stunted growth?

[Nano]

So over the first threeor so months I had my tank set up, I had good growth one birdsnest wad growing 1/2"-1" per month and the monti caps were doing about 1/4"-1/2" per month. Then it seems about April things just stopped growing. And are still that way today. I'm not sure what's going on or why, I'll have to test my params tonight when I'm off work, but thought I'd ask what could be causing it, the only things I'm feeding/dosing are seachem calcium, and mag, and reef roids. Which for the most part keeps the water where it needs to be, last test was on friday, and params were
CA 430
Mag 1320 +/-
Alk 10
Nitrates and trites 0
Ammonia 0
Phosphate 0
Salinity 1.024

This is what I always test at sometimes the ca and mag are a bit higher/lower depending on when I last dosed. The lights are now up to 75% and I notice improvements in color but still no growth. Do I need to feed or supplement something else as well or do it differently? I'm using IO reef crystals .

It's just getting frustrating I keep looking in and taking monthly pictures of coral but notice little or no difference. It's to the point where I'm just thinking about selling off the live stock and getting a bunch of angels or something.:sad:

[Bblinks]

Nano, can I get picture of your tank please. I did try to look on your vblog but didn't see a 35 gallon tank.

[Aquattro]

Temp?

[Nano]

Temp sits at 77.8 drops to 75.7 +/- at night
Here's my last fts
http://i1108.photobucket.com/albums/h401/thehobdenmarina/DSC_0688.jpg

[Nano]

BTW the pic looks darker then it is

[MarkoD]

Have you changed the color ratios of your lights?

[Nano]

Here's growth on one birdsnest in the first 6 weeks for reference
http://i1108.photobucket.com/albums/h401/thehobdenmarina/DSCN3145.jpg
http://i1108.photobucket.com/albums/h401/thehobdenmarina/DSCN3507.jpg

[Nano]

Have you changed the color ratios of your lights?

No just upped the each by 5% each week til I got to 75%

[gregzz4]

I forget what you had before the LEDs
Maybe the growth has slowed as the corals aren't 'reaching' for light as much as before ?

[Nano]

I had t5s on my old tank, but no sps in that tank. Everything I've bought since has been under leds or metal halides

[waynemah]

I have some corals that do absolutely nothing, and others that have taken off like crazy. I saw a burst of growth after switching salts (each time), first from Reef Crystals to Reef Salt and then to Reefers Best. I've also found fragging / scratching seems to promote growth as well... Some of the most amazing tanks around have angles in them, my growth has slowed since mine is gone. Polyp extension however is better :question:. Likely bad advice, but just what I've noticed over the last while.

[MarkoD]

If you're increasing all the colors by 5% you're gradually making your color temp more blue.

For example.

50% white and 60% on each blue is slightly more blue than 45% white and 55% on both blues.

By increasing each color equally over the course of time you have increased your color temp.

I dunno if that's what did it, but it's possible

[reefwars]

I have some corals that do absolutely nothing, and others that have taken off like crazy. I saw a burst of growth after switching salts (each time), first from Reef Crystals to Reef Salt and then to Reefers Best. I've also found fragging / scratching seems to promote growth as well... Some of the most amazing tanks around have angles in them, my growth has slowed since mine is gone. Polyp extension however is better :question:. Likely bad advice, but just what I've noticed over the last while.


ive said this for a long time , i promote some of my growth to fragging. i find the freshly made colonies and the mother go through growth spurts when i do it.

i figure the shock to the corals stimulates reproduction and a growth spurt.

this is just what im finding nothing to back it up but my own eyes lol :)

[Nano]

Thanks for the replies so far guys, and Wayne funny you should mention the angel fish, I too since losing mine have notices crazy polyp extension. Not sure if its related but eho knows. My birdsnests are growing slowly, but the rest seem to be at a stand still, the bonzai I picked up as well as the purple cross haven't grown I bet even a 1/4" in 4 months. And i have 2 favia, one that grows like mad, and tge other is just starting to encrust the plug after 4 months its a littl confusing and frustrating

[reefwars]

Thanks for the replies so far guys, and Wayne funny you should mention the angel fish, I too since losing mine have notices crazy polyp extension. Not sure if its related but eho knows. My birdsnests are growing slowly, but the rest seem to be at a stand still, the bonzai I picked up as well as the purple cross haven't grown I bet even a 1/4" in 4 months. And i have 2 favia, one that grows like mad, and tge other is just starting to encrust the plug after 4 months its a littl confusing and frustrating

sometimes coral put their energy into growing out not up so the growing over the plug takes alot of time and energy on the corals part.

[Nano]

Could be, the bonsai has encrusted a bit but not grown up, perhaps that's what's happening

[reefwars]

Could be, the bonsai has encrusted a bit but not grown up, perhaps that's what's happening


def could be , theres alot of cases of growth stopping while the plug grows over , usually then the light dssappears and theres nowhere but up:)

just a possibility, id judge by my overall colors and looks before i made any drastic changes.

[Bblinks]

sometimes coral put their energy into growing out not up so the growing over the plug takes alot of time and energy on the corals part.

Good point, my red planet frags takes a hell of long time to encrust the plug but once it reaches the end of the plug it starts to grow like crazy.

Also not sure how much flow is in tank, maybe switch it up a bit and see what it does.

Brad had mentioned temperature in relations to metabolism and growth rate, I always kept my at 24 degrees with a degree of variation during the night, maybe bump the temp up a bit.....

Do you feed your tank any coral food? Whats your fish count?

[Nano]

Yea maybe turn the temp up 1-2 degrees. I've got lots of flow 3 power head and the return in a 35g not sure what the total return flow rate is, probably about 500+/- and 3 PH's at 250gph each so flows not an issue there. As for food I just feed reef roids not sure what else too feed :P

Btw anyone running the tunze 9002 skimmer, do the airline mod, i did it this Friday passed and pulled out in three days what i would in like 2 weeks and its thick