Sps issue

[ggNoRe]

I have a relatively new tank and this piece was my tester sps. It has been in my display for about 3 weeks now. In that time it has always looked good and really started to color up. I was just noticing last night how it was much brighter and healthier than when I first got it. Fast forward to today and I see a little tissue die off. Any ideas what it may be?

Par 385 at max which is about 6 hours a day then tapers down from there. Flow is strong and somewhat direct from MP40. Parameters as follows:
Nitrate: 1
Phosphates: .02
PH: 8.37
dkh: 9.2
Cal: 450
Mag: 1500

I have attached pics of today one 2x one 6x on die off. Last night looking great in blue lights. And one more when I first got it.

 

[DesertReefT4r]

Looks like burnt tips.

 

[ggNoRe]

Looks like burnt tips.

Too much light you think?

 

[Duffer]

I would lower gradually your alk. with low nutrients you basically have a high alk which will cause burnt tips..I would shoot for around 8

 

[guylaga]

Your nutrients are a tad low so burnt tips is a possibility.

But not far from what my tank is running at - 1 to 2 No3 and .08 to .1 Po4 with 9dkh. And I do not tend to think 9dkh is that high.

Any chance you had a fish or invert picking at the coral or maybe you rubbed up against it doing maintenance?

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

Flow too strong for fish?

I have a Peninsula style tank with the overflow, return, and both powerheads all on the same side of the tank. I got my first fish yesterday and with all the pumps running he kind of seems to get stuck in a corner and even almost sucked up by the powerhead. When I turn one of the powerheads off...

www.reef2reef.com

You got your first fish in feb and are already adding sps? How many fish are in your 160g?

 

[sculpin01]

Functionally, you are running a low nutrient system. Low nutrient systems need alkalinity closer to NSW (6-8, so shoot for 7 dkH). If you bump your nutrients into the 5/.15 range for nitrate/phosphate, your corals will probably have better survival (although color may not be as impressive) and you will be able to run higher alkalinity (>8 dkH).

 

[ScottB]

Agree all above about ALK and lower nutrient levels. The caveat would be if you are feeding 4-10 times a day. In that case, residuals don't matter.

But looking at your rock I can tell this is a not a mature biome, and that is your root issue IMO. So just don't expect much SPS survival for a while. Sure, there are exceptions and you might become one, but that would be abnormal.

 

[ggNoRe]

Thanks for all the input.

 

[ggNoRe]

I slightly lowered the flow and lighting but unfortunately it is getting worse. This is really discouraging as I have ordered 7 more higher end sps frags coming in this week.

My rocks were cycled with 3 different strands of bacteria for 3 months before I set up my display. The display has been up for about 2 1/2 months. Got about 15 fish currently. There is daily film algae on the glass. As well algae growth on the backwall (overflow). All other corals looking good.

I feel like I feed a lot. Going for the high input and high output method. About 30 or so spectra pellets every morning. And about 20 Hikari seaweed extreme. Then again similar feeding in the afternoon. And at night a frozen mix with loaded brine mysis and rods food. Then also a coral mix of brightwell zooplankton and phytoplankton with reefroids.

 

[schuby]

You've detailed your high input. Can you detail your high output methods?

 

[ggNoRe]

You've detailed your high input. Can you detail your high output methods?

Absolutely! Used to use filter floss on top of my filter socks but stopped using that once I realized I was dealing with a low nutrient problem about 2-4 weeks ago. I run 3 filter socks that I clean weekly, starting this week I plan to clean them every other week. I have an Aquamaxx skimmer cone s rc3 rated for 270G in a heavy bioload system. Refugium with a fairly large chunk of chaeto about the size of a small youth size football. And a 10% waterchange every other week. Total system size about 200G. Display 160G.

 

[ScottB]

Your process all sounds great; not much I would change. You have some decent nutrient throughput to accommodate the lower residual nutrient levels IMO. Your other corals are testament to that.

What you are missing is that magic sauce that a mature biome creates for our most demanding corals. It is a pretty sophisticated balancing act performed by all kinds of bacteria, sponges, algae and microfauna. Eight to 18 months is a fair range on timing. Add 6 more months if it was an all dead rock start. Aside from adding live ocean rock/media, there is not a whole lot you can do to accelerate maturation IMO.

My personal "Go" sign is a prospering population of pineapple and other sponges. Usually comes some months after coralline.

When you choose the benefits of dead rock starts, you have to accept the extra months of maturation suitable for acropora. I don't have that kind of patience myself, so I get it.

 

[ggNoRe]

Your process all sounds great; not much I would change. You have some decent nutrient throughput to accommodate the lower residual nutrient levels IMO. Your other corals are testament to that.

What you are missing is that magic sauce that a mature biome creates for our most demanding corals. It is a pretty sophisticated balancing act performed by all kinds of bacteria, sponges, algae and microfauna. Eight to 18 months is a fair range on timing. Add 6 more months if it was an all dead rock start. Aside from adding live ocean rock/media, there is not a whole lot you can do to accelerate maturation IMO.

My personal "Go" sign is a prospering population of pineapple and other sponges. Usually comes some months after coralline.

When you choose the benefits of dead rock starts, you have to accept the extra months of maturation suitable for acropora. I don't have that kind of patience myself, so I get it.

Thanks for the well thought out reply. Makes sense.

And just today I introduced my Copperband Butterfly from quarantine to find out my flame angel is going to constantly harass him. ‍

This hobby can be pretty tough!

 

[ggNoRe]

Think I found the culprit. Tubing for alk dosing was clogged shut!

 

[ggNoRe]

And my cat chewed threw it!!

 

[ScottB]

Thanks for the well thought out reply. Makes sense.

And just today I introduced my Copperband Butterfly from quarantine to find out my flame angel is going to constantly harass him. ‍

This hobby can be pretty tough!

I hope the CBB pulls through. Great fish to have. I know you cannot net the flame in a tank that size. If you have hours and hours to spare, a trap will eventually work once every other fish in there has cycled through the trap. Murphy.

Hopefully you can have some SPS muddle through; just don't go chasing your tail too much if they cannot.

 

[sculpin01]

You can minimize carbonate encrustation by smearing a little food safe silicone grease on the end of the dispensing tube. The grease is hydrophobic so carbonate-rich drops can't easily form encrustations. Also, I attach an airline T at the dispensing port with the side of the T attached to a RODI doser set to go off 1 minute after the carbonate doses (flushes with 5-15 cc of RODI). This clears the tip of residual carbonate and should not back flow due to the water following the path of least resistance (out the tip rather than back up the carbonate line).

I don't have any tips on cat chewing avoidance, though.