Is this a bleaching of my scolymia coral?

[zhwb1215]

I've got this scoly for a few months. It is always beautiful but something white appears around its mouth a few weeks ago. I don't know if it's bleaching. This photo was taken when lights was just off.
I've been feeding it Coral Frenzy twice a week. Tmp 78, salt 35, PH 8.21-8.37, ALK 8.1-8.4, Ca 400-440, Mg 1400-1460. Phosphate: 0.02-0.13. Ammonia: 0. Nitrate: 0. It's an SPS dominant tank, 91 Gal. I've been adding Phytoplankton every day and Searchem zooplankton twice a week recently. Does anybody know what it is? How can I help it? I appreciate any comments, or suggestions.

 

[homer1475]

Definitely does not look good, and looks to be fading fast.

Low light, low flow, and get some nitrate into that system. 0 nitrate and/or phosphates is not good.

 

[zhwb1215]

Definitely does not look good, and looks to be fading fast.

Low light, low flow, and get some nitrate into that system. 0 nitrate and/or phosphates is not good.

Thanks for your response. I've tried to put it at a lower light spot but should probably be somewhere even lower lighting. For the 0 nitrates, I don't know why? I have 8 fish. They are fed 3 times a day. There are should be some Nitrated but might be consumed by something else like phytoplankton because my chaeto isn't in good condition too. I will adjust the feeding amount on my auto feeder.
Question for you: how high should the phosphate level be? I heard it should be no more than 0.03 so I'm using GFO to lower it. Thanks again.

 

[homer1475]

Every system is different. I like to keep my phosphates right around .1. I personally feel .03 is way to low, and if using the hanna egg to check that number, .03 could actually be 0 with the margin of error on the kit.

The last scoly I had that I recovered looked very similar to what your is looking like, I placed right under a ledge(was getting like maybe 50 par), with almost 0 flow.

As it recovered, I was able to slowly bring it out into the light a bit more.

As long as it has a feeding response, feed it. If you put food on it, and it just lays there, then stop feeding it for a while. FWIW, they like meaty food, not the slop you been feeding it. Try some mysis, pellets, scallops, etc. Meaty foods, not "gravy".

 

[zhwb1215]

Every system is different. I like to keep my phosphates right around .1. I personally feel .03 is way to low, and if using the hanna egg to check that number, .03 could actually be 0 with the margin of error on the kit.

The last scoly I had that I recovered looked very similar to what your is looking like, I placed right under a ledge(was getting like maybe 50 par), with almost 0 flow.

As it recovered, I was able to slowly bring it out into the light a bit more.

As long as it has a feeding response, feed it. If you put food on it, and it just lays there, then stop feeding it for a while. FWIW, they like meaty food, not the slop you been feeding it. Try some mysis, pellets, scallops, etc. Meaty foods, not "gravy".

Glad to hear you’ve got your scoly back. Wish I can save mine. I’ll definitely feed it some meaty food. Thanks.

 

[DHill6]

Every system is different. I like to keep my phosphates right around .1. I personally feel .03 is way to low, and if using the hanna egg to check that number, .03 could actually be 0 with the margin of error on the kit.

The last scoly I had that I recovered looked very similar to what your is looking like, I placed right under a ledge(was getting like maybe 50 par), with almost 0 flow.

As it recovered, I was able to slowly bring it out into the light a bit more.

As long as it has a feeding response, feed it. If you put food on it, and it just lays there, then stop feeding it for a while. FWIW, they like meaty food, not the slop you been feeding it. Try some mysis, pellets, scallops, etc. Meaty foods, not "gravy".

Coral Frenzy is a pellet.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Glad to hear you’ve got your scoly back. Wish I can save mine. I’ll definitely feed it some meaty food. Thanks.

That LPS is very likely starving from your 0 dissolved nutrients in the tank, or bleaching from the intense lights.

Dose nitrates if you have to. Check out Golden State Corals. They run 20+ nitrates in the acro grow table. LPS so not do well in 0.