Is 0.7 phosphate too high/enough to start turning corals white?

ReefKeeper666

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Hi again everyone. So for the past few weeks my encrusting corals have been getting white patches on them. First I thought it was purple they were turning but I had an Ah-ha moment the other day. I turned up the whites and down the blue for like 45 seconds to look at the corals and saw the patches of discoloration were white and not purple. I had a concern it could be my new AI prime 32HD lights that Are only 48 days on the tank (which I also used the acclimation 30 day setting for them When Installed) so I dropped the levels a little and put Cool whites at 5 pct. only. My next concern was Alkalinity rising. But last night my new Hanna Phosphate and Alkalinty testers came In. I checked my water twice with each tester and got the same results both times on both tester. My Alkalinity is at 7. My phostphates are 0.70. In the past weeks using my old API kits I was getting anything from 7-10 on alk and 0-.50 On phosphates. So hopefully I’m one step closer to solving this problem. All my other corals including my birds nest which is SPS are doing well. It’s just the encrusting corals Favia, montiporia, burning banana that are Turing white In patches. Is the high phosphates Why this is happening?
 

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Hi again everyone. So for the past few weeks my encrusting corals have been getting white patches on them. First I thought it was purple they were turning but I had an Ah-ha moment the other day. I turned up the whites and down the blue for like 45 seconds to look at the corals and saw the patches of discoloration were white and not purple. I had a concern it could be my new AI prime 32HD lights that Are only 48 days on the tank (which I also used the acclimation 30 day setting for them When Installed) so I dropped the levels a little and put Cool whites at 5 pct. only. My next concern was Alkalinity rising. But last night my new Hanna Phosphate and Alkalinty testers came In. I checked my water twice with each tester and got the same results both times on both tester. My Alkalinity is at 7. My phostphates are 0.70. In the past weeks using my old API kits I was getting anything from 7-10 on alk and 0-.50 On phosphates. So hopefully I’m one step closer to solving this problem. All my other corals including my birds nest which is SPS are doing well. It’s just the encrusting corals Favia, montiporia, burning banana that are Turing white In patches. Is the high phosphates Why this is happening?
I had this exact problem with my tank. phosphates were at 0.08 and the tank was good. Suddenly, tons of algae showed up, corals stopped growing and many SPS lost flesh. Some died, some are still hanging on. The Montipora and my encrusting corals were hit the hardest. My phosphates were 0.68! I slowly lowered them to 0.06 or so, dosed vibrant for the algae and my tank is coming back nicely. Algae is gone, coral color has improved and alk consumption has increased due to coral growth. I used GFO to lower my
Phosphates. I bet it’s your issue.
 
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ReefKeeper666

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I had this exact problem with my tank. phosphates were at 0.08 and the tank was good. Suddenly, tons of algae showed up, corals stopped growing and many SPS lost flesh. Some died, some are still hanging on. The Montipora and my encrusting corals were hit the hardest. My phosphates were 0.68! I slowly lowered them to 0.06 or so, dosed vibrant for the algae and my tank is coming back nicely. Algae is gone, coral color has improved and alk consumption has increased due to coral growth. I used GFO to lower my
Phosphates. I bet it’s your issue.
Oh wow thank you! Yeah I had a lot of black hair alge for a while. I’m dosed NoPox for it but stopped as there is a only a lil left, it no longer seems to be spreading so I just pull out what I can once a week. GFO needs to be put in a reactor right?
 

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i doubt phosphates will bleach ur coral ! id say it would have to be lighting. Have you checked your light par near the bleaching coral ? is it enough light or is it too little? YES .7 phosphate is super high but if thats what it has been consistently for a long time in the past and up untill now after you change your lighting you see this bleaching issue.

Now on the other hand if your tank was running consistently at a different phosphate and parameters levels then bam dramatically hit .7 or had a huge swing in other parameters then yes it may be a parameter issue which can only be solved by stability and time.

my honest opinion is if your tank has had consistant parameters its probally your light either not having enough light or probally too much
 

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my phosphates run around .25-.3 and thats with GFO only issue you would see if having high phos. would be alot of GHA and algae. Not coral white spots (bleaching)
 

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My po4 has been consistent at .7. (Which to many is very high) but in my experience as long as no major swings it doesn’t seem to bother anything- but consistency I think is more important. I’m leaning towards your new lighting - maybe they are getting too much light possibly?
 
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Looks purple patches but under white light they are white
 

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rapid

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The problem with assuming anything about my parameters is that I was unsung inaccurate api kits. But my phosphates were lower before the hair alge

were the api tests consistant as you did them ? yes it may be wrong but if you were getting .5 all the time with the api then id say they were consistant. even tho that .5 is really a .7
 
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ReefKeeper666

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were the api tests consistant as you did them ? yes it may be wrong but if you were getting .5 all the time with the api then id say they were consistant. even tho that .5 is really a .7
Mostly yes. But sometimes I’d get an off the wall reading too.
 

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Mostly yes. But sometimes I’d get an off the wall reading too.

okay so i wouldn't worry about your phosphates right now id figure out ur light issue first. rent a par meter and check light par near the coral and make sure it is the correct intensity at your max setting time for that coral.
 
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Im going to say 98% sure its your lighting. either not being enough or too little
Thank you for your help so far. So maybe it is best I attack both the high phosphates as well as the lighting. In regards to the lighting I have a 55 gallon tank 4feet in length and 14 inches deep. I have 2 AI 32 HDs on the tank. The lights are 14 inches above the water surface. My blues and UV were all set in the 80-90 pct green and red 6 pct and cool white was at 20. Was that too much? I’ve since dropped cool white to 5 about 4-5 days ago.
 

rapid

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Thank you for your help so far. So maybe it is best I attack both the high phosphates as well as the lighting. In regards to the lighting I have a 55 gallon tank 4feet in length and 14 inches deep. I have 2 AI 32 HDs on the tank. The lights are 14 inches above the water surface. My blues and UV were all set in the 80-90 pct green and red 6 pct and cool white was at 20. Was that too much? I’ve since dropped cool white to 5 about 4-5 days ago.

I use kessil lights so i cant tell you about the different levels of lights ! but id look up the recomened lighting par for the coral and rent a par meter from brs to check the light par.
 

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