Monti bleaching

[AngryMike2016]

It takes a few seconds to calibrate a refractometer, so I always check & calibrate mine before each use.

 

[Bleigh]

It takes a few seconds to calibrate a refractometer, so I always check & calibrate mine before each use.

I did that when I first got it. But I’ve been being lazy. I’m def going to start doing it again.

 

[Bleigh]

If you have two part, I’d recommend small dosing of the alkalinity only component to assist raising alk. Be careful making too many water changes in a small period of time as you could cause a small cycle to start and/or a bacteria bloom from removing too much bacteria from the system. Although you could dose the calcium part as well to raise your calcium a little higher. I personally keep my tanks at 8.3-9dkh and 450ppm calcium.

My nitrates were well over 50ppm about a month and a half ago. So i started doing 10% changes every day until it was under 50. Now I’m
Doing 10% ever other day until it gets under 20. I’ll switch back to weekly water changes here soon. I’ll check to see where the kh is tomorrow. If it’s still 6.5, I think I may hold off on dosing since I’m still doing 10% water changes every other day. It increased the kh by .5 today. I don’t want to raise it too quickly either. But I’ll def start dosing soon.

I guess I should actually ask, how quickly can kh be safely raised per day?

 

[Dana Riddle]

Let's take a holistic approach, and pardon me if I'm stating the obvious. Tank parameters are like a circular chain, if one link is missing... big problems, or if one link is weak, there could potentially be issues. Lighting, water motion, physical and chemical parameters are all linked. Even a brief excursion beyond what is considered 'normal' can have severe consequences (especially temperature, lighting, pH and others.) I looked at your build thread and along with info in this thread, I would make these recommendations.
Your light intensity is probably OK, perhaps even too much. See if you can borrow the Charlotte club's PAR meter. But that lighting system seems to be generating a lot of heat and your tank temp is on what I consider the ragged edge. Vent the hood, add a fan, something to get the max temp down to 75 or so. If I understand correctly, you have a return pump from the filtration system and a small propeller pump. That should be enough - but polyps should be 'bending slightly in the breeze.' Alkalinity is low, but do not raise it more than 50 ppm in a day. Magnesium is low - take it up slowly to 1,500 ppm.

 

[Bleigh]

Let's take a holistic approach, and pardon me if I'm stating the obvious. Tank parameters are like a circular chain, if one link is missing... big problems, or if one link is weak, there could potentially be issues. Lighting, water motion, physical and chemical parameters are all linked. Even a brief excursion beyond what is considered 'normal' can have severe consequences (especially temperature, lighting, pH and others.) I looked at your build thread and along with info in this thread, I would make these recommendations.
Your light intensity is probably OK, perhaps even too much. See if you can borrow the Charlotte club's PAR meter. But that lighting system seems to be generating a lot of heat and your tank temp is on what I consider the ragged edge. Vent the hood, add a fan, something to get the max temp down to 75 or so. If I understand correctly, you have a return pump from the filtration system and a small propeller pump. That should be enough - but polyps should be 'bending slightly in the breeze.' Alkalinity is low, but do not raise it more than 50 ppm in a day. Magnesium is low - take it up slowly to 1,500 ppm.

I’ve wondered about the light before too and I believe the general consensus was that the stock biocube lights were probably not bright enough, if anything. But I’m glad to see that my intuition might be correct on that. I will borrow a par meter to make sure.


I did have a heat spike earlier in the summer. We were out of town and the the ac went into away mode and the house got super hot and so did the tank hit 88. Everything came back from that. And a lot of the zoas actually had babies. Right now the temp is at 79.3.

I’ll look at some other biocube builds to see what they use to keep the temp down. I really don’t want to buy a chiller for this tank as I intend for it to become a qt tank. But it may be unavoidable.

It may be wishful thinking on my part, but there appears to be more polyp extension on the Christmas tree monti and the Superman monti than there was this morning.

Is this the correct conversion: “To convert from dKH alkalinity to ppm, multiply the result by 17.86.” That would mean I could safely raise the dkh by 2.5 a day. I want to verify that before I start dosing and shock everything.

And how much can I safely increase magnesium by every day? I already have foundation magnesium c by Red Sea. And I need to buy some esv 2 part of the alk.

 

[Bleigh]

I will say, I have no idea how people keep reefs successfully without a network like REEF2REEF. Thank you all!

 

[Bleigh]

Is this the right product for increasing alkalinity?

2 Gallon Package - ESV B-Ionic Calcium Buffer System

Each ESV B-Ionic Calcium Buffer System has two components - Alkalinity and Calcium. When used in equal parts, easily maintain calcium and alkalinity levels with no mixing of powders, disruption of ionic balace or addition of organic chemicals. Formulated to provide all the proper ratios to...

www.marinedepot.com

 

[Dana Riddle]

I’ve wondered about the light before too and I believe the general consensus was that the stock biocube lights were probably not bright enough, if anything. But I’m glad to see that my intuition might be correct on that. I will borrow a par meter to make sure.


