Rainbow Pectinia Growth

[FernBluffReef]

I’ve had this Rainbow Pectinia Colony for about a month now. I now see numerous growths on the tips but also in other areas.

Is this normal? Or given color are the tips dying off and some of the Dino’s I’m fighting in the tank taking over ?. Color wise it looks like the Dino’s but it also looks like part of the coral and some fleshy areas have it. Never had a Pectinia before and before I get the turkey baster out and start blasting it to try and make sure I figured I would ask before ticking it off. Prior to the last couple days I’ve not seen this

In general I’m making progress with the Dino’s (they are not bad) and it’s being replaced with some green turf algae. Coralline is starting to lay on pretty decent on the higher parts of the tank. The pectinia is maybe around 1/4 up and ~200 par. Last week I turned the whites down a bit as the algae started to take off. Everything else seems happy save a nearby frogspawn that was doing great but is ticked today for some reason

Thx for thoughts on the Pectinia.

 

[Reefing Madness]

 

[FernBluffReef]

I think I figured it out. Since I posted this question, shortly after I lost a really nice frog-spawn, a head of a hammer and concluded its tissue rescission on the Pectinia. I also have a torch that I've lost a head on yesterday.

Best I can figure, coming back into the hobby after 23 years absence, the automation bit me. I'd finally gotten the RedSea doser largely tuned in for my system so I left it on auto-pilot for 5 days vs. checking every couple days. CA went from 428 to 559 even though I was only dosing 1ml five times a day (hardly anything) and Alk went from 8.4 to 9.0 over the same period. The CA makes little sense at the rates I was dosing and the Alk would represent a substantial decrease in Alk consumption. As I got to poking around, I see the dosing bottles collapsing in the cabinet so it seems I should have done something to vent them as with the vacuum best I can figure they finally got to the point that they were dosing more than they were/should have and my timing was just a bit off to start trusting the RS doser for more than a couple days at a time.. Couple hundred $$$ mistake. I turned the doser off Wednesday and performed a small water change (12 gallons out of 143). Alk is back down to 8.4 so I need to turn that dosing back on. CA is down to a more reasonable 428. Again none of those seem all that outrageous save a bit sudden. Only other thing can figure is I did replace carbon at the same time as I last adjusted the doser. Going to get some new dosing supplies this weekend and vent them this time... Maybe order some real dosing containers.

Anyway, the Pectinia is a bit more fluffed up today and hopefully will recover. Crossing my fingers the other heads on my really nice torch don't bail like the one did yesterday - and that I caught it in time that the other torches etc. don't get all *****. Rest of the corals and anemone appear to be little worse for wear.

 

[jkcoral]

I think I figured it out. Since I posted this question, shortly after I lost a really nice frog-spawn, a head of a hammer and concluded its tissue rescission on the Pectinia. I also have a torch that I've lost a head on yesterday.

Best I can figure, coming back into the hobby after 23 years absence, the automation bit me. I'd finally gotten the RedSea doser largely tuned in for my system so I left it on auto-pilot for 5 days vs. checking every couple days. CA went from 428 to 559 even though I was only dosing 1ml five times a day (hardly anything) and Alk went from 8.4 to 9.0 over the same period. The CA makes little sense at the rates I was dosing and the Alk would represent a substantial decrease in Alk consumption. As I got to poking around, I see the dosing bottles collapsing in the cabinet so it seems I should have done something to vent them as with the vacuum best I can figure they finally got to the point that they were dosing more than they were/should have and my timing was just a bit off to start trusting the RS doser for more than a couple days at a time.. Couple hundred $$$ mistake. I turned the doser off Wednesday and performed a small water change (12 gallons out of 143). Alk is back down to 8.4 so I need to turn that dosing back on. CA is down to a more reasonable 428. Again none of those seem all that outrageous save a bit sudden. Only other thing can figure is I did replace carbon at the same time as I last adjusted the doser. Going to get some new dosing supplies this weekend and vent them this time... Maybe order some real dosing containers.

Anyway, the Pectinia is a bit more fluffed up today and hopefully will recover. Crossing my fingers the other heads on my really nice torch don't bail like the one did yesterday - and that I caught it in time that the other torches etc. don't get all *****. Rest of the corals and anemone appear to be little worse for wear.

Despite being tempted at times, I’ve stayed away from any of the automation stuff because things like this are my worst fear!

Happy to hear you were able to stop it sooner than later. Hopefully a few weeks of stability will help all your corals bounce back quickly.

 

[FernBluffReef]

Despite being tempted at times, I’ve stayed away from any of the automation stuff because things like this are my worst fear!

Happy to hear you were able to stop it sooner than later. Hopefully a few weeks of stability will help all your corals bounce back quickly.

Yeah long time ago it was just two parts, and I never did much other than that and water changes.

The automation maybe more of an issue then doing it the old way :-( That said I also didn't have some of the types of corals I do now than in the past and this stupid dead rock really eats up the nutrients so having to watch things like a hawk for a young tank. Never did that in the old days.

Parms are now

KH 8.4 (down from 9.0)
CA 453 (down from 559)
Mg 1540 (using some bad Hanna reagents so more likely right about 1,400)
Nitrate 4.5
Phos .07
PH 8.1 (down to like 7.8 at night)
Temp: 76.6
Salinity: 34 (per Hanna which is reliably 1 point off so spot on 35)

 

[volitan85]

This is not about the parameters. There is a reality called “ ionic balance” . This means the older tank or water, getting closer to naturel environment.