Corals bleaching??

[ngn8dogg]

I have a 30 gallon mixed reef tank with t-5s sumpless. I got back in to the hobby after 2 years out and have had success for the last 4 months up until 2 weeks ago. It started with my pearlberry and my neon yellow acro losing their color. I did a big water change thinking it would help but a week later their color is gone . Now my ora green birdsnest is losing its skin bleaching out and my red monti cap that was a rich red is now a light pink . Everytime I test my alk is always around 8-9 and cal 420-460, mag 1200. I checked nitrates and they were undetectable but who knows if my test kit is even right. Also the last 2 days my frogspawn is not extended and looking a diff color green. I am going to do a big waterchange tomorrow morning but need advise on what the hell is going on. Anyone know whats causing these to bleach out. Whats ****ing me off is I have other sps in the same areas as these and they seem fine?

 

[token]

It may be too simple but is there any ammonia or nitrite present?

 

[ngn8dogg]

No I did check for that after I checked A million times for everything else

 

[token]

Is there any possibility of chemical combat occurring; e.g., one coral touching the affected ones?

 

[ngn8dogg]

Everything is pretty close but not touching

 

[ngn8dogg]

Should I be doing a few waterchanges this week before I lost anything else?

 

[token]

I might look at that again. "Close" may allow a coral with sweepers to sting the others, resulting in what you are describing.

Since it's affecting two (three? maybe four if the frogspawn falls victim) different types of coral, that could be it.

Another thing to consider is where in the tank the affected corals are. If all of them are relatively high in the tank, I would also look at temperature. If you have the thermometer or temperature probe deeper in the water than the affected corals, it could be that the lights are heating the tank and causing the problem.

 

[ngn8dogg]

The corals that are messed up all are in different areas and none would touch another. Also the thermometer is at the top and stays at 80 all the time. I just don't know what to do anymore. If I lost another coral it might make me reconsider staying in this hobby , I just dont know whats going on with my tank

 

[token]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14150448#post14150448 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ngn8dogg
Should I be doing a few waterchanges this week before I lost anything else?

You have already done one post-event so I would not stress them further with another. If you can get your water tested and verify your results, I think it is safe to rule out something chemical as a problem but I lean to temperature or combat if the parameters are in check (and yours are...).

Being sumpless means that you basically have a nano and my personal experience with them is that the most difficult parameter to maintain in a stable and safe range is not specific gravity but temperature followed by pH swings at night (which might also be your problem).

Have you tested your pH after your lights have been off for a while?

 

[ngn8dogg]

thanks for trying to help with quick replys

 

[ngn8dogg]

No I havnet tested after lights go out. I dose Randys 2 part when I turn the lights on and also when I turn them off . I will try to test later tonight. I forgot to say earlier I lost my xenia also which was ALWAYS healthy . I have not done anything different since I started this tank 4 months ago

 

[token]

I am not really comfortable with a constant temperature of 80. Since the corals affected are at all levels, my last guess is that you are suffering from pH drops at night.

There are ways to counter that if I am correct but you will need to test your water's pH in the middle of the night (halfway through the dark period or two hours before the lights come on in the AM works) to check.

 

[ngn8dogg]

I just checked and its at 8.3 and they wen off an hour ago. I will check again before I turn on in the morning. I keep my tank at 80 because I had a 80 gallon for 3 years and had alot of success at this temp.

 

[token]

80 is fine in a large(r) system but a temperature spike, or elevated temperatures for a few hours over a series of days, can result in what you have described.

IME, Corals can take a daily temperature swing better if the start temperature is lower than the maximum temperature they can tolerate, which is what I consider 80 to be.

I hope I have helped a bit! Report back with that pH before light hits the tank?

Good luck!

 

[ngn8dogg]

thanks alot with the help.
Nate

 

[token]

I hope it was help.... =)

Something else.... Did the affected corals lose all tissue or "just" color?

If the tissue is still there, or if there is still healthy tissue on the coral, they could recover. Don't abandon hope!

 

[ngn8dogg]

The birdsnest is losing skin but i think the others just bleached I never saw the skin come off. The pearlberry still has PE but the yellow acro doesnt.

 

[token]

That's good even though it's bad. If we are talking about a bleaching from a heat related event, I strongly suspect that you can coax your corals back to the vividness that caused you to get them in the first place.

I would double-check whatever you are using to test your temperature. Triple-check even. Once I am sure that my thermometer is correct, I would dial back my tank temperature by a few degrees, say to 76-77. I wouldn't change anything until I knew that I was moving in the right direction and I would trust the frogspawn to be that indicator. Once I saw extension, I might suspect that I had found the problem.

After that, I would look in the SPS forums for some tricks on getting my bleached corals to recover, or posting if I didn't find any info.

Again, Good Luck!

 

[greenbean36191]

I would not touch the temperature. You are already below the average temp for corals. This is not a temperature related event in any way shape or form.

It sounds like you have two different events going on here. First is corals lightening, though whether it's really bleaching depends on how severe it is. Some lightening is normal depending on changes in nutrients and lighting. With undetectable nitrate, zoox density should be fairly low, so most corals should be fairly light colored. If the tissue becomes translucent though, that's bleaching. Unfortunately, bleaching is a general stress response, so if it's not the usual suspects of temperature or lighting, it can be almost impossible to pin down the source.

In any event, to help the corals have the best chance of recovery, move them to lower lighting, higher flow, and feed them regularly using the smallest zooplankton you can get.

It sounds like you also have tissue sloughing going on. This is totally different than bleaching. Either frag the affected coral well above the sloughing area and then place it far away from the other corals, or if it's too far gone to frag, put it in QT or toss it. Some types of sloughing, particularly "RTN" types are contagious.

I may have missed it, but do you run carbon? If not, you might consider adding some. If this is a chemical issue it should help.

Also, have any chemicals or medications been used in this tank in the past? The effects of some toxins like copper is cumulative, so low levels can cause problems to suddenly crop up after some time without issue.

 

[screwtape]

Have you doublechecked your temp with another thermometer or even two to make sure yours hasn't drifted?