Help with Bleaching

[Patrick Cox]

I have a few SPS frags that are starting to bleach. After reading some old postings, I suspect the culprit is either low light or low nutrients. Please consider the following and then your thoughts would be appreciated...

75 Gallon Tank - 36x24x20

Lights
I am running an ATI 6x39W, 36" fixture. I recently changed my bulbs and decided to raise the lights a bit and once I saw the bleaching, I tested my par again and it was lower than what I was getting before so I have now lowered my lights back to the levels I was previously experiencing. Most corals are now getting Par values in the range of 325-400. I would way they were about 50 points lower than this for a couple of weeks. Also my photo period is 10 hours with 3 B+ and 1 P+ and then for 6 of those hours, I am also running 1 more B+ and 1 C+. So, could light levels being a bit lower for a couple of weeks be causing this? How are my light levels overall?

Nutrients
I have been running GAC and GFO from the start and now my P04 is down to 0.0 and my Nitrate is .02 or so. Is this too low? (I have VERY little algae in the tank.) If so, how do I let them raise a bit? Stop running GFO? Stop running GAC? Both? Or run less of both?

Here are my full tank parameters and they have been pretty stable..

Temp-78.2
PH-8.17
Salinity-1.026
Alk-8.2
Ca-450
Mag-1350
PO4-0.0
NO3-0.02

Also, I have 5 small fish in the tank, 3 were recently added:

2x Percula clowns
1x Yellow Assessor
1x Blackline Blenny
1x Neon Goby

10 or so crabs and a few snails. I feed small amounts 3 times per day.

Thanks for your thoughts! Here are pictures...

FTS

Pink Birdsnest

Pink Milli

Red Planet

 

[tdb320reef]

They look hungry. Pick up some oysterfeast and start using it, Maybe add some more schooling fish and feed them more, and/or turn your skimmer down.

Thanks.

Edit - Maybe spin out a few bulbs until you get your nutrients up. The Frogspawn looks really bleached.

I have a few SPS frags that are starting to bleach. After reading some old postings, I suspect the culprit is either low light or low nutrients. Please consider the following and then your thoughts would be appreciated...

75 Gallon Tank - 36x24x20

Lights
I am running an ATI 6x39W, 36" fixture. I recently changed my bulbs and decided to raise the lights a bit and once I saw the bleaching, I tested my par again and it was lower than what I was getting before so I have now lowered my lights back to the levels I was previously experiencing. Most corals are now getting Par values in the range of 325-400. I would way they were about 50 points lower than this for a couple of weeks. Also my photo period is 10 hours with 3 B+ and 1 P+ and then for 6 of those hours, I am also running 1 more B+ and 1 C+. So, could light levels being a bit lower for a couple of weeks be causing this? How are my light levels overall?

Nutrients
I have been running GAC and GFO from the start and now my P04 is down to 0.0 and my Nitrate is .02 or so. Is this too low? (I have VERY little algae in the tank.) If so, how do I let them raise a bit? Stop running GFO? Stop running GAC? Both? Or run less of both?

Here are my full tank parameters and they have been pretty stable..

Temp-78.2
PH-8.17
Salinity-1.026
Alk-8.2
Ca-450
Mag-1350
PO4-0.0
NO3-0.02

Also, I have 5 small fish in the tank, 3 were recently added:

2x Percula clowns
1x Yellow Assessor
1x Blackline Blenny
1x Neon Goby

10 or so crabs and a few snails. I feed small amounts 3 times per day.

Thanks for your thoughts! Here are pictures...

FTS

Pink Birdsnest

Pink Milli

Red Planet

 

[Patrick Cox]

They look hungry. Pick up some oysterfeast and start using it, Maybe add some more schooling fish and feed them more, and/or turn your skimmer down.

Thanks.

Edit - Maybe spin out a few bulbs until you get your nutrients up. The Frogspawn looks really bleached.

Thanks. Is there a best time to feed? (Day vs night?) Also, should I stop running GFO for a while?

 

[dg3147]

A couple thoughts (btw, i am currently batteling the same issue with a very similar set up. I just started winning it --in part --i think do to tank maturing).

