corals browning

[chefbill]

About 6 months ago, my LFS gave me a chunk of green slimer to see if it would grow in my 29g BioCube. It grew 1/2 inch in 3 or 4 months and pit out some 'nubs'. The problem was that it lost much of its vibrant color, it was still green, just not glowing.

Maybe 2 months ago, I moved it to my new 90g, and within a few weeks, started to color up, along with some other drab $10 frags.

But now, they are going back to brown, it's almost like they went past where they were supposed to be.

I have 2 of these http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SZJE13A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 13 inches over a DIY BRS screen top on for 9 hrs a day, blue at 70%, white at 50%. Reef Octopus 150 classic skimmer, RODI water, 2 X Jaebo RW-8.

Last tests were unremarkable, I'll post actual numbers when I test tomorrow afternoon. I dose nothing. I feed a rotation of frozen squid, mysis, brine and pellets, twice a day.

There are 15 or so SPS frags and 2 tennis ball sized bird's nest mini colonies, and 1 lobo and 1 devil's hand.

One McCosker's male, one Carpenter's male, 1 melanarius and 1 occ clown. 2 emerald crabs, perhaps 8 hermits, ~50 asst Dwarf Ceriths, Florida Ceriths, Nerites, and Nassarius snails, 4 turbos and 1 tiger tail cuke (haven't seen since the day I added it, 5 weeks ago) and 1 small horseshoe crab (haven't seen since the day I added it, 3 weeks ago).

There is a healthy population (for a 3 month old tank) of bristle worms, pods and pineapple sponges.

I guess I'm asking: is this a lighting issue ot possibly a 'trate/phos issue?

 

[sahin]

The question is did you change anything during the time they were colouring up? Did you start dosing something new? Add GFO? Add GAC?

If the corals were coloruing up whilst under a certain light, then that tells me the lights are fine. Something else changed. Did you stop doing water changes? Did you change light settings even?

 

[Ginu]

Lighting has a big part with SPS, with that being said what are your parameters???

What is your maintenance schedule, what do you use to reduce phosphates and nitrates? each parameter is very important even potassium.

Without knowing all this, it sounds like perhaps the frag did well in the new 90 as the water was pristine and as time went on, the water went somewhat south.
Also be very careful in what test kits you use for each parameter as some are very accurate and some aren't...

Now the part that I find scary, is that you have quite a bit of coral in a fairly new tank (2months) and dose nothing... you either have to do frequent and very large water changes or dose something to buffer alk/ca

How is your coraline algae?

For reference I have a "brand new" started from scratch in January 120 g 4x2x2 so not much bigger than your tank and I dose a ton of stuff... just my buffers(using BRS two part) are at 40ml/day Ca and 80ml/day alk (raising this as we speak from 6 to 7)
On top of the Alk/Ca/Mag I dose zeovit stuff everyday as I run a zeo reactor and most of their lineup..
I also do automatic water changes of 10gal per week with a Apex DOS and every 3 months i syphon the sump and do an extra 10g water change..