abaker136
New Member
Hello Everyone,
I've been in the reefing hobby since March 2024. I started with a 15-gallon tank but upgraded to a 35-gallon by May, transferring most of my sand and rock to kickstart the cycle. Currently, I’m running a 35.2-gallon Waterbox AIO as a "mixed reef," and things are progressing well overall. The tank mainly features a euphylia garden, a few torches, and a zoa garden. However, I'm dealing with two issues:
I feed Ocean Nutrition nano pellets and frozen mysis shrimp daily. Corals are fed Fauna Marin Coral Dust, and I target-feed Fauna Marin LPS pellets to Duncans and other LPS corals 3-4 times a week.
Any advice on the SPS issue or the Trachy healing would be much appreciated! Thank you!
I've been in the reefing hobby since March 2024. I started with a 15-gallon tank but upgraded to a 35-gallon by May, transferring most of my sand and rock to kickstart the cycle. Currently, I’m running a 35.2-gallon Waterbox AIO as a "mixed reef," and things are progressing well overall. The tank mainly features a euphylia garden, a few torches, and a zoa garden. However, I'm dealing with two issues:
- SPS Coral Struggles: All my soft and LPS corals are thriving, but I can't seem to keep SPS corals alive. I initially added an Acro frag, green birdsnest, and forest fire Monti in higher flow/light areas. They showed good polyp extension and color for a few months, but they eventually melted away. I even invested in a PAR meter, measuring the PAR range between 250 to 360 for the higher point on my rocks were I have been placing the SPS, with the Acro in the higher range. Despite my efforts, every SPS frag I've owned has declined over time. My Forest Fire Monti is my last remaining SPS, and I'm unsure if it's an "under a year" tank maturity issue. I've recently reduced my daily alkalinity dosing from 6.2 ml to 4 ml in an attempt to stabilize alkalinity around 8 dKH and calcium around 420 ppm.
- Trachy Coral Tissue Issue: I won a beautiful Trachyphyllia coral at a local coral show. When I brought it home and dipped it, I noticed a small spot of tissue damage along its outer ring. Brown algae has since attached to that area, and despite my efforts, I can't remove the algae or promote healing. I've now had this Trachy for about four months.
- Alkalinity & Calcium: 6 ml of B-Ionic Calcium/Alkalinity buffer via an Apex auto doser.
- Coral Nutrition: 5 ml of Red Sea AB+ daily.
- Trace Elements: 3.5 ml of Brightwell Replenishment for trace elements (especially for better goniopora extension).
- Water Changes: Weekly 5-gallon changes with homemade RO/DI water mixed with Red Sea Salt (standard, not pro, to keep alkalinity lower) to 35 ppt salinity. I test salinity with a Hanna Salinity Tester and a refractometer, both calibrated within the past three months.
- Salinity: 35.1 ppt
- pH: 7.95 to 8.2 (measured with Apex probe)
- Temperature: 76°F to 79°F (controlled by Apex)
- ORP: 371 (Apex)
- Alkalinity: 10.6 dKH (Hanna)
- Calcium: 383 ppm (Hanna)
- Phosphate: 0.03 ppm (Hanna)
- Nitrate: 1.2 ppm (Hanna)
- Magnesium: 1480 ppm (Salifert)
- Lighting: AI Hydra 32
- Return Pump: IM MightyJet DC 530 GPH
- Flow: 2x AI Nero 3s
- UV Sterilizer: Innovative Marine 10-Watt Clarifier
- Heater: Hyger 300W
- Skimmer: Tunze Comline DOC Skimmer 9004
- Fish: 2 Clownfish, 1 Six-Line Wrasse, 1 Royal Gramma, 1 Banggai Cardinal,
- Nems: 2 Bubble Tip Anemones (BTAs)
- Corals: Zoas, Candy cane, Torches, Hammers, Frogspawn, Trachy, GSP, Duncan, Acan, Ghonipora, blasto, shrooms.
- Cleanup Crew: 1 Tiger Conch, 10 Blue/Red-Legged Hermits, 5 Astrea Snails, Trochus Snails
I feed Ocean Nutrition nano pellets and frozen mysis shrimp daily. Corals are fed Fauna Marin Coral Dust, and I target-feed Fauna Marin LPS pellets to Duncans and other LPS corals 3-4 times a week.
Any advice on the SPS issue or the Trachy healing would be much appreciated! Thank you!
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