ORA Birds of Paradise coral bleaching? HELP

[Villa687]

Good day everyone. Had a question maybe someone can assist me in identifying the problem.
All my water parameters are within range.
Ca: 420-450
Alk: 8.5- 9.5
Mg: 1350
Ph. 8.1- 8.2
Po4: 0.00 hanna ulr
Placement: mid tank good flow
lighting: AI Prime HD 11 hours a day not maxed out blues and Uv 100 white 50.
Coral for some time has lost the color on the branches facing the light. The back right of the corals polyps are fully extended that recieve shadowy light. Last night I noticed the bottom of the coral bleaching. Can anyone help me ID probable source of bleaching. I dipped in bayer and hydrogen peroxide bath when brought into tank 3 months ago. Picture on the sand bed is when i first introduced to tank. Since then its lost its greens

 

[JohnL]

It looks like tissue is receding at the base. Your observation with regard to lighting seems logical. It's tough when this happens. Some will suggest fraging healthy branches.

 

[Villa687]

Update. Fragged a couple of pieces that were healthy and they are growing. The birds nest died. My forest fire Monti is suffering from the same issue. I bought chemiclean and started dosing. It could be a bacterial issue or lack of phosphates and nitrates. Seems to be doing better. Water is too clean. Did research and could be white plague? Or nitrates and phosphates.

 

[JohnL]

Fragged a couple of pieces that were healthy and they are growing.

That's awesome. I'm sorry you're having trouble with your sps. I've been having trouble too

 

[Lemonade2reef]

Looks like its getting fried from those last pics. Low nutrients, your KH is too high for those levels. Hot spot from the LED also could be culprit, 11hrs is a pretty long photoperiod if its getting hit with intense light. You're likely having a mixture of these issues causing the STN. Tackle them one by one. Lower alk and increase feedings. If that doesn't help lower light intensity for a few weeks or move to a less lit portion of the tank

 

[Villa687]

It's weird because it's bleaching from the bottom up. Same with the montipora digitata. I put some chemiclean and it looks like the digi is recovering. Digi was super healthy, crazy colors, growing fast, then boom. It is also placed lower than the birds of paradise. I'm increasing feedings and doing chemiclean. Seems to be doing better. May be bacterial since it's started from the bottom up.

 

[JohnL]

How is water flow at the base?

 

[Timfish]

FYI, research done at Southampton University has found keeping PO4 below .03 can have delitrious effects on coral photobiology. I'd suggest keeping PO4 between .03 mg/l and .5 mg/l.

If you're carbon dosing I'd stop. Beside the multiple different issues it can cause in reef systems, your description of tissue loss is very similar to what's described in Kuntz, et al, experiments with labile DOC, aka carbon dosing. I also would be hesitant to use chemiclean as some cyanobacteria are important simbionts of corals (1) (2).

 

[JohnL]

FYI, research done at Southampton University has found keeping PO4 below .03 can have delitrious effects on coral photobiology. I'd suggest keeping PO4 between .03 mg/l and .5 mg/l.

If you're carbon dosing I'd stop. Beside the multiple different issues it can cause in reef systems, your description of tissue loss is very similar to what's described in Kuntz, et al, experiments with labile DOC, aka carbon dosing. I also would be hesitant to use chemiclean as some cyanobacteria are important simbionts of corals (1) (2).

Thanks Tim.

 

[Villa687]

How is water flow at the base?

Pretty good. All the polyps were moving from the base to the tips. Have a mp10 in a 20g red sea nano. Good flow not crazy. Maybe what time says. My tank is too clean. I'm not dosing carbon but running rox carbon.

 

[JohnL]

Have a mp10 in a 20g

Cool. I just upgraded to mp10s in my 20 gallon. I run them at 75% reef crest mode anti-sync. I like them a lot. How are you running yours? Do you like it?

 

[Villa687]

I am running 1 at 30% Reef crest throughout the day 20-30% since it's a cube nano. I love it is amazing

 

[JohnL]

Did you share a full tank photo? I'd like to see a fellow nano tank. @MtnDewMan is also running the same tank as you. My build thread is linked in my signature.

 

[Villa687]

On the floor are the new additions from. REEFAPALOOZA ORLANDO

 

[JohnL]

On the floor are the new additions from. REEFAPALOOZA ORLANDO

Very nice. Good luck with them.

 

[Villa687]

Very nice. Good luck with them.

I was reading your post John. Looks like the same thing happened. Dinos and some brown stringy film started growing. I did 2 massive water changes. 5 gallons and another in 48 hours. Started feeding pellets to raise nitrates and phosphates. Looks like my digi is recovering the skin. Tim was right.

 

[JohnL]

Tim was right.

He always is @Timfish

I'm glad your digi is recovering.

 

[Villa687]

How are your acros?

 

[JohnL]

How are your acros?

The new frags from last weekend seem ok so far

 

[Timfish]

. . . Tim was right.

He always is @Timfish . . .

Thankfully my cats can't post. Thank you!