How to successfully keep SPS Corals!

[gettaReef]

Everyone I'm new to R2R; Need some help with my acropora frags; They were indigo blue and now they are turning brown; they still have polyp extension... Help... water changes are routine w RODI and instant ocean. Feeding rod's fish food at a minimum. Only one sleeper gobie

55G Long
Orbit Marine Current LED - 48" (seems like 60/60% is preferred by all corals)
MP40
Eshopps PSK-100H
Emperor 400
Two Fishes 550 phosban w GFO

Ca - 450
Mg - 1350-1400
dKh - 9-10
Nitrate - 0
Nitrite - 0
Phos -.02-.03 (can't get lower even w Phosban and reg H20 changes)
Ph - 8.2

It is most likely due to a number of factors. For one, I'd switch the salt you are using to at least Reef Crystals. What is you lighting schedule? It could possibly be either too much or too little light. Anything new or out of the ordinary occur with the system recently (dose a new supplemt, etc.)? How long have you had the browned acros? Do you dose anything like amino acids, supplements? The good news is that browned out acros can recover. A worse situation IMO is if the corals were dieing, showing their skeleton and having RTN

 

[Rydogg]

My lighting schedule is 8:00am-8:30 sunrise 7.5hrs at 60% blue/white with a 30min sunset... If I increase my lighting intensity the other LPS corals don't expand as much, acros are towards the top of tank. I've had them for at least 3wks now... Nothing new to the system, dosing brightwell Ca, Mg, Alk on a very specific dosing schedule... No i've never tried AA supplements... This system has been running for 3.5months soon to be upgraded to 150G and 50G sump/refug...

 

[saltyphish]

I might be wrong bit I believe your lights are not strong enough. I had the marine orbit led lights myself. I believe the leds are around a .5watt. My guess is your lights are to weak for sps.

 

[Scoly]

Agreed, I don't think those lights have enough for sps

 

[masterkaw]

What causes no polyp extension?

 

[Sahin]

What causes no polyp extension?

Many things:
1. Pests: AEFW's/Red Bugs etc.
2. Bad water quality
3. Fish: eg Angels as they bite the SPS, also certain smaller fish like some gobies
4. Overuse of things like GFO/GAC/Organic carbon dosing etc causing adverse reaction from corals
5. Bad Crabs: but would be isolated to one of two SPS

1-4 would cause tank wide PE loss on SPS.

 

[masterkaw]

Many things:
1. Pests: AEFW's/Red Bugs etc.
2. Bad water quality
3. Fish: eg Angels as they bite the SPS, also certain smaller fish like some gobies
4. Overuse of things like GFO/GAC/Organic carbon dosing etc causing adverse reaction from corals
5. Bad Crabs: but would be isolated to one of two SPS

1-4 would cause tank wide PE loss on SPS.

polyps do extend at night time, do you still think those are possibilities?

 

[Sahin]

polyps do extend at night time, do you still think those are possibilities?

Depends, for example Millepora's would have PE during the day as well. If you provide a full tank detail along with info about the particular issue you are having we can help a bit more.

 

[Barky]

swanny, do you have trouble with the bubble tip stinging corals?

 

[Barky]

Soccerbag I had same issues with the drip style until I purchased a Carbon Doser regulator, expensive but have never had an issue with it in several years.

 

[kappasig]

Total new guy here. I had awesome sps for months had huge growth on all of then. Then boom! In a day all my corals died check my parameters and everything checked out. But I noticed that my polyps were still alive in most of them but everything else was bleached on them could these cord with live polyps come back to life?

 

[mcarroll]

Very possible if you correct the problem!

 

[kappasig]

Any suggestions why the problem could be?

 

[Robink]

wow!!! beautiful!

Hi friends of Reef2Reff!
I'm coming from shanghai,China. I have a 120g Reef tank byBerlin system. this simple tankhas been running since June/2010. I decided to share some pictures even it's still very new. Please, leave your impressions. Thank you very much.


