Newbie coral issues

[mjk42]

Hello,

I have my first tank up and running now for 6 months and am going through the learning process of some early “test corals.”

My issue is that my bright green acropora is now specks of green at best with significant color loss and my monti cap is more of a monti crap with very faded red and green color

I have made an effort to keep stable parameters and am testing at lest 2x per week and numbers seem good.

Salinity 1.026/35. Red Sea blue bucket salt with 10% water change per week
Nitrate- 5-7
Phos 0.01-0.04. I have had to dose neophos to keep it above 0.0 a few times
Alk 8.8-9.2
Ca- 420-430
Mg- going the no testing route because I don’t trust the kit but am dosing as per recs in other threads. Tested about 1450 for what it’s worth
All Hanna test kit

Dose BRS two part and mag daily

Feed BRD reef chili spot feeding a few times per week a dose photo a few times per week.

Lights are reefi pro 2 uno x2 on 4ft/2 foot tank
Spectrum is 100% 395nm, 420nm UV, violet, R blue, blue and 50% lime, 25% amber, 25% cool and 28% warm white.
Using a Par meter th bright green acro is getting 250-300 at peak and the monte cap is getting at least 200-225

The acro does seem to growing with some encrusting at the base and the monti has definitely grown as well.

Mixed bag with some other coral with my torches looking great and extending nicely and some favia growing great but another dead. Blasto and Ducan doing great. Birds nest and monti dig fighting to stay alive after a newbie wave pump stupid mistake (maybe thy didn’t appreciate the pump directly blasting them…)

I got a free bottle of Red Sea AB+ with my salt bucket so threw some of that in today with water change to see.

Going to sen out an ICP test at some point soon (what brand??)

Appreciate any input!

Not so green…

Green when I got it….

Monte crap

 

[Channas]

Hello,

I have my first tank up and running now for 6 months and am going through the learning process of some early “test corals.”

My issue is that my bright green acropora is now specks of green at best with significant color loss and my monti cap is more of a monti crap with very faded red and green color

I have made an effort to keep stable parameters and am testing at lest 2x per week and numbers seem good.

Salinity 1.026/35. Red Sea blue bucket salt with 10% water change per week
Nitrate- 5-7
Phos 0.01-0.04. I have had to dose neophos to keep it above 0.0 a few times
Alk 8.8-9.2
Ca- 420-430
Mg- going the no testing route because I don’t trust the kit but am dosing as per recs in other threads. Tested about 1450 for what it’s worth
All Hanna test kit

Dose BRS two part and mag daily

Feed BRD reef chili spot feeding a few times per week a dose photo a few times per week.

Lights are reefi pro 2 uno x2 on 4ft/2 foot tank
Spectrum is 100% 395nm, 420nm UV, violet, R blue, blue and 50% lime, 25% amber, 25% cool and 28% warm white.
Using a Par meter th bright green acro is getting 250-300 at peak and the monte cap is getting at least 200-225

The acro does seem to growing with some encrusting at the base and the monti has definitely grown as well.

Mixed bag with some other coral with my torches looking great and extending nicely and some favia growing great but another dead. Blasto and Ducan doing great. Birds nest and monti dig fighting to stay alive after a newbie wave pump stupid mistake (maybe thy didn’t appreciate the pump directly blasting them…)

I got a free bottle of Red Sea AB+ with my salt bucket so threw some of that in today with water change to see.

Going to sen out an ICP test at some point soon (what brand??)

Appreciate any input!

Not so green…

Green when I got it….

Monte crap

Hello,

I have my first tank up and running now for 6 months and am going through the learning process of some early “test corals.”

My issue is that my bright green acropora is now specks of green at best with significant color loss and my monti cap is more of a monti crap with very faded red and green color

I have made an effort to keep stable parameters and am testing at lest 2x per week and numbers seem good.

Salinity 1.026/35. Red Sea blue bucket salt with 10% water change per week
Nitrate- 5-7
Phos 0.01-0.04. I have had to dose neophos to keep it above 0.0 a few times
Alk 8.8-9.2
Ca- 420-430
Mg- going the no testing route because I don’t trust the kit but am dosing as per recs in other threads. Tested about 1450 for what it’s worth
All Hanna test kit

Dose BRS two part and mag daily

Feed BRD reef chili spot feeding a few times per week a dose photo a few times per week.

Lights are reefi pro 2 uno x2 on 4ft/2 foot tank
Spectrum is 100% 395nm, 420nm UV, violet, R blue, blue and 50% lime, 25% amber, 25% cool and 28% warm white.
Using a Par meter th bright green acro is getting 250-300 at peak and the monte cap is getting at least 200-225

The acro does seem to growing with some encrusting at the base and the monti has definitely grown as well.

Mixed bag with some other coral with my torches looking great and extending nicely and some favia growing great but another dead. Blasto and Ducan doing great. Birds nest and monti dig fighting to stay alive after a newbie wave pump stupid mistake (maybe thy didn’t appreciate the pump directly blasting them…)

I got a free bottle of Red Sea AB+ with my salt bucket so threw some of that in today with water change to see.

Going to sen out an ICP test at some point soon (what brand??)

Appreciate any input!

Not so green…

Green when I got it….

Monte crap

Give it time but grafted corals might look great when you get them but with different water chemistry in your tank compared to where it came from can make them shift in apperance. As of now i would keep up with what you are doing and wait for icp test results before you tweak anything.

My advice is just to do what you are already doing.

 

[komachi253874]

SPS may lose color during the adaptation period. If you have concerns, you can appropriately reduce UV levels.

 

[Reginald Reefer III]

I don't see any issues there. A lot of acros will sit and do nothing for months and then all of a sudden start growing. Some grow straight in the tank. If they are encrusting and are not being bleached/losing flesh, you are in good shape. If anything, lower the lighting intensity for awhile and slowly ramp it back up.

Keep doing what you are doing and if you want to get very specific, an ICP-MS will be your best bet. I use the ICP from Reef Moonshiners and their elements for dosing. Acros suck up quite a bit of trace and I find myself very depleted by EOM if I don't keep up with dosing. RMS hasn't let me down yet.

Also - semi regular (bi weekly) bacteria dosing is also very good. Lots of bacteria interaction with all corals and immature tanks are not quite capable yet of really supporting that microfauna. Throw a couple of pieces of REAL live rock (oceanic - Gulf, etc.) and allow that microfauna to also help the diversity.

 

[mjk42]

I don't see any issues there. A lot of acros will sit and do nothing for months and then all of a sudden start growing. Some grow straight in the tank. If they are encrusting and are not being bleached/losing flesh, you are in good shape. If anything, lower the lighting intensity for awhile and slowly ramp it back up.

Keep doing what you are doing and if you want to get very specific, an ICP-MS will be your best bet. I use the ICP from Reef Moonshiners and their elements for dosing. Acros suck up quite a bit of trace and I find myself very depleted by EOM if I don't keep up with dosing. RMS hasn't let me down yet.

Also - semi regular (bi weekly) bacteria dosing is also very good. Lots of bacteria interaction with all corals and immature tanks are not quite capable yet of really supporting that microfauna. Throw a couple of pieces of REAL live rock (oceanic - Gulf, etc.) and allow that microfauna to also help the diversity.

Thank you!! I used some Tampa Bay saltwater live sand and live rock rubble that I put in my sump when i set up. I think it was well worth the money because at 6 months in I have had only a bit of hair algae to deal with and a very easy ugly phase thus far .

Definitely a learning process but that is part of the fun.