My sps are not encrusting (1 Viewer)

[Tray]

How long should it take for sps to encrust?

 

[gregg]

so many things go into that.. ive had some that didnt start encrusting for 2-3 years and others were 2-3 months. If there not dying then consider yourself lucky and just hang in there.

 

[Tray]

Ok so I tested with all my test kits I had on my shelf to try to validate results.
po4 Hanna ppb 19 = 0.058254 ppm / Red Sea pro test po4 0.05ppm
po3 0.25 ppm / api not detectable in color scale
salinty 1.25
ph 8.0 Milwaukee meter/ 8.1 api
calcium 380
dkh hanna 9.8 /Red Sea pro 9.8
Mag Red Sea pro 1420/ salfert 1440
temp 79.7

any suggestions of what I am doing wrong? I lowered my skimmer setting one step to see if I could increase no3. And I will increase feeding.

 

[gregg]

do you dose calcium? your numbers seem low to me.

 

[Tray]

I have a doser 2 part using Sea chem fusion, but I don’t know what to set it at,?last week my dkh was 13.7. So others on board told me to shut it off. Can I just use part one? Perhaps you can give me a idea of how much. I have Red Sea 625 xxl with estimate 130 gal of display and sump volume. Maybe less I have a lot of rock and sand.

 

[reeftopia]

calcium is to low for real growth to me also

 

[gregg]

try this calculator Seachem - Dose Calculators

you enter in the tank volume, desired level and current level and it will tell you how much to use. id suggest keeping it around 420-430 but others may say differently.

based on your tank volume of around 120 you should be adding 184.6ml to get it to that desired level.

NOTE:

[FONT=&quot]Do not exceed a dose of 4 mL per 25 L (6.5 US gallons) per day

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in your case that means do not add more than 73ml per day. Start with that and then test it after 2 days and make adjustments... be sure to test your water at the same time each day. once you get your numbers to around 420-430 turn off your doser for 24 hours and then test again... use the calculator and see how much you need to get it back to 420-430..... that amount required is what you would need to add each 24hrs to keep it level... but i would keep testing after that to make sure you dont need to make any adjustments up or down.

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[gregg]

also id consider dropping the temp to 78

 

[Tray]

Thanks guys for your help. I will follow your advice and get back with results in a few days.

 

[webster1234]

I agree what Gregg said. But I have sps that took 6 months or longer to encrust.
sometimes, it just takes them a while to adjust to their new environment. Nothing to worry about imo as long as they have good color.

 

[RR-MAN]

also id consider dropping the temp to 78

That's a myth...I see tanks at 84 and grow insane sps[emoji6]

 

[Tnconcept]

Don't worry my friend, it takes time for this stuff to encrusted. I have all the frags from the swap and only one started to encrusted. The rest just looks the same. Just be happy your able to keep them alive and happy! They will soon take off and your gonna be fragging sps...

Cheers!

 

[Clownfish Chris]

That's a myth...I see tanks at 84 and grow insane sps[emoji6]

I second this. I keep my tank at 81 and see lots of encrusting. The higher the temperature the faster the metabolic rate of the coral.

Somewhat related: the mass bleaching events on the reefs are likely related to the sudden temperature changes not how hot the water is.

 

[FarmerTy]

I second this. I keep my tank at 81 and see lots of encrusting. The higher the temperature the faster the metabolic rate of the coral.

Somewhat related: the mass bleaching events on the reefs are likely related to the sudden temperature changes not how hot the water is.

My avg tank temp is 82. I like to think my acros grow at a decent rate but I've never compared directly to other tanks.

FWIW, higher metabolic rate as long as you also supply them with adequate flow and food/light to compensate for the higher rate. Also, keep in mind it also increases metabolic rates of algaes and bacteria so its a double-edged sword sometimes, especially if you don't employ other methods to keep bacteria levels lower and prevent algae growth.

Keeping higher temperatures also puts you closer to the peak temperature tolerable so it'll take less time in an emergency event to overheat your tank. I'm 2-3 degrees from break point of most corals where health will start declining but Gregg will be 6-7 degrees from breakpoint. Just things to consider when running a warmer tank.

