Montipora cap bleaching help

[jhermy90]

Hello fellow reefers.

I am having troubles with my motiporas. They have been in the tank for 3 months now and in the last couple days have started bleaching.

Only that I have changed in the last week was lighting. I am using a reefbreader photon v2. I increase the blues and violet channels from 60% to 75%. I do have a par meter. And measured before and after adjustments.

Par readings before adjusting were 150-170. After was 190-220. I am wondering if that was to much at once or maybe something else is going on.

I also started gfo in a reactor on 4/23. My phosphates at that point were .20.

Current parameters

Salinity 1.026
Alk 8.2 with salifert
Ca 400 with salifert
Mag 1450 with salifert
No3 4.8 with hanna hr
Po4 .03 with hanna ulr

The pictures attached are with white lights and with regular tank lighting.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Too much light may cause bleaching
Too much flow Will cause issues
Assure not nudibranch are underneath the plate

 

[hexcolor reef]

!

 

[hexcolor reef]

What’s your KH level in tank?
If below 190 raise it if you choose to use powerful lighting. Nitrates also to low, get those to 15PPM

 

[jhermy90]

Too much light may cause bleaching
Too much flow Will cause issues
Assure not nudibranch are underneath the plate

Thanks for the reply. Is 200 par to much for plating montipora? I have had monti eating nudibranch in a previous tank. And I spend a good amount of time watching the tank at night with a flash light. I love seeing the night life in the tank. I haven't seen nudibranch on any of the monti. I do have decent flow in the tank (I believe) but it isn't direct flow. I learned that lesson with my digi.

 

[jhermy90]

What’s your KH level in tank?
If below 190 raise it if you choose to use powerful lighting. Nitrates also to low, get those to 15PPM

I'm not sure what scale you are using for kh. I'm at 8.2 dkh currently. I have been slowly increasing nitrates over that last month. Can't seem to keep them up. Even with dosing neonitro

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thanks for the reply. Is 200 par to much for plating montipora? I have had monti eating nudibranch in a previous tank. And I spend a good amount of time watching the tank at night with a flash light. I love seeing the night life in the tank. I haven't seen nudibranch on any of the monti. I do have decent flow in the tank (I believe) but it isn't direct flow. I learned that lesson with my digi.

Most of mine in 220- PAR should be fine

 

[jhermy90]

Most of mine in 220- PAR should be fine

Perhaps they just need time to adjust. Here's a picture of the green monti from a month ago.

 

[fodsod]

Could be that your jump from previous PAR to the higher PAR (15% jump) was just too quick. Maybe back that off by 5-10% and see if they do better then do 5% increases every 10-14 days and monitor the Montis.

I have the same light and a few encrusting montis up higher in my 90g and used that approach to acclimate them a little slower to higher lighting and everything has been good so far.

Great looking plating montis, hopefully you'll get them sorted.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Perhaps they just need time to adjust. Here's a picture of the green monti from a month ago.

Better pic. Does not look terrible.

 

[Timfish]

I'd suggest you stop using GFO. One of the issues with PO4 deficiency (<.03 mg/l) is increased sesitivity to increases in lighting. Here's some links on PO4 if you'r einterested:

Phosphate Deficiency:
Nutrient enrichment can increase the susceptibility of reef corals to bleaching:

Nutrient enrichment can increase the susceptibility of reef corals to bleaching - Nature Climate Change

Increased dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) concentrations in sea water have been linked to a reduction of the temperature threshold at which corals bleach, however, the mechanism underlying this change is not known. This phenomenon is now explained in terms of increased phosphatase activities...

www.nature.com

Ultrastructural Biomarkers in Symbiotic Algae Reflect the Availability of Dissolved Inorganic Nutrients and Particulate Food to the Reef Coral Holobiont:

Ultrastructural Biomarkers in Symbiotic Algae Reflect the Availability of Dissolved Inorganic Nutrients and Particulate Food to the Reef Coral Holobiont

