Biota Toadstool help

robertchaput

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Hey guys, so I’ve had my Biota Mt Dew Toastool for almost a year now, was doing amazing. Noticed about a week ago these white patches appear and it close up. Was wondering if this was normal or if action was needing. It has closed up in the past only for a day or two. Never this long or with these patches. Lightning nor water flow has change in recent months. My zoanthids also have white lines starting at the mouths
Ph 7.7
Nitrate 12
Phosphate 0.06
Alk 9.4 dkh
Cal 520
Mag 1500

IMG_1953.jpeg IMG_1952.jpeg IMG_1955.jpeg
 

bluemon

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Nutrients are a bit low for softies, but sometimes toadstools do this.

I would feed the tank more
 

BonnieB

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Your parameters are out of line and basically way too high in most areas. Do a water change 20%, then in a few days do another one. Then test your parameters again. These are what you’re aiming for:

PH - 8.2-8.3
Cal - 420
Alk - 8-9
Mag - 1350-1400
Your nitrates and phosphates look okay
 

bluemon

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Your parameters are out of line and basically way too high in most areas. Do a water change 20%, then in a few days do another one. Then test your parameters again. These are what you’re aiming for:

PH - 8.2-8.3
Cal - 420
Alk - 8-9
Mag - 1350-1400
Your nitrates and phosphates look okay
The softies won’t care about the parameters you listed.

And nitrates and phosphates are a bit low for softies to really thrive
 

BonnieB

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Your parameters are out of line and basically way too high in most areas. Do a water change 20%, then in a few days do another one. Then test your parameters again. These are what you’re aiming for:

PH - 8.2-8.3
Cal - 420
Alk - 8-9
Mag - 1350-1400
Your nitrates and phosphates look okay
Your magnesium may be the biggest culprit. When mine went too high recently because my reagent went bad and I didn’t know it so I added when I shouldn’t have, my toadstool and my Duncan both closed up. It took the WCs to bring them back to a batter, normal state again. Watch also that your N&P don’t go any lower!
 
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robertchaput

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Your magnesium may be the biggest culprit. When mine went too high recently because my reagent went bad and I didn’t know it so I added when I shouldn’t have, my toadstool and my Duncan both closed up. It took the WCs to bring them back to a batter, normal state again. Watch also that your N&P don’t go changes until it’s down.
I appreciate that! Will do water changes to get those 3 under control!
 
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robertchaput

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Your parameters are out of line and basically way too high in most areas. Do a water change 20%, then in a few days do another one. Then test your parameters again. These are what you’re aiming for:

PH - 8.2-8.3
Cal - 420
Alk - 8-9
Mag - 1350-1400
Your nitrates and phosphates look okay
I appreciate the response! I had purchased premix water from my LFS but did not realize until after doing a 15% water change that the salt mix was at 1.033sg. They use aquaforest reef salt. And when I did test the water out of the jug my aquaforest tests would not even read alk, cal and mag. I figured I had them down enough for my corals to be OK but I suppose not. Also was feeding reef roids which spiked my phos to 0.47 and I brought it down over 2 weeks with phosguard to what it is now.
 

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Your toadstool and zoa's are both stretching out big time for more light, low light is the main issue here. The toadstool stem should not be that long. You might have mistaken the long stem as growth, but its not growth, its struggling to survive.

From the algae growing on the toadstool stem I think its also not getting enough flow.

I would turn up the lights to higher intensity and place the toadstool in higher flow spot, or maybe add more flow to the tank.
 
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vetteguy53081

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Hey guys, so I’ve had my Biota Mt Dew Toastool for almost a year now, was doing amazing. Noticed about a week ago these white patches appear and it close up. Was wondering if this was normal or if action was needing. It has closed up in the past only for a day or two. Never this long or with these patches. Lightning nor water flow has change in recent months. My zoanthids also have white lines starting at the mouths
Ph 7.7
Nitrate 12
Phosphate 0.06
Alk 9.4 dkh
Cal 520
Mag 1500

IMG_1953.jpeg IMG_1952.jpeg IMG_1955.jpeg
Flow is the biggest thing with these specimens. Assure moderate light and medium flow as the flow keeps sediment off their surface and giving it a few bursts from a turkey baster will perk it up
 

ZC aquatics

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Hey guys, so I’ve had my Biota Mt Dew Toastool for almost a year now, was doing amazing. Noticed about a week ago these white patches appear and it close up. Was wondering if this was normal or if action was needing. It has closed up in the past only for a day or two. Never this long or with these patches. Lightning nor water flow has change in recent months. My zoanthids also have white lines starting at the mouths
Ph 7.7
Nitrate 12
Phosphate 0.06
Alk 9.4 dkh
Cal 520
Mag 1500

IMG_1953.jpeg IMG_1952.jpeg IMG_1955.jpeg
Phosphate needs to be higher has it changed at all remember coral has a bond with a certain type of algae
 

BryanM

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Well my phos was at 0.47. I used phosguard to drop it down over the course of 2 weeks to what it is now
That was a fairly quick drop.... Could very well be what has annoyed it.

They are hardy critters, I bet it perks up within the week.
 
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robertchaput

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Your toadstool and zoa's are both stretching out big time for more light, low light is the main issue here. The toadstool stem should not be that long. You might have mistaken the long stem as growth, but its not growth, its struggling to survive.

From the algae growing on the toadstool stem I think its also not getting enough flow.

I would turn up the lights to higher intensity and place the toadstool in higher flow spot, or maybe add more flow to the tank.
I appreciate the response! I have blues at 80% and whites at 15% currently. On for 8hrs a day with an hour ramp up and ramp down. Would you recommend I increase both whites and blues or blues up to 100% only?
 
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robertchaput

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That was a fairly quick drop.... Could very well be what has annoyed it.

They are hardy critters, I bet it perks up within the week.
Yea I tried to be slow with it so I didn’t shock anything, I used less then the recommended does of phosguard. I have removed it now, hoping my phos will level out again
 
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robertchaput

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Phosphate needs to be higher has it changed at all remember coral has a bond with a certain type of algae
Yes it was at 0.47 2 weeks ago. Used phosguard to bring it down to what it is now over the course of the 2 weeks so it wasn’t a drastic drop
 
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robertchaput

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Flow is the biggest thing with these specimens. Assure moderate light and medium flow as the flow keeps sediment off their surface and giving it a few bursts from a turkey baster will perk it up
Thanks for that! I had it in higher flow previously, but due to its stock being long it kept bending it over and its polyps where in the substrate. Do you recommend upping the flow again and let it bend and adjust to it? Will also be increasing my lighting
 

Mr. Mojo Rising

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I appreciate the response! I have blues at 80% and whites at 15% currently. On for 8hrs a day with an hour ramp up and ramp down. Would you recommend I increase both whites and blues or blues up to 100% only?
Hi again, what kind of light do you have, how many watts? What size is the tank?
 

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Thanks for that! I had it in higher flow previously, but due to its stock being long it kept bending it over and its polyps where in the substrate. Do you recommend upping the flow again and let it bend and adjust to it? Will also be increasing my lighting
Yes but away from other coral
They’re not too picky on light
Assure phosphate not elevated
 
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robertchaput

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Hi again, what kind of light do you have, how many watts? What size is the tank?
50W nicrew. Was running 80% blue 15% white at the time of the post. Tank is a 30g. 24” L x 14.5” W x 20.5” tall. Light is 8” above water line. I will be upgrading to a water box aio 35.2 soon as this tank has crappy dimensions and no place for equipment
 
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