Montipora dying off after light change to Illumagic Blaze

[jordan9095]

I switched my lighting from AI Hydra to Illumagic Blaze X about a month ago. A few weeks after the switch, all my SPS (mostly montipora) started to decline. They are all pretty much dead at this point with my sunset monti hanging on. Lost a few colonies I had for more than a year. I had assumed they couldn't handle the lighting change. All other corals adjusted without any issues. Of course, there were no major swings or changes in my water parameters besides the reduction in dosing now required with all the dead coral (alk: 9.5; CA: 435; Mg: 1400). I don't periodically measure phosphate or nitrate but no increase in feeding or additives that would increase those parameters & algae growth has been the same.

I did acquire a few new test montipora to see if they would do better. They have pretty much all died as well in a 2 week period. The dying slowly starts with them turning brown in color & minimal polyp extension. Eventually the brown turns into white and coral dies (some lose color & go straight to white). They do seem to do better lower in the tank but not thriving as before.

I've played around with lowering the flow slightly and reducing the light intensity but decline continues.

All this has me considering switching back to AI/another more well known brand or buying a PAR meter. Curious what others thoughts are. If anyone uses these lights successfully with SPS, I would love to hear your experience.

Thanks

 

[jtl]

I always wished I had a PAR meter compared to some of the other "must haves" in the hobby it would have been a worthwhile purchase. I don't understand why more LFS's don't rent them, no one in my area did.

 

[Dennis Cartier]

I always wished I had a PAR meter compared to some of the other "must haves" in the hobby it would have been a worthwhile purchase. I don't understand why more LFS's don't rent them, no one in my area did.

There is always the next big thing that would be awesome to have. I have a PAR meter, but now I want a spectrometer to be able to better match spectrums between lighting combinations.

Dennis

 

[jtl]

There is always the next big thing that would be awesome to have. I have a PAR meter, but now I want a spectrometer to be able to better match spectrums between lighting combinations.

Dennis

Isn't that the truth. I ditched the hobby last summer after being in and out since 1985. Could not be happier. Obviously I still like to occasionally share what little info I may have with the forum but without the drudgery of maintaining a tank.

 

[Thaxxx]

^^it's in your blood. ^^
As Arnold says....
You'll be back

 

[alfpiccolo]

I switched my lighting from AI Hydra to Illumagic Blaze X about a month ago. A few weeks after the switch, all my SPS (mostly montipora) started to decline. They are all pretty much dead at this point with my sunset monti hanging on. Lost a few colonies I had for more than a year. I had assumed they couldn't handle the lighting change. All other corals adjusted without any issues. Of course, there were no major swings or changes in my water parameters besides the reduction in dosing now required with all the dead coral (alk: 9.5; CA: 435; Mg: 1400). I don't periodically measure phosphate or nitrate but no increase in feeding or additives that would increase those parameters & algae growth has been the same.

I did acquire a few new test montipora to see if they would do better. They have pretty much all died as well in a 2 week period. The dying slowly starts with them turning brown in color & minimal polyp extension. Eventually the brown turns into white and coral dies (some lose color & go straight to white). They do seem to do better lower in the tank but not thriving as before.

I've played around with lowering the flow slightly and reducing the light intensity but decline continues.

All this has me considering switching back to AI/another more well known brand or buying a PAR meter. Curious what others thoughts are. If anyone uses these lights successfully with SPS, I would love to hear your experience.

Thanks

Sorry for your lost. Do u mind sharing your program time and light cycle? i also change out from Kessil to illumagic blaze. I tone it down from P2 to start with and is ramping up to P3 starting this week....

 

[reeferfoxx]

I switched my lighting from AI Hydra to Illumagic Blaze X about a month ago. A few weeks after the switch, all my SPS (mostly montipora) started to decline. They are all pretty much dead at this point with my sunset monti hanging on. Lost a few colonies I had for more than a year. I had assumed they couldn't handle the lighting change. All other corals adjusted without any issues. Of course, there were no major swings or changes in my water parameters besides the reduction in dosing now required with all the dead coral (alk: 9.5; CA: 435; Mg: 1400). I don't periodically measure phosphate or nitrate but no increase in feeding or additives that would increase those parameters & algae growth has been the same.

I did acquire a few new test montipora to see if they would do better. They have pretty much all died as well in a 2 week period. The dying slowly starts with them turning brown in color & minimal polyp extension. Eventually the brown turns into white and coral dies (some lose color & go straight to white). They do seem to do better lower in the tank but not thriving as before.

I've played around with lowering the flow slightly and reducing the light intensity but decline continues.

All this has me considering switching back to AI/another more well known brand or buying a PAR meter. Curious what others thoughts are. If anyone uses these lights successfully with SPS, I would love to hear your experience.

Thanks

Sorry this is happening. Maybe to help get things back on track, it would be best to put the AI's back on? If it were my tank and the only change was lighting, I would remove the lights and get things back on track. I use a seneye for my par measurements but I used to use a cheap $15 lux meter on amazon to measure my brightness levels. It really helps using something rather than your eyes. Then I would mimic the old Ai's settings and spectrum. Of course unless I were switching lights out in response to coral already going down hill. My approach would be different.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Browning then bleaching typically indicates lack of light intensity.

Bleaching from the get go is most always too much light.

There are exceptions to this. If other near by corals aren't exhibiting signs of this, then consideration of possible pest or bacterial infection.

 

[jordan9095]

Sorry for your lost. Do u mind sharing your program time and light cycle? i also change out from Kessil to illumagic blaze. I tone it down from P2 to start with and is ramping up to P3 starting this week....

