Why does my Acantho do this???

[hexcolor reef]

My acantho hardly opens fully any more it just puffs up when lights turn on. About 4hrs it will be puffed up like a donut and then feeders will come out stretch wide and start to miss shape before closing up the rest of the day. I have my light cycle on 12hrs. Low blues in the morning then add purple /reds afternoon and white light at high of day.

Salinity: 1.025
ALK: 14 (been trying to get this down)
PH: 8.4
Cal: 500
Mag: 1500

Phosphate 2.5 (before water change, haven’t checked again)

Nitrates: 2

It’s placed under a rock scape being shaded from direct light, probably 50PAR or less

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

phosphate of 2.5 is super high, are you sure about that?
To me, being in the shade means zero par, it needs light to survive.

EDIT: Alk is also super high? What kind of test kit are you using, and what kind of salt?

 

[hexcolor reef]

phosphate of 2.5 is super high, are you sure about that?
To me, being in the shade means zero par, it needs light to survive.

I get an electronic water test done every week, phosphates jumped after feeding a lot of reefroids for 1 week. The week before that phosphates we’re 0.8

I had the Acantho in a more lighted area and it did the same so I felt it was getting to much light, it’s feeders hardly come out any more.