First acro frag problem :(

[Gavin Noy]

You’re sitting at about 45x turnover right now with 30% flow on that Nova which would put you at the very low end of range for SPS.

Plus return pump. Sicce 0.5.

 

[RockBox13]

So lowering the light and flow will make things worse. What is the best way to go though? Nuke it in flow and light or reduce it first. Some are saying less. I have no idea what to do first.

Sometimes people want to be helpful, but they’re looking at the situation from their perspective and sometimes they just point to whatever seems most likely to them without taking certain details into account and calculating the numbers. There’s also this trend going on with SPS right now and people dosing Nitrate and Phosphate and even blaming low levels of phosphate or nitrate for corals dying or whatever, but please don’t worry about or attempt that until you have some years experience with SPS. Higher alkalinity is a benefit to you right now and I can completely explain why in further detail when there is a chance.

 

[billyocean]

Plus return pump. Sicce 0.5.

Sometimes people want to be helpful, but they’re looking at the situation from their perspective and sometimes they just point to whatever seems most likely to them without taking certain details into account and calculating the numbers. There’s also this trend going on with SPS right now and people dosing Nitrate and Phosphate and even blaming low levels of phosphate or nitrate for corals dying or whatever, but please don’t worry about or attempt that until you have some years experience with SPS. Higher alkalinity is a benefit to you right now and I can completely explain why in further detail when there is a chance.

Low p04 and n03 with high alk like that WILL burn tips. If your system is mature you can get away with some lower nutrients and a bit of a higher alk.

 

[RockBox13]

Low p04 and n03 with high alk like that WILL burn tips. If your system is mature you can get away with some lower nutrients and a bit of a higher alk.

Respectfully, I would like to see evidence that it happened to an experienced Reefer with Alkalinity at 11-12 & pH 8.3-8.4 that couldn’t possibly be attributed to other factors. Not saying it’s impossible and I’m completely willing to have my mind changed or admit I am wrong based on something that appears solid with some kind of documentation.

 

[Reefering1]

If it looked good before, then the lights were changed and the coral is turning white at all the growth tips, you have 2 simple options... double down and crank up the lights or back down and ease into it, ultimately ending higher then you are now..

 

[Reefering1]

Respectfully, I would like to see evidence that it happened to an experienced Reefer with Alkalinity at 11-12 & pH 8.3-8.4 that couldn’t possibly be attributed to other factors. Not saying it’s impossible and I’m completely willing to have my mind changed or admit I am wrong based on something that appears solid with some kind of documentation.

I think that in this case, the op is still earning his experience.. I believe this is the 1st frag

 

[crazyfishmom]

Seems like a case of a tank that has too low lights and flow for SPS in a system that’s not very mature yet. Would consider running the acclimation setting for that light and cranking it all the way up over a month if keeping SPS is the goal. While the alkalinity/nutrients combo wouldn’t worry me in a different/older tank or with a reef keeper that has more acro experience, I would personally lower it to a safer range where the balance doesn’t tip as easily. Good luck!

 

[RockBox13]

If it looked good before, then the lights were changed and the coral is turning white at all the growth tips, you have 2 simple options... double down and crank up the lights or back down and ease into it, ultimately ending higher then you are now..

The original light is a 16watt LED, only color it has is 14K and the light is within a couple inches of the water. It’s likely the frag was getting more PAR before the new light fixture.

 

[dwest]

I would somehow get (borrow, rent, purchase) my hands on a PAR meter and measure PAR. Otherwise, everything is a guess.

I would also slowly bring down alkalinity to 8 ish dKH.

 

[billyocean]

Respectfully, I would like to see evidence that it happened to an experienced Reefer with Alkalinity at 11-12 & pH 8.3-8.4 that couldn’t possibly be attributed to other factors. Not saying it’s impossible and I’m completely willing to have my mind changed or admit I am wrong based on something that appears solid with some kind of documentation.

Hence....my Statement. This isn't a mature tank.

 

[twentyleagues]

What Do White Tips On SPS Corals Mean?

Have you come home to white tips on your SPS corals and do not know what they are or what to do? From afar, it can be hard to make out if it's something we need to be concerned with. White tips form either from regular coral growth or they are burnt tips resulting from alkalinity spike or tissue...

www.piecesoftheocean.com

 

[twentyleagues]

SPS burnt tips? Couldnt ID the cause of it please help T_T

40 gallons Tank params: KH: 8~9 Ca: 410~420 Mg: 1350~1380 NO3: 1 PO4: Undetectable I regularly feed Tropical Marin's powder coral food about once in two days, with almost daily input of amino acids. I feed my 7 fish twice a day. People say that burnt tips occur when high alk...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[SamMule]

I know it's common in Europe to run high DKH like that, but if mine gets above the high 8's or low 9's I start to see burnt tips, and I run pretty high nutrients. No3 12-25 and Po4 .20-.40

Sea water DKH is closer to 7, so I run mine in the mid-high 7's.

I would also ask what kind of DKH, Lighting, and nutrient levels that acro came from.

 

[Gavin Noy]

Just done all the tests i can and everything is similar to what i posted.Mag-1440 Calc 410, nitrates 10ppm phos 0.08, Kh is 11.5. Going to do small water changes every day. What i don’t understand is why would red sea coral pro salt be at 12kh? Mine is under that. As for the acro i have turned the power head up and turning the tank over 100 times an hour. Turned the lighting up to 65% and mid week will do a bit more maybe. I will assess the acro tomorrow to see if its worse or not. Also have a temporary net over the top till my mesh perspex lid arrives, iv taken that off wile im home to stop that reducing the lighting too.

Could it be temperature? It sits at 27c.

 

[Gavin Noy]

 

[bobnicaragua]

That’s STN, not burned tips. That acro is probably not going to make it.

 

[Epic Aquaculture]

I hate to recommend chemicals but look into lowering your alk with acid. Just be careful you dont want swings of to great a number. I think the water change route is better but you will also lower your already low nutrients. Which is why I said that.

I would not recommend acid as that will drop the Ph very quickly and cause more issues. WC is much better. based on the before and after pics I would say that it is definitely not new growth. I would lower the frag to reduce light intensity and reduce your Alk to somewhere in the 7.5-8.5 range. I highly recommend getting or borrowing a PAR meter to check the light intensity. All suggestions regarding that are just guesses without data.

 

[Epic Aquaculture]

Would the low par cause this white tip issue?

No

 

[Gavin Noy]

That’s STN, not burned tips. That acro is probably not going to make it.

The tissue is still there its just white.

 

[twentyleagues]

I would not recommend acid as that will drop the Ph very quickly and cause more issues. WC is much better. based on the before and after pics I would say that it is definitely not new growth. I would lower the frag to reduce light intensity and reduce your Alk to somewhere in the 7.5-8.5 range. I highly recommend getting or borrowing a PAR meter to check the light intensity. All suggestions regarding that are just guesses without data.

Which is why I said I hate to recommend chemicals and he needs to be very careful. It can be done in small increments, not the best idea for someone starting out. If the parameters are correct I'd worry about dropping nutrients with water changes and causing other issues on top of what is already happening. Yes adding acid if done wrong will/could be just as devastating. So in reality it may be better to not focus on this coral and focus on the ones that are doing well. Not everyone can grow sps.