Trying SPS, bleached white overnight / 2 days

[29bonsaireef]

Definitely possible, but will be much more difficult keeping acropora healthy in a young tank, even harder in a nano.

Watch your levels closely adding Kalk through ato in a small tank. If you can, buying a doser will make keeping SPS in a nano much easier. That way you can add the kalk in small increments throughout the day, and it will be much more effective.

 

[Reef of Fillory]

First don't freak out and start changing a lot of things together. SPS are sensitive and they love balance so just dont change a lot of things altogether. First lower down the Alk a bit or increase your nutrients. Lower down the light intensity to 50%. Then wait. Once the system stabilize with new parameters then you can play a bit. High Alk with high light intensity can create alot of damage to SPS. Generally if your nutrients are up the damage is less.

My softies, LPS, zoas and chalices have responded really well to the lighting so far, would I not irritate them by halving my lighting? I am feeling like the two SPS I have are already too far gone, too quickly? I also have been wary of too low lighting due to the BTA I have in the tank. She has stayed put since footing in throughout the light changeover and acclimation period [went from stock to AI Prime on ~ 3 week acclimation to max

 

[Skynyrd Fish]

I think your PO4 and NO3 is great. I would consider letting alk fall to 8.0 or a bit lower. Plenty of reading here on other threads. Or as alk falls, and you notice the SPS rocking keep it to that level what ever it may be.

 

[Anirban]

My softies, LPS, zoas and chalices have responded really well to the lighting so far, would I not irritate them by halving my lighting? I am feeling like the two SPS I have are already too far gone, too quickly? I also have been wary of too low lighting due to the BTA I have in the tank. She has stayed put since footing in throughout the light changeover and acclimation period [went from stock to AI Prime on ~ 3 week acclimation to max

No, actually leds are quite powerful. We always underestimate how concentrated those can be as a light source. Your softie will be good. I am not saying to keep it like that forever you can increase them slowly. Your acros are on the upper part of the tank so they are possibly getting blasted. Also, with such a high alk I would increase the NO3 a bit more high in 5-10 range or else possibly I will bring the Alk down with lowering the light intensity.

 

[reefwiser]

Bad coral location. With this small a tank it is hard in the first place to get SPS corals in spots they will like. Here you have placed it high so it gets too much Par when introduced and it looks lie it is right in front of the output from your AIO pump another not a good thing for a new coral. A 13 gallon tank is super tough to keep the chemistry stable so many things can throw it off so easily.

 

[Reef of Fillory]

Bad coral location. With this small a tank it is hard in the first place to get SPS corals in spots they will like. Here you have placed it high so it gets too much Par when introduced and it looks lie it is right in front of the output from your AIO pump another not a good thing for a new coral. A 13 gallon tank is super tough to keep the chemistry stable so many things can throw it off so easily.

There is a powerhead down on the bottom of the back wall pointing at the glass, and the output for the return pump is a hydor random flow generator. The SPS wouldn't have consistent direct flow from either flow source.

 

[jasonwible]

Good morning,

Noticed yesterday that there seemed to be more white on my new SPS than there was when I got it [growth tips I was assuming].

Today, half of the stick is white and completely dead. One of my other SPS which never took well to my tank [was a rich green color, turned dark green and now is 80% white and bare].

I am at work now, but realized I probably should have removed both of them.

Levels:
ALK: 195 ppm
CAL: 370 ppm
Phosphate: .02 ppm
Mag: 1450 ppm
Nitrate: 5 ppm

I just adjusted down my refugium light to help bring nutrient levels up [phosphate]

Tank is a 13.5 gallon EVO with two misbar percula clownfish, a BTA and some softies/chalices, acans, zoas etc.


I will post pictures shortly - I still saw poly extension on the white portions of the top SPS yesterday, my lights don't turn on before I leave for the day but there was not as much white yesterday.


Any help/insight would be greatly appreciated!

This was right after getting the coral [1 day later] - you can see the color of the tall skinny one, and on the right side of the picture you can see the small, stubby one in the rocks -not very clearly though]

Here's with the whites on, you can see both corals in question

Here's another similar to the first one, but with whites on

Here's a picture of the coral this morning with no lights on. two sprouts on the base are completely white, and the tips are turning white towards the main stalk

My buddy found out that he was havi g an electical leak

 

[Monterey Bay Coral]

Alk swing would be my guess.

