So I bought a maricultured acro colony about 5-6 weeks ago. For the first 3 weeks it was doing really well. Good polyp extension, kept its color, looked healthy overall. During the 4th week I had a mild alk swing at some point from about 9 to 10dkh. Everything looked ok but a single tip started to go white. I figured it was just a burnt tip but over the last two weeks it has spread to 8-10 tips and the original tip had STN about 1/2 inch. There's about 20 tips on the colony so about half the tips are now burnt. I had to go away for a day and left Friday night. I just got back today (Sunday). Measured my alk before and after I left and it only fluctuated 0.2 dkh but several of the tips RTN'd another half inch if not more. I can't figure out why and wanted to know if anyone had any suggestions on what to do
Onto the tank, it is a 75 gallon 100% sps tank. It is about 10 months old, lighted by two radion XR-15/reefbrite combo, and an mp40 set to 80% blue pulse mode. Every other piece of sps shows no sign of burnt tips or STN, even two other maricultured frags that are encrusting and coloring up well (I've had them for 3 months) I dose brs liquid alkalinity and calcium on my dosers and magnesium when needed. The tank also gets brightwell coral kolor, amino, and restor twice a week. I do regular 10 gallon water changes every week, sometimes two weeks apart. I do not run carbon or gfo.
I have tried slowly lowering the alk closer to natural sea water to see if that helped. After the alk swing from 9-10 it went back to 9 almost immediately. When I saw more burnt tips after a week I began slowly lowering alk to 8. It's at 8.2, now, a week ago it was at 8.9. I am now going to cut off a few of the tips as I feel I have no choice since it began to RTN. if anyone has had this happen to them before and was able to save the colony please let me know. If not I guess the only thing i can do is keep my alk stable at 8 and hope it recovers
Onto the tank, it is a 75 gallon 100% sps tank. It is about 10 months old, lighted by two radion XR-15/reefbrite combo, and an mp40 set to 80% blue pulse mode. Every other piece of sps shows no sign of burnt tips or STN, even two other maricultured frags that are encrusting and coloring up well (I've had them for 3 months) I dose brs liquid alkalinity and calcium on my dosers and magnesium when needed. The tank also gets brightwell coral kolor, amino, and restor twice a week. I do regular 10 gallon water changes every week, sometimes two weeks apart. I do not run carbon or gfo.
I have tried slowly lowering the alk closer to natural sea water to see if that helped. After the alk swing from 9-10 it went back to 9 almost immediately. When I saw more burnt tips after a week I began slowly lowering alk to 8. It's at 8.2, now, a week ago it was at 8.9. I am now going to cut off a few of the tips as I feel I have no choice since it began to RTN. if anyone has had this happen to them before and was able to save the colony please let me know. If not I guess the only thing i can do is keep my alk stable at 8 and hope it recovers
