Please help with acropora bleaching

[Eoka]

I've been trying to save these for about two weeks now. I got 2 new acros because my other colony was doing good but than it started bleaching. I dose kalkwasser and mag. My parameters are
Kh- 9.7 usally keep it at 9.4 it spiked over night
Calc- 420
Mag- 1220
Ph- 8.1
Salinity- 1.026
No3-2
Mag has been slowly dropping but I dose every once and awhile. Everything else is stable exept my nutrients which was recently 0. Idk my phos levels. Should I do a water change Or what should I do.

 

[Epic Aquaculture]

When you say bleaching do you mean that the color is lightening up, or that the tissue is peeling off?

 

[Eoka]

When you say bleaching do you mean that the color is lightening up, or that the tissue is peeling off?

The color turning white

 

[Eoka]

There should be 4 photos attached

 

[Epic Aquaculture]

There should be 4 photos attached

Oops I missed them for some reason. It looks like the tissue is receding in those spots. Other than Mg being a little low your numbers look fine. What is you Po4 at? Have the spots been getting larger, or have they stayed about the same?

 

[Eoka]

Oops I missed them for some reason. It looks like the tissue is receding in those spots. Other than Mg being a little low your numbers look fine. What is you Po4 at? Have the spots been getting larger, or have they stayed about the same?

I don't have a phos test. They were getting better exepet for the blue tort but it's been about the same still has alot of color. The green one had algae on the tips but it took back that part of its skeleton and colored up. The one with the bad bleaching didn't have any of that last night it was almost fully recovered just didn't have its color.

 

[Eoka]

I run gfo and 2 weeks ago it was 0.08 I did a large wc and replaced gfo which lead to 0 if no3 and po4 now I'm not sure but I do have cyano so proubably still low.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

what is this stuff is it flesh or food particles?

the pictures are not great to see detail.
what does the good colony look like can you take pictures while shining a flashlight at the corals?

 

[Eoka]

what is this stuff is it flesh or food particles?

the pictures are not great to see detail.
what does the good colony look like can you take pictures while shining a flashlight at the corals?

Yea sure give me a sec

 

[Eoka]

Does this help

 

[Rennurdoar]

It looks like your nutrients are low. You should shoot for 20 No3 and 0.06—0.10 on Po4.

Alk being high, over 8 usually needs more nutrients. Get your No3 and Po4 up and you should see some results.

If you have a lot of lps/Torches or hammers they like mg closer to 1500. We try and keep ours around 1450-1500

Good luck and hopefully things start looking better for you!

 

[Eoka]

It looks like your nutrients are low. You should shoot for 20 No3 and 0.06—0.10 on Po4.

Alk being high, over 8 usually needs more nutrients. Get your No3 and Po4 up and you should see some results.

If you have a lot of lps/Torches or hammers they like mg closer to 1500. We try and keep ours around 1450-1500

Good luck and hopefully things start looking better for you!

Okay thanks I turned off my skimmer and gfo and I'm dosing phyto and overfeeding most days so it should go up pretty quick

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

imo, I think its nutrient related, with elevated alkalinity.

it looks like that original piece was happy enough to base out and it still has polyps out during this time of stress so I don't think it's water pollution or toxicity. but it also has receding flesh with algae growth on it so its not something that happened last night, this is more than likely something that has been going on for a few weeks.

I would increase nutrients and lower alkalinity, and not run gfo on the system. and depending on lighting and flow those could also be playing a part .

 

[Eoka]

It looks like your nutrients are low. You should shoot for 20 No3 and 0.06—0.10 on Po4.

Alk being high, over 8 usually needs more nutrients. Get your No3 and Po4 up and you should see some results.

If you have a lot of lps/Torches or hammers they like mg closer to 1500. We try and keep ours around 1450-1500

Good luck and hopefully things start looking better for you!

But can low nutrients really cause acro bleaching I thought there colors were just worse

 

[Eoka]

imo, I think its nutrient related, with elevated alkalinity.

it looks like that original piece was happy enough to base out and it still has polyps out during this time of stress so I don't think it's water pollution or toxicity. but it also has receding flesh with algae growth on it so its not something that happened last night, this is more than likely something that has been going on for a few weeks.

I would increase nutrients and lower alkalinity, and not run gfo on the system. and depending on lighting and flow those could also be playing a part .

I was talking about this one when I said it happened over night but yes I've been going through this for 2 weeks

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

I was talking about this one when I said it happened over night but yes I've been going through this for 2 weeks

I didn't mean that as a response to you saying over night I was just stating that because often times these things do happen overnight. I didn't even cath that you said that.

 

[Kasrift]

I was talking about this one when I said it happened over night but yes I've been going through this for 2 weeks

Yes low nutrients can cause bleaching. This is a weird spot though towards the top, do you have anything that could be nipping the coral?

 

[Rennurdoar]

Yes low nutrients can cause bleaching. This is a weird spot though towards the top, do you have anything that could be nipping the coral?

As @Kasrift on nutrients. Higher all and low nutrients will cause bleaching around the tips. Algae on tips is a good sign they're hurting also.

Like Kas said, I don't know if these are bleaching. Looks more like tissue loss due to stn or something aggravating or nipping it. Some of my cuc will mess with acros if they're dying and have dying tissue, they'll eat it off. That's what yours looks more like tbh.

 

[Eoka]

Yes low nutrients can cause bleaching. This is a weird spot though towards the top, do you have anything that could be nipping the coral?

A copperband but he's dosent even eat acans. I have a flame hawk who perches on my sps maybe that. Maybe my urchin did something

 

[Eoka]

As @Kasrift on nutrients. Higher all and low nutrients will cause bleaching around the tips. Algae on tips is a good sign they're hurting also.

Like Kas said, I don't know if these are bleaching. Looks more like tissue loss due to stn or something aggravating or nipping it. Some of my cuc will mess with acros if they're dying and have dying tissue, they'll eat it off. That's what yours looks more like tbh.

I don't think it's something messing with it because I've had 2 acros in the system for a couple of months and I've only had 1 problems with corals and that was my urchin eating algae of the side of this little hammer but than he ate the entire thing