SPS with burnt tips need help

[honks69]

I’m starting to see burnt tips on some of my sps and I’m not sure why

background info

tank is 340 gallons (400 actual water volume) lit by g4 radions and t5s

parameters from today
Alk 8.0
Calcium 447
Mg 1454
Phos .08
Nitrates 12-25ppm (closer to 12)

My parameters have been the same for a year except for my phosphate was .16-.20 which is why I started using rowaphos and nopox about 3-4 months ago which brought it down to .06-.08 now.

Also I skim wet and I dose 12 ml a day of acropower and I run biopellets

my problem started about two weeks ago. I had a WD rtn and then I noticed a few coral now have burnt tips on the ends and I’m worried something bad is about to happen. The coral with the burnt tips start by sliming and then a day or so later the tips turn white and die

just looking for things that might be wrong.

thanks in advance

 

[Kfactor]

I was getting it when I dosed to high of no3

 

[honks69]

I was getting it when I dosed to high of no3

what level was too high?

 

[Backreefing]

I would stabilize your phosphate level. I know from experience that if phosphate goes up down up down, your gonna have something bad happen . Pick a level and stay there.
I think your standing on the edge of a tank crash unless you choose what to or not to do wisely. Good luck

 

[coralkurd]

Following because I just started to
Notice the same thing in my tank with the fox flame. I am doing a water change tomorrow to see if it helps. I
Am also wondering if it is phosphates because it’s at .10 for
Me now and I have been at .05-.08 for the last year

 

[coralkurd]

I would stabilize your phosphate level. I know from experience that if phosphate goes up down up down, your gonna have something bad happen . Pick a level and stay there.
I think your standing on the edge of a tank crash unless you choose what to or not to do wisely. Good luck

Also curious as to, do you cut the burnt tips
Off? Or leave them. Also what you recommend as to what steps should we take to avoid a crash?

 

[honks69]

I would stabilize your phosphate level. I know from experience that if phosphate goes up down up down, your gonna have something bad happen . Pick a level and stay there.
I think your standing on the edge of a tank crash unless you choose what to or not to do wisely. Good luck

My phosphate has been .08 for 3-4 months

 

[HB AL]

Not sure whats causing it in your system but as far as burnt tips or a dead branch or such as far as cutting off the dead portion I have found that the coral will heal up and regrow much quicker than if you just left the dead parts there and waited for it to regrow over the dead zone and the algae that would be growing on it. Of course you want to do this once you figure out what the cause of the dead tips.
If nutrients drop considerably and the light is strong or has recently been made stronger this can lead to the burnt dead tips. Good luck hope ya get it figured out.

 

[honks69]

Not sure whats causing it in your system but as far as burnt tips or a dead branch or such as far as cutting off the dead portion I have found that the coral will heal up and regrow much quicker than if you just left the dead parts there and waited for it to regrow over the dead zone and the algae that would be growing on it. Of course you want to do this once you figure out what the cause of the dead tips.
If nutrients drop considerably and the light is strong or has recently been made stronger this can lead to the burnt dead tips. Good luck hope ya get it figured out.

I haven’t changed anything in months. I’ve been adding more frags and I had to increase the output from my calcium reactor but my levels have stayed fairly stable. I was going to clip the dead ends after I get this issue figured out. Thanka

 

[Ashish Patel]

Did you have any changes to your tank 2 weeks ago? I dont see any issues with your parameters but I can only advice of what I would do: Do not do any waterchanges, Test alk daily or every other day and keep it stable, reduce light intensity, and just wait. They will bounce back if things stay stable but will RTN if already stressed and too many changes are made. Seen it in my own tanks too many times

 

[Ashish Patel]

Also, I dont buy that high PO causes any issues, I feel the opposite it true - too low PO or NO can cause issues with burnt tips. Make sense given there is likely too much PAR and not enough nutrients for the corals to build skeleton, which cause stress to the coral and there symbiotic algae zoothellee (never can spell that right).

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

Also, I dont buy that high PO causes any issues, I feel the opposite it true - too low PO or NO can cause issues with burnt tips. Make sense given there is likely too much PAR and not enough nutrients for the corals to build skeleton, which cause stress to the coral and there symbiotic algae zoothellee (never can spell that right).

The only time I’ve ever had burnt tips was from using media to lower no3/po4. It didn’t matter what the final residual level was. I had burnt tips from bringing no3 from 50 to 25 and po4 from 0.55 to 0.30 using seachem matrix. They were fine at 50/0.55 and then nearly dead at 25/0.30. I removed the matrix and everything stopped dying in a matter of days.

 

[Ashish Patel]

The only time I’ve ever had burnt tips was from using media to lower no3/po4. It didn’t matter what the final residual level was. I had burnt tips from bringing no3 from 50 to 25 and po4 from 0.55 to 0.30 using seachem matrix. They were fine at 50/0.55 and then nearly dead at 25/0.30. I removed the matrix and everything stopped dying in a matter of days.

Yeah I guess it doesnt matter the value but more so what your corals are used too and how fast you bring them down. My buddy has a thriving reef and said he has problems when his PO goes too high but when its near undetectable his acros thrive. I am not a fan of anything to bring down nutrients besides skimmer, refugium, increasing flow, and monitoring feeding. Which is why I would never consider using GFO, bio pellets, or anything media that will strip nutrients too fast.

 

[honks69]

Did you have any changes to your tank 2 weeks ago? I dont see any issues with your parameters but I can only advice of what I would do: Do not do any waterchanges, Test alk daily or every other day and keep it stable, reduce light intensity, and just wait. They will bounce back if things stay stable but will RTN if already stressed and too many changes are made. Seen it in my own tanks too many times

this all started when I had a colony of WD rtn out of nowhere. No changes were made to my tank. Then from then until now thr burnt tips have started on maybe 10 of my 75 or so sps.

why no water changes? I use Red Sea blue bucket so my parameters are similar to what the water changes are minus my mg which has been slowly lowering to match

 

[Backreefing]

Water changes, change your nutrient levels. I use the same salt mix ( good stuff )
But changes did happen to the aquarium, even if you weren’t changing things .That’s why everything is stressing. I do hope you figure it out.

 

[honks69]

Water changes, change your nutrient levels. I use the same salt mix ( good stuff )
But changes did happen to the aquarium, even if you weren’t changing things .That’s why everything is stressing. I do hope you figure it out.

I just did a 10% change last night in hopes of helping. I lowered my lights by 20% and will see if anyone else has any ideas to help. Thanks again

 

[Silent]

Have you been running carbon? Maybe your water is too clear lol.

 

[lmm1967]

are you positive it's not new growth? How much of the tips are white?

 

[ReefPig]

I would stabilize your phosphate level. I know from experience that if phosphate goes up down up down, your gonna have something bad happen . Pick a level and stay there.
I think your standing on the edge of a tank crash unless you choose what to or not to do wisely. Good luck

Somewhat dramatic take, why would he be "on the edge of a tank crash".
He specifically stated his parameters have been stable for a year.

Could you expand on your meaning of this?

 

[uhupong]

My personal scenarios.

Low nutrients+high alk= burn tips
Spike nutrients = burn tips
Too much activated carbon = burn tips
ALK spike alone = burn tips ,stn/rtn
Low no3 + low alk = bad color
Low no3 + high po4 = bleach from base up
Low no3 + low po4 = dino