SPS experts help me please!

[GeoHawk]

Hey, everyone I thought I would see if I could get some help from some of you with a problem I have been having. I upgraded to a 60 gallon from a 30 gallon about 4 months ago. I used the 30 gallons from my old tank, and moved my coral to my LFS for about 1 and 1/2 months. I placed mostly new sand and live rock, because I wanted to get rid of the softies that were taking over my rock.

Anyways, the problem is that everything has bleached out. It seems that it is getting better slowly, but my green granulosa still has bleached tips that seem to slowly be getting worse. My LPS bleached out, but seems to be getting better.

Green Granulosa

Arrows point to where it is bleaching getting worse

Orange Montipora seems to be getting better color, and is growing, but has a vermatid snail on it.

Pink Birds Nest (growing but still lighter than it was in my 30 gallon)

Green slimer ( growing back over dead spot, but has dead spots on back as well)

Other info: I placed the corals after it had been cycling for a month and a half. It could still be to early I guess. These were under pc lights in my 30 gallon, t5 at LFS, and now under 250W MH and 2 24" T5. My heater broke down about a month ago and the average temperature was low for about 2 weeks at 70-74. More than anything I am suprised I have weaker color under MH than I had under PC for 2 years, when many people say that it is impossible to grow sps under PC.

Tank info
filtration: 20 gallon sump, Vortec IN 80 skimmer
Lights:250W MH phoenix 1400k and 2 24" T5 (uv super actinic)
Timer: MH on 6 hours T5 on 10 hours

Stats as of today:
KH=10 Nutrifin
MG=1200 Seachem
Ca=410 seachem
Phosphate=0 API
Nitrate= 0 API
Iodide= .03 Salifert
Temp=76-80 average

Dosing
ca/alk ESV every morning
MG= Kent Marine once a week
Iodine= aquavitro once a week
Fuel= twice a week
Rotifer, copepod, phyto (I grow it) at most once a week usually once every 3 or so.

Help me please if you can. I would love to get things growing well again so I could feel comfortable about adding more sps. I know that is alot of info and I would be more than happy to answer any other questions.

 

[Troylee]

Raise your mag a little 1300 and lower the light period.... Going from pcs to a 250w mh is a huge jump and most
Likely the cause of bleaching on everything... What's tour photo period look like??? How many hours I should say...

 

[DBarsotti]

PC to 250w is a HUGE jump, i bleached the crap out of my corals just by changing from 14k-20k bulbs.. They'll come back you just have to be patient and keep parameters stable.

 

[GeoHawk]

The Green Granulosa, is new from the LFS that kept my stuff. They accidentally sold a bunch of my coral so they felt like that was compensation. I agree considering it would have cost over $100 new. It was under T5 though before I got it. I will work on raising Mg. Oh, and it has a trapezius crab living in it, which I think is pretty sweet, but that wouldn't be causing the problems would it?

 

[Dave3112]

Raise your mag a little 1300 and lower the light period.... Going from pcs to a 250w mh is a huge jump and most
Likely the cause of bleaching on everything... What's tour photo period look like??? How many hours I should say...

+1 I went from t5 to MH in my new tank and even with a very short photo period for about two weeks (Started at 3 hrs/day and SLOWLY moved it to 7 hrs/day) I still bleached ALL of my sps it took about a month for it to come back around.

 

[GeoHawk]

They have been under the MH for almost 2 months, I will cut it back if you guys think it will help though. What should I cut it back to? Currently 6 hours a day

 

[Troylee]

How deep is the tank and what bulb/ballast combo you running??? 6hrs is about right IMHO....hmmm

 

[GeoHawk]

Tank is 2 feet deep, Sunlight Supply 250 Watt ballast with Phoenix 14k

 

[DBarsotti]

Are you sure those bleached tips on that "granulosa" (not a granulosa) isn't new growth? Its hard to tell from the picture if the tissue has receded but its looks like new growth seeing as how the tips with the issue have a much different structure than the non-"bleaching" tips.

 

[GeoHawk]

Yeah, I am sure. I wish it was growth. I look at my coral almost everyday, and have paid special attention to the tips that have bleached, and they are getting worse. (very slowly, but getting worse)

 

[DBarsotti]

You should try and get a better picture of the tips, if possible

 

[Troylee]

Well alk will burn your tips but it doesn't look at high at 10..... Hmmmm anyway to grab a different test kit and check that all again??? Maybe take it to a lfs for a second look??? Maybe it's higher than your test is showing....:(

 

[GeoHawk]

Well alk will burn your tips but it doesn't look at high at 10..... Hmmmm anyway to grab a different test kit and check that all again??? Maybe take it to a lfs for a second look??? Maybe it's higher than your test is showing....:(

I re-checked kh with an 2 year old API test kit and got 9

You should try and get a better picture of the tips, if possible

Are you clicking on the images, because they get larger when you click on them. If not I can get some new ones taken.

 

[GeoHawk]

So I guess the best thing to do now is to just be patient keep doing what I am doing and hope for the best?

Another question, I would like to get some coral for Christmas from my wife, and while I don't dare add SPS until these color up and I feel more comfortable I was wondering what opinions would be of adding chalice? I have never had chalice in my 3 years in the hobby, and since it is LPS thought it might do ok. I have blastos, frogspawn, and torch all doing fine. What do you guys think?

 

[efrain torres]

The most important in acros is alk test .i used lamotte very nice . I only use in my tank 4.5 hr days metal halide and 8 hr t5 and 9 reefbrite led .need to increase mag very low increase only 50ppm days until get 1250 and buy salifer mag test

 

[GeoHawk]

Thanks for response Is seachem mag test no good? I just bought it recently.
Light schedule currently MH 5 hours T5 10 hours LED moon lights constantly on.
Also I was thinking that maybe the lights are to close to the water. Both the MH and T5 are about 6" above the water, because this is the highest I can put the MH inside the canopy.
I could set the MH ontop of the canopy though at that would make it 13", I may be able to raise it to about 8"
Do you guys think that would help?

Things havn't got much better.
Levels currently
Temp 78
kh=10
mg=1250
ca=440