I was using p2 with the timing modified a bit. I have since switched to ~50% of p2 thinking that I had too much PAR:
9:30 - A: 5%; B: 10%; C: 8%
11:00 A :15%; B: 30%; C: 20%
13:30 A: 30%; B: 50%; C: 30%
17:00 A: 0%; B: 60%; C: 20%
18:00 A: 0% B: 6%; C: 0%
19:00 A: 0% B: 0%; C: 0%

I'm sure it is something to do with the switch from AI to Illumagic since there are plently of sucessful SPS tanks running the Illumagic lights

Browning then bleaching typically indicates lack of light intensity.

Bleaching from the get go is most always too much light.

There are exceptions to this. If other near by corals aren't exhibiting signs of this, then consideration of possible pest or bacterial infection.

Thanks for the tips. I may have went in the wrong direction. I did read that low light was the general cause behind browning but it was hard for me to believe there was less PAR with the Illumagic lights. There are six LED clusters on the Illumagic 24" fixture compared to four on the hydra 52. The hydra was running around 50% with a diffuser and Illumagic around 75% before I recently reduced. Inspected closely for pests and didn't find any. Bacterial infection could be a possibility. Honestly, the spot where I used to keep my SPS (high light, high flow) pretty much became a dead-zone. Whatever I put in that section of the tank slowly dies.

Sorry this is happening. Maybe to help get things back on track, it would be best to put the AI's back on? If it were my tank and the only change was lighting, I would remove the lights and get things back on track. I use a seneye for my par measurements but I used to use a cheap $15 lux meter on amazon to measure my brightness levels. It really helps using something rather than your eyes. Then I would mimic the old Ai's settings and spectrum. Of course unless I were switching lights out in response to coral already going down hill. My approach would be different.

This is probably the best advice since I haven't sold the hydra. I just went through a lot to install the Illumagic lights (custom aluminum stand) and the fixture I have is more expensive than the hydra so I don't want to go back lol. I'm eying kessil but I need to stop changing lights lol ;Nailbiting

 

[maroun.c]

I'd send a water sample to ICP just to rule out a shift or a contamination that might have coincided with the light change. Also any water quality issue might have been stressing the corals till u had the light change add to the stress and kill some corals.
As for the lights when I change my lights I dropmintensity to 20 percent and go up very slowly over week keeping a close watch over corals to see signs of stress i slow down even more.

 

[alfpiccolo]

I was using p2 with the timing modified a bit. I have since switched to ~50% of p2 thinking that I had too much PAR:
9:30 - A: 5%; B: 10%; C: 8%
11:00 A :15%; B: 30%; C: 20%
13:30 A: 30%; B: 50%; C: 30%
17:00 A: 0%; B: 60%; C: 20%
18:00 A: 0% B: 6%; C: 0%
19:00 A: 0% B: 0%; C: 0%

I'm sure it is something to do with the switch from AI to Illumagic since there are plently of sucessful SPS tanks running the Illumagic lights



Thanks for the tips. I may have went in the wrong direction. I did read that low light was the general cause behind browning but it was hard for me to believe there was less PAR with the Illumagic lights. There are six LED clusters on the Illumagic 24" fixture compared to four on the hydra 52. The hydra was running around 50% with a diffuser and Illumagic around 75% before I recently reduced. Inspected closely for pests and didn't find any. Bacterial infection could be a possibility. Honestly, the spot where I used to keep my SPS (high light, high flow) pretty much became a dead-zone. Whatever I put in that section of the tank slowly dies.


This is probably the best advice since I haven't sold the hydra. I just went through a lot to install the Illumagic lights (custom aluminum stand) and the fixture I have is more expensive than the hydra so I don't want to go back lol. I'm eying kessil but I need to stop changing lights lol ;Nailbiting

I also have a RS170. I have been using 1x Kessil 360we for years. I am very happy with it and my tank with mixed corals r good as well. I do dose blue bottles as well. However, the light shadowing is an issue as my corals grew. Therefore looked into T5 hybrid options.

Watched Luis Rosa RS tank on Reef Builder channel. He shared that he used Radions for a while and then the T5 hybrids, but now with illumagic. He loves the illumagic and I saw how the lights actually wraps the corals in his tank. So I bought the 24” Blaze for my tank and I do not want to have the massive T5 structure above my tank.

so far my experience with Illumagic Blaze is positive.
My corals especially SPS is having color changes and all of a sudden, a growth spurt on a number of my SPSs. I have to increase my Alk and Cal dose to keep up.

Here is my setting as of today and I am planning to ramp up the numbers soon.

 

[alfpiccolo]

I also have a RS170. I have been using 1x Kessil 360we for years. I am very happy with it and my tank with mixed corals r good as well. I do dose blue bottles as well. However, the light shadowing is an issue as my corals grew. Therefore looked into T5 hybrid options.

Watched Luis Rosa RS tank on Reef Builder channel. He shared that he used Radions for a while and then the T5 hybrids, but now with illumagic. He loves the illumagic and I saw how the lights actually wraps the corals in his tank. So I bought the 24” Blaze for my tank and I do not want to have the massive T5 structure above my tank.

so far my experience with Illumagic Blaze is positive.
My corals especially SPS is having color changes and all of a sudden, a growth spurt on a number of my SPSs. I have to increase my Alk and Cal dose to keep up.

Here is my setting as of today and I am planning to ramp up the numbers soon.

Before I switch to Blaze, my Kessil was programmed to be on for 14 hrs light cycle with 6 hrs peaked at 50% color and 90% intensity , then ramping up and down 0% color 30% intensity in the am and pm.

Also I increased the flow with an additional wave maker the same time I changed the light.