markalot
...
Howdy,
I recently had a slow but steady rise in my Alk from 8.5 all the way to 10.5 over a week before I corrected the issue and let it drift back down to 8. At some point all my acros browned out and some experienced both tip recession and base recession.
Most of the acros stayed fairly healthy with good polyp extension at night and a couple even maintained some color. My slimer not only kept it's color but continued to grow at a rapid clip. Most of my millis lost color but continued to have good polyp extention day and night and continue to grow rapidly.
One of my favorite acros browned significantly and no longer has any polyp extension at night. There hasn't been any tissue loss but for a couple of days it looked really bad.
If this was just a KH rise I could blame KH, but unfortunately nothing ever that simple happens to my tanks. My PO4 which had been undetectable suddenly tested at 1.5 and Nitrates 15. Yikes. Of course this raises the question, did my Alk spike because PO4 was rising and growth was slowing, or did PO4 rise only after KH rise?
So I have multiple questions for those experienced with acros and nursing them back to health. Here's my favorite coral over a period of 3 weeks.
This is the best I've ever has an acro look in any of my tanks. I figured it would not last.
Same coral right after the browning episode. See how rough it looks?
Same coral today. It looks smoother, is it healthier? Still no polyp extension day or night.
PO4 down to near undetectable using the high rez Salifert PO4 test. Nitrates still high, around 15.
Is it true that high phosphates might effect different acros in different ways and perhaps some are not tolerant of it at all? Should I be worried about lack of polyp extension?
This acro is nearby and while it's lost some color it still has good polyp extension at night.
Before
After
I have checked for pests using a macro lens and full sized images and can't find anything else wrong with any acro in the tank. No red bugs, no AEFW bite marks.
Last readings taken:
KH 8.0 (stable for over week now)
Calcium 450
Mg 1500 (was dosing to much)
Salinity 35
PO4 ~ .05
Nitrate 15
Temp 79 - 80F
150 gallon long, rocks moved from an older 40 breeder and 46 bowfront with new sand. This tank is going on 6 months old.
I'm using Kalk in a timed topoff at a rate of 2 tsp / gallon plus ramping up vinegar dosing in the Kalk, currently at 25ml/gallon topoff.
Thanks for any insights!
I recently had a slow but steady rise in my Alk from 8.5 all the way to 10.5 over a week before I corrected the issue and let it drift back down to 8. At some point all my acros browned out and some experienced both tip recession and base recession.
Most of the acros stayed fairly healthy with good polyp extension at night and a couple even maintained some color. My slimer not only kept it's color but continued to grow at a rapid clip. Most of my millis lost color but continued to have good polyp extention day and night and continue to grow rapidly.
One of my favorite acros browned significantly and no longer has any polyp extension at night. There hasn't been any tissue loss but for a couple of days it looked really bad.
If this was just a KH rise I could blame KH, but unfortunately nothing ever that simple happens to my tanks. My PO4 which had been undetectable suddenly tested at 1.5 and Nitrates 15. Yikes. Of course this raises the question, did my Alk spike because PO4 was rising and growth was slowing, or did PO4 rise only after KH rise?
So I have multiple questions for those experienced with acros and nursing them back to health. Here's my favorite coral over a period of 3 weeks.
This is the best I've ever has an acro look in any of my tanks. I figured it would not last.
Same coral right after the browning episode. See how rough it looks?
Same coral today. It looks smoother, is it healthier? Still no polyp extension day or night.
PO4 down to near undetectable using the high rez Salifert PO4 test. Nitrates still high, around 15.
Is it true that high phosphates might effect different acros in different ways and perhaps some are not tolerant of it at all? Should I be worried about lack of polyp extension?
This acro is nearby and while it's lost some color it still has good polyp extension at night.
Before
After
I have checked for pests using a macro lens and full sized images and can't find anything else wrong with any acro in the tank. No red bugs, no AEFW bite marks.
Last readings taken:
KH 8.0 (stable for over week now)
Calcium 450
Mg 1500 (was dosing to much)
Salinity 35
PO4 ~ .05
Nitrate 15
Temp 79 - 80F
150 gallon long, rocks moved from an older 40 breeder and 46 bowfront with new sand. This tank is going on 6 months old.
I'm using Kalk in a timed topoff at a rate of 2 tsp / gallon plus ramping up vinegar dosing in the Kalk, currently at 25ml/gallon topoff.
Thanks for any insights!
