Hard corals good, easy corals bad

[Froggyhonkey]

So I have had a reef for about a year now. I want to start off by giving my parameters.

ph 8.1
nitrates 0
nitrites 0
amonia 0
calsium 420
8 wats per gallen
all live rock oviously
Refugium

Now, I have 16 corals. Candy cane, pink birds nest, acrapora, purple mushroom, etc...

So a mix of hard, soft, leather and polyps.

The only corals I am having trouble with are the ones that are supposed to be easy. My green star polyps will not come out, I have tried 3 places in my tank, neither will my yellow polyps, I think that is what they are called, they came out for a week, then stopped. I moved them, they came out for a day, but only a little bit, and went back in. No they are not touching any other corals.

I just bought the coral that pulses. Not sure of the name, but it is shrinking. I had one before and it shrunk and died.

Any suggestions?

[Germanman]

the pulse corals are called xenia...do u acclimate ur corals. also how much light do u place them in? and hows ur flow and turn over?

[Froggyhonkey]

no I give them a fresh water dip in my toilet. Isn't that what your supposed to do? Just kidding, yes, about 45 min drip

I have the blues on for 12 hours, white for about 11, so half hour after the blues and before the blues go off. Should I give less light or more?

Also, unrelated. My candy cane has like a flesh eating disease. Slowly, very slowly, one of the branches is deteriorating. it is weird, I even brought the coral into my local store and they didn't know. It has been 2 months, one pod is almost gone and it is starting on the 2nd, the rest of that coral is doing great, very healthy, in fact prob my most healthy coral. Any Ideas?

[Germanman]

sounds like a water issue do u add iodine? and also what are ur phosphates?
and flow

[Froggyhonkey]

I use RO water, purple up, which I know doesn't do anything for the corals,
logal solution, strontium, trace elements,

When you say phosphates, do you mean KH? if hi, don't I just do a water change?


what about the candy cane

[Germanman]

phosphate= PO4
candy cane might be phosphates
and an acolmate is an animal with all 3 germ layers of skin

[Froggyhonkey]

I am sorry, I don't understand, what do you mean, my phospates are causing the flesh eating desiese?

How do I fix the problem?

Also, you didn't answer about the lighting, is it too much, too little.

My flow seems to be ok, I have two power jets, in oposite ends of the tank, turn over seems good.

what do you think?

[Germanman]

what is the turn over? and phosphates can cause coral degeneration.

[Fishieness]

what type of lighting is your "8 watts per gallon" and what size tank? tell us the wattage of each type of lighting you have as well as how many bulbs. 8 watts per gallon may be too little for some of your corals. the ones you are having trouble with, it could be jsut right, or it could be too much if they were recently purchased or upgraded and you didnt acclimate your corals to the more intense light.
that would be my guess.
or perhaps somethings are touching?

[Froggyhonkey]

Can you explain what Phosphates are, what causes them, How do they harm and hwo do you get rid of them?

thanks

[Germanman]

here check ou this link it covers phosphates pretty good
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/phosphates.php
and this one is even better
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-09/rhf/index.php

[gomrjoe]

Thanks for the phosphate link Germanman, excellent article!!

I have used Phosban before and Phosphate Silicate Magnet, both have worked pretty well for me in the past.

It seems to me that FroggeyHonkey may have his lights on a bit too long, but that is just my opinion. I remember reading somewhere (of course I cannot find the article now :( that anything more than 10 hours of direct light will actually benefit algae more than it benefits the corals.

Also, at least where Xenia and Star Polyps are concerned, IMO, within reason, they love high water flow, especially the Xenia.

Good luck!

[parrotman]

Hey, after i had my star polyps(easy coral) for about a month, they dint come out for 2 weeks, i moved them onto the sand bottom and they was out the next day. Maybe too much lighting i think, they are spreading like crazy!