Pavona not doing so hot

[Dad2Wyatt]

I picked up a couple Pavona frags for free here locally. They’ve been in my tank about 2 weeks and have been looking good. Went out of town Saturday and got back late Sunday night and they have started turning brown. They are usually a bright blue with a green outer ring

Parameters
Salinity: 1.025
Alk: 11
Calc: 440
Phosphate: .25(api)
Nitrate: 5-15 (api)

 

[vetteguy53081]

Doesnt look bad. You do want to elevate it and also provide moderate light and water flow. I noticed an abundance algae. Assure your phosphates arent elevated and also salinity at 1.025 at temp of 77-79
CA-400-440
mag 1300
alk 8-11

 

[Dad2Wyatt]

Doesnt look bad. You do want to elevate it and also provide moderate light and water flow. I noticed an abundance algae. Assure your phosphates arent elevated and also salinity at 1.025 at temp of 77-79
CA-400-440
mag 1300
alk 8-11

Okay just making sure! It was so vibrant when I left so I got worried coming back to it looking dull like that.

it’s currently in moderate to moderately high flow and lighting. It’s not bleaching so I assume that’s a good thing.

As for the algae I’ve been experimenting with the best way to get rid of it. Trying one technique/recommendation at a time to try and pin point what works best. This past week was the “let the algae do it’s thing” method I was recommended and it has ended up being the ugliest week so far lol

I need to get an ulr phosphate tester for sure so I can have a better idea of where they are, and I have not tested magnesium to be honest. But now that you mention temperature, I do remember when I got home yesterday the air had gotten turned off causing about a 5 degree temperature drop. I can’t be certain how long they were exposed to that temperature (approx 72) but the water was up to temp by the next morning. Maybe this had something to do with it?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Okay just making sure! It was so vibrant when I left so I got worried coming back to it looking dull like that.

it’s currently in moderate to moderately high flow and lighting. It’s not bleaching so I assume that’s a good thing.

As for the algae I’ve been experimenting with the best way to get rid of it. Trying one technique/recommendation at a time to try and pin point what works best. This past week was the “let the algae do it’s thing” method I was recommended and it has ended up being the ugliest week so far lol

I need to get an ulr phosphate tester for sure so I can have a better idea of where they are, and I have not tested magnesium to be honest. But now that you mention temperature, I do remember when I got home yesterday the air had gotten turned off causing about a 5 degree temperature drop. I can’t be certain how long they were exposed to that temperature (approx 72) but the water was up to temp by the next morning. Maybe this had something to do with it?

Pin cushion urchin or two will do wonders with the algae

 

[Dad2Wyatt]

Pin cushion urchin or two will do wonders with the algae

I’ll try this if I can ever find one around me!

 

[MaxTremors]

Okay just making sure! It was so vibrant when I left so I got worried coming back to it looking dull like that.

it’s currently in moderate to moderately high flow and lighting. It’s not bleaching so I assume that’s a good thing.

As for the algae I’ve been experimenting with the best way to get rid of it. Trying one technique/recommendation at a time to try and pin point what works best. This past week was the “let the algae do it’s thing” method I was recommended and it has ended up being the ugliest week so far lol

I need to get an ulr phosphate tester for sure so I can have a better idea of where they are, and I have not tested magnesium to be honest. But now that you mention temperature, I do remember when I got home yesterday the air had gotten turned off causing about a 5 degree temperature drop. I can’t be certain how long they were exposed to that temperature (approx 72) but the water was up to temp by the next morning. Maybe this had something to do with it?

Do you not have a heater? Zero nitrates and phosphates can make corals look less than ideal, and there’s theories that it leads to dinoflagellates. I don’t know if the low nutrients are a symptom or the cause, but either way, you don’t want zero nutrients. Also, are you sure that’s a pavona? It could just be the picture, but they don’t really look like the encrusting type of pavona, are you sure that’s what they are?

 

[Dad2Wyatt]

I do have a heater, I guess it just couldn’t keep up. The house was pretty cold! As for the nutrients, I don’t think they are zero, but nitrates started dropping as hair algae grew. I’m not certain whether I have dinos or not, I think it may just be hair algae.

I’m not 100% certain that it is a Pavona. The guy I got it from didn’t seem 100% sure either but was told it was from the guy he got it from. I found some similar look Pavona online but not couldn’t be certain!

Here is a photo of it the day before I left town

 

[homer1475]

Have a pic under white lights? Cameras do not take great pictures with any blue light present.

Sort of looks like a pavona, but hard to tell with the all the blue. I currently have 2, and can tell you from experience a 5 degree temp swing will do nothing to anything in the tank. In the summer my tank swings 10 degrees daily, and I have 0 issues with it.

Ever been swimming in the ocean and hit a cold spot? Same thing happens on a reef.

 

[Dad2Wyatt]

Have a pic under white lights? Cameras do not take great pictures with any blue light present.

Sort of looks like a pavona, but hard to tell with the all the blue. I currently have 2, and can tell you from experience a 5 degree temp swing will do nothing to anything in the tank. In the summer my tank swings 10 degrees daily, and I have 0 issues with it.

Ever been swimming in the ocean and hit a cold spot? Same thing happens on a reef.

That was my initial thinking about the temperature, especially with none of my other corals seeming affected.

and yes, here is a pic or two with white light!