Acros lose color when added

[wrfreeman]

Not sure what my issue is. Anytime I add a healthy colorful acro frag to my tank it bleaches within a week or so. It continues to live and even grow, but loses it's color. I can see polyp extension. Other SPS thrive (birdsnest, stylo, pocilopra, Monti caps and digi) and are very colorful. I thought it was my light (Reefbreeders Photon series) since i had the blues at only 70%, but I've been increasing the intensity over the past few weeks and today I'll make the jump from 90 to 100%. The whites only max out at 40% I believe. I've also added a single T5 strip with an ATI Coral Plus bulb about 3 weeks ago. My other SPS have colored up even more since adding this supplemental light, but not the Acros. I run the T5 six hours a day and my LEDs are on a sun rise/sun set ramp with the peak staying on for about 4 hours. My parameters are as follows:

salinity (a little low but I'm bringing it up slowly): ~1.023-1.024; pH: 8.2; Alk: 9.2 dKh; Ca: 350 (bringing it up to 450 slowly); Mg: 1250; temp 79; phosphate and nitrate undetectable.

It's a 72g bow front and my coral stock is as follows (see picture):

ORA green birds nest - about a 6-8 inch round colony
Pocillopora - 4-6 round colony
Montipora digi - about a 6-8 inch colony
stylopora - 3-4 inch colony
anacropora - 3-4 inch colony
turbunaria - 6-8 inch colony
Monti caps - green and red
2 small chalice
Potato chip pavona - 3-4 inch colony
fuzzy/hairy pavona (I think) (pink/purple) - 3-4 inch colony
elephant eye - 2 inch
small jack o lantern leptoseris
war coral - 6-8 inch colony
meteor shower - 8 inch+ and expanding
various LPS and zoa/palys colonies

My fish stock is:

1 clown
1 bristletooth tang
1 blue chromis
1 starry blenny
1 convict blenny
1 six-line wrasse
1 mandarin

Do you see anything that's not not copacetic? Any suggestions?

 

[Zechirian]

Which test kits are you using for NO3 and PO4? I was experiencing the same thing and also had NO3/PO4 registering 0 or .01. I put some filter socks in and let the Nitrates rise to about 5 and PO4 to .4 and color came back within a couple of days.

 

[twilliard]

phosphate and nitrate undetectable

Yup I would correct this!
Or lower the DKH and bring that light back down to where everything looked good.

 

[StevenBell]

It's because your a Vol fan more than likely...

 

[twilliard]

It's because your a Vol fan more than likely...

What's a vol fan?

 

[wrfreeman]

I'm using Hanna for PO4 and API for NO3. I just tested again and the results are:

PO4: 0.01 ppm
NO3: 0 ppm

I run a filter sock, skimmer and ROWA phos.

 

[wrfreeman]

I also run a cheeto ball in my fuge.

Should I turn off the ROWA phos reactor and let the sock go about a week between cleanings? I don't want to have to deal with another algae outbreak if I can help it.

 

[twilliard]

I'm using Hanna for PO4 and API for NO3. I just tested again and the results are:

PO4: 0.01 ppm
NO3: 0 ppm

I run a filter sock, skimmer and ROWA phos.

If all looks well but the acros then bringing your ALK down SLOWLY would be beneficial
You have a ULNS and the ALK is too high

 

[twilliard]

Or you can start to dose potassium nitrate to bring the no3 back up.
Your macros will suck it right up at first but it will stabilize

 

[wrfreeman]

I thought the acceptable ALK range was from 6-11 dKh which would put 9 smack in the middle? I don't want to start dosing some thing else if possible. I'll try not running the RWOA reactor for a week and see where the PO4 comes up to. If it runs at an acceptable level without an algae bloom happening again then that might be all I need to do. I've been trying to base my parameters on those recommended by Mark Callahan since I needed a reputable benchmark to start with. I do understand that these are the recommended values and may need to be adjusted depending on the tank. He recommends:

Alk: 6-11
Ca: 380-450
Mg: 1200-1400
Nitrate: 0
pH: 7.6-8.4
Phosphate: 0

 

[twilliard]

I will direct you to @Randy Holmes-Farley

He can more explain what I was trying to say

 

[jduck]

If there were signs of alk burn then I would suggest lowering it. But since there is not, I would just increase nitrates and po4 a little

 

[twilliard]

If there were signs of alk burn then I would suggest lowering it. But since there is not, I would just increase nitrates and po4 a little

Good statement!!
Thank you

 

[CastAway]

Tagging along.

 

[CastAway]

It's because your a Vol fan more than likely...

...probably because he's a Patriots fan more likely. Tom Brady don't reef!

 

[neupane00]

Exactly my problem and asked the same question a week ago. All my acros were thriving and growing but all bleached out. I tried increasing light, decreasing light period. etc etc.. We all strive for 0 nitrate 0 phosphate and read about ULNS a lot . But i guess nitrate and phos are important. 1 week, is started dosing ammino acids and increase fish feeding from 1 time a day to 2-3 times a day and BOY what a difference in little over 1 week! I also decrease my flow to GFO to accumulate some phosphate. I have nitrate now at around .25 - .5 (Red sea nitrate test) and phosphate 0-0.01 (hanna checker)

 

[twilliard]

Exactly my problem and asked the same question a week ago. All my acros were thriving and growing but all bleached out. I tried increasing light, decreasing light period. etc etc.. We all strive for 0 nitrate 0 phosphate and read about ULNS a lot . But i guess nitrate and phos are important. 1 week, is started dosing ammino acids and increase fish feeding from 1 time a day to 2-3 times a day and BOY what a difference in little over 1 week! I also decrease my flow to GFO to accumulate some phosphate. I have nitrate now at around .25 - .5 (Red sea nitrate test) and phosphate 0-0.01 (hanna checker)

ULNS are just fine to have but great care has to be taken cause maintaining a stable system is harder. I started to see results in just a few weeks after dosing potassium nitrate
It gives me a little more flexibility on my KH

 

[jcdeng]

when you have high alk and high light, your sps tend to grow fast, but if you are not supplying them with the nutrients they need they will lose color. If you truely have 0 ppm nitrate then you can dose acropower on a daily and boardcast feed your tank with coral food like LRS or BRS reef chilli. Best practice would be dose the acropower and wait 5 mins then boardcast feed. if you have a controller you can use a feed mode to shut down the return pump and keep the powerheads going. This way the food will stay in suspension and stay in DT and not travel down to the sump and get wasted.

 

[twilliard]

when you have high alk and high light, your sps tend to grow fast, but if you are not supplying them with the nutrients they need they will lose color. If you truely have 0 ppm nitrate then you can dose acropower on a daily and boardcast feed your tank with coral food like LRS or BRS reef chilli. Best practice would be dose the acropower and wait 5 mins then boardcast feed. if you have a controller you can use a feed mode to shut down the return pump and keep the powerheads going. This way the food will stay in suspension and stay in DT and not travel down to the sump and get wasted.

Does acropower add po4 to the water??

 

[jcdeng]

Acropower is just an amino acid which is good for coral's general health, it can also entice feeding response. po4 can come from anywhere, fish food, coral food, fish waste, etc. I wouldn't worry about po4 lvls too much.