No luck with sps

[madmike10000]

Can anyone help me dial in why I might be having issue with my sps. Tank is 7 months old. 180gallon Main, 150g sump
3- hydra 64hd at 85% power
3- ai Nero 7 60-100% reef crest
Alk 8-8.5 stable
Calcium 430
Mag 1400
Nitrate 5
Po4 .003
Ph 7.95-8.1
I’m dosing 1.3 liters of kalkwasser per day
For the last 3 months sense I add them my sps have just not been growing. I have 16 sps frags. Mostly acro and a few monti. The colors on the acro are lacking and I have no growth at all and monti colors are better but no growth. No clue if I’m doing something wrong or if I’m being impatient. I’m starting to loose Acropora from the tips and base a little now. My maintenance is 25 gallons a week I change my total volume is around 240. Tropic marine salt.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Are the acro's basing out at least?
With no growth and pale coloring my first thought is to turn up the lights, there's nothing wrong that I see in the parameters, so that comes down to light or flow. The flow seems ok. Have you ever measured the par levels, any idea?

 

[jackson6745]

With tip burn and paling out I would send out an icp just to check for a fundamental issue or elevated metal.

Without icp I would

1- verify salinity with a tropic Marin hydrometer. I don’t trust refractometers. Double check temp as well.

2- add a seeding kit of live rock from marco if you started with all dead rock.

3- add more fish. I see your bioload is light and your nutrients are only the lower side. Getting them up will help get some more nutrient to the corals and improve their zoox populations. You could also feed something like reef roids and benepets once in a while.

4- optional but I would have more light. Add a retro kit at least:

 

[SomeHappyFish]

You have 16 sps and the tank is only 7 months old?

Also you started dosing kalkwasser since you added the sps? I'm a bit confused shouldn't you wait for the parameters to steady decline in Alk, Cal and mg before thinking of dosing anything?

 

[Loosechangereef]

Nice Tank plus you are doing alot of things correctly
My opinion
1)Coralline algae is a good indication for sps ready
2)In my tanks sps did ok after 1.5 years
3)Did you use any live rock?
4)I assume you are using ro/di water

Plus those frags dont look to bad give them a chance they may need time to adjust.

 

[madmike10000]

You have 16 sps and the tank is only 7 months old?

Also you started dosing kalkwasser since you added the sps? I'm a bit confused shouldn't you wait for the parameters to steady decline in Alk, Cal and mg before thinking of dosing anything?

Over the last 3 months or so Alk slowly goes down 1.5 dkh per week. So I just drop the kalk and it seems to hold it perfect I have a lot of snails and 2 good size clams thinking that’s why it goes down a little

 

[madmike10000]

Nice Tank plus you are doing alot of things correctly
My opinion
1)Coralline algae is a good indication for sps ready
2)In my tanks sps did ok after 1.5 years
3)Did you use any live rock?
4)I assume you are using ro/di water

Plus those frags dont look to bad give them a chance they may need time to adjust.

I’m starting to see some spots of coralline. I didn’t use any live rock. Yes rodi water. I’m wondering if I just jumped the gun too soon and got the frags.

 

[madmike10000]

Are the acro's basing out at least?
With no growth and pale coloring my first thought is to turn up the lights, there's nothing wrong that I see in the parameters, so that comes down to light or flow. The flow seems ok. Have you ever measured the par levels, any idea?

No basing out. I have not measured par yet. I dialed in the light of a brs video I saw on the hydra 64.

 

[Cichlid Dad]

Are you dosing kalk slowly or just putting in 1.5 lt?

 

[Spare time]

You mean 0.03ppm not 0.003ppm phosphate right?

 

[Spare time]

The pale color may mean you need to feed more or add some coral foods.

 

[Cichlid Dad]

The pale color may mean you need to feed more or add some coral foods.

Ab+ at this point?

 

[madmike10000]

Are you dosing kalk slowly or just putting in 1.5 lt?

It’s spread out over 24 hours on my versa.

 

[madmike10000]

You mean 0.03ppm not 0.003ppm phosphate right?

Yes sorry

 

[madmike10000]

I just ordered an icp test to see everything. Haven’t done one yet and figured it couldn’t hurt.

 

[Lavey29]

I’m starting to see some spots of coralline. I didn’t use any live rock. Yes rodi water. I’m wondering if I just jumped the gun too soon and got the frags.

Yes and most of us made the same mistake. You should just try a few tester frags until you see abundant coralline. After a year my tank with through an evolution and became much more stable and predictable. 38 SPS frags became mini colonies and full colonies after that. You are on the right path tank just needs more seasoning and be sure you par check your tank.

 

[Loosechangereef]

I’m starting to see some spots of coralline. I didn’t use any live rock. Yes rodi water. I’m wondering if I just jumped the gun too soon and got the frags.

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[Loosechangereef]

live sand i think they sell a kit to jump start tank

 

[Loosechangereef]

or get a couple pieces live rock

 

[bobnicaragua]

The tank is still young. I second the live rock and/or live sand suggestion.

I can see a lot of shadowing, you might consider eventually adding more light coverage.