Help with birdsnest bleaching

[M3Shark]

So I have had this Hyacinth Bird Nest for about 2 months now. Its color and polyp extension were great when I got it. However, it has slowly bleached out. I had it on the bottom sand bed for the first week before moving it towards the top of the tank where it has been ever since. It started bleaching when it was still on the bottom of the tank, but i just figured it was from the stress and the color would come back. Now that it has not i am asking for help to try to save it.

Here are my tank specs:

29 gallons
Lighting = 4x24w T5 about 5in from water
1.024 sg
P04 = 0 (although there is some hair algae in the tank)
Copper = 0
Nitrates = 0
dKh = 11
Ph = 8.2
Calcium = 480
Ammonia = 0

Coral is located 2/3 up in the tank.

 

[mike_cmu04]

First i would raise your salinity to 1.026 it is better for corals. Also your alk is a little high i would try to get it down around 9.

 

[mike_cmu04]

Also what kind of flow do you have in the tank?

 

[M3Shark]

OK, i will slowly bring up the salinity over the next couple of weeks.

How do i go about lowering alk, i don't use any additives right now. I am currently using reef crystals.

Flow is two modified Koralia Nanos, opposite sides of tank. plus a Aqua-c Remora running a maxijet1200.

 

[lolgranny]

Do you have any fish in there?
Are you feeding the coral?

Reason i ask is because it might not be getting enough nutrients hence the color loss.

 

[M3Shark]

Fish are a pair of clown fish, a royal gramma, a flame angel, and a court jester goby.

I feed my other corals mysis, or sometimes baby brine shrimp, but not the sps, because it seems like those are to large for it. what would you recommend that i feed for SPS?

Thank you everyone for your help, i really want to save this coral.

 

[ritter6788]

Is the flame angel nipping it?

 

[losthere]

I see a ton of algae, so phospates are high.
If you didnt use a hanna photometer or checker I wouldnt trust the results of a phosphate test.
Look into lowering posphate.

 

[M3Shark]

Flame angel is new. Put into the tank after the birdsnest, and no apparent picking at it that i have ever seen. I'll try picking up a phosphate meter to test with.