Slow growth, no answers

[Robert Patterso]

It's a 140 with 75 gal sump. ATS good skimming. Had been carbon dosing. My growth is very slow at best.
SG 1.026
Alk 9.4
Ca 450
MG 1480
No3 .5
Po4 0.00 Hanna
I do have a small bryopsis issue. Very little. My thoughts are a little to nutrient free maybe? Colors are fair. Not to worried about color right now but would like to see good growth.
All test are with Red Sea pro, tested multiple times. I'm scratching my head here. I would think these sps would be trying to grow out of the tank. And yes I feed a lot.
Any thoughts anybody??

[Trevor40]

tank pics? any pics to show how slow your growth is like a before and after?

[Bugger]

What lights are you using. Maybe try getting a par meter and keep your corals in the 300 to 500 range

[waterman78]

How many fish do you have swimming around your aquarium?

[Robert Patterso]

No sorry no before/after pics unfortunately. Meant to say I'm running two 400w XM 20ks. I have four tangs, swallow tail angel, 1 anthias, flame hog. Fish poop is not an issue. Fed 2-3 times a day a variety of food. Corals get oysters and reef foundation A&B. I use BRS carbon in a bag

[waterman78]

Maybe it's a placement and waterflow issue. Which coral in particular are you having an issue with? Do you add Sr or Iodine to your tank?

[Robert Patterso]

Maybe it's a placement and waterflow issue. Which coral in particular are you having an issue with? Do you add Sr or Iodine to your tank?

Pretty much all corals have slow growth. I have a closed loop with dart pump, mp40 and two hydor #4s. Eheim 1260 return. I add iodine twice a week, no Sr tho. Bi weekly water changes with Red Sea coral pro.

[Bugger]

Are your corals new sometimes they take months and months to resume normal growth and sometimes they grow slow because they are frags cut from the sides or bottoms of the mother colony. Maybe try zeovit. try adding more light! thats what corals use to grow. Maybe your bulbs are just old.

[Robert Patterso]

Are your corals new sometimes they take months and months to resume normal growth and sometimes they grow slow because they are frags cut from the sides or bottoms of the mother colony. Maybe try zeovit. try adding more light! thats what corals use to grow. Maybe your bulbs are just old.

Bulbs are about 3 months old, could be a little high though. About 18"s bulb to water. I might be a little impatient, frags have been in 3-6 months. I see my friends tank once a week and seems to have new growth every week. Guess I need to chill a little.
Any thoughts about the height of lights. Using small lumenbrites

[DopeCantWin]

Your skimmer is a little undersized for that tank, I have it on a 90 with a 30 sump. Could you post up some pictures in general. With some coral close ups. What's the pH?

[Robert Patterso]

Your skimmer is a little undersized for that tank, I have it on a 90 with a 30 sump. Could you post up some pictures in general. With some coral close ups. What's the pH?

I really the skimmers is doing a great job. It pulls a lot of nasty poop. I haven't checked the ph in a long time. I have an ATS and refugium running on a reverse cycle. The corals have pretty good PE I think it's more about my patience and looking at the tank closely every day and not seeing growth.
If I can figure out out to down load pictures from phone I will post some

[artkwan]

Consider keeping the magnesium below 1400, and bump up the calcium just a tad closer to 480, and see what happens in two / three weeks.

[toothman]

This may sound a little different and too easy, but I have found carbon granules really irritates acropora. Even a small amount. Try taking the bag of carbon out. I know that carbon dosing usually recommends solid carbon. I would also try changing small amounts of water like: 5 gals a day. Try not feeding after 6 pm, there is a good article how calcification slows if coral are fed at night. I would keep alk more like 8 with carbon dosing and ca 420, more is not always better. You can also try adding zeovit zeolite rocks, you can just put them in a bag in a high water flow area, one liter to start is sufficient. Just rub the bag with your hands 2 x a day.

Good growth to me would be 1/8 to 1/4 inch a month. stags 1/2 inch/month.

[sirreal63]

Robert, what are the dimensions of the tank? LB Mini's are spotlights so it is possible you are over lighting the corals under the lights, and under lighting the ones away from under the spotlight. A pic of the display would help as well.

[Robert Patterso]

This may sound a little different and too easy, but I have found carbon granules really irritates acropora. Even a small amount. Try taking the bag of carbon out. I know that carbon dosing usually recommends solid carbon. I would also try changing small amounts of water like: 5 gals a day. Try not feeding after 6 pm, there is a good article how calcification slows if coral are fed at night. I would keep alk more like 8 with carbon dosing and ca 420, more is not always better. You can also try adding zeovit zeolite rocks, you can just put them in a bag in a high water flow area, one liter to start is sufficient. Just rub the bag with your hands 2 x a day.

Good growth to me would be 1/8 to 1/4 inch a month. stags 1/2 inch/month.

Could you possibly send me a link to the article please. I've always fed at lights out. If it would be better to feed during the day I'll give it a shot. I quit carbon dosing a couple weeks ago. Letting the nitrates and po4 come up a bit. I'll pull the carbon bag and see what happens

[Robert Patterso]

Robert, what are the dimensions of the tank? LB Mini's are spotlights so it is possible you are over lighting the corals under the lights, and under lighting the ones away from under the spotlight. A pic of the display would help as well.

Tank is 48x24x29 tall. Bulbs are 18"s above water line. I wish I'd of stayed with the large reflectors

[Robert Patterso]

Consider keeping the magnesium below 1400, and bump up the calcium just a tad closer to 480, and see what happens in two / three weeks.

I had run my mg up just recently trying to kill of the bryopsis in the tank. It's not much but it just won't go away. I normally keep it around 1350.

[artkwan]

Just out of curiosity, what is the pH, and is there a big swing between night and day?

Also, SPS do need a bit of phosphate to survive / grow.

[Robert Patterso]

Just out of curiosity, what is the pH, and is there a big swing between night and day?

Also, SPS do need a bit of phosphate to survive / grow.

I need to get a ph probe, I couldn't tell you what the ph is. Guess I could get a test kit

[potterjon]

I think you just need to give it time. Some corals are just very very slow growers. I notice that you didn't mention which corals you are keeping or that some are growing and others are not. So I would just wait it out and don't make any drastic changes to your system to compensate. I have had a few corals that seemed like they would never grow. A couple years later and I can't trim them fast enough. Just let it be and have patience.

[sirreal63]

Tank is 48x24x29 tall. Bulbs are 18"s above water line. I wish I'd of stayed with the large reflectors

That is high enough to get some spread with the LB's. I would suggest doing nothing other than waiting. As was noted above, it sometimes takes a while for the sps to get going. Patience is always hard, but if the frags are encrusting and not looking stressed then they will grow. The worst thing you can do at this point is to add any chemicals or supplements, add only food and keep the big three stable.