What's Your Guess With This Monti Issue?

Tiki Reef Joshua · Jan 18, 2022

All,
I have a monti cap that is new to my well established tank. It has been in the tank for a few weeks now, maybe a month. It is slowly turning a brown/green, even very dark almost black in one patch. There is, however, beautiful pink growth on the edges that looks great. What would cause this issue except for new growth areas. When I inherited the cap it was not in the best shape, but it wasn't quite this rough. Light too low? I have converted to mostly LPS after an STN and Dino issue a good while back and everything else in the tank is doing great. All is currently 8.4. PO4 is undetectable and the highest I can seem to get it with feeding well is .010ppm. The tank seems healthy. My nitrates are climbing some... probably 10-20 right now because I don't want to do a water change and bottom out what little PO4 is in there. So what gives? Why new growth but the center won't color up? Some parts that were bleached (former owner said it was partially buried at the bottom of his tank) are like a fuzzy green. Any ideas? See picture below. Thanks!

vetteguy53081 · Jan 18, 2022

Tiki Reef Joshua said:
All,
I have a monti cap that is new to my well established tank. It has been in the tank for a few weeks now, maybe a month. It is slowly turning a brown/green, even very dark almost black in one patch. There is, however, beautiful pink growth on the edges that looks great. What would cause this issue except for new growth areas. When I inherited the cap it was not in the best shape, but it wasn't quite this rough. Light too low? I have converted to mostly LPS after an STN and Dino issue a good while back and everything else in the tank is doing great. All is currently 8.4. PO4 is undetectable and the highest I can seem to get it with feeding well is .010ppm. The tank seems healthy. My nitrates are climbing some... probably 10-20 right now because I don't want to do a water change and bottom out what little PO4 is in there. So what gives? Why new growth but the center won't color up? Some parts that were bleached (former owner said it was partially buried at the bottom of his tank) are like a fuzzy green. Any ideas? See picture below. Thanks!

Looks like a Superman and yes losing color
Likelihood is:
-Inadequate flow (moderate to medium
- white intensity too high
- high alk snd/or mag
- temperature too warm
- calcium low
- high phosphate

salinity- 1.025
Temperature 76-79
Ph 8.1-8.3
Alk 8-11
Mag 1300
Ca 400-440
Phos <.04
Nitrate <.15

Tiki Reef Joshua · Jan 18, 2022

vetteguy53081 said:
Looks like a Superman and yes losing color
Likelihood is:
-Inadequate flow (moderate to medium
- white intensity too high
- high alk snd/or mag
- temperature too warm
- calcium low
- high phosphate

salinity- 1.025
Temperature 76-79
Ph 8.1-8.3
Alk 8-11
Mag 1300
Ca 400-440
Phos <.04
Nitrate <.15

Well... I appreciate the response, but it is in moderate flow, my whites aren't high at all, alk isn't high, tank is at 78 and change, calcium is 440 ish and stable, P04 isn't high........... Again, thanks, but I'm stumped....

vetteguy53081 · Jan 18, 2022

Tiki Reef Joshua said:
Well... I appreciate the response, but it is in moderate flow, my whites aren't high at all, alk isn't high, tank is at 78 and change, calcium is 440 ish and stable, P04 isn't high........... Again, thanks, but I'm stumped....

What test kits are you using?
You want medium not moderate flow and par of at least 240
Also, are you using RODI water or tap water from the faucet?

happyhourhero · Jan 18, 2022

What are your levels of potassium?

Tiki Reef Joshua · Jan 18, 2022

I use salifert for No3, Hanna checker for DKH, Hanna PPB for Po4. Par I need to check but I’m on a waiting list to get one from my club. No idea on potassium. If it was par or flow why would I be getting new nice growth edges? Then it’s black in some areas. Crazy.
I can’t get my Po4 off 0 lately. Super frustrating.

Tiki Reef Joshua · Jan 18, 2022

Always RODI… of course. Everything else is doing amazingly and growing. LPS seems real happy.

happyhourhero · Jan 18, 2022

Tiki Reef Joshua said:
I use salifert for No3, Hanna checker for DKH, Hanna PPB for Po4. Par I need to check but I’m on a waiting list to get one from my club. No idea on potassium. If it was par or flow why would I be getting new nice growth edges? Then it’s black in some areas. Crazy.
I can’t get my Po4 off 0 lately. Super frustrating.

If your phosphate is at zero, that’s likely your answer there.

Tiki Reef Joshua · Jan 18, 2022

I just can't get it off 0 but every so often, and then barely. I feed LRS Reef Frenzy at night heavily, sea weed, and a pinch of flakes during the day. I have a respectable fish load, and the skimmer drains straight from cup into the sump (plug removed). Nitrates go up just fine. It's this Po4! I don't run any carbon or anything... No GFO... I just use socks and floss for water clarity. No algae issues either soaking up the Po4. Well established tank. Any recommendations on getting this Po4 up?! Thanks!

happyhourhero · Jan 18, 2022

Tiki Reef Joshua said:
I just can't get it off 0 but every so often, and then barely. I feed LRS Reef Frenzy at night heavily, sea weed, and a pinch of flakes during the day. I have a respectable fish load, and the skimmer drains straight from cup into the sump (plug removed). Nitrates go up just fine. It's this Po4! I don't run any carbon or anything... No GFO... I just use socks and floss for water clarity. No algae issues either soaking up the Po4. Well established tank. Any recommendations on getting this Po4 up?! Thanks!

Dose NeoPhos. If you have a newer tank and you used mined dry rock like Marco, it absorbs a ton of phosphate. In my 25g I had to dose almost a liter over a couple months before the rocks got saturated and I stopped needing to dose.

Tiki Reef Joshua · Jan 18, 2022

Tank is mature.. Even then dry rock was not used. I do have a few marine pure spheres in there, but not many at all for the tank size... maybe a half dozen or so in the sump. I will dose something I suppose. Thanks for the input. I have heard mixed reviews on the NeoPhos, but there doesn't seem to be a ton of options... Can it be dosed into ATO reservoir?

moz71 · Jan 18, 2022

So I recently had my monti do the same thing turned very dark losing that bright red. Mostly in middle areas but edges were bright and growing still. The only thing changed was my nitrates sharply rose from 2ppm to 20 ppm. I got them down to 15 currently and color is returning. Never died. I think the nitrates caused a rapid build of zoo in coral causing it to basically brown. Of course this is my guess.

Tiki Reef Joshua · Jan 18, 2022

moz71 said:
So I recently had my monti do the same thing turned very dark losing that bright red. Mostly in middle areas but edges were bright and growing still. The only thing changed was my nitrates sharply rose from 2ppm to 20 ppm. I got them down to 15 currently and color is returning. Never died. I think the nitrates caused a rapid build of zoo in coral causing it to basically brown. Of course this is my guess.

What was your Po4?