Have a question for the coral experts.

[23cnhit]

I have a 90 gallon I just setup. I have two of these lights setup on it.

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I have not had any of my Zoas open up yet in the new tank. They've been in there for since Sunday of this week. They are in halfway and lower in the tank and the lights are about 5 inches off the water. No top. Water salinity is great, and so is all chemical levels when tested.

Do I just need to give them time, or is there anything I need to do to get them to open up. I add Kent Marine Calcium as the label says also.

I am also wanting to add SPS to the tank and was wondering what I could be doing wrong. Any SPS I have added have all turned white and died I guess. I had a couple of live rock with SPS on them when I purchased it and all have turned white. They are in the middle of the tank . I really want to grow SPS and want to learn.

The lights run for 10 hours a day, and if anyone knows these lights, I run them on the second mode where the lights(Blue and white) intensity gradually get higher and up to 85% and then taper down in the evening.

 

[ringo®]

23cnhit;1085147 wrote: I have a 90 gallon I just setup.

I would think it has something to do with this. Could be they're getting blasted by the light as well.

 

[23cnhit]

The tank has been cycled. Sorry I didn't put that in there. Been running for 2 weeks before I put them in there.

So they are getting too much light?

 

[civics14]

2 weeks is a very very young system, but what parameters are you testing? kind of wondering why you're adding calcium so soon. Just wondering, but what salt are you using?

did you acclimate to your light by placing them on the sand bed and gradually moving them up or just plopped it right into the middle of the tank? what lights were the SPS under before?

 

[brandonmason]

1 month is young for sps tank. How often are you doing water changes? Did you do water changes during the cycle? Did you ever see ammonia?

Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk

 

[23cnhit]

No ammonia. All these were in a well established tank before i put them in this new one.
I admit I didn't start them on the bottom, but the ones I have on the bottom are not opening up either.
I added the calcium because I thought I was helping. I did it when they were in my other tank. If It isn't I will stop.

Instant Ocean Reef Crystals Reef Salt is the salt I used to mix. No water changes during the cycle. The SPS were under the same light in the other aquarium. I tested Ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates, and PH and salinity.

 

[ringo®]

Don't add or dose anything you can't test for. On a new tank with frags, regular water changes will keep your levels where they need to be. Where are you getting your water change water from? RO/DI?

 

[23cnhit]

Distilled water bought from walmart and Kroger. I add the salt to that in a Brute. Depending on the salinity I will top off with Distilled or salt water. I check daily. Don't have a RO/DI yet. I will stop the Calcium Ringo. Thank you

 

[raz0945]

Sorry, I know this is not what anyone wants to hear! Corals do not do well in a new tank, you are not just working with the parameters of the water. The natural aging of the tank is important. I have found that my tanks need to be a minimum of 6 months before they do well for acros, I don't add coral for 6 week then I start with soft or lps, a few at a time. I find I go thru all the phases of algae only once and don't have the parameter swings, this is the "old way", it has worked well for many of us. Patience is very important! Good luck with your tank!! Holley

 

[23cnhit]

Thank you Raz. I will not add anything new for a long time. I just moved the live rock with them on it to the new tank. I need to disassemble and get rid of the old tank so I went ahead and moved them. Thank you

 

[ringo®]

SPS problems aside, zoas are pretty tough. There's an underlying problem here that needs to be nipped in the bud. I would get off the distilled water and get RO/DI from a local store or a near by member that feels like doing you a solid until you purchase a RO/DI of your own. How are you checking salinity and what salinity are you mixing your water at?

 

[snowmansnow]

Hey man. I feel for ya. Setting up a new tank is a blast, but having to wait for it to mature really puts the damper on the fun of adding animals
Like the others have said let the tank settle (cycle).
Corals aren't hard to keep once you have a good handle on how to keep things stable.
One way to tell if the tank has started to cycle is: have you experienced an algae bloom, usually diatoms.
Once those go away, probably in 2 weeks "ish" then test for your NO3 and such.
Hang in there! It's not really hard to accomplish a great tank, but it does take some time.
Oh... And absolutely use to or RODI water.
Here's why.
Even though distilled water is fairly clean, it still has things you don't want. As the water evaporates and you add top off those harmful things add up (since they don't evap w the water).... Eventually you'll have a mountain of unwanted chemicals / nasty parameters.

RODI avoids that.
Most walmarts and grocery stores have a way to grab ro water if you don't have a way to make it yourself.

Eventually YOU WILL buy an RODI filter if you stay in the game.


So long, and thanks for all the fish.

 

[raz0945]

We will be going thru a move soon, my husband is building stands for 3 tanks and a large sump, we are going to dig a koi pond while our tanks cycle, then we will have to cycle the pond. It is so hard to have patience, very frustrating!

 

[23cnhit]

Ringo®;1085175 wrote: SPS problems aside, zoas are pretty tough. There's an underlying problem here that needs to be nipped in the bud. I would get off the distilled water and get RO/DI from a local store or a near by member that feels like doing you a solid until you purchase a RO/DI of your own. How are you checking salinity and what salinity are you mixing your water at?

I will try Ringo, I just don't have any store close, and I keep the salinity around 1.025

 

[ringo®]

Are you using a hydrometer or a refractometer? Hydrometers can read a little off.

 

[23cnhit]

Hydrometer, if it goes above 1.026 I add a gallon of Distilled in my sump

 

[urbanknight]

Hey neighbor. I'm in Stockbridge and just wanted to let you know that your best advice here is coming from Holley (Raz). Nothing good ever happens in reefing fast. It's a slow process. You must give you tank the proper time to cycle before you add any animals. People will use different methods to get an ammonia spike during cycling (Brandon spoke of this). Add a shrimp from the grocery store, add fish food daily with no fish in system (could take up to 6 wks), adding live rock and live sand are probably the most popular method to cycle. Read this and watch the video:

 

[ringo®]

Next time you get by a store or a members house, try bringing some water with you and see if their reading matches up with yours. I've got an old hydrometer here. It reads 1.023 when it's really 1.026.

 

[23cnhit]

Some Live rock and sand have been in there for 4 weeks now. I only added the live rock with corals on it this past Sunday.

Glad to have someone close by.

Will do Ringo

 

[ringo®]

Were you testing for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate when you were cycling? Did you see each level rise and settle?