New Member Old Hobbyist from IL

Hi everyone, My names Faraz, I'm a full time medical student w/ no job who picked the wrong hobby . My coral growth is slow, any suggestions. I've been in the hobby for 10 years but went from bettas to tropical to South american cichlids to african cichlids to FO saltwater to FOWLR to Reefer and usually the last one is the gateway drug in most cases. Anyhow, I live in Lombard IL and Kennesaw, GA and my tank is as follows. Thanks. Happy Reefing


Temperature: 80
PH: 7.9
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
Salinity: 1.024
dKH/KH/Alkalinity: 3.5/12.25
Magnesium: 1300
Calcium: 480
Phosphate: 0.5
Test kits you own: Calcium, Phosphate, Hydrometer, Magnesium, PH, Alk
Liquid or Strips: Liquid
Brand Name: API mostly
Are they Expired?: Nope


Tank size? 55
Estimated total system? 55

Reef, fish only or, freshwater? Reef

Current inhabitants? What and how many? 1 Yellow Tang, 3 Small Damsel, 1 Bigger Damsel, 1 Six Line Wrasse, 1 Oscellaris, 1 Booyahs Reef Oscellaris, 1 Coral Banded Shrimp, 1 Purple Reef Lobster, 5 Hermit Crabs, 2 Emerald Crabs, 10 Astrea Snails, 2 Black Turbo Snails, 1 Sand Sifting Star, 1 Brittle Star

How long has your tank been set-up? 1 year

Substrate. Live Sand
Type? Don't Remember
Depth? 2"

Live rock? Yes
How much? 100lbs
Did you recently add some? Couple pieces with corals attached

Filtration.
Type? Fluval 305
Protein skimmer? Berlin XL w/ CA 1800
Do you wet or dry skim? Still breaking in the skimmer
Maintenance schedule for filtration? Cleaned ever 2 months in tank water.
Drilled tank/hang on back overflow? No
Sump/refugium. What's in it and how much? Hang in refugium w/ Chaeto, and 1 Mangrove, small piece of rock
Macro? What kind?

Lighting.
Lighting type? 175 watt hamilton tech Metal Halide w/ 14k bulbs
Age of bulbs?8 months

Feeding
What? Rods Food and Spectrum Pellets
How much? Square inch of the Rods and couple pinches of the pellets
How often? 1 time each per day

Water change schedule.
How much? 6 Gal
How often? once a month
What salt brand? I buy my water premixed from the lfs
Water source?

Additives/supplements used? C-Balance and AquaVitro fuel and couple of their other products for maintenance

Do you have a ground probe? No
What kind of flow does your tank have? 2 Hydor Koralia 2 on each end facing each other, the return from the HOB skimmer on one end and the return from the fluval on the other end.

 

Sorry I don't know to much on corals, but Welcome 2 3reef! You came to the right site, lots of knowledgeable peeps here.

 

Welcome to 3reef

 

Welcome! This is a great site - I've learned a lot here from the various experts.

 

Hello and welcome to 3reef

 

Welcome to three reef!! got any pics of the purple lobster?

 

I added the picture of the purple lobster, thats where he stays during the day, roams around at night, only get to see parts of him most of the time. Any tips on increasing coral growth anyone?? My parameters and everything are listed

 

Welcome to the reef! Your parameters look good, I can't see anything lacking for coral growth, but I'm far from an expert. Don't worry, someone will chime in...

 

Awesome lobster! Interesting piece. I am glad to see he is doing well. I may have to get one for my 75.

As far as coral growth.. your calc is good.. everything looks good.
Do you have any other supplemental lighting for the MH's?
Just asking questions that the coral gods may ask when it comes time.
I am just breaking in to corals myself

 

No supplemental lighting other than the 10 hours a day 14k 175 watt MH's, I'm thinkin about gettin bulbs with a lower k, like 10k when I change the bulbs at one year or so. I cant seem to find anything that I could possibly attach to my pendants to supplement the MH's. I have a toadstool that jus opened once when I purchased it and once in between in the last 4 weeks ive had it, its in good flow and extends some web like tentacles at night but doesnt ever extend polyps, also has a couple benign brown patches. Has anyone had experience with any of the marc weiss products for coral growth?