What would cause this

[ryshark]

My acros typically start to struggle from the front side of the frag. Here is an example of a bahama mama Mille, the pics are day-1 and then day-15. The front of the frag has lost most PE but the back of it looks good still looks great with lots of yellow polyp PE. It is about 7” from the front glass and started on the sand for the first week then moved up 6”. Directly above it (9”above the waterline) is probably the 1st most front bulb of my 8-bulb ATI T5 unit. I also have a ReefBrite XHO mounted in the front of the ATI unit pointed directly at the rockwork at a 45* angle. At first I thought too much light from the XHO hitting the front of the frag, but I doubt that’s the case. All my new acros start out towards the front of the tank and often start TN in the front side of the frag. I got an Acrolandia frag the same day and the front of the frag now has some algae growing on the tips, again on the front side of the frag, but the backside looks good still. My parameters are stable and I’ve tested ALK at least once per day, solid 8.2., PO4= .08 - .10 The PO4 is controlled by a small fraction of the recommended amount of GFO. I also use GAC passively in a bag at about 35% of the recommended amount.
My light schedule is if anything not long enough. Photoperiod is:
XHO - 10 hours
2 bulbs of T5s - 8 hours
8 bulbs of T5s - 5 hours

My question is, can anyone think of a reason that would cause the front side of my acros to often go downhill first? Maybe just coincidence from a small sample size.
The pic from day-1 is under XHO only the day 15-pics are under XHO + 2-bulbs of T5

 

[HuduVudu]

I think which side they go bad on first is a red herring.

How long have you had your tank set up?

 

[ryshark]

I think which side they go bad on first is a red herring.

How long have you had your tank set up?

15-months. I sooooo badly want to be able to grow acros the way I used to 10-years ago, it is driving me nuts. This latest tank started out with 50lbs of KP aquatics rock and 35lbs of marco rock. I also have purchased 2x from IPSF live sand, live mud, pods and reef plankton along with a ton of critters in order to increase biodiversity.
I know there is a ton of threads like this in the SPS forum, I think maybe because of live rock scarcity, but I added a lot of real ocean stuff to this tank.

 

[HuduVudu]

NO3 .08 - .10 The PO4 is controlled by a small fraction of the recommended amount of GFO. I also use GAC passively in a bag at about 35% of the recommended amount.

Your nitrate is REALLY low. Do you have a phosphate number? I really wouldn't run GFO or GAC. IMO they strip the tank of things that it needs. Remember your coral are really plants and they need nutrients to grow. If you stick a plant in just silca sand then no amount of water or light is going to allow it to survive. Never forget you are dealing with biological processes here.

My tank consumes nitrate ... I dose calcium nitrate occasionally to keep it around 25 ppm where it seems to be happiest. I also bug my wife to feed the LPS often to help add phosphates. My tank's nutrient load is very high and I don't have a ton of algae. The algae has to compete for space with everything else in the tank.

 

[joseserrano]

Your nitrate is fine would actually drop it if you are running high light and phosphates of .1 and under. It looks to be most likely flow or something eating it. Which your rock could have came with something you didn’t want, but couldn’t see. Try interceptor. It will kill off crabs if you spot one you can catch

 

[ryshark]

Your nitrate is REALLY low. Do you have a phosphate number? I really wouldn't run GFO or GAC. IMO they strip the tank of things that it needs. Remember your coral are really plants and they need nutrients to grow. If you stick a plant in just silca sand then no amount of water or light is going to allow it to survive. Never forget you are dealing with biological processes here.

My tank consumes nitrate ... I dose calcium nitrate occasionally to keep it around 25 ppm where it seems to be happiest. I also bug my wife to feed the LPS often to help add phosphates. My tank's nutrient load is very high and I don't have a ton of algae. The algae has to compete for space with everything else in the tank.

Sorry, that was a typo, I meant PO4, I fixed it. My phosphate is .08 to .11 and Nitrate is a color between 5-10.
I was thinking earlier today about taking the GFO offline now and stop using pellets.

