Strange Color-Specific Bleaching Event?... Crushing my Pink Montis

[NYCMikeM3]

Hi All,
Hoping I can get some advice on how to address this crazy bleaching event that’s just come up & is only affecting my pink/red montis. Everything else is fine -- all acros, soft corals, fish and even non-pink montis are fine. Only other symptom is patches of white on live rock; at this point, my guess is trace minerals (K & I)? which I started dosing yesterday.

It’s super strange to me b/c I’ve never seen bleaching exclusively hit one color & leave everything else untouched… It’s so drastic, in fact, that I’ve got one rock with 2 monti caps (1 red & 1 green); the red is 100% bleached and the green is as happy as it’s ever been. Corals affected:

• Pink Megatron monti [85%+ bleached]
• Bubblegum digi [~20% bleached; starting at base]
• Sunset monti [100% bleached]
• RR Tropic Thunder monti [~20% bleached]
• Red Monti Cap [100% bleached]
• Live Rock [30% white patches]

Here’s what I’ve done/am doing (although it’s only been 2 days):

1. Started dosing trace minerals (Red Sea A, B, C, D); 15mL up front + 10mL over 24 hrs
2. Skimmer off for last 24hrs (to not skim out trace minerals)
3. Metasorb arriving today; just in case some harmful metal was introduced somehow
4. Changed out Carbon
5. Will likely do a water change tonight

Again, thanks for any help / shared experiences. If it’s relevant, my tank & parameters are below. Cheers
-Mike


Parameters:
- ALK 9.74 [trident doses ~70mL/day]
- Ca 430 [~40mL/day]
- Mg 1316 [~15mL/day]
- Ammonia & Nitrite = 0
- Nitrate: 0 / small trace amt
- PH 8.23 [Apex Readings stable]
- Salinity Stable @ 1.27
- Temp: 78degrees [heater on @ 77.5; Chiller on at 78.5]

Tank:
- Red Sea Reefer 350; running for 2.5yrs
- No changes/additions in last ~8months
- Apex Trident controls dosing for: ALK, Mg, Ca & NoPoX
- Lights: 2x Radion XR30 G4 Pro [no change to settings in 2yrs]
- Skimmer: RSK 600
- Chiller, heaters, power heads all working fine
- Fuge: Chaeto, Kessil A360x Refugium Light & CO2 Scrubber
- Normal Filtration cups media (mix of Carbon & Chemipure blue, bio balls, mesh sock)

 

[MnFish1]

Hi All,
Hoping I can get some advice on how to address this crazy bleaching event that’s just come up & is only affecting my pink/red montis. Everything else is fine -- all acros, soft corals, fish and even non-pink montis are fine. Only other symptom is patches of white on live rock; at this point, my guess is trace minerals (K & I)? which I started dosing yesterday.

It’s super strange to me b/c I’ve never seen bleaching exclusively hit one color & leave everything else untouched… It’s so drastic, in fact, that I’ve got one rock with 2 monti caps (1 red & 1 green); the red is 100% bleached and the green is as happy as it’s ever been. Corals affected:

• Pink Megatron monti [85%+ bleached]
• Bubblegum digi [~20% bleached; starting at base]
• Sunset monti [100% bleached]
• RR Tropic Thunder monti [~20% bleached]
• Red Monti Cap [100% bleached]
• Live Rock [30% white patches]

Here’s what I’ve done/am doing (although it’s only been 2 days):

1. Started dosing trace minerals (Red Sea A, B, C, D); 15mL up front + 10mL over 24 hrs
2. Skimmer off for last 24hrs (to not skim out trace minerals)
3. Metasorb arriving today; just in case some harmful metal was introduced somehow
4. Changed out Carbon
5. Will likely do a water change tonight

Again, thanks for any help / shared experiences. If it’s relevant, my tank & parameters are below. Cheers
-Mike


Parameters:
- ALK 9.74 [trident doses ~70mL/day]
- Ca 430 [~40mL/day]
- Mg 1316 [~15mL/day]
- Ammonia & Nitrite = 0
- Nitrate: 0 / small trace amt
- PH 8.23 [Apex Readings stable]
- Salinity Stable @ 1.27
- Temp: 78degrees [heater on @ 77.5; Chiller on at 78.5]

