Green Star polyps not doing well....

[plarabie]

I've got a 54 gal tank and bought a star polyp as it was supposed to be an easy start for corals. Things were fine for a week, then fewer and fewer polyps showing up. Now see that many / most polyps are dead and decaying, save for a hearty precious few.

Water specs:
SG = 1.024
temp = 25 C
Copper = nil
pH = 8.2
Ammonia, nitirites, nitrates = negligible
Calcium = 400 ppm
phosphates are high but I am working on that

Tank mates: snails, hermit crabs, a yellow wrasse and one cleaner shrimp.

Polyps are located 1/2 way up the tank, lighting is 2x 55W VHO actinics for 11 hours/day and a 175 W halide for 2 hours/day.

any advice?

[Mugster]

I would increase the time the MH is on. Two hours is rather short. I have mine on for 8 hours.

How long has the tank been setup? How much flow do you have around the polyps? What did they look like in the tank where you bought them?

Kev

[Chrismo]

Why is your lighting only on for 2 hours a day?

[ryan_lalande]

i am guessing this is a new tank

are you having any algea problems? like brown or green. sometimes algea can coat the start polyps causeing them not to come out and eventually die.

jsut a though

move them to higher current if they are in low current

[kadaytar]

i am agree with Ryan i had the same problem. low curent may be the reason.

Kadir

[afss]

If the tank is fairly new it may have just been too early to add them. I would agree that the lighting period for the halide could be increased, but it shouldn't be required for GSP. I too am banking on moving it to an area with higher current. Don't put it somewhere that it will be blasted, but they do better in decent flow.

[plarabie]

Thanks folks. I moved them to a spot nearer to the sump outflow and mid-high in the tank. Seem to be doing better - small ones are popping out. Lots of dead ones though - good feed for the hermit crabs and I saw a snail on them yesterday.
The tank is approx 3 months sinec setup, but transferred most of the water, sand and rocks from a previuos tank that had been stable for years.

As for algae - yep, I had a fair crop of green algae linked due to a hi phosphate level. I've got that down now and things seem to be under control.