Help with rainbow monti

[mallorieGgator]

Hey all! My rainbow monti isn't looking so hot. It's browned out and has very little polyp extension and none in some places. It's closer to the top of my tank and is in high flow. I'm not sure what's going on. My sunset and appleberry are fine as well as my plating caps. Any advice?

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[impur]

I would move it down to less light. Typically montis like lower light than other SPS. My rainbow, sunset, and superman montis all grow at the very bottom of my tank.

 

[mallorieGgator]

Ok. I will try that. I might put it low until it recovers some. It looks pretty sad.

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[Dave3112]

Mine is right at the top of my tank. It has great color and polyp extension. In my experience it likes a lot of light and flow. What it doesn't like is unstable Alk. also they like Mg to be on target too. At least in my tank that's the coral I look at to give me an idea of what's going on. Mine has been pretty hardy over all but it is sensitive to Alk and Mg.

 

[BeakerBob]

Like Dave above, I have found that the alk concentration an stability is vital to keep the rainbow in all its glory. When my alk goes out of whack, it starts to brown, the next early warning monti is the sunset, it will start to dull down shortly after the rainbow.

 

[CJO]

Mine is right at the top of my tank. It has great color and polyp extension. In my experience it likes a lot of light and flow. What it doesn't like is unstable Alk. also they like Mg to be on target too. At least in my tank that's the coral I look at to give me an idea of what's going on. Mine has been pretty hardy over all but it is sensitive to Alk and Mg.

I have the exact same experiences although it seems more sensitive to swings than actual levels.

CJ

 

[Dave3112]

I have the exact same experiences although it seems more sensitive to swings than actual levels.

CJ

Exactly. It can be happy at many different Alk levels but they need to be consistent levels.

 

[stiddley]

Mine has been off and on and browns when the alk and mag isnt right. If you get everything right it normally colors right up and polyps come right out.

 

[Henry C]

Definetly one of those canary in the mineshaft corals....

 

[mallorieGgator]

Well, it probably is my Alk since I don't dose. I don't have the time to do it by hand or the money to by the equipment to do it so I just do water changes.

 

[stiddley]

Well, it probably is my Alk since I don't dose. I don't have the time to do it by hand or the money to by the equipment to do it so I just do water changes.

mallorie, we don't dose either. It actually stays pretty steady nowadays doing water changes about every 2 weeks and if it does get low, we dose by hand and it is very little that is needed. My LFS actually mixed it up in a one gallon jug and I haven't even used it in about a month now. We actually have 3 one-gallon jugs for calcium, mag, and alk and once the mag was adjusted to the correct level I have rarely added calcium or alk.

 

[mallorieGgator]

I looked at the monti last night and noticed the back side under the white bulb was blue with good color but the front side under the blue bulb is browned. I need to change my bulbs I am sure. They are 11 mos old. Not sure if this would affect the color of the monti or not.

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[mallorieGgator]

I may try moving it to my 20 nano to see what it does there. It's brighter light with new bulbs.

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[robsreefs]

Yea its probably the bulbs I would get some new one ASAP

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[mcarroll]

(Accidentally sat on this post for a couple days....somehow it become "lost in the tabs"....hope it may still help.)

If the coral is already stressed from having old lights and has lost color and polyp extension due to depressed alkalinity (have you confirmed this with a test kit yet? what is the actual number?) I would not recommend moving it to a new tank on top of that.

I would say to just do your water changes and/or doses to make the alkalinity better in the tank where he is and get those new bulbs in place ASAP. (If alkalinity is too bad, don't correct it all at once, or drip it very slowly if you do.)
Also, just for the record here's the total cost on a doser:

• Aqua Lifter 3 gph pump: $15
• Airline valve (6 pack): $7
• Timer: $8

So, for $30 (+/-) and a little bit of bother, you're automated. :-)

FYI, I used all Drs Foster & Smith parts and prices for the three main parts for universal accessibility. If you're willing to shop around you can do better on some components (like the valves - Top Fin are my favorite, which most Pet Smarts seem to carry, and of course you don't need a 6-pack either) and prices (see AquariumGuys.com for Aqua Lifters) - especially if you're not afraid to shop eBay and do something a little more DIY.

Good luck - hopefully there's minimal/no scarring after the Rainbow recovers! :)

-Matt

P.S. At home I'm currently running one Aqua Lifter and one eBay-sourced DIY peristaltic pump on my ReefKeeper Light. I like the setup and both pumps are very inexpensive.

P.P.S. Make sure your alkalinity and Ca test kits are up to snuff when you start automating - you're still going to want to keep a close eye on alkalinity and Ca too for unexpected changes.