Dark blue Acro turned completely white

[solitude127]

Welcome to the life of SPS where Acros RTN for no reason. If you know all your parameters are in check and all other coral are fine, sometimes acros just RTN. I've got bonkers trying to figure out why an acro would RTN.

 

[GrapevineReefs]

Putting acro’s in a relatively new tank will bring much heartache, stress, confusion, wasted money, and realizations that waiting is much much much more practical than forcing the process... in my experience that is...

 

[Shawcabelguy]

Nitrate my test kit is API so hard to tell but it either looks like 0-20 ppm the color is so hard to tell the difference and my phosphate is at 0. I'm not sure why my nitrate never goes up but I feed the fish plenty and seems like it does nothing or maybe I just need a better test kit. Would it help to add the Coraline bacteria from brs ? Pink and purple bottles to help it mature

 

[Joedubyk]

Get better test kits, and if your nitrate and phos are too low, that's 100% a reason why your sticks will die, esp if your alk is that high

 

[EMeyer]

I'd add some some live rock, live sand, or live mud... bring your salinity and alkalinity back to natural seawater levels (1.026 and 7 respectively), and wait 3 months.

 

[Shawcabelguy]

I'd add some some live rock, live sand, or live mud... bring your salinity and alkalinity back to natural seawater levels (1.026 and 7 respectively), and wait 3 months.

Just put it in my sump ?

 

[Texas Rick]

Yep, it’s toast

 

[EMeyer]

Just put it in my sump ?

Yes, that is exactly what I've done. I suggest turning off the flow for an hour or so if it's mud, but thats all I did.

 

[Graffiti Spot]

Nitrate my test kit is API so hard to tell but it either looks like 0-20 ppm the color is so hard to tell the difference and my phosphate is at 0. I'm not sure why my nitrate never goes up but I feed the fish plenty and seems like it does nothing or maybe I just need a better test kit. Would it help to add the Coraline bacteria from brs ? Pink and purple bottles to help it mature

I have seen many new acro keepers think the purple coral one accelerator bottles are a good thing but they raise your alk and or calcium and most that have used it spike their alk I know lying which kills their acros. I would stay away from it and just get some cultured live rock. It’s not going to make anything better. Coraline is just a sign of a maturing tank but tanks can be mature with no real coraline growth.

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

I have seen many new acro keepers think the purple coral one accelerator bottles are a good thing but they raise your alk and or calcium and most that have used it spike their alk I know lying which kills their acros. I would stay away from it and just get some cultured live rock. It’s not going to make anything better. Coraline is just a sign of a maturing tank but tanks can be mature with no real coraline growth.

I used that stuff in a frag tank build and my alk shot up to 12.

 

[Flippers4pups]

@Shawcabelguy, when a coral gets stressed and loses its color, (expels it's zooxanthellae) it's cause can be from multiple different things. In your case, I can say that your lack of nutrients (N03 and P04) may have started this. Of course a more mature system most of the time will have those present, along with more beneficial bacteria. Adding some live rock is the best way to jump start your biome, not coraline additives.

I would address the lack of live rock, lower the frag down to the sand bed, preferably in a shaded area or reduce your light intensity and photoperiod. If there is tissue left, though bleached, there is always a chance it can come back.

Aside from a new tank, do you dip your new coral frags in coral dip? If not, do so going forward. In your case I can't rule out a possible coral pest.

To get your nutrients up, if running a skimmer, turn it off for a few days and consider dosing Nitrate and Phosphate to get your numbers up. And get some better test kits such as red sea or salifert.

 

[Shawcabelguy]

@Shawcabelguy, when a coral gets stressed and loses its color, (expels it's zooxanthellae) it's cause can be from multiple different things. In your case, I can say that your lack of nutrients (N03 and P04) may have started this. Of course a more mature system most of the time will have those present, along with more beneficial bacteria. Adding some live rock is the best way to jump start your biome, not coraline additives.

I would address the lack of live rock, lower the frag down to the sand bed, preferably in a shaded area or reduce your light intensity and photoperiod. If there is tissue left, though bleached, there is always a chance it can come back.

Aside from a new tank, do you dip your new coral frags in coral dip? If not, do so going forward. In your case I can't rule out a possible coral pest.

To get your nutrients up, if running a skimmer, turn it off for a few days and consider dosing Nitrate and Phosphate to get your numbers up. And get some better test kits such as red sea or salifert.

Yeah I dipped my corals in an iodide solution forget the name of it. I'll look into getting some stuff to dose nitrate and phosphate

 

[Rick5]

Yeah I dipped my corals in an iodide solution forget the name of it. I'll look into getting some stuff to dose nitrate and phosphate

Reverse order, bud. Test kits first, followed by dosing (if you decide that’s what you want to do). I don’t dose, particularly in a dry rock setup but that’s a personal opinion based on my experience with dry rock.

Lugols is probably the name you’re blanking on.

 

[Graffiti Spot]

I used that stuff in a frag tank build and my alk shot up to 12.

Yea I have had three friends kill all the acros I gave them using this stuff and “ph buffer” stuff. I think people who don’t know what’s in it think it’s safe and just use a lot thinking their rocks will turn purple quick. Really I have never even seen a difference in the rocks in their tanks after they used it anyways.

 

[Shawcabelguy]

Reverse order, bud. Test kits first, followed by dosing (if you decide that’s what you want to do). I don’t dose, particularly in a dry rock setup but that’s a personal opinion based on my experience with dry rock.

Lugols is probably the name you’re blanking on.

I've got all the test kits I just don't have anything to change what happens when I get my readings I just needa better nitrate test kit other than that I've got cal alk mag phos Hanna and salfert. So if u don't dose how to you keep all your chemistry stable

 

[BAUCE]

I've got all the test kits I just don't have anything to change what happens when I get my readings I just needa better nitrate test kit other than that I've got cal alk mag phos Hanna and salfert. So if u don't dose how to you keep all your chemistry stable

You do that by testing your water often and recording the nutrients in and out of the system.

Nutrients in - feeding corals and fish or dosing
Nutrients out - mechanical/chemical filtration and/or water changes

 

[Rick5]

You do that by testing your water often and recording the nutrients in and out of the system.

Nutrients in - feeding corals and fish or dosing
Nutrients out - mechanical/chemical filtration and/or water changes

This.

You still dose to maintain calcium, alkalinity and magnesium. I meant that I would not commence dosing nitrate or phosphate without reliable test kits. I think you mentioned using an API test kit. They aren’t reliable, short of testing ammonia during a cycle, perhaps.