Acro/monti bleaching

[Syoung]

Over the last week a few of my acropora and my single monti cap have begun bleaching.

Parameters:

• Salinity: 1.026
• Nitrate: 3ppm
• Phosphate: 0ppm
  • Salifert. Unable to read any phosphate even doubling the test
• pH: 8.2
• Calcium: 430
• Magnesium: 1380
• Alkalinity: 5.5/6 dKh
  • Red Sea test. Red Sea salt, but alkalinity stays low

Tank

• IM Lagoon 25
• AI Hydra 26 HD
• No skimmer
• Mixed reef
• 2x ocellaris clownfish
• MP10 (run 40%), and Sicce 1.5 return

Changes since around when bleaching began

• Removed chemipure blue
• Added blue acropora tenius a few weeks prior
• Removed toadstool and put in carbon yesterday, in case toxins were affecting the tank

Monti Cap: side view​

Monti cap: top view (white specs of sand)​

Blue Tenius: Completely bleached​

Red Acro: bleaching from base up​

Red Planet: Beginning to bleach​

 

[Syoung]

Here is my lighting schedule for my AI Hydra 26:

I've checked multiple times after hours for pests, and have not been able to see any. I have no shrimp or crabs in the tank that could be irritating them. And interestingly, the monti seems to be bleaching completely uniformly, not coming from a single side.

Does anyone have any thoughts on what it could be!? Or what actions I should take?

 

[Crabs McJones]

5-6 alk is way to low. You want to up it to 8 to 10. Start there and see if anything improves #reefsquad any other ideas?

 

[Syoung]

5-6 alk is way to low. You want to up it to 8 to 10. Start there and see if anything improves #reefsquad any other ideas?

I agree it's low, I'll run by the store and grab some sodium bicarbonate to raise the alk. I'm surprised my alk is so low with red sea coral pro salt, at a mix alk of 12 dkh.

 

[Syoung]

What would be an ideal rate to raise dKh? 0.5 dKh per day?

 

[Crabs McJones]

What would be an ideal rate to raise dKh? 0.5 dKh per day?

Definitely want to do it slowly. That sounds about right

 

[Garbonzo]

I would raise it slowly day by day as well, as I have actually caused partial bleaching by raising kH too rapidly.

 

[jsker]

Try these Hydra settings link the link is to a download file to the Hydra setting that can be up loaded and with boosting you alk slowly to 8.0

What is your nutrient levels? Po4's between .02 and .03 nitrates 3 to 5 ppm

 

[Syoung]

Try these Hydra settings link the link is to a download file to the Hydra setting that can be up loaded and with boosting you alk slowly to 8.0

What is your nutrient levels? Po4's between .02 and .03 nitrates 3 to 5 ppm

I'll check out the AI settings. What is the depth of the tank you're running with ~100% blues? My AI is 9" off the water, and the lagoon is only about 5" deep to most corals. I average about 40% on the AI 26.

Nitrates: 3ppm
Phosphates: 0ppm

Phosphates are according to salifert, and I've been unable to detect them. Even in doubling the test for higher sensitivity.

 

[jsker]

I'll check out the AI settings. What is the depth of the tank you're running with ~100% blues? My AI is 9" off the water, and the lagoon is only about 5" deep to most corals. I average about 40% on the AI 26.

Nitrates: 3ppm
Phosphates: 0ppm

Phosphates are according to salifert, and I've been unable to detect them. Even in doubling the test for higher sensitivity.

My tank is 21 deep, lights are 12" off the water. The white burn up the corals and I have them way down from before. Also vitamin c helps to corals heal after getting blasted with light. The vitamin c is also good for the over all system too. I make a batch of frozen for a week and put the vitamin c in the frozen

Feed Feed to get both the nitrates up and phosphates up. I use seeded filter media to control my nitrate and GFO to control phosphates. I feed twice a day.

 

[happyhourhero]

I would try and get your nutrients up and slowly raise your alk. The tenuis looks like a goner.

 

[Syoung]

I would try and get your nutrients up and slowly raise your alk. The tenuis looks like a goner.

Sadly I agree. Hopefully I can save the rest.

My tank is 21 deep, lights are 12" off the water. The white burn up the corals and I have them way down from before. Also vitamin c helps to corals heal after getting blasted with light. The vitamin c is also good for the over all system too. I make a batch of frozen for a week and put the vitamin c in the frozen

Feed Feed to get both the nitrates up and phosphates up. I use seeded filter media to control my nitrate and GFO to control phosphates. I feed twice a day.

I'm going to hold off on the light change for now, I don't want to change too many things at once.

My plan right now is to feed more to increase nutrients, and slowly raise the alkalinity over the next week to 8 or 9.

 

[happyhourhero]

To give you some hope, I had an event in my tank where all sps started to bleach and op STN. I did lose a couple of frags but was able to turn everything else back around. So if you go slow and try to keep some sort of a steady baseline ( dripping kalk is great for this), you should be able to salvage your corals.

 

[maroun.c]

I would cross check the phosphate reading. I failed to see a reading with salifert on my tank even though I had extreme high phosphate. Also a tank without skimmer and 0 phosphate is somehow too good to be true. As mentioned raise alk slowly to 8. I'd also send a sample to ICP testing to check for sever shifts if any parameters.

 

[Syoung]

To give you some hope, I had an event in my tank where all sps started to bleach and op STN. I did lose a couple of frags but was able to turn everything else back around. So if you go slow and try to keep some sort of a steady baseline ( dripping kalk is great for this), you should be able to salvage your corals.

Thanks! I was dosing kalk until my ato reservoir cracked (~3 weeks ago). But that was just maintaining my low alk levels, I should get them up.

I would cross check the phosphate reading. I failed to see a reading with salifert on my tank even though I had extreme high phosphate. Also a tank without skimmer and 0 phosphate is somehow too good to be true. As mentioned raise alk slowly to 8. I'd also send a sample to ICP testing to check for sever shifts if any parameters.

I'll take a sample to my LFS to double check.

I started with all dry (mined) rock, ran chemipure blue, and have it light stocking currently.

 

[Syoung]

Thanks everyone for the help so far!

A few new developments.

• After more research, the corals are STNing, not bleaching. Whether this makes a difference in why, I'm not sure.

• My coralline algae has begun to whiten over the past day (no picture yet).
• All acropora and montipora frags (~6) are affected. Birdsnest, LPS, and softies are not currently.

I've increased the alkalinity from 6 to 7 dKh over the past two days. I'll continue until it's at 8, then maintain with kalk.

 

[Syoung]

I owe an update.

STN has stopped. Alk is at 8, and I'm working on stabilizing it through kalk in the ATO. Coralline growth seems to use a lot of carbonate.

Two corals were lost, and I'm unsure if the Acro below will repair.

It's been two-face with no change for ~2 weeks​

Monti looks great!

Interestingly, my Red Sea Coral Pro has been mixing at 9 dKH.

Hope to see some more growth in the coming months!