Red planet is dying

[Debbie12]

Our red planet has begun bleaching. I think it's because I accidentally raised alk too quickly. All the other SPS are fine. I've started feeding it daily trying to get it back. Should I just frag the healthy parts or can they survive on the bleached body?

 

[W1ngz]

I think fragging at this point would just cause more stress and likely kill it faster. Fragging a distressed coral is akin to amputation. It's a last resort that is only really recommended for RTN/STN.

Going forward I'd just be absolutely certain (on an obsessive level) to make your changes slowly, and keep as rock-solid levels as you can, and hope for the best. What takes 1 day to upset a coral can sometimes take 2 months before it starts to turn around.

 

[bluprntguy]

IME, red planet is pretty temperamental. Looks like quite a bit of tissue is gone already. I’d probably just leave it alone and hope for the best. You could frag one tip off and move a piece to another system as an insurance policy, but I think that would insure the demise of the main colony.

You might want to consider spot feeding with some amino acids daily as well.

 

[Debbie12]

I think fragging at this point would just cause more stress and likely kill it faster. Fragging a distressed coral is akin to amputation. It's a last resort that is only really recommended for RTN/STN.

Going forward I'd just be absolutely certain (on an obsessive level) to make your changes slowly, and keep as rock-solid levels as you can, and hope for the best. What takes 1 day to upset a coral can sometimes take 2 months before it starts to turn around.

Thank you. Glad I asked. When I was raising the alk, I forgot to account for the effect of the water change. Lesson learned the hard way.

 

[Debbie12]

IME, red planet is pretty temperamental. Looks like quite a bit of tissue is gone already. I’d probably just leave it alone and hope for the best. You could frag one tip off and move a piece to another system as an insurance policy, but I think that would insure the demise of the main colony.

You might want to consider spot feeding with some amino acids daily as well.

Oh! Thank you! I hadn't thought of that.

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

That Acro is starving and it looks like it was a recent addition. I know you said all other sps are ok but are those acros? What are your parameters? Export method? Lighting? There might be a chance to save it.

 

[Debbie12]

We've had it about 3 months. We have Radion XR 30 Pros. It's sitting at about 200 PAR. Just got the alk to 8.1, calcium 400, Mag 1380, no nitrates, PH 8.04. I target feed once a week. I'm target feeding him daily right now trying to save him. Our alk tested low a couple weeks ago and I was in the process of bringing it up. I dosed the same day as our bi-weekly water change without thinking about the effect of the water change and it jumped the alk 1.4 in a single day. I think that's what upset it. There are to many other SPS to name them all; PC rainbow, Miagi Tort, Tyree Rouge etc.

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

An alk spike of 1.4 won’t do that. Mine jumped to over 40 from a doser malfunction and 99% of my acros were fine, and my alk fluctuates 1.0-1.5 everyday. What is your export method?

 

[Debbie12]

Hand dosing. Have only just started addressing their alk needs so trying to figure out the dose before setting up an automatic doser.

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

Actually I’d like to retract the 1.4 spike won’t cause that. I suppose it could cause that with zero no3 and po4. I keep my no3 15-30 and po4 0.15-0.30.

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

What’s your nutrient export method? And what’s your po4? You need some no3 and po4 to save that Acro

 

[Debbie12]

We are currently using a skimmer. Phosphates were 0 last time I checked a month ago. Just did a water change last weekend.

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

We are currently using a skimmer. Phosphates were 0 last time I checked a month ago. Just did a water change last weekend.

0 po4 and 0 no3 will eventually kill all your sps. I would turn you skimmer off and start feeding your fish 2-4 times a day and stop changing water until you get your no3 to at least 2.5-5 and po4 0.05 preferably 0.10.

 

[Purplelobst92]

We are currently using a skimmer. Phosphates were 0 last time I checked a month ago. Just did a water change last weekend.

do you dose any amino acids ?

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

+8.0 alk with zero no3 and po4 is an sps recipe for death

 

[Debbie12]

do you dose any amino acids ?

No, this was our first venture into any dosing

 

[Debbie12]

+8.0 alk with zero no3 and po4 is an sps recipe for death

What would be the best way to correct the problem?

 

[Debbie12]

0 po4 and 0 no3 will eventually kill all your sps. I would turn you skimmer off and start feeding your fish 2-4 times a day and stop changing water until you get your no3 to at least 2.5-5 and po4 0.05 preferably 0.10.

I'm in it! Thank you so very much!!

 

[bwomac44]

0 po4 and 0 no3 will eventually kill all your sps. I would turn you skimmer off and start feeding your fish 2-4 times a day and stop changing water until you get your no3 to at least 2.5-5 and po4 0.05 preferably 0.10.

This sounds just like the advice I got at my LFS that resulted in a carpet of cyano over my entire tank.
Going from 0 to 100mph real quick is a bad idea

 

[Debbie12]

This sounds just like the advice I got at my LFS that resulted in a carpet of cyano over my entire tank.
Going from 0 to 100mph real quick is a bad idea

What would you advise? What worked for you?