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Hi all,
Wondering if anyone has insight into this one. I seem to have a specific problem keeping Montis alive. Its not general water chemistry; a wide range of other corals including Acros are doing well. Its Montis, always Montis. In all my tanks.
The symptom is always the same. First the tissue between polyps loses color and dies. I'm left with colorful polyps protruding from a bare grey/brown skeleton. They cling to life for a few weeks or months in this condition and eventually die.
I maintain approximately NSW levels, and they are stable within the ranges listed, with little fluctuation.
Salinity 35 ppt (conductivity meter religiously calibrated with a standard prepared with an analytical grade balance)
Alkalinity 6.9-7.5 dkh
Ca 420-450
Mg 1290-1350
NO3 2 ppm
PO4 0 (Seachem - not enough to tell exact number but enough to say its <0.1)
My tanks are lit with black box LEDs, with mostly blue (~75% of PAR from blue, ~25% from white channel). I've tried light levels ranging from 80-200 PAR. My usual schedule is 1 hr at 150 PAR, 6 hours at 200, 1 hour at 150.
I've tried them in a range of flow, from very high Acro type flow to low zoa type flow... my explorations of flow and light conditions have not found any conditions that work.
ICP analysis didnt reveal any surprises in my water....
I've chased theories for a while now (Mg was a favorite for the last couple months) without any success. Monti growers, whats the secret? What conditions do you consider to be most important for success with Montis?
Thanks for any insights.
Wondering if anyone has insight into this one. I seem to have a specific problem keeping Montis alive. Its not general water chemistry; a wide range of other corals including Acros are doing well. Its Montis, always Montis. In all my tanks.
The symptom is always the same. First the tissue between polyps loses color and dies. I'm left with colorful polyps protruding from a bare grey/brown skeleton. They cling to life for a few weeks or months in this condition and eventually die.
I maintain approximately NSW levels, and they are stable within the ranges listed, with little fluctuation.
Salinity 35 ppt (conductivity meter religiously calibrated with a standard prepared with an analytical grade balance)
Alkalinity 6.9-7.5 dkh
Ca 420-450
Mg 1290-1350
NO3 2 ppm
PO4 0 (Seachem - not enough to tell exact number but enough to say its <0.1)
My tanks are lit with black box LEDs, with mostly blue (~75% of PAR from blue, ~25% from white channel). I've tried light levels ranging from 80-200 PAR. My usual schedule is 1 hr at 150 PAR, 6 hours at 200, 1 hour at 150.
I've tried them in a range of flow, from very high Acro type flow to low zoa type flow... my explorations of flow and light conditions have not found any conditions that work.
ICP analysis didnt reveal any surprises in my water....
I've chased theories for a while now (Mg was a favorite for the last couple months) without any success. Monti growers, whats the secret? What conditions do you consider to be most important for success with Montis?
Thanks for any insights.
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