New lights and coral bleaching

[Ireland.Escada]

I just got my first set of corals and a new light system. The AI. (See photos)

i don’t know if my corals are bleaching out and if my setting is too high. This morning the park was 140 over the big red (monti?) coral that I had for a while. The new alien eye has a white strip (I moved him into an area with lower par (around 50).
I also see a film on the top of the water and the algae seems to be kicking really hard.
Could this be from my light setting? I am doing the adjustment period to last 28 days for ramping up.

tank is 10 years old, but I got it a year a go. My bubble tip moved and is “bubble tipping” in new spot in the back of tank.

last scan disk 2/28/2023

Ph 7.9
Ammonia 1
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 2
Kh 139
Phosphate 4.3 *** sample had some food so it was assumed it might have been spoiled
Ca 480
Mg 1198

I haven been adding about 3 cups of RODI every day. I have been doing at lease 5gal salt water change every few days. I am going to change out the pads in the canister. Do I have to change out the charcoal? It seems the white areas are not showing up in the coral in the photos

 

[Lavey29]

Sure new lights can affect corals. There needs to be an acclimation period. Your parameters are off though. What is your phosphate? It should be .05 to .1 and nitrates at 10. Your magnesium is low. Should be 1350 to 1500.

How old is your tank? Why do you show ammonia? Should be 0.

 

[Ireland.Escada]

Sure new lights can affect corals. There needs to be an acclimation period. Your parameters are off though. What is your phosphate? It should be .05 to .1 and nitrates at 10. Your magnesium is low. Should be 1350 to 1500.

How old is your tank? Why do you show ammonia? Should be 0.

The ammonia changed from 0.1 to 1 in 12 days. I know I did at least 1 - 5 gal water change. The phosphate might have jumped because of the water sample had the fish food in it (I used my turkey baser to collect the sample. I also use that baser to add food for the fish. But the LFS said i have something that is a “ phosphate bomb”. Maybe some of the rocks that came with the tank is fake? The least owner said he could never get coal (but said it was the salt)

 

[Lavey29]

The ammonia changed from 0.1 to 1 in 12 days. I know I did at least 1 - 5 gal water change. The phosphate might have jumped because of the water sample had the fish food in it (I used my turkey baser to collect the sample. I also use that baser to add food for the fish. But the LFS said i have something that is a “ phosphate bomb”. Maybe some of the rocks that came with the tank is fake? The least owner said he could never get coal (but said it was the salt)

Get a second independent test on your phosphate because that number is way high unless it is PPM instead of PPB? Nitrates are good there and raise magnesium a little.

Start lights on lower setting intensity for 10 hour program. Slowly raise intensity over several weeks or a month until you get the required par for the corals you have.

 

[Ireland.Escada]

Get a second independent test on your phosphate because that number is way high unless it is PPM instead of PPB? Nitrates are good there and raise magnesium a little.

Start lights on lower setting intensity for 10 hour program. Slowly raise intensity over several weeks or a month until you get the required par for the corals you have.

My canister was unplugged… it’s been off for at least maybe a week. That explains the film on the top of the water.

 

[Lavey29]

My canister was unplugged… it’s been off for at least maybe a week. That explains the film on the top of the water.

Well if you had no filtration going for a whole week then you better do some good size water changes. I'm surprised if you did not lose fish due to that.

 

[Ireland.Escada]

Well if you had no filtration going for a whole week then you better do some good size water changes. I'm surprised if you did not lose fish due to that.

I think it might have been because I had done a 10 gal water change after I forgot to unplug it. I could smell something, like "swamp". Maybe that what kept them alive?

Then again, any fish that survives my tank is a mutant of unimaginable strength