You have a very new tank with little coraline growth. further more your tank looks like it was started with dry/clean rock. It may not be mature enough to support an sps frag without it STN'ing within a few weeks of being placed. How old is the tank?

Your PhO4 is zero. It is likely very reasonable to stop the GFO for now and very slowy add it back once tank matures more.

Off course you are going to hear about stabilizing parameters from everyone, especially alk. Not sure this is your issue, but make sure u dont have alk swings.

Have you noticed that STN seems to slow after a large water change (20% or so)?

 

[Patrick Cox]

A couple thoughts (btw, i am currently batteling the same issue with a very similar set up. I just started winning it --in part --i think do to tank maturing).

You have a very new tank with little coraline growth. further more your tank looks like it was started with dry/clean rock. It may not be mature enough to support an sps frag without it STN'ing within a few weeks of being placed. How old is the tank?

Your PhO4 is zero. It is likely very reasonable to stop the GFO for now and very slowy add it back once tank matures more.

Off course you are going to hear about stabilizing parameters from everyone, especially alk. Not sure this is your issue, but make sure u dont have alk swings.

Have you noticed that STN seems to slow after a large water change (20% or so)?

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I started my tank in January with Pukani dry rock that I started curing in October/November. I did the phosphate treatment and added bacteria...etc. Back in January, my phosphates were .15-.25 and i had diatoms and some green algae. After running GFO and GAC consistently till now, I am down to 0 phosphates and 0.02 nitrates. And you are also correct that I don't have much coralline algae growing. My parameters have been pretty stable with Alk ranging from 8.0-8.5. I have been testing daily and adjusting dosing to dial that in. I have just noticed the whitening of these few corals over the past couple of days so I need to keep an eye on it. But I think low nutrients is the issue so I am going to start feeding my corals as I have not done that. Then I guess I need to read up on other supplements like Amino Acids, Potassium...etc.

Thanks again for your comments.

 

[KeithB]

How are you with your water changes? If your religious with those, you shouldn't have to worry about the supplements as the corals will get those from the food and any trace elements (i.e. potassium) from the water.

 

[Patrick Cox]

How are you with your water changes? If your religious with those, you shouldn't have to worry about the supplements as the corals will get those from the food and any trace elements (i.e. potassium) from the water.

To be honest I have not kept up with them. Maybe 5% every 2 weeks. Probably need to do more. Could this be part of the problem?

 

[dg3147]

I would experiment with a 20-30% water change. If the corals respond well, or if STN slows for a couple days, it may be a trace element deficiency. (my theory is the dry rock soaks something up that we don't measure or the immature ecosystem fails to produce something). Let me know if that works.

How old is the set-up?

 

[Andyf30]

Sps tanks need nutrients in the water. Using GFO to keep phosphate way down is fine and all, provided the corals get nutrients from a semi heavy fish load. I'd shut off the GFO, and but another fish or two to bring nutrients up.

 

[Patrick Cox]

Just an update on my corals...

-On Tuesday evening I started feeding Oyster Feast and have continued each night.
-Yesterday I bought some Roti Feast and am feeding this as well.
-I am feeding each nightly at half the recommended dose per the instructions on the bottle.
-I also turned off my GFO reactor yesterday.
-Today I tested my PO4 and it is still 0.0.
-I also did a 10% water change today.

The whitening doesn't seem to be spreading aggressively so that is good news. Not sure I see improvement but will continue to monitor.

I also plan to add another fish in the next week or two.

Thanks for suggestions. Will report back if anything changes.

 

[Patrick Cox]

Well, I have good news. It seems that other than my birds nest, the white rims at the base of the corals is actually growth. After looking at earlier pictures of my corals, I noticed that the encrustation at the base has grown, it is just white but I think that is normal. I have also noticed polyps starting to come out in the white areas. I will post new pictures in a few.

 

[Patrick Cox]

Here are a couple of before and after photos that I believe show that the white tissue is really just growth. Thanks for everyone's input.

Red Planet:

New Frag:

A Few weeks later:

Pink Milli:

New Frag

A Few Weeks Later