What’s happening to my green Monti

rpkneumann · Dec 5, 2020

I noticed a change on my green Monti in the last 4 days. It when from nice bright neon green with clear white bottom to the following state.
What could cause this?
My water parameters have not changed in weeks.

Mastiffsrule · Dec 6, 2020

Evening,

Sorry about the trouble. I know you said nothing has changed, but could you post your numbers anyway. Also any new corals or changes in light or flow recently? Changes in dosing or feeding?

Sometimes small changes may be unnoticed

Flux Capacitor · Dec 6, 2020

Have you looked at it at night with a flashlight? Could be monti eating nudis. This is what my monti looked like a few years back, and that’s what it was. They look like little white mop heads.

rpkneumann · Dec 6, 2020

Will try todo the night observation...

As far as values and changes.
I do not have a complete picture since the tank is only 5 months old.
It’s a bioCube 32 gallon.

Ammonia 0
Nitrits 0.05
Nitrite 20
Sal. 35
Alk 8.9
Ph 8
Temp 79.8 to 81
Water change every week 10 gallons.
Phosphates, measured the first time 2 weeks ago, very high 0.8. I started treating with drops phosphate Rx from blue life 5 days ago. After 4 days now it’s down to 0.1

Monti started change before phosphate treatment.

Also started using sachem marine buffer because I have problems keeping ph up. Drops from 8.4 to 7.8 in one week
Drives Alk up a little bit but it drops within 2 days again.

I first noticed the bright green going away.
Then brown spots and the underside completely brown. The rim still bright white.
It used to turn yellow under blue lights. Not doing this anymore.
Is it already a goner?
It had a big growth spurt in the last 4 weeks. Probably grew about 50%.
Besides a disappearing anemone and cleaner shrimp the only new thing is a pink and green tube anemone about 5 inches away from it.

Flux Capacitor · Dec 6, 2020

It looks like bite marks on the bottom to me.

With that said the tank is pretty new for sps corals. Sometimes it can be pulled off, but the tank needs time to mature before it is ready for those types of corals.

Also, I wouldn’t use the buffer anymore as you said it’s causing alk fluctuations and that can lead to sps corals dying. Stability is the name of the game. Try pointing one of your power heads towards the top of the water to get some surface agitation. This could help bring your ph up a little.

rpkneumann · Dec 6, 2020

Flux Capacitor said:
It looks like bite marks on the bottom to me.

With that said the tank is pretty new for sps corals. Sometimes it can be pulled off, but the tank needs time to mature before it is ready for those types of corals.

Also, I wouldn’t use the buffer anymore as you said it’s causing alk fluctuations and that can lead to sps corals dying. Stability is the name of the game. Try pointing one of your power heads towards the top of the water to get some surface agitation. This could help bring your ph up a little.

I was aware of the risk with the new tank. It came with a shipment by mistake when I baucht my cuc team and a couple of soft corals.
Would aerating with airstone in one of the chambers help the ph?
My surface is well agitated.

Flux Capacitor · Dec 6, 2020

rpkneumann said:
I was aware of the risk with the new tank. It came with a shipment by mistake when I baucht my cuc team and a couple of soft corals.
Would aerating with airstone in one of the chambers help the ph?
My surface is well agitated.

Try opening a window to allow fresh air in the house. Having excess co2 in the house can keep it lower. I wouldn’t be too worried about the ph as long as it’s in the 7.8 to 8.4 range. How do you test ph?