New SPS Added and Turning White (Plus ID Help)

[TripletDad79]

Hey all - I have a RedSea 170 that has been running off and on for the better part of 8 years. Most recent build will be a year old in November. I've been s l o w l y adding new life to the tank over that time. Last week, I decided to get a Superman Monti, plus had just purchased a jawbreaker - and my LFS gave me a deal and threw in a couple of other frags, as well. The point of this thread is two fold. 1. I need help IDing these other frags and 2. two of the three frags are starting to turn white and looking for some guidance as to why (parameters and details below).

1. Here are the frags I'm looking to ID (yell if the coloring is so off that it's hard to distinguish). The first is purple with bright orange polyps and the 2nd is a combo of green and red.

As you can see in the first pic, that frag is starting to turn white. It is at the bottom of my tank directly under my lights.

Lighting:
I have series 2 EcoTech Radions (I know - they're blasted old, but they still work). My anemones and all of my LPS and softies in the tank seem to be happy, but I know SPS is a different ballgame (so pls no flaming on that comment). It's on the standard mounting arm, which puts it ~12" from the water and ~24" from the top of my rock work.
Here is my lighting schedule (note I have no idea what my par is throughout my tank):

My lights start to ramp up at 9 AM. I run a programmed "AB" schedule that maxes out at 30% at 3 PM. At 7 PM it transitions to All Blues and then lights out are at 10 PM.

Here are my water parameters (5 stage RODI):
Gravity: 1.025
Salt: Reef Flakes
Temp: 79
ALK: 10.2
CA: 460
MG: 1200
PH: 8.0
PO4: .015

I am currently dosing 5 ML of All For Reef, once a day (which is why my Alk and CA are likely elevated).
All Salifert test kits.

I initially had the frags higher up in the tank, but when they started to turn white, I moved them lower (Monti is on the sand bed at the moment). You can see the white on the edges, which weren't there when I bought it. I have a pretty large CUC that i purchased from ReefCleaners, plus 2 emerald crabs and a cleaner shrimp.

Lets start there and I can hopefully clarify any additional questions, in case I missed anything.
Really appreciate everyone's help here.

 

[Lavey29]

I run my radion XR15 lights at 100% intensity on AB plus schedule because they are very weak lights and your tank looks completely dark with low light par. Your 30% max intensity is way to low. Have you par mapped your tank?

 

[TripletDad79]

I run my radion XR15 lights at 100% intensity on AB plus schedule because they are very weak lights and your tank looks completely dark with low light par.

I wasn't clear enough in my initial thread...thanks for catching. This is 1 XR30....series 2 using EcoSmart Live app as controller.

 

[Nibs]

I wouldnt keep adding that much AFR if its elevating your levels. It should be stable, note that AFR does affect ALK immedediatley as it needs to be metabolized by bacteria first so it can take time to dial it in properly.

 

[Lavey29]

I wasn't clear enough in my initial thread...thanks for catching. This is 1 XR30....series 2 using EcoSmart Live app as controller.

Ok over what size tank? I still think 30% intensity is to low. 24 inches down is a long way before the light reaches your SPS frags. They need like 250 to 400 par and should be way up in the upper third of the tank like 5 inches below the surface.

 

[TripletDad79]

Red Sea 170
24" L x 20" W x 20" H

34 gallon display
44 gallon with sump

 

[Nibs]

Ok over what size tank? I still think 30% intensity is to low.

I agree its too low but i cant imagine low light would cause bleaching in a week so i dont think its the main issue but could be a contributor

 

[Lavey29]

Red Sea 170
24" L x 20" W x 20" H

34 gallon display
44 gallon with sump

You need to slowly raise intensity. I would go up 1% per day till you hit 50%

 

[Lavey29]

I agree its too low but i cant imagine low light would cause bleaching in a week so i dont think its the main issue but could be a contributor

Yes of course other factors may be in play but pretty confident his light intensity is way to low for SPS frags. Light problem just compounds any other underlying issues too.

 

[TripletDad79]

Here’s a pic of the tank with the whites up. If you see the toadstool at the bottom, the monti is on the sand just to the left.

Not ignoring your point about lighting - my concern was that it might have been too much. I initially had the monti on the top of the rock at the right which is when I saw it turning white.

Any ideas on IDing those other frags? Bc I’m having similar issues with them.

 

[reefpanda]

Don’t add any more SPS until you can lower your alk to around 8, slowly

 

[Reginald Reefer III]

Don’t add any more SPS until you can lower your alk to around 8, slowly

Not many people keep sps at 10+ alk without being very on top of nutrient management. That's a razors edge that will shock most SPS if it went from 8dKh to 10+dKh instantly after purchase. Definitely bring the alk down to 8ish and aim for a month or so of stability before trying again.

My 2c.

 

[TripletDad79]

Im thinking to do a 20% water change and cut back on dosing all for reef. I’ll take Alk measurements tonight after the water change. I don’t think it should swing it that much but start a downward trend.

 

[TripletDad79]

If anyone can help me ID these other two frags I’ll buy you a virtual beer!

 

[Minifoot77]

They look like montipora

 

[Minifoot77]

Are you looking for a trade name?

 

[Lavey29]

Here’s a pic of the tank with the whites up. If you see the toadstool at the bottom, the monti is on the sand just to the left.

Not ignoring your point about lighting - my concern was that it might have been too much. I initially had the monti on the top of the rock at the right which is when I saw it turning white.

Any ideas on IDing those other frags? Bc I’m having similar issues with them.

Here is a pic of my tank. I use XR15 lights mounted at 8 inches at 100% intensity. Notice how all my SPS are at the very top of the tank except for some easy monti digi that can grow in lower par. They actually break the surface of the water at the top. If you want to eventually have a mixed reef with SPS you will probably need to add more rocks and get your frags up near the surface. This way they get high par while your LPS get mid par and softs lower par near the bottom.

 

[TripletDad79]

Are you looking for a trade name?

Yes I suppose

 

[TripletDad79]

Here’s a pic of the tank with the whites up. If you see the toadstool at the bottom, the monti is on the sand just to the left.

Not ignoring your point about lighting - my concern was that it might have been too much. I initially had the monti on the top of the rock at the right which is when I saw it turning white.

Any ideas on IDing those other frags? Bc I’m having similar issues with them.

Here is a pic of my tank. I use XR15 lights mounted at 8 inches at 100% intensity. Notice how all my SPS are at the very top of the tank except for some easy monti digi that can grow in lower par. They actually break the surface of the water at the top. If you want to eventually have a mixed reef with SPS you will probably need to add more rocks and get your frags up near the surface. This way they get high par while your LPS get mid par and softs lower par near the bottom.

Stunning tank. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Reginald Reefer III]

Here’s a pic of the tank with the whites up. If you see the toadstool at the bottom, the monti is on the sand just to the left.

Not ignoring your point about lighting - my concern was that it might have been too much. I initially had the monti on the top of the rock at the right which is when I saw it turning white.

Any ideas on IDing those other frags? Bc I’m having similar issues with them.

Looking at your tank again, the one thing I see is that you don't have much live rock and the depth required to provide decent PAR for SPS is going to rapidly diminish the deeper you go. If you are aiming for SPS/Acros and want to keep them with that light, I would add a couple more pieces and stagger the coral from top to bottom similar to @Lavey29 tank. Par follows closely to the inverse square rule so at twice the depth, you will essentially have 1/4 of the par more or less.

EDIT - didn't read above lol. Bit of a double post!