New to Comas..

[lauremf2002]

So I met some of you all at Crase. It was awesome by the way! First time at anything like that, and thank you Greg for all the great frags! I am definately planning on attending the next comas meeting but in the mean time I have a problem. I just got my first hard coral about 2 weeks ago (green monty w/ blue polyps) and it has started bleaching out. I had it pretty high and right under the light. Im freaking out now cause I brought home 6 more hard coral frags from crase and I dont want them to die! My system is as follows:

MH swing arm 150watts
37 gallon tank
Emperor 280
2 koralia 1's
temp:76*-78*F
ph: 8.2-8.4
Ca2+: 380
kh: 9
PO3-4: 0
NO-3: 20
Salinity: 1.025 (I know this is high, it was actually like 1.027:eek2: and I used all the rest of my fresh water lowering it to 1.025) I must have topped off with saltwater on accident at some point.

Thank you all for the awesome convention and in advance for you help

 

[InsideJoke]

So I met some of you all at Crase. It was awesome by the way! First time at anything like that, and thank you Greg for all the great frags! I am definately planning on attending the next comas meeting but in the mean time I have a problem. I just got my first hard coral about 2 weeks ago (green monty w/ blue polyps) and it has started bleaching out. I had it pretty high and right under the light. Im freaking out now cause I brought home 6 more hard coral frags from crase and I dont want them to die! My system is as follows:

MH swing arm 150watts
37 gallon tank
Emperor 280
2 koralia 1's
temp:76*-78*F
ph: 8.2-8.4
Ca2+: 380
kh: 9
PO3-4: 0
NO-3: 20
Salinity: 1.025 (I know this is high, it was actually like 1.027:eek2: and I used all the rest of my fresh water lowering it to 1.025) I must have topped off with saltwater on accident at some point.

Thank you all for the awesome convention and in advance for you help

Your monty might be to close to the light for its liking. Try moving it away or raising up your light.

Your salinity looks to be right around where most of us keep our salinity. I've always kept mine around 1.025-1.026.

 

[GregC]

Welcome! Sounds like your Monti is trying to get acclimated to the light, bring it down a bit or shorten your light cycle see if it starts to come back in a few days.

 

[pwhitby]

the calcium in your system is low and likely the cause of the bleaching. Try raising it to 450ppm, but do so over a few days.

First though, you need to know the magnesium level. Ideal magnesium is around 1330ppm.

If you cant get a Mag test, PM me and i can do one for you on a water sample.

WElcome to COMAS, a great place to reef!.

Regards,

Paul.

 

[lauremf2002]

Thank you everyone for you quick reply, I am moving it down and raising the light up. I will bring my ca up too. I dont have a magnesium test and last time I tried to take a sample to Reef Shop, they were out of the tests as well. I do add magnesium once a week though.

 

[lauremf2002]

How long should I be running my lights? I currently only run them 6 hours.

 

[bigB]

I run mine 12.

 

[lauremf2002]

O wow. hmmm, maybe I should start bumping mine up then... like + 1 hour a week? Id like to get some blue LEDs so I could have a dusk and dawn. Has anyone tried those bubble wands?

 

[Russ Braaten]

I would increase the lights faster. I would go an hour a day. As for bubble wants. They look great in saltwater tanks but they irritate the heck out of corals. I would only use them on fish only tanks.

 

[lauremf2002]

O I mean the LED bubble wands. I dont think they actually make bubbles. They are a strip of LEDs that you suction cup to your glass and I think they are submersible. Maybe they do make bubbles too, but I think you can turn that off. I would never put air bubbles in my tank. It sticks to all the rock and looks crappy.

 

[GregC]

I run mine about 10 hrs for the atenic's 8 hrs for the halides, I would stick with the 1 hr per week, if it were me, nothing good happens fast in this hobby, I always try to stay on the safer side of things.

 

[lauremf2002]

hmm.. I have no actinics, but 8 hrs sounds pretty good for my halides. I also agree with the better safe than sorry motto. Especially with one of my new corals already bleaching. I'll probably wait another week before even start bumping up the hours my lights are on. I dont want to make things even harder for the bleaching coral.

 

[Triple_B]

I run mine about 10 hrs for the atenic's 8 hrs for the halides, I would stick with the 1 hr per week, if it were me, nothing good happens fast in this hobby, I always try to stay on the safer side of things.

What Greg said! Better take it slow and easy and let everything get used to it over time instead of just throwin em the shocker out of nowhere.

I run my lights for 10 hours, I was running them for 12, but after bumping down to 10 everything seems so much happier. My tank is also near a window, so I think the sun shinin in had an effect on this... :hmm5:

 

[lauremf2002]

Well, I must be doing something right, because a rock I thought was just a coral skeleton suddenly sprouted polyps. I only bought it because it had a fuzzy green mushroom stuck to it and now it has TWO different hard corals growing on it! Yay! will let you know what it might be when it gets bigger. Maybe I can get some photos of it

 

[lauremf2002]

A little update, I went to Paul's house and got my Magnesium levels checked. They were a little low. He hooked me up and let me in on the apparently well known secret of Dow's, Baking Soda, and Epsom Salt. I feel like an idiot for wasting my money on the stuff from the lfs. Anyway, My calcium is now at 450! Yay! Thank you sooo much Paul for helping me and thank you to everyone else for answering my questions!

 

[Triple_B]

Paul is the man! Glad to here you got it all worked out. Oh and pardon my rudeness in my first post.....

WELCOME!

This us a great club with loads of great people!

 

[lauremf2002]

Just thought I would let yall know that my monti's are finally getting their color back. I seriously think I almost killed the little blue monti I got at aquariums this summer. At one point, it was completely white and wasnt even polyping out anymore. But everything is A-OK now. My levels are all great (I assume my mag is still good since I am maintaining calc at 450 and alk at about 8.5) and everyone is showing their appreciation by fully extending and getting some of their color back. Thank you all sooooooo much for saving my coral! And thank you Paul for testing my mag for me!