Difficulty Getting Mid Level SPS to Thrive

[Tim P]

Hey all,

7 month old tank.

Pretty much an 3+ year experienced newb when it comes to SPS husbandry. I seem to have the Digitatas and the Poccis and the Stylos down just fine. I even have a Green Slimer that has grown 5" in a month and has beautiful polyp extension and color.

However, I've started to introduce mid-range acropora, such as PC Rainbow, Red Planet, Miyagi Tort, etc and I've got great polyp extension, but colors are lackluster. I'm talking bleached encrusting portions, and you can tell what the coral is but the highlighted colors are severely muted. I acclimated to my lighting (t5s/led combo). I've measured PAR (350-475 range for most frags at the top of the rocks). I keep stable parameters like a 7.7-7.8 ALK, salinity 1.026, ph 8.2, nitrates 1-3ppm, etc. I dose Acropower for about 3 months solid now. I carbon dose with a biopellet reactor. Run UV. I've started to really see an explosion in coralline. Gyres for flow. 22 fish and dirty ones (tangs, quoyi parrot, anthias)

Mixed reef tank with lots of shrooms, leathers, and gonis and zoas. 200G. Montis like caps and rainbows doing really well. No luck with chalices yet but I think my flow is high and I mistakenly place them in too high PAR.

I have a few theories as to why my colors are lacking.

Po4 is zero, for months now. Trying to get that up just a bit - feeding reefroids 3x a week, coral snow 2x, feed the fish mysis, etc daily, took off phosban reactor, etc.

Calcium is around 500 and mag is over 1600. Had some trouble dialing in my ATI essentials 3 part. Slowly going down, but still quite outside the normal range. ALKs always been pretty consistent. Tried to increase to 8.8 but had trouble getting over 8 with my dosing and Tropic Marin Bio Actif salt, so I'm happy in the 7.8s.

I noticed that the transition from QT to the display and the frags would immediately lose color. PAR meter told me they were going from about 120PAR in the QT to 400 in the DT, so that was remedied. Perhaps that stressed out the frags in question and ones that are surviing need time to get comfy again...

What do I need to get over this hump? Anyone have a similar experience they can share tips for? Am I just wishing for something and need to exercise patience? I'd really like to start going to the orange passions and the milles but I don't trust myself in the least. Help a guy out!

 

[NY_Caveman]

I agree. 120 to 400 PAR is a big jump. If you can, raise the light intensity slowly over weeks in the QT to acclimate frags before introduction to the display.

 

[Tim P]

I agree. 120 to 400 PAR is a big jump. If you can, raise the light intensity slowly over weeks in the QT to acclimate frags before introduction to the display.

That was weeks ago. That has been fixed. Raised qt PAR to the 250 range and then i start the frags near the sandbed in the DT now. I'm sure I stressed a few of those frags out originally, but now new ones that go through that process are experiencing similar results. Stumped.

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[jda]

I would stop carbon dosing. Stop the acropower if you need to compensate for removing the biopellets. Feeding the fish is truly enough.

Light quality matters more than quantity. Are the T5s doing the heavy lifting, or are the LEDs? It can really matter.

I do not worry about low po4 when using natural means of control and believe that throughput is more important than any test kit numbers - heavy feeding along with heavy skimming, water changes, etc. However, with carbon dosing, you could be creating bacteria that are outcompeting your coral - this can cause color issues.

 

[TX_Punisher]

What kind and how much bio pellets are you running? I started with too much and now maybe run 1/4 it what is “suggested.”

 

[Tim P]

What kind and how much bio pellets are you running? I started with too much and now maybe run 1/4 it what is “suggested.”

I run the Vertex Pro pellets. I started with 1/2 the recommended amount when I started the reactor up, added to the max rec when nitrates were stubborn, and by now theyve been eaten away back to about half the amount again. I may dial is back to 1/4, and then eventually zero and see where nitrates go. After reading yours the previous posters advice, did some reading and it can def outcompete the zooxanthellae for nutrients. Seems like a likely scenario here.

 

[Tim P]

I would stop carbon dosing. Stop the acropower if you need to compensate for removing the biopellets. Feeding the fish is truly enough.

Light quality matters more than quantity. Are the T5s doing the heavy lifting, or are the LEDs? It can really matter.

I do not worry about low po4 when using natural means of control and believe that throughput is more important than any test kit numbers - heavy feeding along with heavy skimming, water changes, etc. However, with carbon dosing, you could be creating bacteria that are outcompeting your coral - this can cause color issues.

Thank you. Upon further reading, the carbon dosing could certainly be the cause, especially since I've been dosing almost since the start of this tank. I'll slowly take them offline and see what happens.

 

[IslandLifeReef]

Thank you. Upon further reading, the carbon dosing could certainly be the cause, especially since I've been dosing almost since the start of this tank. I'll slowly take them offline and see what happens.

I agree with SLOWLY taking it off line.

 

[TX_Punisher]

The idea of removing my pellets intrigued me at first, however, now I like having some to keep my n03 at ~1-5.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

7 month old tank.


Acros will turn colors very often just moving them (like something knocking em off a rock)

Sounds like the tank is doing really ok.
I wouldn’t chase numbers.
Stop carbon dosing.
Be patient