 

[madweazl]

Your nitrate and phosphate levels are fine. Your alkalinity is a little tougher; IO usually mixes up around 10.8 so if you want to keep it lower, you'll have to drop the alkalinity with something like muriatic acid or you'll have a bit of a swing each time you do a water change. If you're changing 10-15%, this swing will generally be fairly small at .3-.5 dKh though (typically not associated with RTN).

I wouldnt change your lighting if the other corals are doing well but moving the acropora is likely worth trying (to an area of less lighting). High (but indirect flow) is just fine, you cant create enough flow in there to hurt the coral unless it is sitting directly in front of it).

 

[Reef of Fillory]

Your nitrate and phosphate levels are fine. Your alkalinity is a little tougher; IO usually mixes up around 10.8 so if you want to keep it lower, you'll have to drop the alkalinity with something like muriatic acid or you'll have a bit of a swing each time you do a water change. If you're changing 10-15%, this swing will generally be fairly small at .3-.5 dKh though (typically not associated with RTN).

I wouldnt change your lighting if the other corals are doing well but moving the acropora is likely worth trying (to an area of less lighting). High (but indirect flow) is just fine, you cant create enough flow in there to hurt the coral unless it is sitting directly in front of it).

I'm not opposed to using a different salt mix such as Tropic Marin Pro for water changes since i'll be using kalk [or dosing 2 part if I find a used RKL or Apex JR + BRS dosing pumps] to maintain parameters

The wife is real happy I am thinking about buying gear for dosing =)

From Austin Reef Club: dapettit

 

[madweazl]

You can switch salts or use something to bring the alkalinity down. I use IO and add 3ml of muriatic acid to five gallons of fresh mixed salt to bring the alkalinity down to about 7.5 dKh. Easy to do and dirt cheap but if you want to minimize risk of handling acid, a different salt is certainly a good option as well.

 

[reefwiser]

There is a powerhead down on the bottom of the back wall pointing at the glass, and the output for the return pump is a hydor random flow generator. The SPS wouldn't have consistent direct flow from either flow source.

Problem is water flow change is a killer for SPS. One of the most common causes of lost.

 

[TexasTodd]

Am I reading correctly that this is a 13.5 gallon tank? I would not have kalkwasser with and ato on a tank this size. Switch to two part and RO/DI for top off. Tank looks too new from pics also. Lastly, my guess is your light is set way too high for this tank. Remember, in most tanks, there aren't corals in the top 12" or so of water. Could be alk or light plus new.

 

[29bonsaireef]

Problem is water flow change is a killer for SPS. One of the most common causes of lost.

I'm confused what you mean by this? Unless, you're talking about throwing SPS in a tank with little to no flow, or transferring large colonies.. I don't think flow would be an issue at all. There's always going to be a change in flow from one tank to the next. Somedays I run my MPs at 10% other days I will run them at 100% never seen it effect my corals.

 

[reefwiser]

One has to be very careful with flow when introducing new SPS into a tank. Just like one watches the Par reading where one places a new coral into a tank. It’s something I have learned in keeping SPS now since 1990. I keep new corals in a med flow level of the tank with not chance of direct flow on them the first few weeks. I am always amazed how touchy corals can be to flow. Mostly a negative effect will show with in the first two weeks in a new tank. Always learning new info on SPS such a complicated corals species. [emoji3]

 

[madweazl]

Problem is water flow change is a killer for SPS. One of the most common causes of lost.

Can you elaborate on this? I've switched between a number of different pumps and flow characteristics and never had a fatality. I'd think the change would have to be pretty extreme to result in this type of reaction from the coral.

 

[DesertReefT4r]

I would say high alk, alk swings, new tank and maybe too much light. Personally I would not be using LED unless I had a PAR meter so I could tune the lighting and properly place corals. LED will have areas right under the chips with very high PAR 350-500 and then 5 inches or so out drop off to under 150 PAR.

 

[jasonwible]

I started sps without a par reader the trick is that if u have a acclimation mode use it and i also started by putting sps at the bottom of my tank and if it started to brown i would up the power

 

[Reef of Fillory]

The smaller piece was completely white so I threw it out, the other one still has polyp out even on the white portions

 

[vetteguy53081]

Easy on the Kalk and also lighting at intro. I had the same luck and a couple months ago lowered my flow, and kept the SPS at mid under blues and Low white, and have beautiful growing pieces.