I did have a heat spike earlier in the summer. We were out of town and the the ac went into away mode and the house got super hot and so did the tank hit 88. Everything came back from that. And a lot of the zoas actually had babies. Right now the temp is at 79.3.

I’ll look at some other biocube builds to see what they use to keep the temp down. I really don’t want to buy a chiller for this tank as I intend for it to become a qt tank. But it may be unavoidable.

It may be wishful thinking on my part, but there appears to be more polyp extension on the Christmas tree monti and the Superman monti than there was this morning.

Is this the correct conversion: “To convert from dKH alkalinity to ppm, multiply the result by 17.86.” That would mean I could safely raise the dkh by 2.5 a day. I want to verify that before I start dosing and shock everything.

And how much can I safely increase magnesium by every day? I already have foundation magnesium c by Red Sea. And I need to buy some esv 2 part of the alk.

Just to be safe, raise the alk by 25 ppm (1.4 dKH) daily. Magnesium is for Monti coloration but raise it slowly, I have no specific recommendation. I get antsy when temp in my tank gets around 76 - I like a buffer for temp. Hope you're right about polyp extension - any is a good sign!

 

[Bleigh]

Just to be safe, raise the alk by 25 ppm (1.4 dKH) daily. Magnesium is for Monti coloration but raise it slowly, I have no specific recommendation. I get antsy when temp in my tank gets around 76 - I like a buffer for temp. Hope you're right about polyp extension - any is a good sign!

There was def some polyp extension on the Christmas Monti this morning still, just not as much as there use to be. There was even more extension this afternoon - whether that's from the water change or just the coral waking up, I'm unsure.

I found a calculator online for how much to add per day. 14 ml of the Magnesium for at least 10 days. I wasn't sure what my daily consumption is, so I set that to 0. So it may take a bit longer to hit the 1500 mark. It also says to alternate days for the addition of magnesium and alk, so that will increase the time to hitting the mark too.

The seachem site says that the reef buffer can raise alkalinity, but that it is not the best option.... not sure why that's what the LFS sold me for increasing my alk (a few months back). When I do get the ESV in, what's a good number to shoot for? 8.5-9 or higher?

I'm going to see if I can find a small clip on fan to run across the back of the tank until I can figure out a better solution for cooling the tank. I just spent a ton of money to get the new tank plumbed up, so I don't really have much more in my budget for a better chilling option right now, quite unfortunately. By the time I do, it will likely be starting to cool off. May end up being pushed off until the spring, if this tank is running then.

 

[AngryMike2016]

I've had heating issues with my BC32 as well. I ended up taking the hood off, drilling numerous holes in it, and then putting two computer case fans on top of the holes.

 

[Dana Riddle]

There was def some polyp extension on the Christmas Monti this morning still, just not as much as there use to be. There was even more extension this afternoon - whether that's from the water change or just the coral waking up, I'm unsure.

I found a calculator online for how much to add per day. 14 ml of the Magnesium for at least 10 days. I wasn't sure what my daily consumption is, so I set that to 0. So it may take a bit longer to hit the 1500 mark. It also says to alternate days for the addition of magnesium and alk, so that will increase the time to hitting the mark too.

The seachem site says that the reef buffer can raise alkalinity, but that it is not the best option.... not sure why that's what the LFS sold me for increasing my alk (a few months back). When I do get the ESV in, what's a good number to shoot for? 8.5-9 or higher?

I'm going to see if I can find a small clip on fan to run across the back of the tank until I can figure out a better solution for cooling the tank. I just spent a ton of money to get the new tank plumbed up, so I don't really have much more in my budget for a better chilling option right now, quite unfortunately. By the time I do, it will likely be starting to cool off. May end up being pushed off until the spring, if this tank is running then.

I spoke earlier of synergy and various parameters. Zooxanthellae photosynthesis is influenced by water motion (probably due to thinning of the momentum boundary layer - a layer of stagnant water that potentially hinders diffusion of substances) - the higher the water velocity across a coral's surface the thinner the boundary layer and better diffusion of nutrient and micro-nutrients to the coral animal and its captive zooxanthellae. Increasing alkalinity (that acts as a carbon source for photosynthesis) also raises the rate of photosynthesis. Combined, water motion and alkalinity can increase the rate of photosynthesis as much as 50% and more (at least in work I did with Porites lobata in Hawaii.) So, I'm not a big fan of high alkalinity (>8 dKH) levels since I speculate that excessive inorganic carbon used in photosynthesis can overwhelm natural defenses against oxygen radicals/hydrogen peroxide. Hence, high light (possible in your situation - but let's confirm), good water motion (two pumps in your system) and high alkalinity isn't a good road to travel. Is it possible to vent (by drilling holes) or adding an inexpensive fan to your light hood to get that temp down? Cooling is always less expensive than chilling.

