Who Gives A Fish Forums

Hey everyone, just wanted to say I'm stoked to finally be a part of this awesome community. I've been lurking for a while now, but I figured it was time to jump in and start contributing. I'm starting this thread with a few questions, so bear with me.

I've had my 54G Corner reef tank up and running for about 4 months now. I've been messing around with some beginner SPS coral, but to be honest, it's been a bit of a struggle. I've had some decent luck with LPS in the past, so I'm looking to get back into that.

I've lost a few corals recently, including a Tyree Setosa, Rainbow Monticap, and ORA Green Birdsnest. I'm not too worried about it, though - like I said, it was just an experiment, and I got them for super cheap. But I have noticed that my parameters seem to be pretty stable. Here's what I'm working with:

Salinity: 1.025
Nitrate: 5ppm
pH: 8.2
CA: 440
Alk: 9.5dkH
Mag: 1350

My tank's a bit of a weird shape, so finding a T5HO fixture that fits was a challenge. I'm currently running a 30" AquaticLife 4Bulb T5HO with 2 Lunar LEDs, but I'm using the standard bulbs that came with it. I'm planning on upgrading to better bulbs soon, hopefully with my tax return.

Since I'm looking to get back into LPS, I'm not too concerned about my nitrate levels. I know they can handle a bit of dirtier water, so I'm not stressing about the 5ppm. I do a 5-gallon water change every 2 weeks using Tropic Marin salt, but I'm thinking about switching to a reef-specific salt. My sump's running sockless and spongeless, with just a protein skimmer. I've also got 2 Koralia 1150gph for extra flow.

My fish are doing well, though - I've got a Black Ocellaris, Sixline Wrasse, Fiji Coral Beauty, Flame Hawk, and I'm pretty sure the last two are coral nippers, but I haven't caught them in the act.

So, am I missing something? My parameters seem spot on, but I'm worried that I'm going to struggle with LPS too. Any advice or insights would be awesome - thanks for taking the time to read my long post.

I've got some experience with a similar setup, running a 54G corner tank myself, albeit with a different focus. Getting good filtration going in these systems can be a real challenge.

I'd like to point out that with your nitrate levels at 5ppm, I'd bet my money on your phosphate levels being on the rise or possibly already elevated. I've learned to trust the Hanna low range tester for this - other kits I've used just don't cut it. Even LPS corals aren't too fond of high phosphate levels, and I think that could be a contributing factor to your SPS corals failing.

floralix wrote: ↑Wed Feb 26, 2025 5:27 pm I've got some experience with a similar setup, running a 54G corner tank myself, albeit with a different focus. Getting good filtration going in these systems can be a real challenge.

I'd like to point out that with your nitrate levels at 5ppm, I'd bet my money on your phosphate levels being on the rise or possibly already elevated. I've learned to trust the Hanna low range tester for this - other kits I've used just don't cut it. Even LPS corals aren't too fond of high phosphate levels, and I think that could be a contributing factor to your SPS corals failing.

Thanks for the insight. I've already got filtration under control and it's working as it should. I did test my phosphates recently and they're actually very low, so I don't think that's the culprit behind my SPS troubles.

Anyone else have any thoughts on this? I'd love to hear other people's experiences, especially with LPS in similar setups.