I think I killed my chalice :(

[Kraig]

Well, I think I learned a lesson this weekend. I moved some corals from qt into my display tank. I put a chalice up a little higher than I probably should have (at least immediately) and it went from good to bad almost overnight. I am only 10 months in and still learning. With the new additions in the display tank I have about 20 corals in the dt, from softies to lps. I've done fairly well with everything else, but this one mistake sucks (not the only one). I have read and knew that change in light needs to be slow. I've tested par in the qt and dt and thought where I was moving it too was okay (a little higher par but not a lot), but the coral thinks otherwise. About the only other big difference between qt and dt is the phosphates. They are close to 0 in qt and around .3 in the dt. I don't think that would have done it. I've never had any of my other corals do this when moving them over so I really think it was the light.

I just wanted to post to say, for those like me that are still learning, please go slow with a change in lighting, especially when going from one tank to another. Maybe that isn't what did it, but a few days ago in qt, this thing looked great, feeder tentacles were coming out at night and the color was nice. Today it has white streaks going all the way through it and doesn't have much color left. I've moved it to the bottom but not sure that is going to save it.

 

[Nate Chalk]

Well, I think I learned a lesson this weekend. I moved some corals from qt into my display tank. I put a chalice up a little higher than I probably should have (at least immediately) and it went from good to bad almost overnight. I am only 10 months in and still learning. With the new additions in the display tank I have about 20 corals in the dt, from softies to lps. I've done fairly well with everything else, but this one mistake sucks (not the only one). I have read and knew that change in light needs to be slow. I've tested par in the qt and dt and thought where I was moving it too was okay (a little higher par but not a lot), but the coral thinks otherwise. About the only other big difference between qt and dt is the phosphates. They are close to 0 in qt and around .3 in the dt. I don't think that would have done it. I've never had any of my other corals do this when moving them over so I really think it was the light.

I just wanted to post to say, for those like me that are still learning, please go slow with a change in lighting, especially when going from one tank to another. Maybe that isn't what did it, but a few days ago in qt, this thing looked great, feeder tentacles were coming out at night and the color was nice. Today it has white streaks going all the way through it and doesn't have much color left. I've moved it to the bottom but not sure that is going to save it.

Don't give up on it. I almost completely bleached my chalice and it's got color back up it takes weeks. I have melted setosa montipora and it's came back.

Here's the chalice now

 

[Kraig]

Don't give up on it. I almost completely bleached my chalice and it's got color back up it takes weeks. I have melted setosa montipora and it's came back.

Here's the chalice now

I won't give up but I don't think there is anything I can do after moving it down to the bottom where I know it doesn't have too much light. It probably has much lower flow there as well. Hopefully, short term that won't make it worse.

 

[Kraig]

Don't give up on it. I almost completely bleached my chalice and it's got color back up it takes weeks. I have melted setosa montipora and it's came back.

Here's the chalice now

Beautiful tank btw, thanks for posting!

 

[Nate Chalk]

Beautiful tank btw, thanks for posting!

Thanks , it's not without much trial that I've ended up here.

It's about learning don't be hard on yourself. Youve done what you can and should have done. Low flow , low light. Let it recover over the next couple of weeks. Like 3-4.

Even if it looks bad. The setosa I almost certainly thought was gone is now maybe the size of a garden pea. Life finds a way alot of the time.

 

[Kraig]

Not great pics I know, but just wanted show show a little difference between Friday night (pic actually from September 3rd but looked about the same) and today.

 

[HankstankXXL750]

Not great pics I know, but just wanted show show a little difference between Friday night (pic actually from September 3rd but looked about the same) and today.

Be better if you could take pics with white lights. I know your phosphate is high at .3, but what are the rest of your parameters? Nitrate, Salinity and temp. Is that exposed skeleton, or just bleached flesh?

 

[Kraig]

Be better if you could take pics with white lights. I know your phosphate is high at .3, but what are the rest of your parameters? Nitrate, Salinity and temp. Is that exposed skeleton, or just bleached flesh?

All parameters are good. Nitrates stay around 6-9, salinity stable at 1.025, temp stable at 77.5-78. I dose ALK and CAL, with ALK around 9 and CAL around 450. My Magnesium is a little higher than I would like at about 1500. I only mentioned phosphate in the first post because that is the only level that is somewhat different than the qt tank the chalice was moved from.

I'm really not sure if I am seeing exposed skeleton or bleached flesh. I feel that a small bit of color has come back but it's hard to tell. It is still very brown in color compared to how it looked in qt.

That was mainly white light for the second pic (after move to DT). I didn't take a pic under mainly whites when it still had color before it was moved into the DT (the pic you replied to). I will take another pic tonight for a comparison as to what it looks like about a week later, after move to DT. I'm holding out a little hope for this guy.

 

[Kraig]

Updated picture of the Chalice. I wish I would have taken a little better picture of the second day in the DT. It does look to me like there is less of that white streaking I was seeing.

 

[HankstankXXL750]

Updated picture of the Chalice. I wish I would have taken a little better picture of the second day in the DT. It does look to me like there is less of that white streaking I was seeing.

Chalice like low light 75-100 Par. Might have bleached it. Pic is much better, maybe it will color back up if you keep it in lower light.

 

[Kraig]

Chalice like low light 75-100 Par. Might have bleached it. Pic is much better, maybe it will color back up if you keep it in lower light.

Yeah, I figured thats what happened. Moved it low as soon as I realized what was going on. Fingers crossed.

 

[Kraig]

Its still hanging in there. I see some evidence of growth now and some color coming back.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Not great pics I know, but just wanted show show a little difference between Friday night (pic actually from September 3rd but looked about the same) and today.

These guys are forgiving and with proper parameters can bounce right back