First lps corals

Thornbreaker · 08/15/2018, 07:39 AM

Hi, I picked up a branching hammer and a blasto this past weekend.

How much is too much flow for a hammer? I've seen "moderate flow" tossed around but that seems a relative term.

Currently, the hammer gets alot of flow upwards from undeneath, with a blast every other second thats random. He's open, but not fully. Would he be closed tho if he isn't happy with the current flow?

Blasto seems pretty open, with less flow as I've read. Neither are glued down yet. I'll probably pop them off the plugs/disc and glue them straight to the rock once they get happy.

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krs1102 · 08/15/2018, 08:25 AM

How many days has he been in your tank? It could still be settling..... my hammer took a few days (2-3) to fully expand.

What are your numbers (nitrates, etc)?
My hammer stayed like that when my nitrates got higher than it wanted (above 10 was when I noticed it responded). A water change took care of that issue though.

Your use of the word "blast" suggests a bit stronger amount of flow than I try to have. I have found that my hammers like to have their heads moving a little bit, but they're not really getting hit hard by any flow. Also, most of my flow for my hammers comes from the side or from the top. I'm not sure about bottom-up flow and whether that could bother it.

I'd say if in another day or two he still looks like that, move him (or the PHs) to see if you can find a place where he opens more.

Your blasto looks pretty happy. I would leave him there.

I'm pretty new to this too though, so it would be ideal for others to weigh in as well.

homer1475 · 08/15/2018, 08:30 AM

When I was starting out with LPS, euphyllia specifically(hammers, frogspawn, etc), the best advise I was given was so that their polyps just wiggle in the flow.

The main problem with flow and euphyllia is their skeletons are sharp. Any heavy flow will cause their polyps to be blown around and cut up on their skeletons. Which in turn can cause an infection which will kill the coral.

Thornbreaker · 08/15/2018, 09:58 AM

The right powerhead is on random, the left is on pulse and hits odd the front/mid glass.

Wiggle sounds like a good description to aim for. I had the hammer in the sand just to the right of the rock and he was pretty open, maybe entirely, with just wiggles, but I'd like to get him covering a rock somewhere.

I took the pictures shortly after moving them. Maybe a couple hours after, last night.
I'll see how they are doing when I get home from work. Will probably leave the blasto on his rock since he seems pretty happy. He looked more open this morning than where I had him in the sand earlier.

I'll run nitrate test tonight. It's been below 2ppm, but I haven't tested in the last week. Need to check phosphates too.

Alkalinity is about 9 after a water change last night, and Im supplementing with kalk in the ATO at 1/2 tsp/gal.

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krs1102 · 08/15/2018, 11:09 AM

Side question: are those the only stony corals you have? If so, I don't know that you need to supplement with kalk. Have you tested your calcium levels lately?
I only have a few LPS at this point, but regular water changes keep my levels where they need to be (420 range).

Thornbreaker · 08/15/2018, 04:21 PM

Yes, my first two coral, ever. Tank has been running since late April with 2 clowns and a royal gramma. Adding a foxface around labor day.

My initial alk was below 6. Not sure why. I use instant ocean purple. 10 is its alk. So something in the tank has been lowering it prior to coral.

I added sodium carbonate to bring it up to 8.3, but on tests over a week Im still drifting down into mid 7s, so I went ahead and added a light kalk concentration to the ATO water.

Corals are looking happy tho. Updated pic coming.

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Thornbreaker · 08/15/2018, 04:23 PM

Blue light off and on. I did turn down the pulse on the left powerhead. Hammer seems to be more at a wiggle with fewer jolts.

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krs1102 · 08/16/2018, 08:01 AM

Did you test the alk for the new batch of water before you added it to your tank? Perhaps it was just a "bad batch" of salt?

Is the hammer extending more today as well?

rvareef · 08/16/2018, 08:56 AM

no need to dose kalk in a tank that new, and since you started with dry rock it will take even longer for your tank to mature, id hold off on getting new corals and dosing and see how these do.

Thornbreaker · 08/16/2018, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by krs1102

Did you test the alk for the new batch of water before you added it to your tank? Perhaps it was just a "bad batch" of salt?

Is the hammer extending more today as well?

Not originally, but definitely in the last month. New Salt batches have been at ~10

So it could have started that way, but my testing of the tank was still showing a loss of alkalinity from 8.3 to mid 7s over a week. I'll check tonight and see where the alkalinity is at.

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Thornbreaker · 08/16/2018, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rvareef

no need to dose kalk in a tank that new, and since you started with dry rock it will take even longer for your tank to mature, id hold off on getting new corals and dosing and see how these do.

These plan to be my only two for some time. I move pretty slow, and will make sure things are going well before adding anything else.

