Montipora Bleaching, Expert needed

[AquaBert]

In my experience no light is too bright for montipora, especially plating/encrusting.. Same applies to flow - no flow is too high.

I wonder if you are having some other issues, such as water quality and/or the fact that it's a softie tank (and so the chemicals released by soft corals could be negatively impacting the SPS). Also check potassium levels - plating montipora needs it badly.

I do have a leather coral, so I thought the same. But most of the softies are not aggressive. Now potassium. I haven’t tested for that but I also assume since I make water changes it should be ok.

 

[AquaBert]

I reviewed your posts again and see where you state that you dose trace elements twice a week. This is really not needed for a nano tank. No dosing is needed at all typically if you do weekly water changes on a nano. Perhaps you have an imbalance there now?

If so it isn’t showing up on tests. I also use 2 different testing kits to ensure one isn’t off.

 

[Lavey29]

If so it isn’t showing up on tests. I also use 2 different testing kits to ensure one isn’t off.

How do you test trace elements? What are you dosing?

 

[AquaBert]

How do you test trace elements? What are you dosing?

I don’t test trace elements. I’m dosing 2 things.

AB+, 1 ml a day

Seachem trace elements. Once a week now

 

[Lavey29]

So I have a question, if the seller says they keep them at 200 par but they are bleaching at 100 par, what should I do?

Because your low light just added to the coral stress and the infection took over. If you move a coral from a favorable environment and place it in an unfavorable environment they get stressed and develop infections which lead to unfavorable results.

 

[brandon429]

Its fascinating to watch umpires like Borat draw opposite conclusions in spite of seven work threads linked with outcomes / saves on file while posting no links whatsoever

we just talked about the dichotomy between what works for us vs what works for others, you’d think we’d see some bleach prevention links provided for the counter claim.
by all means, keep raising that light power


there isn’t a par you’d chase, I mentioned multiple times not to use the meter. You’re still using it to set goals though

you‘d remove white spectrum during bleach events, I dont even use any whites on my lighting

reduce blues mix down substantially from where it’s at now

increase high quality spot feeding and water change frequency and slowly raise up the blue mix power over a few week’s time until you notice a change in algae removal work due + glass cleaning work due and stop there. Slightly lower light levels isn’t going to harm your sps when good feed is in place.


nobody referenced your alk before telling you of an ideal par? Nobody mentioned even if you stated an alk level it probably isn’t correct…test misreads searchable among alk kits

there isn’t a way to chase a known par goal safely due to unstated variables found in outbound jobs (jobs where the tank isn’t in our own home)

 

[Lavey29]

I don’t test trace elements. I’m dosing 2 things.

AB+, 1 ml a day

Seachem trace elements. Once a week now

Well if you don't test trace elements even periodically via ICP tests how do you know what to dose and how much to dose? It's the same for the primary elements like all and cal. If you don't test these regularly you won't know if you need to dose or not although as mentioned previously nano tanks with weekly water changes should not require dosing at all unless packed with SPS corals. Leather corals can release turpenes in the water which may be toxic to SPS corals. You need to run carbon with leather corals in the tank. Remember also if you choose to increase light intensity do it incrementally like 1% per day.

 

[brandon429]

In theme with referring you to others tanks vs my own, see this pico reef below. It has about three grand worth of sps in it for nine years straight it’s my friends reef. I consider it the nicest pico reef on the planet, nobody’s throw together young/no age Instagram nano reef can beat this decade old one





do you see how overall dim (and blue not white) the lighting is? That’s incredibly low par, with shading and with top shelf sps growth they have to cut out with pliers to make room for the other corals


the opposite of chasing par did that, you can too


feed quality, consistency and water change regularity got those results, not par chasing

par doesn’t even factor in its success

 

[Borat]

Its fascinating to watch umpires like Borat draw opposite conclusions in spite of seven work threads linked with outcomes / saves on file while posting no links whatsoever

we just talked about the dichotomy between what works for us vs what works for others, you’d think we’d see some bleach prevention links provided for the counter claim.
by all means, keep raising that light power


there isn’t a par you’d chase, I mentioned multiple times not to use the meter. You’re still using it to set goals though

you‘d remove white spectrum during bleach events, I dont even use any whites on my lighting

reduce blues mix down substantially from where it’s at now

increase high quality spot feeding and water change frequency and slowly raise up the blue mix power over a few week’s time until you notice a change in algae removal work due + glass cleaning work due and stop there. Slightly lower light levels isn’t going to harm your sps when good feed is in place.


nobody referenced your alk before telling you of an ideal par? Nobody mentioned even if you stated an alk level it probably isn’t correct…test misreads searchable among alk kits

there isn’t a way to chase a known par goal safely due to unstated variables found in outbound jobs (jobs where the tank isn’t in our own home)

My plating montipora is placed 2cm from water level (so as close to light as ever possible) under a light fixture that's drawing 300w (cree white + blue + royal blue). So that's super-par I think. I am generally a believer that most SPS in reef tanks receive not enough light - in most cases.

Generally my 4 foot tank is currently lit by 450w of light - and most corals are quite high up. I haven't seen anything not liking this much light and I have various montipora, lots of acropora, some zoas. Everyone loves lots of light..

As for flow - the only ones that didn't like too much flow was hammers, I could never keep them for longer than 3 months.

 

[adammarcos]

If it went from a good stable environment into a tank that does not have a favorable environment.

Speed Test​

 

[chip shop]

I know borat mentioned earlier post but potassium or lack of and iodine can result in colour loss in montis