Browning

[allsps40]

What could be causing my sps to brown up, lose greens, blues and purples?
Ph 8.0-8.2
Ca 425-450
Sg 1.024
Nirate less that 5ppm
Phos always 0 tested at reef store on electric test kit dont know hat it is called.
I have had good periods great color in the past but always get brown outs. When I buy a nice colorful sps i lose all color to browning in a week or so. For example I got a Scripes milli it had nice purple tips and brown base. Now its all brown, growing great even fragged while cleaning a few times. But I never got that purple back. I dose Kent nano A and B, Kalk and Fuel aminos. Any ideas my I lose color. When I sell frags to the reef store I come back a few weeks later and my frags that I sold them have great colors. I just dont get it. Lighting is 2 150 watt 20ks over a 40 gallon.

 

[Felixc395]

Well lighting isn't the problem. I suggest you check your nitrates with an accurate test kit. Nitrate less than 5 isn't too specific. On a standard reagant test kit it should be 0 but in all reality it isn't. Nitrate cause browning so make sure your nitrate is as close to 0 as possible.

Other parameters would help to like alkalinity, pH, and any temp swings would be helpful.

 

[allsps40]

Ph is always 8.0-8.2. Tank nitrates test same as new clean water for water changes made with RO and Reef Crystals. My fuge takes up all most all extra nutrients that water changes dont. Chateo grows really fast. I dont over feed, in fact I under feed a bit, 3 times a week. I have 3 fish, 2 clowns and a yellow tang. I dont have a algae problem really. Alk is always around 8. Temp stays at 78-80.

 

[allsps40]

Ph 8.0-8.2 alk 8 temp 78-80. Nitrates test the same as new clean salt water made with ro and RC, test says 0 but I always say less than 5 ppm. I have have my water tested at the local reef store a few times and it always is near perfect and always fairly stable. I dont have any major swings in quality or chemistry. Their tests always say 0 nitrates 0 phos ca 425-450 mag 1300ish alk 7-9, this is on average. Like I said stable for the most part imo.

 

[Toadally]

Get rid of the 150's and boost your lighting. I'm having the same issue with my 57 gallon tank. I'm ditching the 150's and going with an ATI Power Module.

 

[Thairun]

Get rid of the 150's and boost your lighting. I'm having the same issue with my 57 gallon tank. I'm ditching the 150's and going with an ATI Power Module.

+1........
Had kind of the same parameter you having, but lately sps is browning. Discovered my log card that my MH bulb overdue about 11mnths now. Using 12kK reeflux 250W. Time to change my bulb:hammer:

 

[allsps40]

I have been using the 2 150s for over 4 years now on 3 different tanks and have had great growth and color up until about 6 months ago. Except for the user error caused stuff. And a single 250 will not cover my tank very well, the ends of the tank are to dark. I dont think its the lighting, 300 watts total is more than enough for my setup. I think color issues are from my old bulbs and switching bulb types 3 times, corals may not have liked that too much. What is every one doing to boost colors. Like I said I dose 2 part, kalk and Fuel aminos.

 

[adambirk]

unless you have an ulns i would not be dosing aminos. all you are doing is adding more nutrients. high phosphate is usually first to mind when brownig is an issue. you say your cheato is growing like crazy. that would mean that you may have more nutrients in your system that you think it is just not showing up cause your algea is taking it up.

usually it is one of 3 nutrients, lighting, and alk swings. if your bulbs are old then i would try new bulbs and go from there.

 

[allsps40]

Got my water tested at the local reef shop. Nitrates 0ppm, phos 0ppm, ph 8.0, alk 7 was a little low, ca 425, mag didnt tell my but said it was good. My chaeto grows fast because I run a 6700k pc on it 24/7. I also have halamida in my fuge it grows well to and is good ca indicator.
And was is a ulns. When I started using the Fuel aminos I saw a great change in colors. Blues got more blue and greens brighter. Pic does not show the colors that well but the tips are a nice light neon blue and the base is a peach color. Second pics is the same coral as of now. Second pics is the same coral as of now, just taken.

 

[Mr.leee]

that coral is in bad shape. if you have to go to the LFS to get your water check...your not ready for SPS.

 

[drcarr]

i think he was just rechecking his own tests against someone elses to see if his tests were accurate.
keep us posted...

