help!!! coral bleaching?

[dukes707]

i have got a question... as it is right now i have a 40g mixed reef. lighting consists of 2x150 de 10k reeflux on electronic ballast as well as 4x39watt t-5 (2-blueplus, 1 g-man pure actinic, 1 ati 10k) normal output run on workhorse 5 ballasts. my question is is this too much light for sps's? i have a pink and bluetip millie that started to bleach only where the light hits the coral. no zoox is visible although the polyps are there. they dont extend anymore but are visible. it is a wild colonie i got from a LFS that had some outrageous PE for the first couple weeks i had it but now it has just been fading with no PEeven when the lights are off. i dont get great PE during the day due to my potters but at night all seems happy. the rest of my corals look okay with good growth and color, just the couple wild colonies i got are starting to bleach slowly. i dont know if its just that they are wild colonies or somthing about my setup that is hurting these corals.
i have also got a wild blue sceptor enchinata that is starting to fade as well. at first they were in the upper third of my tank, but since all this started i lowered them thinking the light was too much. but all the other sps' i have are in the upper third of the tank and are doing fine. i must admit i had a crazy algae bloom a couple weeks ago due to higher than normal phosphates, but that prob has been since resolved via rowaphos.
as well i have a higher than normal bioload, with about 9 fish. i run carbon 24/7 and have started to skim wet lately to expedite most of the crud in there quicker. i will be getting rid of some fish soon, mainly my potters angel, algae blenny (creates an outrageous amount of waste), and damsel. only gonna keep the naso, solar fairy, other fairy i cant identify but is super colorful, and a few gobies.
parameters are as follows:
temp 82
pH 8.3
SG 1.025
dKH/meq 9.3/3.31
Ca 420
phos <0.03
nitrates <5

i drip kalk as top off and everything is pretty much stable. all but temp as i dont have a chiller (maybe christmas) and it has been unusually warm here in cali for this time of year. but never goes past 85. my photo period is 12 hrs for halides and 14 hrs for supplements. running at night. (its cheaper on electricity and cooler on tank). any ideas on this will be much apperciated. i dont want to lose these colonies cause when colored up fully are simply magnificent, and ther are a couple of the larger colonies occupying real estate in my tank. thanks in advance for your input.

 

[dukes707]

bump for some advise

 

[palawan]

For one thing your temp is high. My tank is at a constant 78F maximum temp for sps is 80F. Second what do you measure the salinity with? A refractometer is the only thing thats reliable. Those plastic ones are a joke. Also, how old are your bulbs? If over a year your pushin the limit. But, the temp is the main thing so far.

 

[jnfallon]

80 is not max. My temp is 80-81.

You have a lot of things that are fluctuating, and fluctuations are typically bad.

Reeflux 10k's are very strong lights. A quick reduction in phosphate can stress corals. A quick reduction in suspended particulates can increase light.

Move the corals lower in the tank if they are bleaching. And maintain params as best you can. Stability is good.

If you see increased color loss, or/and tissue necrosis, or patchy appearance, then you can take it to the next level or worry/advice.

HTH

 

[McCrary]

Trying doing a good size water change and see if that helps. Most SPS can tolerate insane amounts of light without bleaching as long as they are properly acclimated.

 

[jnfallon]

I didnt notice your last bit about 85 degrees. From my experience, thats a no-no.

I hit 85 one day this past summer and lost most of a large tort, even though I had the lights programmed to go off at 83.

 

[dukes707]

thanks all. i thought the temp was the main problem. it usually stays constant between 79-82, but got as high as 85 on a couple of unusually hot days. i will do my best to get that under control.
i have been a mad man with the water changes. i mean really. my total water volume is about 65 gallons and have been doing 5 and 10 gallon water changes every 1-2 days for almost a week and a half. is that too much? i dont want to over-do it. on a 65 gallon what would you suggest the maximum amount of water be changed per week?
i find it curious that it is only these two colonies that are being effected all my other sps' are okay and maintaining their colors and they are way high up in the tank. i got them both from the same store on the same day. healthy for like two weeks than all of a sudden this happens to them. i recently found out that they are both wild colonies from the LFS owner. i know wild colonies are more tempermental than aquacultures but i figured after 2-3 weeks of happy healthy color and PE then i was in the clear. am i wrong about this? or do you think it is just a coincidence?
and yes i use one of those cheap plastic pieces of garbage to check salinity. i have a refractometer coming in the mail soon so hopefully i can correct the salinity soon if it is off by too much.
as a matter of fact i just inspected my blue enchinata and one of the branches lost its tissue. i think i my be because the diatom in my tank got on that branch and suffocated it. for the life of my i cannot decifer why there has been such a explosion of diatom in my tank. param's are realtively in check, well for sake of the temp. any ideas? this is driving me crazy, my community is not happy and it hurts on the inside that i cannot figure out the problem. well any more advise/suggestions will be most appreciated. thanks again in advance.

ps: i moves both corals lower in the tank as suggested. thanks guys well see if this helps. fingers are crossed.

 

[IndyReefMan]

As long as you are reducing your bioload, you may want to consider finding a bigger home for your Naso.

 

[dukes707]

well finally got use of a refractometer, and my salinity was way off. 1.028-9 maybe that was the reason for the corals bleaching. after i corrected the salinity my softies blossomed like crazy and the polyps in my sps's started comming back. hopefully they will color back up in a few weeks. just though i would let ya'll know. still workin on getting a chiller.

 

[McCrary]

Good to hear that your corals are doing better.

 

[dukes707]

thanks for the concern and all the advise. one more thing though. i have been haveing trouble with diatom lately. it has reduced since i started running rowaphos, but i cant get it to completely stop for some reason. params are all in check. trates and phos are both at zero, so i am dumbfounded as to why i am still having diatomalgae growth. any ideas? params are all within normal limits.

 

[dukes707]

turbosnail

what molecule is that in your avatar?
kind-of a science geek myself

 

[Chrisrush]

try cutting back on your photoperiod as well. 12 hrs. of halides is a bit much. Bring it down to 6-8 hrs. That should help with the temp as well.

I agree about the naso, on a 40g tank, try some smaller fish, or at least one's that won't get to 12"

 

[dukes707]

thanks i was really considering only 8 hrs of MH anyway. oh and the naso has since found a new home. do you think the photoperiod has somthing to do with the diatom?

 

[slojmn]

I think the massive water changes as described above are actually harmful unless params are exactly identicle, even then that is a huge amount. I suggest 5%-15% per week. If you have the time, a gallon every other day would be fine. How old is your tank?? Getting that Naso out of there will help params, messy eaters, lots of poop and nitrates/phosphates are going to be higher especially in a small tank of 40g.

Remember smaller tanks are inherently more difficult to keep, they don't stay as stable as a larger volume tank. When something is amiss things can go bad fast in that small amount of water. If your tank os 40g you probably have 30g net of water.

Glad to hear you figured out the salinity issue, that was definately stressing all of your little beings out. Keep us updated as to your progress .

 

[dukes707]

thanks all. will keep you posted. try to post some pics in the near future. thanks again. :bum: