Sps getting white tips. Normal?

[James Mikell]

So I just started trying to keep sps in my tank. I started by getting my parameters where i wanted and maintained them stable by dosing using seachem fusion. My cal is 440 alk is 8.6 and mag is 1440. Nitrates is 5 and po4 is reading as zero. When i bought these sps frags they where fully colored but now im noticing white tips on only a few branches and not all of the sps have them. Is this normal?

 

[Vu Nguyen]

This happen to me when I over use gfo to reduce phosphate to slow down algae growth.
I end killing lot of sps and I will never use gfo again.
Now I use turf algae scrubber and no more burn tip on sps.

 

[bobby.w.hodges]

White tips usually means growth.

 

[James Mikell]

This happen to me when I over use gfo to reduce phosphate to slow down algae growth.
I end killing lot of sps and I will never use gfo again.
Now I use turf algae scrubber and no more burn tip on sps.

Thank you for this i will tske my gfo out i was currently mixing it in my carbon canister

 

[James Mikell]

White tips usually means growth.

But wouldnt sll the tips be white? Or is it normal for just a few of the many branches to show growth.

 

[Juniorh2r]

That looks like a bonsai I think that's normal

 

[bobby.w.hodges]

But wouldnt sll the tips be white? Or is it normal for just a few of the many branches to show growth.

Depends on how it's growing, if all sps grew at the same rate they would look like a big ball. Some branches grow fatter than others.

The conclusion that gfo is bleaching your sps should be backed up with testing evidence.

 

[James Mikell]

That looks like a bonsai I think that's normal

It is a garf bonsai

 

[James Mikell]

Depends on how it's growing, if all sps grew at the same rate they would look like a big ball. Some branches grow fatter than others.

The conclusion that gfo is bleaching your sps should be backed up with testing evidence.

Its easy enough to test the theory be removing it and if the tips re color up then i have my answer

 

[bobby.w.hodges]

Its easy enough to test the theory be removing it and if the tips re color up then i have my answer

Or you could test your phosphates.....

 

[bobby.w.hodges]

Quick results

 

[James Mikell]

Or you could test your phosphates.....

I have tested my po4 i posted in the origional post that it reads as zero on my salifert test.

 

[bobby.w.hodges]

See how much lighter the new growth is on the bottom right branch, it's not colored up yet because it didn't have time to.

 

[bobby.w.hodges]

How does the test of your tank look? Lps open? Ploys extended?

I would recommend a test kit that doesn't use color, like hanna

 

[James Mikell]

How does the test of your tank look? Lps open? Ploys extended?

I would recommend a test kit that doesn't use color, like hanna

Yes all my other corals are very happy. All my acans are always open feeders extended, same with my euphelia

 

[bobby.w.hodges]

My personal opinion is to not alter the entire tank chemistry to do a test, that's my point. If ask other coral looks happy, i would trust it. In my experience when phosphate is actually zero, lps will be closed, no polyps, everything will look mad.

 

[James Mikell]

My personal opinion is to not alter the entire tank chemistry to do a test, that's my point. If ask other coral looks happy, i would trust it. In my experience when phosphate is actually zero, lps will be closed, no polyps, everything will look mad.

Ok i appreciate your input. I may have to just bite the bullet and buy the hanna tester.

 

[jsak1976]

I have tested my po4 i posted in the origional post that it reads as zero on my salifert test.

What is the range of phosphate your salifert test kit 0-?

 

[jsak1976]

This happen to me when I over use gfo to reduce phosphate to slow down algae growth.
I end killing lot of sps and I will never use gfo again.
Now I use turf algae scrubber and no more burn tip on sps.

This only happens when used incorrectly

 

[James Mikell]

What is the range of phosphate your salifert test kit 0-?

Goes from zero -> 0.03 -> 0.1 and up from there.