What's going on with my Candy Cane?

[falconut]

It looked great when I got it about two weeks ago. The first photo is from a week ago, and the second one is from this morning.

They are differnt angles, but you can see how is has receded in a week. The polyps no longer plump up and it doesn't extend any feeders at night.

My levels are:
Salt: 1.025
ph: 8.2
Cal: 390
Alk: 8.5 dkh
Mag: 1340
NO3: 5-10
PO4: 0 - using an API kit, but there is definitely some, just added some GFO last night.

I've been using Crystal Seas Marinemix salt for the past 6 months, was using Oceanic. I add unbaked baking soda to maintain alk and Prestone Driveway Heat for calcium and drip Kalk daily. I alternate between (2) 110 Watt VHO's & (2) 250 Watt MH's. VHO's are on from 2 - 5:15 & 8:45-10 & MH's are on from 5 - 9. VHO's (1) Aquasun & (1) Super Actinic & MH's are Hamilton 14K. My buddies tank had them about 6" below the water with the same lighting and his grew about 12x bigger in a year. I had stray volts and added a ground probe. I added a large bag of carbon in case my leather was releasing toxins. I am completely stumped.

Any idea what could be causing this?

 

[JohnS_323]

What kind of flow is it in? Since everything else seems to be in check, maybe it's getting too much/too little flow.

Just a thought. Good luck with it.

 

[falconut]

It started out in pretty high flow, so I moved it lower (about mid way down in a medoum flow area), then last night I moved it to the bottom to a lower flow area. People have told me that they should be kept in a lower light area.

 

[Baxreefs]

Mine thrive in med-high flow. I usually place them 1/2 down in the tank or below. They'll thrive in a variety of light including very dim. But they do like light IME.

It could be they are just thining from division. Looks like some of those heads are splitting.

Do you target feed at all?

When trying to grow them, I'll blast them with meaty juice from the melt water of frozen foods. They really like that. Obviously, not something you do daily, but justever so often. They are voracious feeders when they want to be. Once while doing maint. on the tank, some heads had their feelers out, and I shook some pods, big ones, out of a filter pad into the display. The current swept a real faty right into the clutches of a trupet's tenticles. It inhaled it whole! AND! Started to split the very next day!!!!

I know they are common, and I'm an SPS guy, but I love having bunches of these all around the tank, great color for an LPS and serious POP!!! under actinic.