Poccilipora & Digitata not doing well.

[evolutionZ]

As above, i have quite a number different kind of sps, mainly stags, millie (most are millies), digitata, montipora, birdnest & poccilipora.

my tank's 6 months old and here are the parameters measured minutes ago :

Using salifert :
no3 : 5ppm
po4 : 0 (its white on salifert but i doubt its really 0 since i have cyano )
ca : 380
kH : 7.6 - 8.2 (pretty stable and constant, goes up to 9 every saturday because i change 10% water using RSCP salt)
mg : 1400
temp : 80.6

tank info :
48x24x14"
Masxpect Razor 160w 16k (max A:70%,B:100%) hung 17" above water level.
Deltec MCE 600 skimmer

Dosing info :
Grotech ABC
Polyplab Polyp-Booster
Fauna Marin Reef Vitality (just started recently but after pocci and digitata problem)

i used to have fluctuation of kH from 8 all the way to 10 and i was redoing my scaping a couple of times, this results in all my acropora having really bad and pale coloration. BUT my digi and pocci were all doing well.

These few months after i got my dosing pump and parameters are finally very stable. my acros color are getting better and better but my digi and pocci are not doing well.

Digitata are simply not showing much PE (alittle at most) but i can still see some growth.

while pocci are either not having PE or slowly starting to STN. i have tried moving them to lower lighting or higher lighting, lower flow or higher flow areas but they turn out same.

i also dipped them in revive for 8 minutes but i found no pest and they don't seem to recover.

i will snap some photos and post them up later.

meanwhile anyone can advice?

Thanks

 

[mark54321]

Check your potassium levels, this is from BRS:
Note: Low potassium levels have following characteristics:
Montipora stop growing, colors are dull to grey
Poccilopora and Stylopora with low potassium level look like they have been out of the water in the air, polyps are inside and color is light without depth and saturation
Blue Acropora are also washed-out
Seriatopora can show complete tissue necrosis within a few days
Turbinaria Reniformis stops growing.

 

[evolutionZ]

Thanks, just nice my blue stag are losing their color.. though birdnest is fine.. will read up and check for sure. thanks!

 

[evolutionZ]

apparently not a single lfs/online store in my country carries any potassium test kit. and i found out that my grotech ABC (A) has potassium. But im only dosing 1/2 the recommanded dosage.. i should probably raise my dosing.

 

[evolutionZ]

finally found a salifert potassium test kit. turns out to be 380-400.. seems like potassium is not the issue..

 

[markalot]

I don't know that I can help much except to say I had some kind of coral crash around the 8 month mark in my tank and never figured it out. I had all kids of theories, but nothing conclusive.

How often do you change your water?
Do you use a RO/DI filter and can you confirm 0 TDS from the output with a temperature correcting TDS meter (not inline)?

Have you double checked your salinity to make sure it hasn't changed? Have you calibrated your refractometer with 35ppt calibration fluid?

Are you using any phosphate removal media? How often do you change it? You might consider removing it to see if conditions improve.

Did you acclimate your corals to your lights? You might consider dimming them for a while, see if things improve.

If you need to make changes remember to change slowly, conditions might be bad but any rapid changes will be worse.

As a last resort if you have Seachem Prime you might try a standard dose for your tank size and see if anything changes, especially if you have > 0 TDS from your water source. This might indicate the presence of something bad if corals improve.

Too many damn options, but that's the fun of keeping SPS.

 

[evolutionZ]

I don't know that I can help much except to say I had some kind of coral crash around the 8 month mark in my tank and never figured it out. I had all kids of theories, but nothing conclusive.

How often do you change your water? 10% a week with red sea coral pro
Do you use a RO/DI filter and can you confirm 0 TDS from the output with a temperature correcting TDS meter (not inline)? i use a 4 stage (1 carbon 3 resin) DI filter and i make sure every single time its 0ppm with 2 different temperature correcting TDS meter.

Have you double checked your salinity to make sure it hasn't changed? Have you calibrated your refractometer with 35ppt calibration fluid? Yes i did check and calibrate it frequently. its 35ppm for sure.

Are you using any phosphate removal media? How often do you change it? You might consider removing it to see if conditions improve.i do use rowaphos in a reactor. i change it once every 2 months.. worry my po4 (now 0.03 from salifert) may creep up if i remove

Did you acclimate your corals to your lights? You might consider dimming them for a while, see if things improve. my lighting levels has been the same even when the poccis/digi are doing well. i tried shifting them to different area with different light and wave levels but nothing improved

If you need to make changes remember to change slowly, conditions might be bad but any rapid changes will be worse.

As a last resort if you have Seachem Prime you might try a standard dose for your tank size and see if anything changes, especially if you have > 0 TDS from your water source. This might indicate the presence of something bad if corals improve.

Too many damn options, but that's the fun of keeping SPS.

Thanks for your advice bro!

 

[markalot]

Thanks for your advice bro!

No problem. I might still try the Prime just to see what happens. All kinds of nightmare stories about water companies changing water additives and it somehow creeping into the tank. My tanks are pretty crappy and I only have a little less than 2 years experience with reefing now, but pocillapora and digitatas are two of the corals that have never given me any grief. Just odd, and maybe an indicator of something bad building up.

Do you run any carbon? Maybe try a small amount, nothing big to shock anything, and look for improvements?

Oh, and of course Polyfilter (color indicating media for contaminants) is always a good idea of all else fails.

 

[evolutionZ]

Some updates :


This is a pocci when it just started to decline.. PE still fairly good



After a couple of weeks, it's PE are almost gone and the skeleton are white. After dosing potassium (increasing levels from 380 to 400) i can see a slight improvement..

this is how it looks like today


the skeleton seems to be growing new skins again.

 

[mark54321]

Looks good!

 

[franklypre]

Is it possible that nem might be stinging it?

 

[Allmost]

feed more. those corals mentioned both benefit from particle feeding. [not liquid]

if you are sure K+ is fine, that is.

 

[evolutionZ]

Looks good!

Thanks!

Is it possible that nem might be stinging it?

the nem cant reach it, infact this pocci started declining when it was at another area of the tank.

feed more. those corals mentioned both benefit from particle feeding. [not liquid]

if you are sure K+ is fine, that is.

Thanks, i feed daily. alternating reef roids and Dr G's Clam max.