Reef building corals associated with symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) can access environmental nutrients from different sources, most significantly via the uptake of dissolved inorganic nutrients by the algal symbiont and heterotrophic feeding of the coral host. Climate change is expected to...

www.frontiersin.org

Phosphate deficiency promotes coral bleaching and is reflected by the ultrastructure of symbiotic dinoflagellates

Phosphate deficiency promotes coral bleaching and is reflected by the ultrastructure of symbiotic dinoflagellates

Enrichment of reef environments with dissolved inorganic nutrients is considered a major threat to the survival of corals living in symbiosis with din…

www.sciencedirect.com

Effects of phosphate on growth and skeletal density in the scleractinian coral Acropora muricata: A controlled experimental approach

Effects of phosphate on growth and skeletal density in the scleractinian coral Acropora muricata: A controlled experimental approach

Phosphate contamination can negatively affect corals, modifying growth rates, skeletal density, reproduction, mortality, and zooxanthellae. We determi…

www.sciencedirect.com

High phosphate uptake requirements of the scleractinian coral Stylophora pistillata

High phosphate uptake requirements of the scleractinian coral Stylophora pistillata

SUMMARYSeveral untested aspects of the regulation of inorganic nutrient uptake were examined using nutrient depletion experiments with the symbiotic coral Stylophora pistillata. The total inhibition of phosphate uptake in artificial seawater lacking sodium indicates the involvement of a...

jeb.biologists.org

Phosphorus metabolism of reef organisms with algal symbionts

https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ecm.1217?casa_token=ziDzrEEJ8g0AAAAA%3AHnfuGTIntMdqOtx2ij-lnoTh7qVg8VBhYFz98e60zfBEvx5IcIVGhmlpUYmzIJuqUNVm0sG8_0vth6lq

2657円まるいち 博多辛子明太子(無着色) 「博多の華」 (ギフト用) 180g Z6572海産物イクラ,タラコ,魚卵 Qoo10]　「博　まるいち　博多辛子明太子(無着色) | therichross.com

2657円まるいち 博多辛子明太子(無着色) 「博多の華」 (ギフト用) 180g Z6572海産物イクラ,タラコ,魚卵 Qoo10]　「博　まるいち　博多辛子明太子(無着色) | therichross.com

therichross.com

 

[jhermy90]

I'd suggest you stop using GFO. One of the issues with PO4 deficiency (<.03 mg/l) is increased sesitivity to increases in lighting. Here's some links on PO4 if you'r einterested:

Phosphate Deficiency:
Nutrient enrichment can increase the susceptibility of reef corals to bleaching:

Nutrient enrichment can increase the susceptibility of reef corals to bleaching - Nature Climate Change

Increased dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) concentrations in sea water have been linked to a reduction of the temperature threshold at which corals bleach, however, the mechanism underlying this change is not known. This phenomenon is now explained in terms of increased phosphatase activities...

www.nature.com

Ultrastructural Biomarkers in Symbiotic Algae Reflect the Availability of Dissolved Inorganic Nutrients and Particulate Food to the Reef Coral Holobiont:

Ultrastructural Biomarkers in Symbiotic Algae Reflect the Availability of Dissolved Inorganic Nutrients and Particulate Food to the Reef Coral Holobiont

Reef building corals associated with symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) can access environmental nutrients from different sources, most significantly via the uptake of dissolved inorganic nutrients by the algal symbiont and heterotrophic feeding of the coral host. Climate change is expected to...

www.frontiersin.org

Phosphate deficiency promotes coral bleaching and is reflected by the ultrastructure of symbiotic dinoflagellates

Phosphate deficiency promotes coral bleaching and is reflected by the ultrastructure of symbiotic dinoflagellates

Enrichment of reef environments with dissolved inorganic nutrients is considered a major threat to the survival of corals living in symbiosis with din…

www.sciencedirect.com

Effects of phosphate on growth and skeletal density in the scleractinian coral Acropora muricata: A controlled experimental approach

