Few Corals never bloom?

[ppht]

I have had my system running for about 7 months, everything has been flourishing well. I have a hammer that split to 2 and is looking good and a growing flower anenome as well as healthy fish. Now I also have a frogspawn, GSP and zoo colony that just dont open all the way. I see them opening in little spirts but not wide open. There was one week about a month ago that my GSP for the first time was in full bloom and looked great. I see it is growing on the rock but not blooming. The frogspawn was bigger and one day looked dead. But then I noticed at night it peeks out like it is regrowing. That has been going on for 2 months. The zoo polyps do scattered appearences but the hole thing is never wide open. Can someone point me in the right direction if this isnt normal? I was thinking I have an alkaline problem. My Calcium was usually 390-405 last checked.
Here are my water conditions via Aquatronica:
http://reeftank.no-ip.org/

[Rockitmakr]

Link to Parms does not allow access....

[ppht]

It works here. Do you see any screen at all?

[Rockitmakr]

Shows login screen, since I don't have your password I can't see the parms.

[ppht]

You dont enter a login just click on the realtime buttons it lets you look but not change.

[Hoosier Reefer]

It was showing a pH of 8.63 when I looked....... That can't be good :confused:

[ppht]

I have talked to many people with the PH issue. I have had spikes of 8.7. In the docs It's usually in the 8.5 8.6. I am in the process of removing bioballs and changing to a refuge. I have live sand but no algea yet.

[Laakmann]

Exact same problem as you man, I have tried everything I can think of (assuming stable and good parameters).

My Zoa colonys only open about 1 in 20 polyps, havnt seen any star polyps for a while and on both my leathers I cant see any tenticals.

I have tried installing a ground probe, running carbon, changing flow, reducing/increasing light, more food, less food ect.

Subcribed to this thread incase you find an answer.




I have an idea though, I run 2 SEIO 2600 powerheads, 2 aquaclear 400s and have 2 mag 12 return pumps. When I put my ear to the acrylic it is loud! It sounds like your in a room with a vacum cleaner. I am going to try turning of the ones that produce the most vibrations and see how that works.

[ppht]

Sounds alot of the same. What is your PH? Do you have a wet dry or sump?

I am looking at PH because as I think back my GSP was wide open very big and then a week later back to the same as it is now. ABout that time I added lights, sand and algea to my sump tank, cycling the lights at night. Thats when my PH stabalized at about 8.5 Same at night and day... But the crab in my sump ate all the algea.

[Laakmann]

My pH is 8.15 plus or minus .05, I run a sump without a wetdry.

I turned off the powerheads overnight and that helped a little, more zoas showing and a little tentical showing on one of my leathers.


I am at the point where I am just going to do alot of water changes over the next few weeks to change 80-90% of the water. I did a water change yesturday also and everything looked a little better after that.

Maybe its just a contamination

[ppht]

My ORP is at 400 and I was doing water changes early with no luck, it might help for you but I didnt get results...

[Jeremy Blaze]

How about, nitrates, nitrites, ammonia, phosphates, alkalinity, salinity?

[ppht]

Sal. 1.0238
Nitirite .1
Nitrate 20
Ammonia 0
No phosphate test.

[Jeremy Blaze]

Please give details of set up, livestock, maintance, etc...

[ppht]

Gorgonian, Flower, 1 hammer that split to 2 recently,maroon clown, Powder blue tang, Mandarin, Rabbit fish, 2 blenny's, 1 cowfish, 2 bristtle stars, 1 velvet purple star. 90 Gal with what was a wet dry I have slowly been removing bioballs and converting to fuge. I have sand in the sump and have lights going on at night. Many little critters growing in the sump. Deltec AP600 with ozone running. 2 Modded Maxi jet 1200's with MJ mods lets of flow. They cycle back and forth 7 minute intervals. Change about 15% water every 4-6 weeks. Not sure what else to add....If you didnt check it yet my lin kto water parameters are in the top post.. Shows current stats.

[Jeremy Blaze]

Well, first, the cowfish raises a flag. Very likely to nip at the corals.

IMO thats a lot of fish for such a young tank. I would say with the load, removing of the bioballs, your tank simply needs time to mature.

Your biological filtration needs time to catch up with the bio load. Thats why you are reading nitrites.

[ppht]

Nitrites you feel keep corals closed?
The cowfish was added 2 weeks ago.

[Jeremy Blaze]

Yes. Nitrites are bad.

[Laakmann]

My tank doesnt have noticable nitrite, nitrate, or phosphates and it still has the same problem

[Laakmann]

My tank doesnt have noticable nitrite, nitrate, or phosphates and it still has the same problem

[Jeremy Blaze]

There are many many variables.

[ppht]

At .1 are my nitrites high?

[bderos]

This is a little off the topic but fits into corals not blooming. I have this peice but algea has started to grow between stalks and it isnt blooming as much any more. Actually it looks like its shrinking. My question is how do I get the algea to stop growing on the coral? I think its killing the coral slowly.

[ppht]

yes I have algea growth as well. I have taken a few more tests and hope it sheds some light on the matter.
My Calcium is 410
But my Magnesium is 1080 on a Salifert Test. Which seems low..
What other water parameters can effect coral blooming? My Gorgonian is blooming well. but Zoo's, GSP, Frogspawn, and a superman coral dont look like they are thriving? Any suggestions?

[Laakmann]

I solved my problem,

I went out and bought 2 buckets of salt and made 15% water changes everyother day for a 2 weeks.

The parameters that my test kits measure where fine but I guess there was something else in the water.

Now I see rediculous polyp extension from everything, star polyps, leathers, gorgonians, torches and frogspawns.

[ppht]

Hrmm I was thinkning I should do the same funny you post that... Looks like I am changing water....