New Light Fried Corals

[saltyMJ]

So I upgraded my light about a month and a half ago. Things were great for 2-3 weeks. I was slowly acclimating the new light to the tank per the directions, and the corals looked happy, then a huge cyano outbreak appeared and covered all corals, they were not happy. I dialed the light backs and controlled the algae as best I could. All my corals closed up and have not opened in about 2 weeks now. The algae is starting to go away slowly and Beginning this week I dialed the lights down to the lowest blue light only but they still aren't opening. Did I fry them? Anything else I can do? Not one of them has opened in about two weeks. Toadstool, GSP, Duncan, clove polyps, hammer, galaxea, even the purple mushrooms look terrible! I'm afraid I fried them all with the new light.

30 Gallon Cube
Ammonia- 0.25
Nitrite-0
Nitrate- 5
Ph- 8.1
Phos- 0
KH-9
Cal-400
Mag-1305

 

[StatelineReefer]

So I upgraded my light about a month and a half ago. Things were great for 2-3 weeks. I was slowly acclimating the new light to the tank per the directions, and the corals looked happy, then a huge cyano outbreak appeared and covered all corals, they were not happy. I dialed the light backs and controlled the algae as best I could. All my corals closed up and have not opened in about 2 weeks now. The algae is starting to go away slowly and Beginning this week I dialed the lights down to the lowest blue light only but they still aren't opening. Did I fry them? Anything else I can do? Not one of them has opened in about two weeks. Toadstool, GSP, Duncan, clove polyps, hammer, galaxea, even the purple mushrooms look terrible! I'm afraid I fried them all with the new light.

30 Gallon Cube
Ammonia- 0.25
Nitrite-0
Nitrate- 5
Ph- 8.1
Phos- 0
KH-9
Cal-400
Mag-1305

So you think it's the light and not the complete lack of phosphate?

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

How old is the tank? Did you recently add fish? Did something die or go missing? Ammonia is spiking.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I don't get it, sounds like its been dim in your tank for weeks, you sure they are not starving for light and nutrients? How about a pic?

 

[saltyMJ]

So you think it's the light and not the complete lack of phosphate?

Ive been using the API test kit so it is probably somewhere between 0 and 0.25. New kit is on its way. I don't think phosphate is the issue though as nothing has changed in the tank except for the light. Maybe I'm wrong though?

 

[saltyMJ]

How old is the tank? Did you recently add fish? Did something die or go missing? Ammonia is spiking.

Tank is about 13 months old. Nothing has changed other than upgrading the light. 0.25 is the lowest I've ever gotten the ammonia in the tank for its whole life according to the API test kit.

 

[saltyMJ]

I don't get it, sounds like its been dim in your tank for weeks, you sure they are not starving for light and nutrients? How about a pic?

I don't think so. I've heard the viperspectra lights are very powerful. Also I thought the corals would extend and reach out of they have lack of lights, all of mine are shriveled looking and won't extend at all. Pictures attached.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

yeah I see what you mean, they do look bleached. I don't have advise for you, so I wish you good luck and will watch other comments with interest. I hope you can bring them back.

 

[fodsod]

What's your alk reading? Anytime you have a higher alk number (8.8 and up) with low to 0 phosphates combined with high lighting the possibility for bleaching is high.

FYI, a lot of times the issues you see now are a product of things that have occurred over a period of time prior to what you see now. I had an out break of Flukes in my DT. Treated the whole tank and that spiked my phos. I got it back down in about 2 weeks and had adjusted my lights down also. Everything looked fine, then it didn't.

I lost 2 acros to bleaching and damaged some of my other SPS and LPS. Everything has since recovered but my point is I didn't see the real results of the situation for a few weeks.

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

Tank is about 13 months old. Nothing has changed other than upgrading the light. 0.25 is the lowest I've ever gotten the ammonia in the tank for its whole life according to the API test kit.

Ahhhh, I should have asked which test kit. Ok.

 

[saltyMJ]

What's your alk reading? Anytime you have a higher alk number (8.8 and up) with low to 0 phosphates combined with high lighting the possibility for bleaching is high.

FYI, a lot of times the issues you see now are a product of things that have occurred over a period of time prior to what you see now. I had an out break of Flukes in my DT. Treated the whole tank and that spiked my phos. I got it back down in about 2 weeks and had adjusted my lights down also. Everything looked fine, then it didn't.

I lost 2 acros to bleaching and damaged some of my other SPS and LPS. Everything has since recovered but my point is I didn't see the real results of the situation for a few weeks.

It is 9 and usually stays right around 9-10. Thanks for the advice, as my water parameters have been pretty stable and nothing out of the ordinary the new lighting was my only thought of concern. That with the cyano bloom right around the same time really did some damage to the corals. I guess I'm seeing the delayed damage now. I currently have the lights on 10% blue only (lowest setting possible) and they come on for 9 hours a day. I was gonna continue this schedule for the next week or two to see if the corals come back. Any other advice? Nothing else I can think to do.

 

[fodsod]

It is 9 and usually stays right around 9-10. Thanks for the advice, as my water parameters have been pretty stable and nothing out of the ordinary the new lighting was my only thought of concern. That with the cyano bloom right around the same time really did some damage to the corals. I guess I'm seeing the delayed damage now. I currently have the lights on 10% blue only (lowest setting possible) and they come on for 9 hours a day. I was gonna continue this schedule for the next week or two to see if the corals come back. Any other advice? Nothing else I can think to do.

Running Alk 9+ with higher lighting and lower phos and nitrate is riding the razors edge. The growth and colors can be fantastic but if 1 thing gets to far out of range quickly the spin out can be devastating.

Sounds like you're working towards correcting the issues so now it's just time to wait and see when things turn around. As with everything in this hobby, we learn as we go.

I will add this, in my situation, some of the SPS corals took up to 4 months of very stable parameters before they recovered. Just keep things stable, slow to no changes and be patient. Good luck.