitrate - >5
Ph - 8.1
Temp - 78
Kh - 10
Calcium - 370

I have the ai blade grow 36’’ light on the tank, and the coral is pretty close to the power head, and near the top of the tank I have moved it around a bit and this seems to be the spot it does best in, but I am completely open to moving it more.

Any bit of help is appreciated!

Attached is the coral when I first put it in compared to the coral now.

 

[elysics]

What's the phosphate level? And do you dose iodide or something that has iodide in it?

Apart from that, alkalinity is high and calcium low, one or both of those two should probably get fixed

 

[ackshee]

Have you tested your magnesium levels at all?

This is purely anecdotal, but my GSP was going through periods of retracting and seeming unhappy. I realized my magnesium was a bit low so I started dosing, and my GSP opened up again, and my Euphyllia started looking happier as well.

 

[j.speaks]

What's the phosphate level? And do you dose iodide or something that has iodide in it?

Apart from that, alkalinity is high and calcium low, one or both of those two should probably get fixed

My phosphate level is 0.25ppm, sorry I should have included that.

And no I don’t does any iodide. Also, I was told that a good alk was in the range of 10-12, is that incorrect?

 

[j.speaks]

Have you tested your magnesium levels at all?

This is purely anecdotal, but my GSP was going through periods of retracting and seeming unhappy. I realized my magnesium was a bit low so I started dosing, and my GSP opened up again, and my Euphyllia started looking happier as well.

Unfortunately I don’t have a magnesium test kit, but I planned to get one on my next trip to my lfs.

 

[elysics]

My phosphate level is 0.25ppm, sorry I should have included that.

And no I don’t does any iodide. Also, I was told that a good alk was in the range of 10-12, is that incorrect?

Well it could be lack of iodide, gsp and other gorgonians like iodide.

And 10-12 is not so much incorrect, more super high for people that want very fast stony coral growth at the expense of stability. Usually people that are that high either had an overdose accident or use a salt that's not fit for their tank inhabitants. Very few are that high on purpose. Also explains why your calcium is that low, it precipitates faster if all is that high

A normal range is more like 6.5-9 with most people sitting at 7-8

 

[j.speaks]

Well it could be lack of iodide, gsp and other gorgonians like iodide.

And 10-12 is not so much incorrect, more super high for people that want very fast stony coral growth at the expense of stability. Usually people that are that high either had an overdose accident or use a salt that's not fit for their tank inhabitants. Very few are that high on purpose.

A normal range is more like 6.5-9 with most people sitting at 7-8

Okay, I will look into iodide testing and dosing on my next trip

And thanks for the Kh info!

 

[phillyb614]

I had issues with my GSP closing up as well. I put some pretty serious flow on it. To the point that I thought there was no way it was going to be happy getting hit by a power head that hard. I was wrong. It has never been happier. I know you said it was close to the power head, but have you tried increasing the flow on it since having issues with it not opening?

 

[j.speaks]

I had issues with my GSP closing up as well. I put some pretty serious flow on it. To the point that I thought there was no way it was going to be happy getting hit by a power head that hard. I was wrong. It has never been happier. I know you said it was close to the power head, but have you tried increasing the flow on it since having issues with it not opening?

I will try this. Thanks!