Photoinhibition? Green slimmer became brown in 3 days!!!

[Bokevince]

Hi all, I have 2 radions (left gen3 and right gen4pro), they are under sps ab+ intensity 100%, in 3 days, my green slimmer became brown/black (2 years growing under same light). All my acroporas closed and stopped extending polyps, all zoas closed, like a crash but my parameters were correct and stable.

Are my lights too strong?

I have a frag tank connected and the green slimers frags are still green (radion 1 on the frag tank at very low intensity)

thanks

 

[Fishfinder]

I would do a water change, a big one. That doesn’t look like a lighting problem

 

[Bokevince]

I would do a water change, a big one. That doesn’t look like a lighting problem

I did 20% water change and will do it every weeks.

 

[Fishfinder]

Something in the tank is off to cause your SPS to brown out that fast. Hard to say what it is

 

[The Aquatic Arsenal]

What are your parameters?

 

[Bokevince]

all salifert test excep po4 hanna
kh 8
Ca 430
Mg 1260
NO3 0
Po4 0

 

[melanotaenia]

no measurable N03 and P04 is a bad thing for acros.

 

[Bokevince]

Yes I know, I don t trust my tests because my sand is crappy

 

[The Aquatic Arsenal]

The algea on your sandbed is probably using up your phosphate and nitrate faster then your coral can use it.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Is there anything that you done different lately?

How's your source water?

 

[jda]

That is not photo inhibition. PI is when coral stops photosynthesis when it does not need any more sugars (overly simple, but good enough for this purpose). It is a daily occurrence in most cases and quite normal.

How long have you had your lights at this intensity? If a few months, or less, then it is common for acropora to look good and "hold on" even when angry for a while giving a false positive reading. They only give out after they have no more energy to spare. If it has been longer than this, then it is not likely the problem.

 

[Bokevince]

Is there anything that you done different lately?

How's your source water?

nothing different,
0 tds ro water

i ll send icp test tomorrow

 

[Bokevince]

That is not photo inhibition. PI is when coral stops photosynthesis when it does not need any more sugars (overly simple, but good enough for this purpose). It is a daily occurrence in most cases and quite normal.

How long have you had your lights at this intensity? If a few months, or less, then it is common for acropora to look good and "hold on" even when angry for a while giving a false positive reading. They only give out after they have no more energy to spare. If it has been longer than this, then it is not likely the problem.

Thanks for your explanation of PI

the schedule is the same for more than a year, the green slimmer was a frag and grew under that schedule

 

[MnFish1]

nothing different,
0 tds ro water

i ll send icp test tomorrow

I would be surprised if by the time your ICP test came back that your tank might be significantly worse. I agree with the others - large volume water changes. Using this calculator (assuming - I dont know the size of your tank) - your tank is 100 gallons - if you do 20 gallon water changes every 2 weeks - and the end of a month - you will have changed approximately 36 percent of your water - ie. whatever may be causing the problem will be decreased by *(about) 36% or less.

Effective Water Change Calculator

Aquarium calculator; Estimate the effective water change amount of several combined smaller water changes.

www.hamzasreef.com

PS - I would definitely siphon/remove as much algae, etc that you can.

 

[Mike Porreca]

Don’t want to jack your thread but is this a green slimer? Or Digitata?

 

[Dana Riddle]

Was there any temperature excursion outside the norm, if only briefly? Was there any recent change to lighting intensity/photoperiod? I agree that there should measurable nitrate and phosphate.

 

[jda]

I think that you can probably rule out the light unless there was a freak incident.

Do a once-over with all of your basics... calibrate your refractometer, check your test kits, chloramines in tap water, etc.

If your corals are growing and/or you have algae, then you have enough N and P and just cannot test for it well enough. I would not sweat this either.

 

[Bokevince]

Was there any temperature excursion outside the norm, if only briefly? Was there any recent change to lighting intensity/photoperiod? I agree that there should measurable nitrate and phosphate.

no change with lights and no temperature excursion

 

[Bokevince]

I ve sent the icp test, I ll keep you posted with the results.
thanks.
things are getting better in the tank, I even see that the green slimmer is getting green color back at the end of the branches.