Corals bleaching??

[ngn8dogg]

I tested the ph this morning at its at 7.9 and last night was 8.2-3. Is this a bad swing? I Do run carbon . I dont think its the lighting bleaching the corals because they ewre thriving under the lights for 4 months. I bought tropic marin pro coral trace elements because at the point where Im thinking maybe theres not enough in there? anyone not recommend using it?

 

[token]

I will yield some floor to greenbean36191. It's definitely "stress" but the bigger question is, "What is causing the stress?"

It might be pH, as that is a swing that would alarm me.

It might be temperature, as what you are describing is very similar to what I experienced in my nano when a heater stuck on and the temp got to 84º at the surface before I got the heater out. The event only lasted about four hours but it took four months for one of my corals to recover.

Whatever is causing the stress, I think it's more important to find that out before doing anything else.

 

[ngn8dogg]

Im gonna go buy a thermometer and see if mine is twacking out or not

 

[token]

Make the LFS get you one that reads as true as possible. Have them take it out of the package and measure it against their own system?

 

[ngn8dogg]

Ok the temp was accurate. My skimmer hasnt been pulling much out( cpr bakpak). Im wondering now if my skimmer is the problem?

 

[token]

If the skimmer is not really doing a lot, then that would be a cumulative issue and show in your tests.

So, 80ºF for temp and a pH swing from day to night. How much topoff do you have to add daily?

 

[ngn8dogg]

quarter of a gallon

 

[ngn8dogg]

How would a skimmer problem show up in my tests

 

[token]

I would expect your nitrates to be high(er), as the DOC's would multiply and get broken down by the bacteria on/in your rock. With sufficiently low skimming and an abscence of carbon, your water would yellow/cloud. However, like your temperature, we are not actually sure what reading you have, as you doubt the accuracy of your nitrate test. Still, this event seems to be more sudden. Low skimming would be a gradual problem, getting worse over time.

Something is off and I am as confused as you. I still lean to a pH-related stress but I am at a loss as to how best to get your pH up at night. Without a sump, running a reverse-daylight cycle is out of the question.

 

[ngn8dogg]

Well I just did a 35% water change and Im just going to cut down my feeding and play it by ear since We dont know what to do. Im going to check again tonight and tomoroow morning again and see what the ph swing is. Im thinking maybe using a dripper for night time dosing if it tests almost a 4point swing again in ph.

 

[token]

I was thinking that. Dripping to buffer your alk at night may limit your pH swings.

Whatever it is, I know this is frustrating and hope that some others chime in with possible causes.

Maybe post a link to this discussion as a starter in the "Nano" forum to see if any others have any insight?

Good luck!

 

[torhav]

I had the same problem some weeks ago. Very little skimmate (nothing to skim), and pale corals. For me it seems like dosing nitrates to 1 ppm is doing the thrick. The corals have a fine light brown tone. Not enough to cover the corals colour, but they are not looking bleached any more.
If you have a low bioload, a lot of macroalgae or if you are dosing vodka, I would at least look more into this.

 

[davenia7]

I'll be the one to say, I lean towards either nutrient deficiency or chemical warfare.