 

[HuduVudu]

@ryshark could you post a recent FTS?

 

[ryshark]

Your nitrate is fine would actually drop it if you are running high light and phosphates of .1 and under. It looks to be most likely flow or something eating it. Which your rock could have came with something you didn’t want, but couldn’t see. Try interceptor. It will kill off crabs if you spot one you can catch

I fixed the typo, my PO4 is .08 to 0.10 and NO3 is 5-10.
I did have 6-pencils urchins from the KP rocks and I was able to remove 5 of them, I have 1-left to take out. I also have several emerald crabs and tons of supposedly reef safe hermit crabs.

 

[ryshark]

@ryshark could you post a recent FTS?

I'll have to take one, but my rocks are all purpleish with plenty of coraline.

 

[HuduVudu]

I fixed the typo, my PO4 is .08 to 0.10 and NO3 is 5-10.
I did have 6-pencils urchins from the KP rocks and I was able to remove 5 of them, I have 1-left to take out. I also have several emerald crabs and tons of supposedly reef safe hermit crabs.

LOL pencil urchins ... ouch!!! I learned about these the hard way. I had one and he was ensuring the coralline and the feather dusters never got a foot hold, but as he got bigger he got hungrier and decide to shave my milli in half. Yup back to the store he went.

 

[ryshark]

LOL pencil urchins ... ouch!!! I learned about these the hard way. I had one and he was ensuring the coralline and the feather dusters never got a foot hold, but as he got bigger he got hungrier and decide to shave my milli in half. Yup back to the store he went.

yep, I find the white spots with coraline missing, I used to find a whole lot more when I had 6. I wanted them all out, I just couldn't get that last guy to let go on the day I was giving them away to the LFSs. It could very well be the sole pencil urchin aggravating the corals.

 

[ryshark]

Your nitrate is fine would actually drop it if you are running high light and phosphates of .1 and under. It looks to be most likely flow or something eating it. Which your rock could have came with something you didn’t want, but couldn’t see. Try interceptor. It will kill off crabs if you spot one you can catch

I missed the flow part of your comment. For flow I have 2x MP40wQD on the back wall at 75% Reef Crest antisync and 1x Gyre 250 running the length of the tank on OGC mode +60% and -80%, no corals in direct line of any powerheads.
It is a standard 120gallon 48"x24"x24".

 

[HuduVudu]

yep, I find the white spots with coraline missing, I used to find a whole lot more when I had 6. I wanted them all out, I just couldn't get that last guy to let go on the day I was giving them away to the LFSs. It could very well be the sole pencil urchin aggravating the corals.

It might explain the weird loss that you are seeing.

 

[ryshark]

It might explain the weird loss that you are seeing.

I don't think so, but definitely something to rule out. That last pencil urchin needs to go.

 

[jwshiver]

Looks like it is getting too much direct flow. I woild move it and see if that area recovers.

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

Sorry, that was a typo, I meant PO4, I fixed it. My phosphate is .08 to .11 and Nitrate is a color between 5-10.
I was thinking earlier today about taking the GFO offline now and stop using pellets.

You’re using bio pellets and gfo?

 

[X-37B]

I have 2 tuxedo urchins. They are coralline lawnmowers and keep it in check.
I had a small black long spined urchin and had to remove it as it started to eat corals. It was fine for a month or 2 then I noticed similar results to various corals so out it came.

 

[ryshark]

Looks like it is getting too much direct flow. I woild move it and see if that area recovers.

I don’t think it’s getting any direct flow, but I will try turning down my gyre.

 

[ryshark]

You’re using bio pellets and gfo?

No, I should have been more specific. I meant stop pellet food to reduce phosphate and feed more fresh/frozen instead. I’m only using 4-tbsp in a reactor of gfo. And it is not the high capacity, just the regular.

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

No, I should have been more specific. I meant stop pellet food to reduce phosphate and feed more fresh/frozen instead. I’m only using 4-tbsp in a reactor of gfo. And it is not the high capacity, just the regular.

Ok. How much food do you feed per day?