So we’ve had the tank up and running for 2 years now. It seems like we’ve been through everything from Hair Algae, Cyanobacteria, things dying, things killing other things and the list goes on. To say we’ve learned a lot would be quite the understatement. We went into this not knowing a thing about saltwater aquariums and although we’ve learned so much, we still have so much to learn.

I was looking at our corals the other day and started wondering why we have not seen as much growth as I would expect. One thing Mellina brought to my attention was that we tend to buy frags so they start small and we are experiencing growth, but since they started so small, it is hard to see. The other thing (and this is completely my fault) is we have super low calcium in the tank. After battling hair algae and other problems over the last 6 months, once those were eradicated, I just left the tank do its thing. I still do the expected water changes and cleanings but other than that I was pretty much hands off. So I checked the calcium level last week and it was 220 PPM, way below the proper level of 420 PPM. So, I ordered the Recipe 1 solution from Bulk Reef Supply and started dosing to bring up the Calcium. Right now we are at 400 PPM so much better shape. I’ll keep testing over the next few weeks so I can determine the proper amount to dose weekly and start doing just that.

View my photos here: Flickr

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