New to SPS and they are turning white

[Lyscer]

I have a few questions about my SPS. I just some sps frags in my tank and I fear that I am killing them. My green slimers body has gone more of a white color than yellow(not sure what color it is suppose to be) but it still has neon green tips on the little bumps that are on the slimer.

My other ones are 2 frags of a brown montipora digita. They are turning white on the underside that isn't getting light. The side that is facing the light is still pretty brown. The tips of them have also turned white and they look very porous. What can I do to save them or make them look better? What do montipora eat? I have been feeding my fish mysis shrimp but it seems as though the coral isn't eating that.

 

[shadofax69]

Need more information like lighting, water movement, other equipment and the water parameters.

 

[Lyscer]

lighting:
(2x) 250w HQI Aquamedic Ocean light pendants with AB 13K bulbs - I'm going to be putting pheonix 14k bulbs in tonight

Mag12 for return pump in 40gal sump
(2x)Maxijet 1200s
Dual built-in overflows
3" sand bed
130lbs LR

I checked my params a little over a week ago and this is what they were:

KH: 220
PH:8.4
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
CA: 440
Magnesium: 1250
Iodate: 0
Iodite: 0

Since then I have dosed 1 time with coralvite. I will be testing my levels again this weekend because on sat I'm doing a 20% water change

 

[Lyscer]

Salinity: 1.025
Temp: 80day/76night

 

[shadofax69]

Everything looks great but I dont know about your flow. I would say you are getting about 900 at best out of your Mag 12 and then about 230 from each maxi for a total of 1360gph. I do not belive that would be enough flow to make SPS happy. They like large amounts of flow and it has to be random. I would say you should shoot for at least x20 turnover in your tank so 2400gph. I would do this be either getting a 5 more Maxi and putiting them on a wavemaker, Tunze Streams (best option) or getting 2 SEIO pumps for at least 850gph or even the 1500's.

 

[Chrisrush]

How old is your tank? Temperature could be more stable as well. More flow is needed.

Chris

 

[MCsaxmaster]

Sounds like tissue recession. Post a photo to confirm. Usually this happens as you're describing (IME) due to something chemical dissolved in the water that they are reacting to. That might be phosphate or some biochemical no one knows the identity of. If it were me I'd give them to a friend to hold who has a stable, mature tank. Alternatively, you could try to set up a little temporary tank with all newly mixed water, a powerhead, a heater and a piece of live rock. It needn't be bigger than say a ten gallon. That should (hopefully) hault the recession.

The other possibility is that you're seeing bleaching, but it doesn't sound like it from the description. Like I said, post a photo(s) for a definitive answer.

Chris

 

[Lyscer]

There is a picture of one of them and here is the other:

 

[acroconut]

What kind of lighting were these frags kept under before you got them? How high up did you place them in your tank when you got them? If you think there's any chance of having got some foreign chemicals in the water I would at least take a shot at running some good quality GAC. The left branch of the top pictured frag looks alot like tissue recession to me. I'd try a superglue bandage to hopefully stop the recession. The frag in the bottom picture looks more like it's bleaching. At least that's my opinion from what I can make out from the pics.

 

[Lyscer]

The tank that they came from had the same lights I have they just had 10k bulbs and mine are 13k. I am currently running AC as of 2 days ago. What is a superglue bandage?

 

[xtrstangx]

Get more flow.

 

[acroconut]

Superglue bandage is when you take superglue gel and spread it over the area of recession and a tiny portion of living tissue above the recession. Sometimes this will stop recession from spreading any farther up the branch. Also I agree with others that have posted....you really need to get some better flow going in the tank.

 

[Lyscer]

I have the following pumps:

(2x)Maxi Jet 1200's
(1x)Mag 9 - not being used anywhere
(1x)Mag 12 - return

what would be the best bang for my buck? Upgrade my return pump with a mag 18 or something? More powerheads?

what would be the least expensive yet correct way to do it? what about modding the maxis with propellers?

 

[Lights Are Bright]

the best would be tunzes. Its better to keep your return smaller so that the sump turnover will be less.

 

[shadofax69]

I would say your best bet if you are looking for cheap is one of the following. Get a few RIO SEIOS's since they have large amounts of flow or mod the Maxi and put them either on a wavemaker or a timer so you get random flow. The mod I am thinking of requires you to cut the nozzle off the output of the PH and then drill some holes in the bottom of the PH to allow more water to get it.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=764416

http://melevsreef.com/archives/2005_10_01_archive.html

 

[smiller]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6654796#post6654796 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Lyscer
More powerheads?

Just to give you an idea, in my 127 I have a Tunze 6100 and 8 Maxijet 1200s. Many folks have much more flow than what I have.

I can't say for sure if flow is your problem, but it's a good place to begin.

 

[smiller]

Do you have other corals that are doing well?

 

[dascharisma]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6648455#post6648455 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Lyscer
Salinity: 1.025
Temp: 80day/76night

Unless everything else is perfect, I think that is a pretty big temp swing. If you can't keep your temp down during the day with fans, then try turning up your heater to keep the tank warmer at night. If I had to pick between stability and flow, I would pick stability. That being said, you need more flow.


Brad

 

[Lyscer]

I noticed last night that there was only a 2 degree temp change. 80when I went to bed and 78 when I woke up this morning. I have a couple of zoanthids that are doing well and some mushrooms that look like they are doing good as well.

1 question is that I have 2 return pipes and on each pipe there are 2 exits making a total of 4 exits for my return line. Someone suggested that I take this down to 1 to increase the amount of flow coming out of the return, would this be beneficial? I currently am tight on budget because I'm going to buy a ASM G4 because my current skimmer sucks....

Oh and my maxis are on a timer/wavemaker they are on opposite ends of the tank and they take turns being on every 15 minutes. Should I set both of them to be on at the same time or keep it how I have it? here is a pic of the front of my tank to give an idea where they are....

Here is a page explaining my whole setup as well:

http://epudge.com/Dale/

 

[shadofax69]

I would wait on the ASM G4, they are great skimmers but I think flow should be your number 1 concern right now buy some decent powerheads or some other method to increase flow and then worry about skimming.