 

[Dana Riddle]

I've had heating issues with my BC32 as well. I ended up taking the hood off, drilling numerous holes in it, and then putting two computer case fans on top of the holes.

Exactly what I was writing when you posted this!

 

[Bleigh]

I've had heating issues with my BC32 as well. I ended up taking the hood off, drilling numerous holes in it, and then putting two computer case fans on top of the holes.

Now that is an amazing idea!!!

 

[Bleigh]

I spoke earlier of synergy and various parameters. Zooxanthellae photosynthesis is influenced by water motion (probably due to thinning of the momentum boundary layer - a layer of stagnant water that potentially hinders diffusion of substances) - the higher the water velocity across a coral's surface the thinner the boundary layer and better diffusion of nutrient and micro-nutrients to the coral animal and its captive zooxanthellae. Increasing alkalinity (that acts as a carbon source for photosynthesis) also raises the rate of photosynthesis. Combined, water motion and alkalinity can increase the rate of photosynthesis as much as 50% and more (at least in work I did with Porites lobata in Hawaii.) So, I'm not a big fan of high alkalinity (>8 dKH) levels since I speculate that excessive inorganic carbon used in photosynthesis can overwhelm natural defenses against oxygen radicals/hydrogen peroxide. Hence, high light (possible in your situation - but let's confirm), good water motion (two pumps in your system) and high alkalinity isn't a good road to travel. Is it possible to vent (by drilling holes) or adding an inexpensive fan to your light hood to get that temp down? Cooling is always less expensive than chilling.

I remember you talking about the boundary layer and how a coral can be bleaching without you even realizing it. I wanted to ask you more about the tool that measures the amount of the zooxanthellae and how it works.

And for sure regarding the temp. I was thinking of a clip on fan and leaving the back section open for it to blow across. But the computer fan idea is great!

Just to confirm, 6 dkh is too low, correct? I need to get it up, but not sure by how much 7.5-8? Seems like that may be one dose, and then determining my daily consumption so I know what dosage I should do for maintenance.

 

[rolyguy7]

Just to be safe, raise the alk by 25 ppm (1.4 dKH) daily. Magnesium is for Monti coloration but raise it slowly, I have no specific recommendation. I get antsy when temp in my tank gets around 76 - I like a buffer for temp. Hope you're right about polyp extension - any is a good sign!

I’m curious, what temperatures do you run your tanks at? Mine runs at 77-78.5 F.

 

[Dana Riddle]

I’m curious, what temperatures do you run your tanks at? Mine runs at 77-78.5 F.

I like to maintain a temperature between 72 and 75 since this gives a buffer of about 5 degrees before I have to worry. Goes back to my coral farming days in the late 90s at Aquatic Wildlife. We had thousands of corals under culture when the AC failed... massive number of coral losses. Lesson learned.

 

[Dana Riddle]

I remember you talking about the boundary layer and how a coral can be bleaching without you even realizing it. I wanted to ask you more about the tool that measures the amount of the zooxanthellae and how it works.

And for sure regarding the temp. I was thinking of a clip on fan and leaving the back section open for it to blow across. But the computer fan idea is great!

Just to confirm, 6 dkh is too low, correct? I need to get it up, but not sure by how much 7.5-8? Seems like that may be one dose, and then determining my daily consumption so I know what dosage I should do for maintenance.

The chlorophyll meter calculates chlorophyll content based on absorption ratios. I have two chlorophyll meters - both are $2,500 and up.

 

[Bleigh]

I like to maintain a temperature between 72 and 75 since this gives a buffer of about 5 degrees before I have to worry. Goes back to my coral farming days in the late 90s at Aquatic Wildlife. We had thousands of corals under culture when the AC failed... massive number of coral losses. Lesson learned.

Does it make a difference that the house has two battery back ups in case of power failure? They won’t last forever, but would last long enough to get a generator going. The one time I’ve had an issue with the ac was because the temp automatically got set higher.

Though, I suppose if the ac failed instead of a power outage, that would be problematic... how quickly can an ac unit be replaced... maybe I should buy an extra for redundancy. (just kidding, but only a little.)

 

[Bleigh]

The chlorophyll meter calculates chlorophyll content based on absorption ratios. I have two chlorophyll meters - both are $2,500 and up.

Yes. I remember you mentioning the price. Def lab equipment, not home hobbyist. Does it shoot a light at the coral and measure the reflection? Or something else entirely. I’m sure I could look it up myself, so don’t feel like you have to explain, unless you know right off the top of your head.

 

[Tiatank]

Aren’t you supposed to use Red Sea salt 15min after mixing? I had this problem with aqua forest, who knew you’re supposed to use it right away after mixing and totally wiped out my tank. Now I use tropic marin pro and things are great and IO purple box in the frag tank, easy to dose elements with lower parameters.