I'll probably glue down the blasto this weekend, as it seems pretty happy on that rock.

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Thornbreaker · 08/16/2018, 05:18 PM

Parameters as of this evening.

Sg 35ppt/1.026
Mag 1400
Ca 400-420
Alk 8.6
P 0ppm
NO3 less than 2ppm

Return chamber has kalk sitting on top, which tells me it's too stagnant on that chamber. Also, means the kalk addition from the ATO is minimal. I'll stop adding the kalk to the ato until I'm sure I need it again. I'll likely also get another small powerhead to keep the return mixed.

I'm thinking of moving the hammer to above and behind the blasto/purple rock. Algae have a steady sway there. Don't see any sharp motions.

rogersb · 08/17/2018, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thornbreaker

Parameters as of this evening.

Sg 35ppt/1.026
Mag 1400
Ca 400-420
Alk 8.6
P 0ppm
NO3 less than 2ppm

Return chamber has kalk sitting on top, which tells me it's too stagnant on that chamber. Also, means the kalk addition from the ATO is minimal. I'll stop adding the kalk to the ato until I'm sure I need it again. I'll likely also get another small powerhead to keep the return mixed.

I'm thinking of moving the hammer to above and behind the blasto/purple rock. Algae have a steady sway there. Don't see any sharp motions.

Can you post a pic of this, I'm having a hard time picturing why you would need more movement in your sump area. Also, why would there be kalk you could see? The kalk should be mixed in your ATO container, then pumped into your sump, and it should just be a white water, no residue should get in your sump.

Thornbreaker · 08/17/2018, 07:52 AM

I can this evening. It's not a residue, but a separation of the whitish/kalk water on top vs clear tank water below.

I did stir/mix it in the ATO container beforehand. It's just I don't think the upper few inches of the chamber gets much turnover.

I've got a ruby trigger sump. Flow comes over the refugium baffles to the return chamber from underneath. My ATO line drips into the top of the return chamber.

My pump is a dc12000, but set at about 40%.

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08/15/2018, 07:39 AM	#1
Thornbreaker Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 334	First lps corals Hi, I picked up a branching hammer and a blasto this past weekend. How much is too much flow for a hammer? I've seen "moderate flow" tossed around but that seems a relative term. Currently, the hammer gets alot of flow upwards from undeneath, with a blast every other second thats random. He's open, but not fully. Would he be closed tho if he isn't happy with the current flow? Blasto seems pretty open, with less flow as I've read. Neither are glued down yet. I'll probably pop them off the plugs/disc and glue them straight to the rock once they get happy. Sent from my SM-G965U1 using Tapatalk __________________ SC Aquariums - 150 Gallon 5'x2'x2'; Trigger Elite 36 Sump; Mars Aqua Lights 150 lbs reefcleaner rock, SCA 302 Skimmer Current Stock: Foxface lo, 2 clowns, royal gramma, 2 spot bristletooth tang, fir

08/15/2018, 08:30 AM	#3
homer1475 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 5,313	When I was starting out with LPS, euphyllia specifically(hammers, frogspawn, etc), the best advise I was given was so that their polyps just wiggle in the flow. The main problem with flow and euphyllia is their skeletons are sharp. Any heavy flow will cause their polyps to be blown around and cut up on their skeletons. Which in turn can cause an infection which will kill the coral. __________________ 80G SCA Build: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2560256 Originally posted by der_wille_zur_macht: "He's just taking his lunch to work"

08/15/2018, 09:58 AM	#4
Thornbreaker Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 334	The right powerhead is on random, the left is on pulse and hits odd the front/mid glass. Wiggle sounds like a good description to aim for. I had the hammer in the sand just to the right of the rock and he was pretty open, maybe entirely, with just wiggles, but I'd like to get him covering a rock somewhere. I took the pictures shortly after moving them. Maybe a couple hours after, last night. I'll see how they are doing when I get home from work. Will probably leave the blasto on his rock since he seems pretty happy. He looked more open this morning than where I had him in the sand earlier. I'll run nitrate test tonight. It's been below 2ppm, but I haven't tested in the last week. Need to check phosphates too. Alkalinity is about 9 after a water change last night, and Im supplementing with kalk in the ATO at 1/2 tsp/gal. Sent from my SM-G965U1 using Tapatalk __________________ SC Aquariums - 150 Gallon 5'x2'x2'; Trigger Elite 36 Sump; Mars Aqua Lights 150 lbs reefcleaner rock, SCA 302 Skimmer Current Stock: Foxface lo, 2 clowns, royal gramma, 2 spot bristletooth tang, fir

