Polyps missing from Pink Lemonade

[Mattrg02]

Hello,
I got a Pink Lemonde acro frag about 3 weeks ago. I've noticed that it never has polyps extended. Even at the LFS, no PE. It came fully encrusted on its tile, yet seems to be a dud.

I've checked at night as well, no PE. I've tried low flow areas as well as super high flow. I've tried low light as well as directly under my lights.

My other corals all have their polyps out at some point.

My tank:
17g Mr Aqua low iron rimless.
A160 Kessil
Mp10wes
Aqua clear HOB running activated carbon

Parameters:
Nitrates = 0
Phosphates(API) = 0
DKH= 11
SG= 35
Calcium=440ppm
PH=7.8

Any ideas?

Edit: I dose microbacter7 and do a PWC every 3-4 days

 

[NicksMixedReef]

I'm guessing you dipped it?

 

[Diesel]

Matt, something is in there that is upsetting your PL.
How is color holding up?
Any fish, snails or crabs in there?
How long is your tank running?
How long you have the light on?
What is the Temp?
My advise is do a 0.5 gallon WC a day and take of your carbon, too much carbon can upset corals.
Leave it where you have it now.
Some SPS you will see hardly any PE.
The PL must be visible during the day and night.
Did you check it for pest?

Your NO3 and PO4 are low.
Never trust a API test kit.
Your ALK is a little on the high level too although some ppl have it on that 11 level with no problem.
Low PO4 and high ALK is a no good for SPS.

 

[Mattrg02]

No dip, temp acclimated and put to the bottom.

Temp is 78F
Its gotten a bit dull in color. Sort of a yellowish greenish instead of its bright yellow. Lighting goes for 10 hours a day, about 45% intensity.

I checked it out for any bugs, can't see anything at all. I've got a few snails and hermits.

I figured something had walked across it at the LFS and didn't think much of it. After weeks of this, I'm wondering if it had some issue.

I'll remove the carbon and see how it goes.

Thanks!
Matt

 

[Diesel]

You mentioned that it didn't had PE as well at the LFS.
It won't hurt to dip it in the Bayer, just to be clear.
Any other SPS in the tank?
The color change from Yellow to green can be a result of low light.

 

[BryanS4]

I saw Diesel just mentioned it, but my first thought was high Alk.

Other than that I'd say leave it in place for a while and let it settle in. Moving it that often in three weeks isn't going to make things better.

 

[Mattrg02]

I'm slowly dropping alkalinity via water changes with Tropic Marin Pro Reef.

Should I up the lighting?

I've got other sps corals that do have PE. I've also got some Zoas on the bottom, hence the carbon.

 

[Tahoe61]

I run alk at 8-9, my PL prefers closer to 8. Pink Lemonade is one of my Canary corals, I can tell whats going on in the tank by the looks of the PL.

 

[sharkboy99999]

A pic would help

 

[Mattrg02]

I'll work on getting down to 8dKH to see if that's it. I read that low nutrients and high alkalinity is a bad combo for sps corals? My API shows 0 nitrates. Before using that microbacter7 stuff, they were around 10. Phosphates might truly be very low as well. I've got a bare bottom tank that I siphon every few days. I've also got two fish.

 

[Diesel]

Too much changes in a short period isn't positive either.
Lower your ALK slowly please, you don't want to upset your other corals that are doing ok.
With SPS I would look into a HANNA ultralow checker, just a better piece of mind, when you at it a ALK checker from HANNA isn't bad either.
With a small tank like that you can have easily swings and ALK is one you don't want to mess with, checking your ALK everyday like us BIG BOYS isn't not only Macho and Cool but you get to know your tank better too.

 

[NicksMixedReef]

In the mean time I would dip anyways, it doesn't hurt anything

 

[Mattrg02]

In the mean time I would dip anyways, it doesn't hurt anything

You guys really like to dip, eh?

As for alkalinity, how slow should it be dropping? Each PWC seems to reduce it only slightly. I did just stick a largish piece of green monti cap with blue polyps in. Maybe it'll soak up some alkalinity?

 

[NicksMixedReef]

Well I mean yeah of course we do lol Have you ever had AEFW or Red Bugs?

Id just stick to the water changes doing the dropping for Alkalinity. Slower the better when messing with it.

 

[Mattrg02]

Well I mean yeah of course we do lol Have you ever had AEFW or Red Bugs?

Id just stick to the water changes doing the dropping for Alkalinity. Slower the better when messing with it.

Yes, I've had both. Annoying as hell. I think I used potassium permanganate for both. The flat worms came back until I got a six line wrasse. He ate them all and then ate everything else in the sandbed. :-(

 

[NicksMixedReef]

I don't mean regular flat worms, I mean acro eating flatworms. Either way its best practice to dip corals, simple and easy to do! I've been using Bayer for a year now and works perfectly.

 

[StevenBell]

Whats magnesium at?

 

[Mattrg02]

Whats magnesium at?

Ahhh....

I knew that was coming. I don't have a test for it since API doesn't give one in their "kit".

I always assumed it was fine if calcium and alkalinity were in check.

I use tropic Marin pro reef if that helps somewhat.

I don't dose anything since my corals are all frags still.

 

[StevenBell]

I see water tests everyday that assume the same buddy.Sometimes it can run a bit low if all and Ca are running high.Worth checking

 

[reefndude]

Like others have mentioned do a dip and then leave it alone for a while.

Took about a month for my PL to show any pe at first. Now it has some of the pe in my tank