monti bleaching

[Newsalth2o]

several or my mature montis are bleaching?? Chalices show no stress. All soft corals growing well. All other inhabitants seem well??
params like this
No2 0 No3 0 Cal 330 KH 8.4 Ph 7.9 mag 1120 sg 1.025 temp 80

I'm due for a 40G change this weekend I change every two weeks

 

[oscarslr]

Increase mag above 1300 then calcium above 420. Your calcium is too low, but you need to increase your mag a bit to help you stabilize the Calcium. The other part of the equation is Alk. As you raise the Calcium the alk will drop, so you need to add alk after.

The order will be:

Raise Mag
Raise Calcium
Raise Alk

Montis are hardy, as long as you save a piece it will recover and grow quickly.

 

[Newsalth2o]

im getting about two teaspoons of dissolved kalc in a day through a drip in about a quart of water, but there is so much growth I can not keep up. I guess Im going to have to remove some load since I don't want to have to go with a doser and two part. Does it seem nutrient driven or is there some strange algae out there that can cause this??

 

[oscarslr]

It does not look like nutrients as you would see it more in the cap coloration, I put the blame on water chemistry, a nudi branch is the only pest that destroys caps. Kalc raises alk and calcium at a balanced rate, I assume your tank consumes calcium faster than alk. you can reduce your stock but it might be easier to dose two part manually if you don't want to get dozers. Based on your stock you might be able to get away with dosing 2-3 times a week.

 

[aquaph8]

I think you would benefit from having some two part on hand at this point even if its just to catch things up when they get out of wack. The kalk can't do that when one element gets higher than the other and you'll continue to get off. Are you running your kalk with your ATO? You may be able to make your kalk go a little farther with some vinegar, here's an article that can explain it better than I can http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.htm. Get some two part and more importantly some mag and get things back to normal first. Try to keep changes to no more than 50ppm calcium per day, 100ppm mag a day, and 1 DKH alk and spread those doses out throughout the day when possible.

 

[miatawnt2b]

have you changed anything lately? lighting maybe? montis are very sensitive to light changes I've found.

-J

 

[Newsalth2o]

Kalk is on a constant drip. ATO is on a float. Haven't changed anything. I went low nutrient at one time but it was too easy for cyano to break out so I stopped the vinegar. I think I have to accept its a chemistry problem and try and bring everything back up. Thanks for all your input.

 

[aquaph8]

It's not so much a low nutrient thing when your adding it to your kalk, it reduces the PH a bit so you can add a bit more while also increasing the potency of the kalk. I just thought it might help make your kalk dosing go a little further without needing to add two part to your regiment. It does also have the advantage of increasing bacteria and lowing nutrients however. We're talking only 45 ML per gallon of kalk solution. The cyano with vinegar is just something you gotta get through until you find the balance.

If you would rather just dose some two part to make up for your levels, it wouldn't be too bad. You can make the alk part yourself with the baking soda, just bake 2 1/4 cups at 300 to make a whole gallon.

 

[danfeig]

I'd definitely dose Ca, Alk and Mag!!!

 

[Newsalth2o]

I'd definitely dose Ca, Alk and Mag!!!

Now that I have a Thrive account and dosing instructions away we go! Oh ya have to go shopping tomorrow and have a donut too....:idea:

 

[ir_danno22]

Alk seems to be the most used from my tank. Since I upped my alk on a two part along with iodine, growth and color is much better than my lps.

 

[miatawnt2b]

if you need some peladow for your calcium 2 part I have a bunch to sell cheap.

 

[Newsalth2o]

If you would rather just dose some two part to make up for your levels, it wouldn't be too bad. You can make the alk part yourself with the baking soda, just bake 2 1/4 cups at 300 to make a whole gallon.

How long do you bake it for? Im thinking of adding to my bulk storage RO water since it is my main make-up and the PH is like 5.7. This may help stabilize the Alk and Ph.

Got Thrive alk calcium and mag today and started dosing. The script called for 159ml of mag, 60ml alk and and 92ml calcium for two days then retest. We'll see what happens. Seems kind of quick for a chemistry change. When I dosed the alk it made like snow in the sump. Flakes immediately appeared in the water. I am keeping the doses an hour apart. The Ph already went from 7.9 to 8.1. Tested my hydrometer and Ph probe at the store sg was right on and Ph appears to be off by 0.3 so I will get it calibrated.

 

[aquaph8]

The baking soda would be your Alk part of the Alk/cal//mag system, just a cheaper DIY version. You bake it for 1 hr.

Did you dose the Alk/Calcium parts at the same time? If so that's why you got the snow appearance, give it like 30 minutes between doses.

 

[aquaph8]

Also spread those doses out throughout the day and test daily so not to overshoot it.

 

[Newsalth2o]

The baking soda would be your Alk part of the Alk/cal//mag system, just a cheaper DIY version. You bake it for 1 hr.

Did you dose the Alk/Calcium parts at the same time? If so that's why you got the snow appearance, give it like 30 minutes between doses.

alk first then calc an hour later. Something in the water is available for the alk to create that. What is it?

 

[aquaph8]

Try adding it slower in a high flow area

 

[jrich]

Bro I was looking at the pictures that you attached and it gave me the chills. Brought me back to the time I had monti eating nudis. Did you add anything recently because montis can live through the apocalypse. If you look at the sunset you notice the damage is one the edge where they can get under the coral. I would be looking especially if those are the only coral taking a hit. I have had em they suck that’s what it looks like to me. But I might be wrong. PS kill that damn aiptasia that killing the top of your sunset lol JK

 

[Newsalth2o]

If there were nudi branches wouldent I see them?? I saw some real small things moving around on the purple monti yesterday but they were fast moving. Like tiny friut flies. I did get some pieces at the last swap but I dipped everything before it went it. Added the thrive over the last three days and numbers are improving gonna take alot of mag and cal to get the numbers to where they should be.

 

[jrich]

YAh you have to look under the plates to see them eggs next to impossible to see and eggs can survive a dip btw. They look like hairy grains of white rice. Real small and breed like rabbits. I am not saying that is the cause but what it looks like to me. It took me throwing away much of my very nice montis keeping just small pieces and dipping a scrubbing with a toothbrush every day for 4 months to save them and eradicate the monsters. Got mine from some less than desirable looking monti I got a deal on at a store I will not name here.