im so confused!

for some reason, i cant keep coral. idk why, its an 8 gal, i have 24watt bulbs, plus actinics, ive got a beautiful macro, (rose petal sp.) thats taking over a part of my rock, coralline grow crazy on my rocks, and starting to turn my back wall green. my clownfish and shrimp are doing fine, both of which i've owned for atleast 3 months. a steady temp of 77-78. photoperiod of 8-10 hours. i do waterchanges once to once every two weeks. i have a steady pH of 8.3. i used to chemical dose calcium and magnesium, but then i stopped. i assumed that because i have so much corallaine i have a good water quality for coral. but i couldnt test vital elements. the only thing wrong with my tank is some hair algae due to brand new bulbs. is there anything i missed?

sorry for the long post, TIA

 

How longs the tank been up(I might have missed it) also an 8 gal is a little small for clowns...post pics as well...what kinda of corals have you tried? How much flow do you have?

 

If you are keeping hard corals then you need to dose. you need to get the appropriate test kits before keeping hard corals. Coralline will do well even when the parameters are too low for hard coral.

 

8 gal up and cycled since june. i have tried anthelia, and a paly, i have a kor, nano, and the standard pump.

 

He has about 340gph. So that is plenty for softies.

Please list ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and phosphate params. Also your specific gravity.

How often do you top off and do you use freshwater when topping off?