 

[Tray]

Gregg, per your helpful instructions on how to figure out how much I should be doing, i have a report. So, when I asked for help for this question my calcium was 380 dkh 9.8 mag was 1420 temp 79.7 ph8.0 on 11/21/17 @ 8.p.m. I used Red Sea pro salt @ 1.25. In testing I used a combination of test kits that I had on hand. Calcium Red Sea and api. Dkh Red Sea reef foundation pro test kit and Hanna. Ph api and Milwaukee mc 122. Temp just measured by Kamoer dosing pump temp sensor. After your instructions I turned dosing pump #1 on using (part 1 Seachem fusion) and turned the other 3 off. Set the amount to 73.0 mil 2 times a day 36.5 mil one at 11 pm and one at 11 a.m. drooped house a/c down 3 degrees and tank temp dropped to 77.4 . Each day I tested at 8 pm and each day I could see dkh dropping and calcium increasing by 10. Yesterday calcium reached 420 and dkh was 9.1 . So I turned dosing pump off for the 24 hour pause. I tested tonight at 8 p.m. and observed the ex act same results as yesterday, with no movement with any thing. I would assume that means I do not need to dose anything and coral are not consuming detectable levels of calcium. Perhaps, the reason calcium was so low in first place is a salt issue, and I admit I did not test after last water change. So I am asking for additional advice if you have any of what to do next.

 

[gregg]

sounds like your moving along well.. i would keep testing daily alk and calcium until you see a change in your numbers, then determine the amount of dose needed to get your numbers back to where they are now and then divided by the number of days its been since your last dose and try dosing that amount daily.

so for example, if tomorrow ( 2 days) you see a drop in your numbers and the calculator says to add 20ml... then divide the 20ml by 2 (since it took 2 days to get to that point) and dose 10 mil a day...

also you might find others that disagree, always keep there opinions in mind when making a decision and consider the average response. Thats whats special about having a large group of people to ask, you may get several different opinions and not everyone may be correct but if you weigh out the answers over time youll figure it all out.

 

[OceansX]

That's a pretty consistent typo, so I'm going to double-check: Is your specific gravity ~1.025 at ~77 degrees F?


Regarding temperature, yes corals can adapt to live at higher temps. I've seen amazing tanks (Quoc's tank) that tolerated extremely hot 82 plus temp's and read about thriving coral reefs next to power plant exhausts, but that's not ideal and even minor additional stresses can kill them. If you can put some fans or increase the ventilation around your tank, I'd recommend that. I have family traveling in India right now, and they are surviving but they'd be happier if it was cooler.

 

[Tray]

Today’s update 11/26/17 @ 8pm, dosing pump still off. Temp is 77.6, ph 8.0 calcium still 420, now 48 hours dkh 8.8 . I have at least 30 sps frags and 30 zoa frags, some zoa have 1 head, some have up to 40. Mag is still 1420. I know I have seen zoa babies develop but nothing in sps. What could be keeping the calcium level stagnant?

 

[FarmerTy]

Today’s update 11/26/17 @ 8pm, dosing pump still off. Temp is 77.6, ph 8.0 calcium still 420, now 48 hours dkh 8.8 . I have at least 30 sps frags and 30 zoa frags, some zoa have 1 head, some have up to 40. Mag is still 1420. I know I have seen zoa babies develop but nothing in sps. What could be keeping the calcium level stagnant?

From this point, its just patience. They will encrust and grow, just give them time.

You have alk usage and I'm sure calcium usage as well, even though it didn't reflect in the results. Keep in mind these are hobbyist grade kits so your calcium could have gone down 10ppm but it didn't pick up the difference or even just the amount of reagent used was a hair off and you got the same result.

 

[Tray]

Ok, I know this is getting old, and I appreciate everyone’s input and direction with my needed reef education. However today’s development is worth bringing up. 11/27/17 @ 8 p.m. calcium 400!!! Finally tested it 3 times with 2 different kits, for I did not believe it. Alk dropped to 8.5. Mag ph and temp same as yesterday. So I ask the experts to guide me now. It has been 96 hours since I achieved 420 calcium, and seized dosing pump. Calcium went from 420 to 400 dropped 20 ppm in 3 days. Alk started 9.6 went to 8.5. Should I calculate and turn pump on now or continue to test for another 3 days to see if it drops consistency.