Carter o51
Active Member
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2013
- Messages
- 116
- Reaction score
- 34
Hey reef2reef,
I’m writing this post as I’m near wits end trying to figure out why my euphyllia are experiencing STN. My tank is a red sea 20 gallon AIO. Stock lights (Red sea LED 50) with protein skimmer and added an auto top off. I use the Red Sea blue bucket for salt. The tank was started in April 2023, so about 6 months old. I’ve kept reef tanks in the past and have not had quite this exact issue before.
I’ve noticed over the last couple of months a slow recession of the stalks of my euphyllia. I put them in and they puff up and look happy for typically several weeks, but begin to expand less with the stalks receding up the skeleton generally slowly (weeks to 1-2 months). I’ve lost a couple colonies this way, and also experienced the same issue with a candy cane coral. No issues with my large colony of Duncans. There are several issues that I have suspected and investigated. Recent parameters listed below.
Salinity: 1.025-.026
Alk 8.6
Phos 0.3
Ca 420
Nitrates 10
Mag 1500
I’ve had several suspected issues I’ll try to address.
Low nutrients: I typically try to change around 20-25% of the water every 1-2 weeks (generally 2.5-4 gallons). Prior readings on nutrients were low to undetectable on nitrate and phosphate so I have increased my feedings and been supplementing with Red Sea reef energy on suspicion that the corals were starving. Current reading as listed above are good for nitrates and slightly high on the phosphates (with ULR Hanna) and I have since added a nano pack of chemipure blue as well as temporary chemipure elite to try and bring the phosphates down a bit to 0.1. I try to spot feed the corals 1-2x a week on the corals that will take food.
Oxygen: due to the low nutrients, I was not running my skimmer. With concern that the oxygen levels in the tank could be low, I’ve run the skimmer 24/7 over the last several weeks. It produces a green tea type skimmate. I do not think oxygen is an issue at this point. Plus, I have a clown, fire fish, and yellow clown goby that are all fat and happy.
Magnesium: I got a salifert magnesium test and checked it 10/5/23, mag was 1170, very low. I have since increased with Brightwell mag supplement to slightly high levels as noted above (1500). My salt mixes low so I suspect occasional supplementation is necessary.
Lighting: this is my biggest suspect at the moment. When LPS started to recede, I lowered the lights thinking that it might be too intense. But looking at my zoas reaching and the gradual decline in size in my rock flower nem, I actually suspect that my lights have been too low in intensity and I may have been starving my corals for light, causing them to recede. I have since increase the intensity of my lights from around 5% white 25% blue to currently 9% white 35% blue. The zoas and nem seem happier and the Duncan and plate coral remain happy and inflated. I will be picking up a PAR meter from a local reefer tomorrow to see where I’m at.
Despite these changes, I’m still seeing necrosis in the euphyllia and wondering if I’m increasing the light intensity too quickly. I’m running out of ideas on why my euphyllia are unhappy and appreciate any insights. Thanks everyone. I’ll try to attach a couple picks though the blue lights mess with the quality. You can see some white skeleton at the base of the gold hammer in the photos.
I’m writing this post as I’m near wits end trying to figure out why my euphyllia are experiencing STN. My tank is a red sea 20 gallon AIO. Stock lights (Red sea LED 50) with protein skimmer and added an auto top off. I use the Red Sea blue bucket for salt. The tank was started in April 2023, so about 6 months old. I’ve kept reef tanks in the past and have not had quite this exact issue before.
I’ve noticed over the last couple of months a slow recession of the stalks of my euphyllia. I put them in and they puff up and look happy for typically several weeks, but begin to expand less with the stalks receding up the skeleton generally slowly (weeks to 1-2 months). I’ve lost a couple colonies this way, and also experienced the same issue with a candy cane coral. No issues with my large colony of Duncans. There are several issues that I have suspected and investigated. Recent parameters listed below.
Salinity: 1.025-.026
Alk 8.6
Phos 0.3
Ca 420
Nitrates 10
Mag 1500
I’ve had several suspected issues I’ll try to address.
Low nutrients: I typically try to change around 20-25% of the water every 1-2 weeks (generally 2.5-4 gallons). Prior readings on nutrients were low to undetectable on nitrate and phosphate so I have increased my feedings and been supplementing with Red Sea reef energy on suspicion that the corals were starving. Current reading as listed above are good for nitrates and slightly high on the phosphates (with ULR Hanna) and I have since added a nano pack of chemipure blue as well as temporary chemipure elite to try and bring the phosphates down a bit to 0.1. I try to spot feed the corals 1-2x a week on the corals that will take food.
Oxygen: due to the low nutrients, I was not running my skimmer. With concern that the oxygen levels in the tank could be low, I’ve run the skimmer 24/7 over the last several weeks. It produces a green tea type skimmate. I do not think oxygen is an issue at this point. Plus, I have a clown, fire fish, and yellow clown goby that are all fat and happy.
Magnesium: I got a salifert magnesium test and checked it 10/5/23, mag was 1170, very low. I have since increased with Brightwell mag supplement to slightly high levels as noted above (1500). My salt mixes low so I suspect occasional supplementation is necessary.
Lighting: this is my biggest suspect at the moment. When LPS started to recede, I lowered the lights thinking that it might be too intense. But looking at my zoas reaching and the gradual decline in size in my rock flower nem, I actually suspect that my lights have been too low in intensity and I may have been starving my corals for light, causing them to recede. I have since increase the intensity of my lights from around 5% white 25% blue to currently 9% white 35% blue. The zoas and nem seem happier and the Duncan and plate coral remain happy and inflated. I will be picking up a PAR meter from a local reefer tomorrow to see where I’m at.
Despite these changes, I’m still seeing necrosis in the euphyllia and wondering if I’m increasing the light intensity too quickly. I’m running out of ideas on why my euphyllia are unhappy and appreciate any insights. Thanks everyone. I’ll try to attach a couple picks though the blue lights mess with the quality. You can see some white skeleton at the base of the gold hammer in the photos.