Tank:
- Red Sea Reefer 350; running for 2.5yrs
- No changes/additions in last ~8months
- Apex Trident controls dosing for: ALK, Mg, Ca & NoPoX
- Lights: 2x Radion XR30 G4 Pro [no change to settings in 2yrs]
- Skimmer: RSK 600
- Chiller, heaters, power heads all working fine
- Fuge: Chaeto, Kessil A360x Refugium Light & CO2 Scrubber
- Normal Filtration cups media (mix of Carbon & Chemipure blue, bio balls, mesh sock)

1. I assume you mean 1.027 on the SG?
2. I assume you mean 'heater off at 77.5', Chiller on at 78?
3. Your nitrate is a little low - for that high of an alkalinity to me.
4. What is your PO4?
5. Have you considered an ICP test?
6. Have you considered an empiric water change (do you do them)?
7. I would try to measure what you're adding before you add it (i.e. K/I etc (i.e. the other trace elements)

Hope some of this helped!

 

[NYCMikeM3]

1. I assume you mean 1.027 on the SG?
2. I assume you mean 'heater off at 77.5', Chiller on at 78?
3. Your nitrate is a little low - for that high of an alkalinity to me.
4. What is your PO4?
5. Have you considered an ICP test?
6. Have you considered an empiric water change (do you do them)?
7. I would try to measure what you're adding before you add it (i.e. K/I etc (i.e. the other trace elements)

Hope some of this helped!

Thanks for helping out.

1. Yes; 1.027 .
2. As for temp, my tank hovers between 77.5 -78.5 (the heater comes on when temp drops to 77.5 and turns off at 78.1. Conversely, Chiller comes on if tank heats to 78.5 and turns off at 78)
3. I don't think nitrates are my issue; I test w/the red-sea kit, but i've also cross referenced the color against ICP results. I double checked nitrates @ the first sign of bleaching; no sign of any fluctuation from my norm (and corals have been thriving until now -- and it's just the pink ones).
4. PO4 tested at .06 mg/l; Phosphorous at 17.98ug/l. Granted my last ICP test was before COVID, but these are pretty consistent #s for me, and i haven't changed any of my husbandry methods.
5. I have done several ICP tests, yes. Unfortunately not since the start of COVID. I'm sending off a sample on Monday, but clearly won't have results for a while.
6. Yes; I am planning to do a ~20gallon change tonight. That said, without going off topic, over the past year I've done 1 maybe 2 small water changes (and have gotten the best coral growth i've ever had). There is a method to 'my madness' here (i.e. it's not out of laziness haha). Again, i hestate to think this is the cause since it's literally (actually) only pink montiporas that are bleaching. there's not so much as a speck of white on any other coral in the tank
7. I don't test for trace minerals at home; i don't the they're very accurate in general and typically the key results lie within the testing error band or just at the LOD threshold (with the exception of Potassium maybe). I've relied on a pretty established baseline of ICP test results in lieu of. Again, don't have a current one. Am sticking to a very low dose supplement of the red sea a b c d, which i don't think is going to harm things.

I would suspect that if PO4, NO3, Temp or Salinity caused a shock bleaching event, that it wouldn't target only pink corals. That's what led me to conclude it's K/I (or some other combo of trace elements that might have been depleted). To your point though, I am upping my nitrates a bit (via dosing) and i've shut off the skimmer so i don't skim out what i'm dosing.

Also figured if it's truly K/I/trace mineral depletion that some other reefer might have experienced a similar phenomenon.

I suppose, if the K / I dosing brings the pink color back, it might be an interesting datapoint on element-deficient bleaching events? [i just hate for my poor little corals to be the aquatic guinea pigs]

 

[MnFish1]

Thanks for helping out.

