SPS tissue loss

[Kyle Seeley]

Just added this coral 2 days ago and polyps have not opened and it appears to be losing tissue. This is the first coral to go into the tank. Maybe stress?

Levels

Salinity: 1.024
Alk: 7 dkh
Nitrates: 0
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
PH: 8.1
Phosphates: .25

 

[Brew12]

Just added this coral 2 days ago and polyps have not opened and it appears to be losing tissue. This is the first coral to go into the tank. Maybe stress?

Levels

Salinity: 1.024
Alk: 7 dkh
Nitrates: 0
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
PH: 8.1
Phosphates: .25

Your alk is a bit low. Not enough that I think it is a problem, but it could be much lower than where you bought the coral from. I recently killed two frags by changing alk too quickly and wonder if that could be the cause.

Lets call in the #reefsquad and see if they can offer any insight!

 

[Kyle Seeley]

Thanks for your reply! I'm wondering if it might be the change in alk as well. I think my LFS runs at about 8-9. My nano is kept at 8 and sps seem to be thriving in that tank.

 

[Sabellafella]

Just added this coral 2 days ago and polyps have not opened and it appears to be losing tissue. This is the first coral to go into the tank. Maybe stress?

Levels

Salinity: 1.024
Alk: 7 dkh
Nitrates: 0
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
PH: 8.1
Phosphates: .25

Yes it indeed does look stressed+rtn. How long has your tank ben up and running?

 

[Kyle Seeley]

4 months to the date.

 

[Sabellafella]

4 months to the date.

Try giving it some more time especially for stuff like corralline algae to successfully grow without constantly bleaching. Birdsnest yea are consider "easy" sps" yet they react the worst in water quiality issues. Ditch the api phosphate test kit and get your self a new one, also with a calc and mag test kit. Your choice on alk

 

[Diesel]

It could be a lot of things.
I agree on the ALK can be low from where it came from which results in stress.
Also you No3 is super low as a rule of thumb it could be close to 2pmm or a bit higher, as why your coral looks so light in color due to starvation.
What kind of light do you run?
And due to your rock still looks new your tank might be too young to house SPS.
NSW can be a little higher but should be a issue at 1.024
What is your PH swing from morning to evening.

 

[mcarroll]

Although all stressors count, as ususal, I'd guess less toward the alkalinity and more toward light shock or lack of water flow.

The lack of nitrates will exacerbate both of those sensitivities.

Feed Him
Best best is some liquid food....a nitrate supplement and/or amino acids. Do not do a huge dose if you choose to start either one, but start with very small but regular doses.

Potassium nitrate (Spectracide stump remover) dosing steps can get you started with a DIY formula for NO3, including calculators to get your doses correct. If you use something else, please post what you choose....or at least make sure you start with a very conservative dose.

diy amino acid should have some good info on the amino acid side. Conservatism should dictate your dose here as well.....in particular because there's no test kit for amino's to let you know when you've gone too far.

Fix The Lighting
Correct the light situation (if necessary) by finding out what the light is like where the coral came from.

If it came from the LFS, take a light meter and measure their lights, or ask them to measure for you if they have a light meter of any kind. Let us know what happens here. Converting from PAR to lux is no problem.

You can use a free lux meter app that uses your smartphone's camera....get one and test it out first. Sometimes the apps aren't compatible with specific cameras so you may have to try more than one. Post results and we can help get you started. FYI, a full-blast sunny day should approach 100,000 lux. Overcast would be around 10,000 lux.

Fix The Flow
Do you have any idea what the flow was like where he was growing?

Can you post a full tank shot that include the current flow pumps?

 

[mcarroll]

Trophic dynamics of scleractinian corals: stable isotope evidence

More reading material. (It sounds more serious than it is.....click and read!) :)

 

[SamsReef]

Phosphate level as urs can alone do it considering you are measuring it with right test kit. For phosphate, I only trust Hanna ULR. Considering that the numbers are right, it should be below 0.04 and can alone contribute to Tissue loss.

Sam

 

[Kyle Seeley]

Thanks guys. I'm currently dosing to trying and get my alk up. And I just dosed the tank with coral frenzy!

-diesel
I am running mars aqua led lighting. (Not the best but fit best with my budget) and the tank is 4 months old. A little young but I wanted to be sps dominant so I did not want to start with softies.

 

[Diesel]

Thanks guys. I'm currently dosing to trying and get my alk up. And I just dosed the tank with coral frenzy!

-diesel
I am running mars aqua led lighting. (Not the best but fit best with my budget) and the tank is 4 months old. A little young but I wanted to be sps dominant so I did not want to start with softies.

Hey bud no sweat.
If it is the only coral that is struggling you doing great.
You are at the right place to battle your problems.
Now it looks like you place your BN on the highest point.
Maybe by lowering it to the sand bed and feeding it a bit more we can see some results.
Results can be slow though and don't be disappointed if it doesn't make it.
Luckily t's a colony and you can take a few healthy frags of it keep those on a frag plug low in a different corner.