Brain coral not showing feeders anymore

[m0nkie]

Need help with my brain coral. Had it for about 4 months now. Always showed feeders. However, lately it looks more shrunk than before. Never looked "full". I don't see any feeders anymore either. Been almost a week with no feeders.

I don't spot feed corals. Use coral frenzy and reef chili weekly. broad feed whole tank

Ammonia: o
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 50
Alk: 10
Calc: 420
Mag: 1350
Sal: 1.026
Temp: 79

no fish picking on it. No new fish. few new SPS corals that I placed next to it for acclimation, been dipped in Bayers..

this is what it used to look like

looks like this now, even during day time. maybe a littttle better. (night shot with no lights)

Could 10dkh in Alk be the cause? I didn't check it for a month and it shot up. Usually around 9

Nitrate has been around 50 for a few months.. been trying to lower it with vinegar.

Could it be the Bayers? dipped and rinsed 6 SPS frags and put them all next to it. if it is, how come everything else around is fine. Goni, mushrooms, zoas, leather.. etc.

lastly what can I do? I'm thinking of moving it to another spot? but maybe moving it makes it more stressed? take it out and iodine dip it?

 

[kurt_n]

I'd just leave it alone. It looks perfectly healthy to me. Definitely puffier than it was before, but since you've only had it for 4 months, it's probably just finally getting used to its new environment and adjusting accordingly.

 

[Fishy 1]

I'd say let it be for a while and monitor it. 50 nitrate is very high IMO, I'd be doing lots of water changes to lower it and be cutting all coral feeding until nitrate is back to more acceptable levels. Also, how many fish in what size tank? Sorry to go off topic, just trying to help.

 

[MondoBongo]

50ppm on the nitrates?

this is roughly the level where i started seeing issues with corals. due to my own laziness and negligence, my nitrates went pretty high this summer. i lost some SPS and some LPS. i've changed to a more aggressive water change regimen, and a few weeks in and everything is starting to look healthy and happy again. calcification has noticeably returned.

my advice would be to get those ntirates down through a series of regular, and large, water changes.