First loss, Alkalinity?

[Isoprene]

I have a larger frag of the "Fire Ice" Echinata and it recently started to bleach and die from the base upwards. I have checked for pests and have none, Every other frag looks healthy and is growing nicely. I am even getting good color. I switch my flow around after it started thinking maybe the base was not getting enough flow. My alkalinity has been sitting around 7.3 to 7.5 for two weeks, noob mistake I think, was this the cause to my problems?

I am not running a LNS I feed every night and have fish in the tank. My tank is high flow high light but all my other sps at the same level as the echinata or higher are doing well. This is the only thing I can think of. Anyone have any other ideas?

Should I cut the remaining living tisssue branches off and frag it or should I try and save it, in my guess it will be totally bleached by tomorrow or the next day. I put the frag in lower light, not sure if this hurt or helped : /

I have started creeping my alk back up using my top off water and dosing more kalk 2+. I have been creeping about .3 DKH per day, im sitting around 8.8 right now after my water change last night. I have about 20 - 30 frags in my tank and I have 60 coral colonies all together. Some are small some are large but this is the only thing showing signs of distress at all.

 

[ritter6788]

Your alk is fine if your test is accurate. It's on the low end but acceptable. I'd frag any healthy parts you can get and start regrowing frags.

 

[Isoprene]

Are the echinatas just finiky? It was the only thing affected it seems? Only stuff I can find where they bleach from the base up is low alk or pests and im pest free. I hate not knowing where I went wrong!

 

[Dowtish]

Enchinatas can be finicky. Also, if you are planning on snipping off the remaining healthy parts of the coral try to do it underwater.

Agreed that your alk is fine as long as it has been stable.

 

[Isoprene]

okay thanks

 

[dankreef]

If your alk is normally higher than 7 is too low. In the past i've had my alk drop to 7 from 9 normally and they will turn white from the bottom up. If you correct your alk it should be alright and color will grow back into the white area eventually.

 

[Isoprene]

Am i okay in increasing my alk .3 a day, at least thats the trend im seeing, and with a normal bare bottom system with fish what alk should I be shooting for 9 or 10? I see some guys running all the way up to 11?

 

[Isoprene]

okay thanks Dan and yeah my alk is normally from 8.5 to 9.5 somewhere in that range. So 7.2 is kind of a big drop I guess and this was the last two weeks and thats when the echinata started to turn white, at least I think so I left for a weekend and came back to it starting to bleach

 

[Dowtish]

You can run your alk as low as 6.5 up to 12. I like to be in the middle so if things swing for whatever reason im not on the edge of too high or too low. I run around 8-8.5

And being that you alk swung down that low is probably the exact reason your coral did this. Alk stability is THE most important parameter when it comes to SPS.

 

[Isoprene]

ok thanks dow, i appreciate the help guys, im still new at the sps :)

I have to get my 40 gallon plumbed in for more volume and stability

 

[Steve175]

+1 for Alk stability being the key to success.

 

[Latinreefer]

My fire and ice is finicky, I moved it once and it looked stressed for about two months. It recovered and is doing well. IMO they hate to be moved.

GL

 

[always reefin]

7-7.5 alk too low imo for lps

 

[ritter6788]

7-7.5 alk too low imo for lps

The alk of the ocean is 7.

7 on an inaccurate test kit could be too low though.

 

[always reefin]

The alk of the ocean is 7.

7 on an inaccurate test kit could be too low though.

this isn't the ocean...lol. just my experience and opinion. I believe his alk drop could absolutely have caused a problem

 

[ritter6788]

this isn't the ocean...lol.

Corals don't know that. Lol

 

[always reefin]

Corals don't know that. Lol

They don't?...lol Not so sure about that, depends a lot on exactly what tank they're in I would guess

 

[ritter6788]

The alk drops aren't near as bad IMO as the rises. Drops are natural as the coral uses the alk to grow. The lower the alk the slower the coral will grow. It's hard to make alk decrease fast enough to cause coral stress. An increase can be done rapidly with additives like buffers. If the alk was 7-7.5 and the test is inaccurate and the alk is really 6 then yes that is enough to cause the coral to die. That's why higher than NSW levels are recommended so you aren't teetering on the verge of unacceptable levels.

 

[always reefin]

The alk drops aren't near as bad IMO as the rises. Drops are natural as the coral uses the alk to grow. The lower the alk the slower the coral will grow. It's hard to make alk decrease fast enough to cause coral stress. An increase can be done rapidly with additives like buffers. If the alk was 7-7.5 and the test is inaccurate and the alk is really 6 then yes that is enough to cause the coral to die. That's why higher than NSW levels are recommended so you aren't teetering on the verge of unacceptable levels.

Alk can drop pretty dramatically in the right conditions

 

[Isoprene]

Back on the topic, my drop was corrected back to 8.9 now where I plan to keep it, between 8.3 and 9.0, if its possible. I have a 55g system with a 12g sump so a total of about 70 gallons overall, maybe less with rock and all the equipment etc..

Anyways its been tough for me to keep alk in line using just a ATO and Kalk 2+. I have been working closely with my LFS owner to keep things stable, he has really helped a freaking ton. I upped my Kalk dosing in my ATO about two and a half weeks ago double the volume of what I was dosing on his advice. I was at 2.5 teaspoons 5g RO/DI in ATO to 4.0 teaspoons in 5g RO/DI now which seems to keep my alk around 8.3 to 8.6 from day to day. I am using Salifert alk test and I am very careful with my testing. My LFS was right on with his test when he did it compared to mine, both at exactly 8.3.

I have not ever bought a test kit, other than nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia till now. Kind of embarrassing but I did not have the money till now. I have been using the LFS to test my water once a week on the same day for Alk, Mg2+, and Ca2+, those guys have some serious patience with me. I talk a lot, hang out too long, and use them to test my water every week. Hey at least I spend money there right? Everything was fine until I realized the drop, 2 weeks of 7.3 dKH down from 8.7 - 9.3 dKH for 4 months prior. Why I did not act accordingly after the first week of the drop is beyond me...life gets busy I guess. Idk... I am kicking myself for it now.

I still have no idea why it dropped so significantly.

My water changes, now that I have the test kit could be suspect. I tested the alk in two 5g buckets today after mixing them overnight with a heater and they both read out at about 9.6 in one to 9.3 in the other. I figure they were similar but the salinity although seemingly the same on my hydrometer, probably off enough to cause the +/- of 0.3 dKH. I am looking to invest in a refractometer, next purchase after my test kits for Mg2+ and Ca2+.

I did the 10g water change, 5 gallons more than normal, and used the 10g to fill my new little nano for my gf. My alk read out at 8.6 dKH tonight. I am worried that a 7.3 dKH to a 8.9 dKH in approx 2.5 weeks is too much. What do you guys think...if you managed to read my novel?

Anyone also have any experience with the dKH that is mixed up in the water changes using Reef Crystals by Instant Ocean? Was it consistent for you?