purple cap not doing good

[dantdodge]

Ok here it goes. I am going to give you as much info as I can. I have a 75 gal reef tank. I have a refuge underneath with macro algae. and live rock. total amount of live rock in tank = 120lbs. param is as follows
cal- 470
alk- 10
nitrate- 0
nitrite-0
phosphate- .4
ammonia- 0
specific grav- 1.024 -.026
that is the fluctuation over a month span
I have a 220 super skimmer coral life
and 2 actinic blue vho and 2 250w metal halide 20k bulb
vho are on about 8 hours halide are on for about 5 hrs night light for refuge is on 12hr
I will take some pictures of it and post, but the cap just looks like it is getting bleach spots on it and its just slowly fading to white.
I have had this happen before with a green cap about six months ago.
anything will help thanks guys. I am doing a fifteen gallon water change tonight. and will post new params. and hopefully pictures

 

[centipede]

You're probably giving the caps too much light. You have a lot of light over a 75 Gallon. Try putting them further down in the tank and away from the light (bleaching is usually a sign of too much light).
Also, your calcium is very high. Without a calcium reactor, it's near impossible to get it that high, so you might want to check your test kit.

 

[stingythingy45]

I agree on the light,but bleaching doesn't always occurs from too much light.
Also, to say that the calcium is too high and it's near impossible to get it that high without a reactor is incorrect.I dose 2 part and kalkwasser and my calcium is 500.
Anyways,your phosphates are pretty high.It shouldn'r be .4,more like .04.

 

[will16]

Agree with previous posters. If our phosphates really are .4, then you have problems. If not then I would move it into shade for a little while. Had a green cap that did the same thing. Moved him under some shade for a week and he colored back up. Then slowly moved him into more light (few days in between moves). Now I have him back in the original spot fully colored.

 

[qfrisco]

Is the bleaching starting from the edges working in? Have you checked it for monti eating nudibranchs? I had this a couple months ago - wiped out a nice red cap, a green cap, and a rare rainbow. I'm still sick about losing that rainbow.

Monti eating nudibranchs look like aphids and they will work in a line, eating the polyps as they work towards the center of the coral. If this is what you have, saltwater iodine dips kill the nudis, but not the eggs. You'll have to keep dipping every couple days or so to get the freshly hatched ones, and before they lay new eggs. They're a real pain to deal with.

 

[dantdodge]

are the animals visible to the naked eye? If so they are not visible to me and do they come out at night or any time? I am cutting of the halide on the left side of the tank for right now and see what the lighting does. I did a seventeen gallon water change and will do another tonight. I have phosphate remover in the sump. all of my lps are doing fine just for the record dont know if that is helpful info.

 

[qfrisco]

Yes, the nudis are visible to the naked eye. They are white, however, and might be hard to spot against the color of a bleached out coral. They are more active when the lights go out. You can check them out at night with a flashlight.

 

[dantdodge]

ok I will check for those at night.