08/15/2018, 04:21 PM	#6
Thornbreaker Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 334	Yes, my first two coral, ever. Tank has been running since late April with 2 clowns and a royal gramma. Adding a foxface around labor day. My initial alk was below 6. Not sure why. I use instant ocean purple. 10 is its alk. So something in the tank has been lowering it prior to coral. I added sodium carbonate to bring it up to 8.3, but on tests over a week Im still drifting down into mid 7s, so I went ahead and added a light kalk concentration to the ATO water. Corals are looking happy tho. Updated pic coming. Sent from my SM-G965U1 using Tapatalk __________________ SC Aquariums - 150 Gallon 5'x2'x2'; Trigger Elite 36 Sump; Mars Aqua Lights 150 lbs reefcleaner rock, SCA 302 Skimmer Current Stock: Foxface lo, 2 clowns, royal gramma, 2 spot bristletooth tang, fir

08/15/2018, 04:23 PM	#7
Thornbreaker Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 334	Blue light off and on. I did turn down the pulse on the left powerhead. Hammer seems to be more at a wiggle with fewer jolts. Sent from my SM-G965U1 using Tapatalk __________________ SC Aquariums - 150 Gallon 5'x2'x2'; Trigger Elite 36 Sump; Mars Aqua Lights 150 lbs reefcleaner rock, SCA 302 Skimmer Current Stock: Foxface lo, 2 clowns, royal gramma, 2 spot bristletooth tang, fir

08/15/2018, 08:25 AM	#2
krs1102 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2015 Posts: 60	How many days has he been in your tank? It could still be settling..... my hammer took a few days (2-3) to fully expand. What are your numbers (nitrates, etc)? My hammer stayed like that when my nitrates got higher than it wanted (above 10 was when I noticed it responded). A water change took care of that issue though. Your use of the word "blast" suggests a bit stronger amount of flow than I try to have. I have found that my hammers like to have their heads moving a little bit, but they're not really getting hit hard by any flow. Also, most of my flow for my hammers comes from the side or from the top. I'm not sure about bottom-up flow and whether that could bother it. I'd say if in another day or two he still looks like that, move him (or the PHs) to see if you can find a place where he opens more. Your blasto looks pretty happy. I would leave him there. I'm pretty new to this too though, so it would be ideal for others to weigh in as well.

08/15/2018, 11:09 AM	#5
krs1102 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2015 Posts: 60	Side question: are those the only stony corals you have? If so, I don't know that you need to supplement with kalk. Have you tested your calcium levels lately? I only have a few LPS at this point, but regular water changes keep my levels where they need to be (420 range).

08/16/2018, 08:01 AM	#8
krs1102 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2015 Posts: 60	Did you test the alk for the new batch of water before you added it to your tank? Perhaps it was just a "bad batch" of salt? Is the hammer extending more today as well?

08/16/2018, 08:56 AM	#9
rvareef In Memoriam Join Date: Jun 2014 Posts: 664	no need to dose kalk in a tank that new, and since you started with dry rock it will take even longer for your tank to mature, id hold off on getting new corals and dosing and see how these do.

08/16/2018, 05:18 PM	#12
Thornbreaker Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 334	Parameters as of this evening. Sg 35ppt/1.026 Mag 1400 Ca 400-420 Alk 8.6 P 0ppm NO3 less than 2ppm Return chamber has kalk sitting on top, which tells me it's too stagnant on that chamber. Also, means the kalk addition from the ATO is minimal. I'll stop adding the kalk to the ato until I'm sure I need it again. I'll likely also get another small powerhead to keep the return mixed. I'm thinking of moving the hammer to above and behind the blasto/purple rock. Algae have a steady sway there. Don't see any sharp motions. __________________ SC Aquariums - 150 Gallon 5'x2'x2'; Trigger Elite 36 Sump; Mars Aqua Lights 150 lbs reefcleaner rock, SCA 302 Skimmer Current Stock: Foxface lo, 2 clowns, royal gramma, 2 spot bristletooth tang, fir Last edited by Thornbreaker; 08/16/2018 at 05:23 PM.

08/17/2018, 07:52 AM	#14
Thornbreaker Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 334	I can this evening. It's not a residue, but a separation of the whitish/kalk water on top vs clear tank water below. I did stir/mix it in the ATO container beforehand. It's just I don't think the upper few inches of the chamber gets much turnover. I've got a ruby trigger sump. Flow comes over the refugium baffles to the return chamber from underneath. My ATO line drips into the top of the return chamber. My pump is a dc12000, but set at about 40%. Sent from my SM-G965U1 using Tapatalk __________________ SC Aquariums - 150 Gallon 5'x2'x2'; Trigger Elite 36 Sump; Mars Aqua Lights 150 lbs reefcleaner rock, SCA 302 Skimmer Current Stock: Foxface lo, 2 clowns, royal gramma, 2 spot bristletooth tang, fir