Help with vandycane

[Bl4ckDr4g0n]

I have had this candycane about 3 months. Its grown and all its heads have split. However at the base the flesh is now receding. I just moved it a nit lower and less flow. What should I do? I just lost a lord acan in a cyano battle id really like to save this guy.

<a href="http://s53.photobucket.com/user/Drag0ns_Breath/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20161022_122519_zpss9mxrpqr.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g42/Drag0ns_Breath/Mobile%20Uploads/20161022_122519_zpss9mxrpqr.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 20161022_122519_zpss9mxrpqr.jpg"/></a>

[TangingOut]

I'm not seeing a problem. The tissue only goes down so far and as the branches get longer there will be more exposed skeleton.

[anthonys51]

your tank is very new, dont see much life on those rocks yet. so your tank is very unstable still. make sure you arent feeding your tank too much, also make sure your testing your water at least once a week

[Bl4ckDr4g0n]

Yes its been cycled since june. I test at least once a week nh3 no2 and no3 are 0 po4 is less than .02 alk 9.8 ca 420 mg 1360.

[anthonys51]

are you using api test kits.
also are you dosing.


also you dont have to really test nitrites an ammonia once your cycle is down. i would test alk once a week at the same time every week

magnesium i would do once a month

calicium once every 2 weeks.

alk is really the most import of the 3. there is a lot less alk in the tank than calcium. think its like 20-1 . so your alk is more likely to fluctuate than calcium. thats why i would test it more often

[Bl4ckDr4g0n]

Red sea pro test kits, hw marinemix, and 2 part and i have red sea reef energy but my tank is pretty lightly stocked so i dont use it more than once or twice a week. My chalice, millipora, and hammer seem to be doing well and this coral has definitely grown.

[anthonys51]

trust me, you will have corals that grow for months then one day just start dying. its part of the hobby

[anthonys51]

key is to find the balance in your tank and dont make any big changes

if you see too much algae or cryno growing means your doing something wrong. but each tank is different just like dieting

[Bl4ckDr4g0n]

I really dont know what the cyano was feeding on my nutrients have been undetectable for months. The chemiclean knocked it way back and precipitated something out of the water column

[anthonys51]

Do yourself a favor. Don't add those quick fix things like chemiclear. You can you gfo but that other stuff to lower phosphates are crap. Also cryno and algae don't need high phosphates to grow. Try adding a fast growing coral or Marco algae to use up some of the nutrients before the bad stuff grows. Since your tank is so new abd you started with dry rock it just takes a while for all the good stuff to grow on the rock to handle the nutrients you put into the tank


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[Bl4ckDr4g0n]

I agree with that thought process, but manual removal carbon gfo and a consistent water change schedule was not knocking it back and I was really hoping to save the lord acan. Unfortunately the hermit crabs had other plans.

[anthonys51]

can i ask how many fish are in the tank

[Bl4ckDr4g0n]

2 juvenile clowns and a juvenile 6 line wrasse

[anthonys51]

You know that 6 line wrasse is one mean sob


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[Reefer4evaa]

my personal opinion your alkalinity is too high but that comes with the salt.(.red sea pro salt is high in alkalinity)I use to use the same salt and had a very hard time maintaining levels due to high alk.i switched to the regular red sea salt which mixes up at 8.5 alk...420 ppm with calcium.with a new tank I would just recommend water changes as your tank isn't heavily stocked with corals or fish,stop dosing as it isn't needed and isn't being consumed by much in your tank,add more fish to bring up your bio load cause having zero nitrates isn't good for a corals..

[jml1149]

How are you keeping your nitrates at 0? You mathematically can't have 0 nitrates unless you're actively working to remove them, including via water change.

[anthonys51]

How are you keeping your nitrates at 0? You mathematically can't have 0 nitrates unless you're actively working to remove them, including via water change.

there are other ways to remove nitrates besides water changes. plus i dont think mathematically applies here. because it is mathematically possible to have zero nitrates.

are you testing wit red sea for nitrates

[jml1149]

there are other ways to remove nitrates besides water changes. plus i dont think mathematically applies here. because it is mathematically possible to have zero nitrates.

are you testing wit red sea for nitrates

As long as you're feeding your tank, it is mathematically impossible to achieve 0 nitrates via water change unless you a. change 100% of the tank water or b. do something else. As I said in the previous post.