Effects of phosphate on growth and skeletal density in the scleractinian coral Acropora muricata: A controlled experimental approach

Phosphate contamination can negatively affect corals, modifying growth rates, skeletal density, reproduction, mortality, and zooxanthellae. We determi…

www.sciencedirect.com

High phosphate uptake requirements of the scleractinian coral Stylophora pistillata

High phosphate uptake requirements of the scleractinian coral Stylophora pistillata

SUMMARYSeveral untested aspects of the regulation of inorganic nutrient uptake were examined using nutrient depletion experiments with the symbiotic coral Stylophora pistillata. The total inhibition of phosphate uptake in artificial seawater lacking sodium indicates the involvement of a...

jeb.biologists.org

Phosphorus metabolism of reef organisms with algal symbionts

https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ecm.1217?casa_token=ziDzrEEJ8g0AAAAA%3AHnfuGTIntMdqOtx2ij-lnoTh7qVg8VBhYFz98e60zfBEvx5IcIVGhmlpUYmzIJuqUNVm0sG8_0vth6lq

2657円まるいち 博多辛子明太子(無着色) 「博多の華」 (ギフト用) 180g Z6572海産物イクラ,タラコ,魚卵 Qoo10]　「博　まるいち　博多辛子明太子(無着色) | therichross.com

2657円まるいち 博多辛子明太子(無着色) 「博多の華」 (ギフト用) 180g Z6572海産物イクラ,タラコ,魚卵 Qoo10]　「博　まるいち　博多辛子明太子(無着色) | therichross.com

therichross.com

This is very interesting. I will have to sit down and go through all this when I have time. Thanks.

 

[exnisstech]

I wouldn't think too strong of light. My red on the left is sitting under 400+ and the others 350 tested with an apogee 510. Colors are not accurate (phone pic)

but no bleaching

 

[FrugalReefer]

I don’t think it’s your lighting level. I have Montis doing great at around 350 PAR. I’m guessing it was the sudden jump in PAR in conjunction with your relatively low nutrients which stressed them out.

 

[Timfish]

This is very interesting. I will have to sit down and go through all this when I have time. Thanks.

You're welcome!


Decades ago I realized in my maintenance business there wasn't a correlation between PO4 levels and algae/coral issues. So when I got active on the forums 10-15 years ago I was susrprised to see even low levels of PO4 as causing algae/coral issues Being familiar with Veron's books and his observations

"Imported nutrients are usually transported to reefs from rivers; but if there are no rivers, as with reefs remote from land masses, nutrients can only come from surface ocean circulation. Often this supply is poor, and thus the vast ocean expanses have been refered to as "nutrient deserts". The Indo-Pacific has many huge atolls in these supposed deserts which testify to the resilience of reefs, but the corals themselves may lack the lush appearance of those of more fertile waters. Many reefs have another major supply of inorganic nutrients as, under certain conditions, surface currents moving against a reef face may cause deep ocean water to be drawn to the surface. This "upwelled" water is often rich in phosphorus and other essential chemicals." J. E. N. Veron "Corals of Austrailia and the Indo-Pacific" pg 30

(A simple search shows upwelling give corals PO4 levels of about .2 mg/l or more.)

I was surprised as recommendations contradicted what I had observed in numerous systems over years and what I understood corals see in the wild. The papers I posted above are just some of what I found digging into the available research. While many other aquarists have realized low PO4 is bad for corals and for at least a decade now there has been a broad effort to correct old assumptions it's sad to see the dogma dictating ultra low levels is still around.

 

[jhermy90]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I had set the lights back to there previous settings and stopped running the gfo reactor. I'm happy to say that most of the corals that were bleaching have stopped expelling zooxanthellae and are regaining color. The only corals that seem to be struggling currently are my cabbage coral and my forest fire digi. The digi has been problematic before the changes and didn't really seem bothered by what I had changed. The cabbage coral closed up and started letting go of zooxanthellae the same time as the rest of them. But it still opens up at night.