Acropora losing color

[Tdoan]

I am having issue with my acropora corals, the color is fading out, other SPS are doing good with out issue, such as my montis.
The acropora has been in the tank about 2 months, seem to be doing good but over the last 3 weeks the color is fading.
I have a few things I am working on, first is lighting. I thought it was sufficient but after watching BRS I am running around 170 para where the corals are located (estimate). I use 2 kessil 360WE, they are set at 70% and have started ramping them up. it is on a 36" tank, 40 breeder.
Second, I also have high Nitrates 42ppm, over the last 4 days I have done 100% water change but it doesnt seem to reduce the count by just a few points. I have added a refugium last week.
I have the tank on an auto water change and change out 7 gallons a week.
The rest of my parameters. Hanna
DKH 10
Cal 450
Nitrate 42
Phosphate .04
Salinity 1.026
Mag 1400
An advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[T-J]

When you say the color is fading, do you mean the acro is turning white or is it turning brown? Also, where did you get the 170 PAR "estimate"? Did you actually test your PAR?
How old is the tank? I see you joined in April, so I'm wondering if your tank is that new as well.
Thanks!

 

[DivingTheWorld]

As mentioned:

Age of tank? Started with dry or live rock?
What are you using to test Nitrate? Have you cross checked with another kit?
IMO your Alk is high for your phosphate, but your Nitrate is out of wack so...
Have you used a PAR meter on your tank? I know BRS rents them and maybe your LFS does as well. If truely 170, that's an issue for acros.

 

[Tdoan]

When you say the color is fading, do you mean the acro is turning white or is it turning brown? Also, where did you get the 170 PAR "estimate"? Did you actually test your PAR?
How old is the tank? I see you joined in April, so I'm wondering if your tank is that new as well.
Thanks!

When I say fading I mean they are turning white.
The PAR is an estimate from the BRS test they did with Kessil. they ran at 100% I am at 75%.
the tank was started in Feb, so it is some what new.
Thanks for your reply.

 

[Tdoan]

As mentioned:

Age of tank? Started with dry or live rock?
What are you using to test Nitrate? Have you cross checked with another kit?
IMO your Alk is high for your phosphate, but your Nitrate is out of wack so...
Have you used a PAR meter on your tank? I know BRS rents them and maybe your LFS does as well. If truely 170, that's an issue for acros.

I am testing Nitate with Hanna, I was testing with Salifert
I am testing Phosphate with Hanna as well as Cal. & DKH
Mag. is tested with Salifert.

the DKH has always been out of balance from phosphate, I am not sure way, that is why I bought the Hanna to validate the test.

The tank was started with dry rock as a majority with some live rock.

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

Are you using po4 removing media?

 

[Tdoan]

Are you using po4 removing media?

PO4 removing media? Not sure what you mean. If you mean marine pure bio media, if just put in some when I started my refugium.

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

PO4 removing media? Not sure what you mean. If you mean marine pure bio media, if just put in some when I started my refugium.

I meant gfo or phosguard etc.

 

[Tdoan]

I meant gfo or phosguard etc.

 

[Tdoan]

No I am not using any of than.

 

[Ike]

Any carbon dosing or additives? How many fish and what do you feed? That PO4 level can be in indicator of PO4 being low, I had problems as soon as mine dropped to .04 on my Hanna meter...

 

[Tdoan]

No carbon dosing, only additive other than vibrant
I feed frozen flakes and pellets.
reef roids
5 fish

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

No carbon dosing, only additive other than vibrant
I feed frozen flakes and pellets.
reef roids
5 fish

VIBRANT!!!!
Ding ding ding ding ding
Stuff should be called acro killer
It’s great at killing algae though

 

[Tdoan]

VIBRANT!!!!
Ding ding ding ding ding
Stuff should be called acro killer
It’s great at killing algae though

Really never seen any reports of that. I have dosed it since the beginning.

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

Really never seen any reports of that. I have dosed it since the beginning.

Have you seen any reports that high alk and low po4 cause acropora issues?

 

[Tdoan]

Have you seen any reports that high alk and low po4 cause acropora issues?

My PO4 is not high from what I have read. The nitrate is high but that was why I put the readings of the test.
so are you saying my PO4 is high?
are you saying that the nitrates are high enough to be the problem?
or are you saying that vibrant is the issue?
Sorry not really following your Logic?

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

My PO4 is not high from what I have read. The nitrate is high but that was why I put the readings of the test.
so are you saying my PO4 is high?
are you saying that the nitrates are high enough to be the problem?
or are you saying that vibrant is the issue?
Sorry not really following your Logic?

High alk combined with low po4 and vibrant is your issue

 

[Waters]

Sounds like you have a lot going on. I don't think it is Vibrant since your nutrients (specifically your nitrates) are high. Phosphates of .04 are fine. Vibrant can be a danger when running low nutrients due to them bottoming out. When you say the acros are turning white, are they bleaching or just turning pale? I am guessing it is related to the system being new and water chemistry stability.

 

[jda]

Put me in the camp of: stop using the Vibrant. ...too much to type about this, but it is pure badness in the long term for some small short term gains for some (not even all). Most any "supplement" that you use for a purpose such as removing algae/dinos/diatoms comes back to bite you in the long term.

Some day, your Kessils might need T5s if you want to go hard-core acropora and you want them to look like what you see elsewhere. Look around just this form and you will find a vast majority of Kessil owners who had to add T5s vs a very few who have not. This can be way down the road, but just keep it in mind for someday when you have everything else in line, but don't like your acropora colors. This is why Kessils are not usually the choice for LED only acropora tanks.

I would stop all supplementing, except for big-2/3, keep you with your water changes, let the dKh come down to about 8 and calcium down to 425. Let it sit there for a while and then report back in a month.

 

[Tdoan]

Put me in the camp of: stop using the Vibrant. ...too much to type about this, but it is pure badness in the long term for some small short term gains for some (not even all). Most any "supplement" that you use for a purpose such as removing algae/dinos/diatoms comes back to bite you in the long term.

Some day, your Kessils might need T5s if you want to go hard-core acropora and you want them to look like what you see elsewhere. Look around just this form and you will find a vast majority of Kessil owners who had to add T5s vs a very few who have not. This can be way down the road, but just keep it in mind for someday when you have everything else in line, but don't like your acropora colors. This is why Kessils are not usually the choice for LED only acropora tanks.

I would stop all supplementing, except for big-2/3, keep you with your water changes, let the dKh come down to about 8 and calcium down to 425. Let it sit there for a while and then report back in a month.