Given what he's provided, he's probably NOT not feeding his tank, probably not doing 100% water changes, and probably NOT carbon dosing, running a giant fuge, remote DSB, sulfur denitrator, etc. Or maybe he is and didn't mention it. But the tank has only been cycled for a couple of months so...

SO

If he's not doing a. or b., then there's a problem with the testing.

NOW

Personally, I was using a test kit that had been expired for a couple of months. Oops, happens. My tank started to show ill effects, I noticed the test kit was bad. The bad test kit was reading < 2 NO3. New test kit > 20 NO3. AHAH!!! Massive water change, built a denitrator, and tank has never looked better. This can happen. These tests aren't super easy sometimes.

THEREFORE

Before any drastic changes, interventions, dumping of chemicals, etc. should always, always, always verify the test is correct. I was a test engineer for a long time, it's what we do. Takes longer to set up the correct test sometimes then it does to actually run the test.

ALSO

I have found that candy canes like the one in your picture are super sensitive to light changes. I have also found the easiest way to impart such changes is to change / add / refresh GFO using LED's.

FINALLY

I agree, it is possible to have 0 nitrates, but only with active export. Mathematically applies everywhere. Literally everywhere.

[anthonys51]

As long as you're feeding your tank, it is mathematically impossible to achieve 0 nitrates via water change unless you a. change 100% of the tank water or b. do something else. As I said in the previous post.

Given what he's provided, he's probably NOT not feeding his tank, probably not doing 100% water changes, and probably NOT carbon dosing, running a giant fuge, remote DSB, sulfur denitrator, etc. Or maybe he is and didn't mention it. But the tank has only been cycled for a couple of months so...

SO

If he's not doing a. or b., then there's a problem with the testing.

NOW

Personally, I was using a test kit that had been expired for a couple of months. Oops, happens. My tank started to show ill effects, I noticed the test kit was bad. The bad test kit was reading < 2 NO3. New test kit > 20 NO3. AHAH!!! Massive water change, built a denitrator, and tank has never looked better. This can happen. These tests aren't super easy sometimes.

THEREFORE

Before any drastic changes, interventions, dumping of chemicals, etc. should always, always, always verify the test is correct. I was a test engineer for a long time, it's what we do. Takes longer to set up the correct test sometimes then it does to actually run the test.

ALSO

I have found that candy canes like the one in your picture are super sensitive to light changes. I have also found the easiest way to impart such changes is to change / add / refresh GFO using LED's.

FINALLY
I agree, it is possible to have 0 nitrates, but only with active export. Mathematically applies everywhere. Literally everywhere.

gfo doesnt affect water clarity, carbon does. are you stating changing gfo will make your water clearer
big rocks can have denitrification going on inside of them. plus algae uses nitrates so its possible to have zero nitrates.

i have 12 fish in my 57 gallon tank and i register zero on red sea test kits for nitrates. i dont have a dsb, dont carbon dose and only do 5 gallon water change once a week. remember every tank is different just like every person is different

just because you cant eat a bag of potato chips without getting fat doesnt mean i cant ps i cant :)

[jml1149]

gfo doesnt affect water clarity, carbon does. are you stating changing gfo will make your water clearer
big rocks can have denitrification going on inside of them. plus algae uses nitrates so its possible to have zero nitrates.

i have 12 fish in my 57 gallon tank and i register zero on red sea test kits for nitrates. i dont have a dsb, dont carbon dose and only do 5 gallon water change once a week. remember every tank is different just like every person is different

just because you cant eat a bag of potato chips without getting fat doesnt mean i cant ps i cant :)

I like chips in bags. Also in tubes. Sometimes on a plate.

Directly, carbon reduces the amount of organic compounds in the water, improving clarity. However, when you run GFO, you reduce a host of compounds, including phosphate. The reduction in phosphate leads to a reduction in free floating algae, which also improves water clarity.

The only two times I've ever had a problem with my candy canes were when I changed from black box LED's to Kessils, and when I OD'd on GFO. Whoops.

[jml1149]

And, two be honest, his candy canes in the picture look GREAT.