keeping corals

[big_ben102000]

i have been keep marine fishies for more than a year now with only live rocks .recently i tried to keep some LPS which include hammers and plates however non of them survive leh. my water parameters are as below

ammonia - undetectable

NO2 - undetectable

have yet to test for the other trace elements as i dont not have the test kits

water temp around 28 - 30 degrees.. drops to 26 at nite due to air con

current corals i have are moon ... a brain and 2 zoas.

my star polyp have yet to open since yesterdae when i got it

[chrislzh]

actually, i think the star pol. is the best to test your water parameter... if it blooms... means the water is good to go...

[big_ben102000]

ok thanks for the input. however.. if my water parameters are not good enough wont the moon and the brain died long time ago ?

[Alvin Tan]

IMO.....we shld nt take a coral to test the water parameter whether is suitable izzit?...

star polyps is a soft coral....it dosent determine whether u can keep a more demanding piece of coral...

used test kits to test ur water parameter...it could be due to ur nitrates and phosphates cos u noe fishes poo alot ya.....

moon and brain coral are considered very hardy...but however, u shld find out wad is the cause of both the hammer and plates death.

all test results will tell everything u need to noe..

cheers...

[big_ben102000]

ok .. test kits are damn expensive ... i bought a ammonia one and a nitrite one ... both undetectable ... guess its the PO4 then

thanks for the input

[Alvin Tan]

ok .. test kits are damn expensive ... i bought a ammonia one and a nitrite one ... both undetectable ... guess its the PO4 then

thanks for the input

hi bro..u dun hav to buy those expensive testkits......those ordinary ones are ok jus serve u as a simple guide..

[big_ben102000]

haha ok then i will get the cheaper ones next time... i dont htink the star is gonna open ... saddness

[accurist]

i bought a ammonia one and a nitrite one ... both undetectable ...

Those to tests kits are pretty much useless after you finish cycling the tank. and a temp swing of 4 degrees is unacceptable.

[subxero]

ok .. test kits are damn expensive ... i bought a ammonia one and a nitrite one ... both undetectable ... guess its the PO4 then

thanks for the input

Testkits are expensive, but imagine that if something is wrong with your water parameter, you'll be able to find out the problem and solve it. Rather than having to sit there and guess whats happening while your livestocks are slowly dying off.

Replacing lifestocks are equally if not more expensive, and not forgetting the suffering that they are going through before their death.

I guess having kH, No3 and pH testkit is sufficient at the moment

[big_ben102000]

oh man those are the 3 test kits i am lacking ... anyway i will get those kits asap

[Reefbum]

Besides water parameters, lighting and LS compatibilty are also known to influence coral growth or decay.Water circulation also plays a part.

[big_ben102000]

ya i am sure i got enough lighting and current going round the tank. the LS i have are all reef save too. i think my water parameters are off i guess

thanks

[Dazza]

I suspect its the temperature... try n keep it between 26-28 if possible

[big_ben102000]

haha i am not running a chiller i will try to maintain the temp as low as i can.. well my star haven open up sad case .. if these doesnt work out i think i will juz stick to the orignal corals that are in my tank

[Dazza]

u can try using fans .. i used to do that and can achieve 26-28 degrees ... only prob is everyday hv to topup water

[big_ben102000]

haha i have to take things slow .. haha still schooling so have to get stuff one at a time

[Dazza]

fyi fan wud cost abt 20-25 ...

[chrislzh]

if u want.. sell u my fan only 1 week old.. cos i upgrade to a chiller.... 20