Issues with hammer & Duncan. Flow, light, water? Appreciate the help!

[Stuckita]

Hey everyone, I have a tank that is 2 months old, everything was going quite well - until it wasn't. I experienced a really intense algae break out and was running pretty high nutrients at nitrates of 30-50. This cleared up and my Duncan began behaving very weird. It used to be very extended pretty much all of the time, not it is shriveled and never extended. At the same time I picked up my first 2 hammers. On day 1 they opened (this is right when the Duncan began to misbehave) ever since they have not fully opened, they are stressed and I have seen them excreting a milky fluid.

I don't believe the hammers not opening is flow related as the Duncan should be thriving if it was, but I wanted to rule it out. Can you check this video out?


As for light, the hammers seem to open the most in the morning or night and shut tight all day. Could it be light related? I tested the area of the tank at my LFS and they were running about 150 PAR. In the area of the video during full daylight (12-6pm) I am running about 180 PAR so similar. But I use a lot more white and likely green/violet/red light. It was blue heavy at the LFS.

Should I try adjusting this down?

Water parameters (note the nitrate has swung as I mentioned above):
Salinity: 1.0255
PH: 8.1
Temp: 78.4
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 5-10
Alkalinity: 8.5
Mg: 1320

No tests for calcium or phosphates.

Pretty much nothing in the tank is looking as good as it used to, even some of the zoa's don't seem to be doing as well.

In the tank I have
-2 clowns
-1 duncan
-2 hammer
-6 zoa
-1 gsp
-1 plating monti

Thanks!

 

[MarsReefer]

How big is the tank? Did you start with dry rock or live rock?

How did you lower the nitrates?

I would look at getting a phosphate test kit. Phosphate can do huge swings on new tanks, especially if you started with dry rock.

The flow looks ok to me, about what my hammers see and they are thriving.

A large change in spectrum or PAR from the LFS could be causing them stress, might want to ramp up your lights slowly in the future.

 

[Stuckita]

How big is the tank? Did you start with dry rock or live rock?

How did you lower the nitrates?

I would look at getting a phosphate test kit. Phosphate can do huge swings on new tanks, especially if you started with dry rock.

The flow looks ok to me, about what my hammers see and they are thriving.

A large change in spectrum or PAR from the LFS could be causing them stress, might want to ramp up your lights slowly in the future.

Tank is pretty small, waterbox 35.2 so total volume of 33gal.

I did nothing purposeful to lower nitrates. I cleaned the algae every day, I performed my weekly water changes I think the last number were 10%, 10%, 15%, 15%, 12%.

I started with dry rock, live sand, and a healthy dose of fritz turbo start for a fishless cycle.
Picking up a Hanna phosphate kit this week, but I'm pretty rural so not able to get to the shop until Thursday so trouble shooting from a far.

With regards to PAR, yes I agree... the hardier coral didn't care but lessons now learned! The fact the Duncan is being weird as well when previously I thought that thing was bomb proof has me leaning towards phosphates or just a general swing in nitrate.

 

[MarsReefer]

When my tank was new my nitrates and phosphates swung all over the place. I didn’t have any corals yet, but even with my 130 gallon tank one would bottom out and the other would skyrocket as it couldn’t get used up without the other.

It took about 6 months to level off. For me my dry rock sucked up phosphates like crazy for 3 months. I ended up dosing phosphates every day to keep them above 0. Then one day the rocks and sand were saturated and I never had to dose again.

 

[Stuckita]

When my tank was new my nitrates and phosphates swung all over the place. I didn’t have any corals yet, but even with my 130 gallon tank one would bottom out and the other would skyrocket as it couldn’t get used up without the other.

It took about 6 months to level off. For me my dry rock sucked up phosphates like crazy for 3 months. I ended up dosing phosphates every day to keep them above 0. Then one day the rocks and sand were saturated and I never had to dose again.

What would be the visual effects of low vs high phosphates?

Could it be the algae was consuming my high phosphates and when that dissipated due to lower nitrate the phosphates are now rising?