1. Yes; 1.027 .
2. As for temp, my tank hovers between 77.5 -78.5 (the heater comes on when temp drops to 77.5 and turns off at 78.1. Conversely, Chiller comes on if tank heats to 78.5 and turns off at 78)
3. I don't think nitrates are my issue; I test w/the red-sea kit, but i've also cross referenced the color against ICP results. I double checked nitrates @ the first sign of bleaching; no sign of any fluctuation from my norm (and corals have been thriving until now -- and it's just the pink ones).
4. PO4 tested at .06 mg/l; Phosphorous at 17.98ug/l. Granted my last ICP test was before COVID, but these are pretty consistent #s for me, and i haven't changed any of my husbandry methods.
5. I have done several ICP tests, yes. Unfortunately not since the start of COVID. I'm sending off a sample on Monday, but clearly won't have results for a while.
6. Yes; I am planning to do a ~20gallon change tonight. That said, without going off topic, over the past year I've done 1 maybe 2 small water changes (and have gotten the best coral growth i've ever had). There is a method to 'my madness' here (i.e. it's not out of laziness haha). Again, i hestate to think this is the cause since it's literally (actually) only pink montiporas that are bleaching. there's not so much as a speck of white on any other coral in the tank
7. I don't test for trace minerals at home; i don't the they're very accurate in general and typically the key results lie within the testing error band or just at the LOD threshold (with the exception of Potassium maybe). I've relied on a pretty established baseline of ICP test results in lieu of. Again, don't have a current one. Am sticking to a very low dose supplement of the red sea a b c d, which i don't think is going to harm things.

I would suspect that if PO4, NO3, Temp or Salinity caused a shock bleaching event, that it wouldn't target only pink corals. That's what led me to conclude it's K/I (or some other combo of trace elements that might have been depleted). To your point though, I am upping my nitrates a bit (via dosing) and i've shut off the skimmer so i don't skim out what i'm dosing.

Also figured if it's truly K/I/trace mineral depletion that some other reefer might have experienced a similar phenomenon.

I suppose, if the K / I dosing brings the pink color back, it might be an interesting datapoint on element-deficient bleaching events? [i just hate for my poor little corals to be the aquatic guinea pigs]

Agree with everything - the reason for the questions - is I just went through a similar issue. believe it or not an alkalinity spike to 22. due to controller malfunction. Some coral actually did better (LPS) - the SPS, not so much - but still some of it is coming back. I used to dose amino acids, etc - I just stopped, saw no difference. Sometimes 'what we do' causes more questions - than if it wasn't done. One suggestion in general - is if you're having a problem don't change multiple things at once - instead - wait. FWIW - bias alert - I do not believe in a no -water change system. I think things that we can't measure (and an ICP test cant measure - organics for example break down to carbon, Oxygen, Hydrogen, etc) I have decided to waste (perhaps) my money on salt and RODI water. Not suggesting you do that. Lastly - corals have a great capacity to come back.

 

[NYCMikeM3]

I couldn't agree more w/everything you're saying. in particular whatever bit of "scientist" there is in me, I want to isolate variables and see what works. At the same time, i do suspect my trace minerals are low (i've been dosing those with a Kamoer doser, which is total crap ).

No tissue loss, so i am hopeful they can bounce back. I'm tempted to hold back a water sample from today for my ICP test, since whatever sample I take on Monday will likely be different. That's assuming, as you say, the issue isn't related to organics / other stuff that's not going to show up.

If anything does strike you to try/not try, i'd still love to know. And, if any of the pending test results indicate something interesting/of value, i'm happy to share.

Thanks again -- definitely one of the fun things about this hobby is consulting with people who've been through struggles & want to share what they've learned!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I would suggest feeding more to bring up nutrients.

Montipora are among the leading corals that get burnt tips from low nutrients and high alk.

 

[Mppp]

I would suggest feeding more to bring up nutrients.

Montipora are among the leading corals that get burnt tips from low nutrients and high alk.

I am having the same problem with my chili pepper Monti, but not my red Monti as the author of this post. I did recently increase the Alk way too high recently so it's nice to know this may be the cause (Nitrates just above 5, PO4 .13, CA 400-420, Alk normally about 8.5 but recently raised too fast to probably close to 10 a few weeks ago)