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#1
10/24/2006, 03:17 PM
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Why do I get HORRIBLE polyp extention/no growth?
I have a 65 gallon that has been up for about 5 months. It has ~100lbs of LR and about 60lbs or aragonite sand. It has an Octopus Skimmer, and a 20 gallon sump/fuge. For water movement I have a SEIO 820, a SEIO 620, and a 700gph return, and for lighting I have 2x250watt HQI MH with 10k bulbs. I have 2 Percs, 1 pygmy angel, 1 tomini Tang, 1 Rabbitfish and a lawnmower blenny. I have been having a HORRIBLE time with caulerpa (the last 3 fish I mentioned decided they would not eat it) and it is taking over. Besides that my tank params are as follows:
Salinity: 1.023 Nitrate: 0 Nitrite: 0 Phosphates: 0 ph: ~8 Alk: 8 dkh My corals will not extend their polyps, and even the hardiest show no signs of growth. I have had some green star polyps for practically the whole time, and they have not spread at all. I have xenia that does decent but by no means does it spread like a weed. My kenya tree has shown no growth. As for LPS, the frogspawn barely extends its polyps and the open brain (which flourished in the last tank) stays shriveled all the time. I also have a Sarcophyton leather coral that rarely opens up. Anyone know what I can do? |
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#2
10/24/2006, 03:41 PM
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Use some carbon in your sump. Check your calcium, I'l bet it's low.
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#3
10/24/2006, 03:41 PM
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What kind of water are you using and what brand salt mix ?
For starters you can raise your salinity up a couple points. Also what are your calcium levels ? |
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#5
10/24/2006, 05:04 PM
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Do you do waterchanges?
__________________
-Lee |
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#6
10/24/2006, 05:11 PM
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i had a magnesium shortage. my corals stopped growing. no polyp extension. i thought it was my bicolor blenny.
i tested my magnesium and it was somewhere around 1000 ppm. so i added to get it back around 1300...and noticed near immediate growth, coloring up and polyp extension with days.
__________________
The cure for anything is saltwater: sweat, tears, or the sea. - Izak Dinesen |
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#7
10/24/2006, 08:56 PM
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-I use RODI water ebay. My only concern about this is that it is hooked up to my copper wash room sink...could that have any negative effects?
-I use Reefcrystals salt -I do have macro in the fuge (it barely grows though) both chaeto and caulerpa on a 24/7 light cycle (96watts of PC) -The Rabbit is a Foxface (Siganus unimaculatus) -I haven't been doing to many water changes but in the last 3 weeks I have started doing a 5 gallon water change -I do not have a magnesium kit, and the last time I checked Calcium was at ~350 (this weekend I started dosing b-ionic daily to make calcium/mag more stable) Thanks for all the help! Any ideas as to which of these is the major culprit? |
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#8
10/24/2006, 08:59 PM
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I would do a couple large waterchanges. When I say large, I mean 50%... just make sure you match the PH, Temp, and Salinity and everything will be fine.
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-Lee |
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#9
10/24/2006, 09:16 PM
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I would get that calcium up around 400 or above and check your magnesium. consistent water changes are also important
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#10
10/24/2006, 09:16 PM
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test for magnesium and get that calcium up to 400 ... that will probably happen if you just increase your salinity to 1.025.
__________________
25gallon tank up and cycling since 7/29/06 Mostly LPS reef (lords, micros, duncans, etc.) with some ricordia florida and zoanthids. |
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#11
10/24/2006, 09:19 PM
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jinx
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#12
10/24/2006, 09:30 PM
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What about iodine? I use Kent supplement and coral growth is tremendous. Ph might need to be closer to 8.3. You should also look into using trace supplements. Here is a pic of a tank that recieves Kent Iodine, Kent Moly/Strt. Kent Liquid calcium, Reef Crystals water change 20% monthly, Reef builder. Nothing else. I use Kent Nano A/B in my nano and I can literaly watch zoos growing daily. To convince you that supplements are a neccessary PM me and I will take a pic of a new polyp and in a few days the same polyp and you will be convinced!
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#13
10/25/2006, 12:46 PM
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I know that this is a stupid question, but....
How do I do a large waterchange? When I do a 5 gallon one, I have 3x 5 gallon water jugs (like from water coolers) and I can make water in that. How do i make a large quantity of water, let alone transport it. The sink with RODI is about 100 feet away in another room...I don't think I can lift 20 gallons that far... Also, how do you get it from the container into the tank? Again, I know these are dumb questions that I should know the answer to, but I have never been able to figure it out.... Thanks again! |
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#14
10/25/2006, 12:47 PM
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I know that this is a stupid question, but....
How do I do a large waterchange? When I do a 5 gallon one, I have 3x 5 gallon water jugs (like from water coolers) and I can make water in that. How do i make a large quantity of water, let alone transport it. The sink with RODI is about 100 feet away in another room...I don't think I can lift 20 gallons that far... Also, how do you get it from the container into the tank? Again, I know these are dumb questions that I should know the answer to, but I have never been able to figure them out.... Thanks again! |
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#16
10/25/2006, 01:58 PM
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i have a 50 gallon garbage can about 6 feet from my tanks. i have my RO, which is under my kitchen sink and connected to some 30 feet of tubing, fill the can to capacity, i then add my salt and use a 6000 gph powerhead to stir and mix it for the next day or so. once its mixed and measured for the right salinity, i can either dip into it with 5 gallon buckets, or i use the pump with a long piece of vinyl tubing to refill my tank after its been drained.
for you, draining might be the only problem. how do you drain your tank now for water changes? 5 gallons at a time? if you can drain it out a window, or down a bathroom sink using a python (http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewIt...product=PY1213) that would help you get rid of large amounts of water. having a large garbage can to be used as a mixing tank will greatly help you in making a water change far easier. good luck!
__________________
The cure for anything is saltwater: sweat, tears, or the sea. - Izak Dinesen |
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#18
10/25/2006, 02:42 PM
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My suspicion is that once your calcium and alkalinity are blanced, you will see drastic improvement. That would at least be my starting point.
Take er easy Scott T. |
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and then use the same powerhead to get water back into my tank...
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