"Leng Sy Cap". I can't keep them alive, no other monti issues.

[MammothReefer]

I don't get it, I have many different monti cap types, different encrusting montis, and a few other misc ones.. but I can't seem to keep Leng Sy "style" caps alive for the life of me. They never stay purple/green they always kinda brown out, and recede along any ripples/edges.

It doesn't happen over nite, it's a slow decline over the course of a month or so. It also seems to be happening with my yellow polyp red cap. (new for me).

Anybody else ever have this issue? I had all my caps "stacked" and every other one is growing..really fast.. and most of my acros are doing great as well.

I can't say this related to any sort of small swing recent change due to the slow steady decline. I've tried placing them in difference parts of the tank flow ranges.. higher / lower lighting.. Where it's sat for the past month was about a half inch a way from 3 other caps that are growing steady.. so why this one would be upset is beyond me.

Montis that are doing good.

Sand Dollar
Superman
Sunset Monti
Ukn blue/white red monti
Ukn Monti type (green w/purple rim and green polyps but it branches in a non-acro way)
A fake Leng Sy (which has been brown w/brown polyps for a year)
Red Cap
green cap w/red polyps
green cap w/blue polyps
Undata w/white polyps
Idaho Grape

Montis that aren't doing well
Red / yellow polyp monti showing recession around the edges
and this "leng sy" that was Neon green w/a bright purple rim when I got it.. now it's a faded green brown with no rim.

 

[mark54321]

I got a small frag of Leng Sy Cap about a month ago,it already doubled in size and keeps its green and purple color.I keep it in the bottom third of my 24in.tank under LED lighting with a lot of flow.What kind of lighting are you using?If its browning out it might not get enough light or maybe there is too much nutrients in water?

 

[MammothReefer]

I got a small frag of Leng Sy Cap about a month ago,it already doubled in size and keeps its green and purple color.I keep it in the bottom third of my 24in.tank under LED lighting with a lot of flow.What kind of lighting are you using?If its browning out it might not get enough light or maybe there is too much nutrients in water?

Thanks for the quick response. I'm using a combination of t5 and halide in one tank, and LED over the frag tank.

It was about halfway up in the back directly under my t5's. Directly below it was my red crap (growing like a weed), my "fake" leng sy above it again growing like a weed.. just another 1-1.5" above that is a valida which is growing fine as well. Overall I'd say it was about 5" down from the top of my 18" tank.

As far as the tank being to nutrient rich, I don't believe so. I have plenty of acropora growing (minus 2 frags rtn'n due to an alk spike the other day), and my Phosphate are typically around .04-.03, with my nitrates always bouncing around sub 1ppm. It's not the typical "brown out" it's almost like a brown out/recession some sorta of funky Monti "STN". I've seen it before when I had magnesium issues but my mag is great and all my other montis are thriving. (minus the red/yellow).

 

[ridetheducati]

Have you checked your potassium levels?

 

[MammothReefer]

Have you checked your potassium levels?

No, but I do weekly water changes, and I'm not carbon dosing (vodka, pellets, etc) , or using zeo... ..wouldn't that effect all my montis as well not just 2?

..I often wonder if it's related to running GFO, or Passive Carbon?

 

[reeflover7826]

I know that Leng Sy had trouble keeping it alive he lost his mother colony and frags, he actually baught a frag from my buddy at RAP, and my buddy has it in his outdoor naturally lit tank and that thing is huge. might be a lighting thing. Leng Sy said he is going to experiment with different types of lighting on it.

 

[ridetheducati]

No, but I do weekly water changes, and I'm not carbon dosing (vodka, pellets, etc) , or using zeo... ..wouldn't that effect all my montis as well not just 2?

..I often wonder if it's related to running GFO, or Passive Carbon?

The effects that you are seeing could potentially be attributed to low potassium levels < 380ppm.

What kind of salt are you using? Do you know what the K+ are in the salt? A salt low in K+ will result in a tank with low K+, unless your dosing. I am not saying low K+ is the issue, but something you should consider.

 

[MammothReefer]

The effects that you are seeing could potentially be attributed to low potassium levels < 380ppm.

What kind of salt are you using? Do you know what the K+ are in the salt? A salt low in K+ will result in a tank with low K+, unless your dosing. I am not saying low K+ is the issue, but something you should consider.

I've been using D+D, for the entire time I had the cap although the last week or so I've been using Red Sea Coral Pro. I do have some K+ supplement i just don't like to dose unless I measure it, and from what I understand the tests are very inaccurate?

 

[MammothReefer]

I know that Leng Sy had trouble keeping it alive he lost his mother colony and frags, he actually baught a frag from my buddy at RAP, and my buddy has it in his outdoor naturally lit tank and that thing is huge. might be a lighting thing. Leng Sy said he is going to experiment with different types of lighting on it.

Hmm The pieces I got were all captive from different sources.. Right now I'm trying high lighting, and low lighting in my MH/T5 combo tank, and I put some frags under my LED's to..

 

[ridetheducati]

I've been using D+D, for the entire time I had the cap although the last week or so I've been using Red Sea Coral Pro. I do have some K+ supplement i just don't like to dose unless I measure it, and from what I understand the tests are very inaccurate?

Are you discounting the K+ maybe low?

 

[MammothReefer]

Are you discounting the K+ maybe low?

No I'm answering you question, and providing you with more information? Do you know of a good reliable tesk kit for K? Are the salts I'm using known to have low amounts of K? Can I run into the same issues over dosing on K?