System:
Display Tank Size: 120 x 65 x 52cm
Sump: 85x45x30cm
Light: T5HO,10x54W, 6 blue,2 white,2 Fiji purple
Skimmer: AE-CLIN(PJ7500 pump)
Water movement: Tunze 6105X2 plus 6215 Wave box/7096 controller.
Filtration: 2 Filters separated loaded by KZ Carbon and ROWA
Water: RO/DI 50G

Parameter:
Salinity: 1.025
PH: 8.35~8.5
Calcium: 380
Magnesium: 1350
Alkalinity: 8.5~9.0
Phosphate: 0.03
NO3: ZERO

 

[Tek]

Total new guy here. I had awesome sps for months had huge growth on all of then. Then boom! In a day all my corals died check my parameters and everything checked out. But I noticed that my polyps were still alive in most of them but everything else was bleached on them could these cord with live polyps come back to life?

Helps to know which parameters you checked, what brand of test, and how long /stable have those been? Lighting changes could also cause issues.

Bleached corals can come back if parameters are stable and allowed to heal. Figure out what happened and correct it slowly. Reduced lighting will help as well as coral feedings.

 

[lsingh]

I need some help . Serious help. My current system is totaling in 60 gln water roughly excluding rocks and ext . I am using 17lbs on live rock and two large marine pure bricks in the sump , Large alpha 170 protein skimmer for nutrient export . Ati 8bulb hybrid power module and 2x 6095 tunzes flow . I have multiple frags of Sps over 40 frags and variety of Lps and 4 fishes that's are heavily fed sometimes 5 times a day more than 2 or 3 cube that I was feeding my 220 gln last years . Tank parameters are as follows
Ph 8
Alk 9.5
Cal over 400
Mag 1300
Phosphate 0
Nitrate 0
Temp 77
Salinity 34

I cannot get any readable nitrates no mater what I do . Now I haven't change water since last month it's been more than 40 days and with list of corals and fish feeding including amino acids my phosphates and nitrates are still 0 . Corals are growing very slow and dull in color all alive thou . Lights are running for 12 hrs a day 8hrs on its peak .

 

[Tek]

I need some help . Serious help. My current system is totaling in 60 gln water roughly excluding rocks and ext . I am using 17lbs on live rock and two large marine pure bricks in the sump , Large alpha 170 protein skimmer for nutrient export . Ati 8bulb hybrid power module and 2x 6095 tunzes flow . I have multiple frags of Sps over 40 frags and variety of Lps and 4 fishes that's are heavily fed sometimes 5 times a day more than 2 or 3 cube that I was feeding my 220 gln last years . Tank parameters are as follows
Ph 8
Alk 9.5
Cal over 400
Mag 1300
Phosphate 0
Nitrate 0
Temp 77
Salinity 34

I cannot get any readable nitrates no mater what I do . Now I haven't change water since last month it's been more than 40 days and with list of corals and fish feeding including amino acids my phosphates and nitrates are still 0 . Corals are growing very slow and dull in color all alive thou . Lights are running for 12 hrs a day 8hrs on its peak .

Remove all chemical media and see if that helps. If that does not help improve in a week or 2 then cut back skimming to half a day. Removing any excess growth in the refugium as well if you have algae.

I went through the same issue and extra nitrates brought things back to normal. Going back to basics will usually help solve problems or make it easier to find the issue.

 

[lsingh]

I don't have any chemical media . Maybe cutting back on skimming Thays what I am thinking

 

[Robink]

Wow!!!

a few pics of mine

im new here so i'll stop there, enjoy. Grant

 

[Eckolancer]

3 Kessil 360we running 14 hours a day and 100% for 12 hours changing from blue to white to blue again. Tank is a custom rimless 108 gallon 48x26x20tall.
My parameters are alk lately been running higher at 11. Cal 470. Mag 1400, phosphates .04, nitrate near 0 hard to keep it above 0 with biopellets, sal 1.027, ph I try to keep it above 8 most days it's around 7.9. Right now I am running 2 wp40s changing flow all day and night. Skimmer is vertex 150 plumbed input from pellets. Return pump is jeabo dc-12000 running the pellets and return from my bean animal. My sump does not run any lights just holds my skimmer and pellets as well as my ATO water. My tank is only ceramic rock and no sand.
Now for the FTS

I sold off three major colonies lately as I needed more room. But the frags are already pretty big again