Browning SPS

[Mebeknob]

Suggested first action steps.
-I have a 10 gallon nano tank. I run filter pad, nitrate pad and chemi pure.
-I have a compartment with live rock. No skimmer.
-I dose the Zeovit nano power pack.
-I feed frozen food. Rods reef.
-I have a max spect celestial.
-I do a 10-20% water change weekly

What do you think I should start checking first?

 

[sa6hir]

Any pic please?

 

[Mebeknob]

Any pic please?

Updated

 

[Mebeknob]

Sorry not the best pics

 

[Jimbo]

Check you Phosphate and Nitrate levels

 

[sa6hir]

Check you Phosphate and Nitrate levels

 

[sa6hir]

*1

 

[Mebeknob]

So if those levels are in check, then what?

 

[Anthony Wood]

So if those levels are in check, then what?

What are your actual levels and test kit to obtain your numbers? Could possibly be not enough light. Brown means packed densily with symbiotic algae which would mean a very healthy coral. The brown out when there isn't enough light sometimes but not always the case of other factors are involved.

Are they browning out (literally turning brown in color) or are the color becoming pale in color (pastel color)? Pale as in the coral are becoming lighter in color and your not getting that deep and rich color they originally had? Those are two different things.

Although your coral colors look ok to
me just from the pics. I know pics don't always show true color to what your actually seeing with your eyes. It appears to me you have the pastel color problem from your pics not browning. Corals going pastel a majority of the time means zero phosphates and zero nitrates. Sometimes it can mean too much light but I can tell you have LED's so I highly doubt that's the case. You don't want zero phosphates and zero nitrates, corals do need trace amounts of both. I like to aim for .1-.3 ppm phosphates and anything under 5ppm nitrates personally. My all SPS tank will stay consistent at .1pmm phosphates and 3ppm nitrates. Just don't go above .3ppm phosphates and realistically 10ppm nitrates (I just set my limit to 5ppm)

Salifert and similar tests kits are reliable for nitrates. Personally for phosphates I don't trust the human eye to have enough resolution to reliably tell the color shade difference in titration based test kits. The only thing I trust to give a reliable phosphate reading is the Hanna Checker ULR phosphorous kit.

 

[Mebeknob]

I guess my levels could be too low. Never thought of that. I'll double check them later tonight. I had my leds pretty low but have slowly been ramping them up and that has seemed to help a bit.

 

[Mebeknob]

It's just the branching dos that are loosing color. Don't know the names, but it was green, went to brown, lost a little bit of tissue and is now stagnant.
A bonsai Garf lost all color and is going pale, afraid it will loose all tissue any day now.
But the stag horn seems okay and the Seasons greetings is great.

 

[Mebeknob]

Api test kits.... So yeah
Nitrate:0
Phos:0.25-0.5
Cal:460-480
KH: 7dKH

 

[Salty1962]

Your tank is too clean, start feeding a little more food to get the nitrate levels bumped a tad.

 

[Mebeknob]

Your tank is too clean, start feeding a little more food to get the nitrate levels bumped a tad.

That's funny cause I thought I already fed too much. I'll take out he nitrate pad first and see if that brings it up a bit.

 

[BluewaterLa]

It's just the branching dos that are loosing color. Don't know the names, but it was green, went to brown, lost a little bit of tissue and is now stagnant.
A bonsai Garf lost all color and is going pale, afraid it will loose all tissue any day now.
But the stag horn seems okay and the Seasons greetings is great.

Easy way to understand and remember the concept of nutrients and sps
Natural levels of symbiotic algae in sps tissue is brown colored and offers sun screen to the coral as well as nutrition. The zoanthelle utilize some phosphate and nitrate as a food source so with low levels or ultra low levels the symbiotic algae population recedes. This reduced population exposes the coral tissue color hence the pale or brilliant color some achieve.
Without supplementing amino acids or other food sources for the coral to consume from the water column the coral will decline in health from lack of natural food produced by the zoanthelle.
This is how you go about getting better or brighter coloration in sps corals.
You have to be careful with powerful lights and higher alkalinity while choosing to color up sps.

Achieving faster growth with higher alkalinity the coral needs more nutrition / organics to keep up with growth rates being faster. Trying to achieve great color and fast growth is how you get burnt tips, tissue loss or dead corals
This is why low nutrient especially ultra low nutrient systems run a more natural alkalinity level

To try and achieve both fast growth and great color is really keeping your water parameters on the brink of instability for the coral.
A good balance of both can be achieved as described above in another post by keeping a small amount of phosphate and nitrate the corals have a food source to replace what is missing from the symbiotic algae.
I find in my system that all the coral benefit from a little amino acid adittion while maintaining good growth and color.
Hope this helps understanding the mystery

Good luck and happy reefing
BluewaterLa / Mike

 

[Kungpaoshizi]

Your phosphate is a little higher than I would prefer, but ya, get the nitrate up.
Use a drop of vinegar everyday and read up on carbon dosing. (I would suggest nopox)

Otherwise everything looks pretty good, nice job! :)

 

[najer]

Check out how your zoas are stretched, I would say light, your first pic shows the lack of spread, can you change the lenses to wide angle ones or physically raise the light and turn the power up a bit?
Not sure what adjustment that light has but I used Razors for years, all with wide angle lenses.

 

[Brian Kim]

great looking tank, is that an IM 10? Looks very similar to mine

 

[Mebeknob]

Easy way to understand and remember the concept of nutrients and sps
Natural levels of symbiotic algae in sps tissue is brown colored and offers sun screen to the coral as well as nutrition. The zoanthelle utilize some phosphate and nitrate as a food source so with low levels or ultra low levels the symbiotic algae population recedes. This reduced population exposes the coral tissue color hence the pale or brilliant color some achieve.
Without supplementing amino acids or other food sources for the coral to consume from the water column the coral will decline in health from lack of natural food produced by the zoanthelle.
This is how you go about getting better or brighter coloration in sps corals.
You have to be careful with powerful lights and higher alkalinity while choosing to color up sps.

Achieving faster growth with higher alkalinity the coral needs more nutrition / organics to keep up with growth rates being faster. Trying to achieve great color and fast growth is how you get burnt tips, tissue loss or dead corals
This is why low nutrient especially ultra low nutrient systems run a more natural alkalinity level

To try and achieve both fast growth and great color is really keeping your water parameters on the brink of instability for the coral.
A good balance of both can be achieved as described above in another post by keeping a small amount of phosphate and nitrate the corals have a food source to replace what is missing from the symbiotic algae.
I find in my system that all the coral benefit from a little amino acid adittion while maintaining good growth and color.
Hope this helps understanding the mystery

Good luck and happy reefing
BluewaterLa / Mike

This is what the Zeovit system is shooting for right? Ultra-Low nutrients while supplementing the required stuff to keep the coral alive and healthy.
I guess what I am taking away from this is that the browning SPS is not necessarily a bad sign.

 

[Mebeknob]

great looking tank, is that an IM 10? Looks very similar to mine

Yep! IM 10. At some point this will become my office tank and I'll get a bigger tank at home.