Newbie need help!

[Kewlworm]

Ok, guys, I got the red cap last night from the auction and I position it around the middle of the tank. After about 3 hours of 175W 20k MH, I see they are turning white(breach?). I then put them on the bottom of the tank and left them there for the rest of the day (~3 more hrs).

I think it's too much light, but I thought SPS love light. Or maybe it was under PC??? HELP!!! That's my first SPS!

Thanks!
Gary

PS-I also got a frogspawn from FMAS (Thank you!) and I placed it on the bottom of my tank. Should I move it up?

 

[Sk8r]

Start with it lower and move it up a little each week. Check your alkalinity. It should be 8.3-11. That can cause some problems if it's out of line. It hasn't been in there that long, by your post, so any damage it may have taken will probably heal ok. SPS do love light, but the montipora foliosas are side-of-rock and a little lower down than most montiporas. Mine is thriving at about 20 inches down from 250 mh.
And my frog is [to my own bewilderment, go figure] ecstatic at 10 inches down, atop the whole rockwork. It's not supposed to do that.

 

[Rogger Castells]

Gary, Did you acclimated the cap in your water slowly? what did you did? this corals are tough but if your water parameters are not right they will show it very rapidely. Let me know

 

[Kewlworm]

Rogger, I let the bag float for 20 - 30 minutes, then I add 1/4 cup of water every 15 - 20 minutes. It took 3 hours total and the amount of water in the bag was about 3 times more then it was in the beginning. I then glued them on rocks and put it in the tank.

Thanks!

 

[Rogger Castells]

Sounds like you did the rigth thing, I would have skip the glue part right away until a few days that I know exactly were I wanted him and at the same time give the coral some time to get use to.
how is the color of the coral today, has it gotten it better? or is it still loosing it?

 

[Kewlworm]

I glued them on to small rocks rubble, so I can move them later on...because I still have more rocks to put in (curing right now). Should I just put it in the tank without gluing for any future corals?

They are about the same today so far. Actually, they look like losing a little, but I can't really tell. I should of taken a picture and compare them. I hope it was the light.

Thanks!

 

[Rogger Castells]

sounds like it was, if the coral was dead it would have bleach completely or even peel the skin off, if this hasn't happened leave it alone for while until you start seeing the polyps coming out, then you can position him slowly higher in the rock formation closer to the lights maybe a few inchs per week, make sure that it has sufficient flow as well

 

[Kewlworm]

I think it was. They had been on the bottom the whole day today without losing any color. I will have to adjust the powerheads so the bottom will have mid flows.

Thanks again!

 

[Ludwigia73]

Caps are very versatile. I have my dark red cap very high under mh, within 3-4 in of the surface. I used to have it down at the bottom. My cap, which has been fragged quite a bit, now resides in tanks anywhere from T-5's, PC's, and metal halides. A friend in GA has an atrium with no additional lighting inside with a saltwater coral pond with my cap in it, and it's doing great! (Growing faster than mine!)

The problem comes with acclimation. You did everything right procedurally. The unknowns at this point are:
Water chemistry, possibility that even though you acclimated slowly, the chemistry change was too much.
Lighting, probably. An SPS can go into shock going from 250w mh 10000k to 175w mh 20000k. It's the change in lighting, the zooxanthellae are used to the lighting, hence the pigments. When lighting changes drastically, sometimes their defense is to expel the symbiotic algaes in their tissue, thereby "bleaching" or losing color.

 

[Ludwigia73]

By the way, if it was my cap you purchased at the auction, let me know and I'll replace it after you get your water checked out with a clean bill of health (regardless of the cause)

 

[Kewlworm]

Thanks for the offer, Chris! The cap is doing good, I see alot polyps showing on it.

I also just got my Salifert Ca, ALK, and Mg.
Ca = 480 ppm
ALK = 7.8 - 8.0 ppm
Mg = 1410 ppm

Is my water ok?

Thanks!