 

[wickedfish]

Tagging along would also like to know what causes brown outs i also have that problem but my slimer is real brown it looks like a log.

 

[allsps40]

that coral is in bad shape. if you have to go to the LFS to get your water check...your not ready for SPS.

I have been keeping sps for 4 years now. I have grown all my colonies from 1-2inch frags. I went to the reef store for water tests because I alway test with 2 different kits to confirm results. And I and out of my Ca test. Plus you can see my Super Man and my Pink Porci in the second pic. They both have good color nice blue and red on the SM and pink tips on the Porci. They are doing well just not the acro in the pic. It is the worst off in the tank right now. Any ideas? Is it from new bulbs? Is it alk burn?

 

[adambirk]

i think that it might be from low alk. i have had corals brown up a bit if my alk gets low. but not like that. do you know how long your alk has been that low? also do you have large swings with your alk? the only other thing that i can say is maybe you have pests. that second pic looks quite bad. almost like there is tissue loss. kinda hard to tell cause of the reflections.

are you seeing any tissue loss or just browning?

 

[Kataro]

maybe AEFW?

oh and my KH was also at 7.0 - 7.5 for a month or two.. once I increased it to 8.0 I started noticing some colors coming back... I'm increasing to 9.0.

 

[adambirk]

also it doesnt matter how if you have your lights on 24/7 on your fuge your algea wont grow unless it has nutrients to feed on. so if your algea grows real fast it has to get nutrients from somewhere. now with that being said with agressive pruning of the algea you should be exporting alot of those nutrients. but remember the nutrients are not exported unless you prune the algea. they are just bound up in the algea.

ulns(ultra low nutrient system)

also this is just my opinion and from what i have seen on my friends system. i dont think that 150watt halides put out enough par in a 20k bulb. when my friend had his tank going he had a 150watt halide with a 20k bulb and his growth and even color suffered. not the browning that you are experienceing but he did have browning and just so so color. then he switched out to a 14k pheonix bulb and what a difference. in just months his color was amazing and growth had exploded.


the other corals you say are doing well the porci and monti are a lower light sps and do better under less intense lighting. i really think that 20k bulbs in 150watt halides are way underpower for high light acros.

i totally missed the 20k 150s the first time i read this. you said you have different spec. bulbs i would try those and aclimate your corals according to the new light.

 

[allsps40]

No pests. I had red bugs a while back but treated the tank with intercepter. I have not seen any red bugs in 2 years and no flat worms of any kind. There is some burning on the acro in the pic. Dont know if it was from me adding kalk to fast or from my new bulbs.
I tried the phoenix 14ks and had really bad burning just from the bulbs. Corals went from nice health, good color and PE to bleached almost over night. A few days after putting my old 20ks back in I saw my sps coming back. I did use some Coral Life 14ks (about 2 months old) for about a month and everything seemed to be fine, other than the acro in the pic. Just to yellow for me. I almost last that acro while using the phoenix bulbs. On Coral Life ballasts they are to overdriven, Ice Cap or Galaxy ballasts work best with the phoenix bulbs.

 

[Mizdog]

Try to make changes for the better.

Try to make changes for the better.

Maybe 14K bulbs, Higher Flow, Run GFO and Carbon, be careful with your tank feeding, good skimming, and water changes are all good ways to color up I think. More light, less nutrients, and better flow should do the trick!

 

[allsps40]

I have a lot of flow a k2 and a sureflow modded mj600 plus a mag3 for sump return. I did have 2 k2s but one started to make noise so I took it out about a week ago. Does not seem to make a difference, my fish are happier now. They dont have to fight the flow as much. I have a reactor that I run carbon and GFO in. I feed very lightly, maybe 3 times a week. I only have 3 fish, 2 clowns and a yellow tang. Im thinking about getting another pygmy angel though. I have a great skimmer, Octopus NW110 modded. I do a 5 gallon water change every week.

 

[allsps40]

I am doing a poll right now over the 2 150 halides or a single 250. Its 60-40 right now in favor of the 150s. Just an update, I have been raising my alk. Its at 10dkh, ph 8.0. I think I stressed and burned that acro in the pic. Ca is now a bit high at 480ppm. Time to just leave it for a while to bring the levels down just a bit.