Shrinking Colt Coral?!?!

[GreyG35]

My colt coral is shrinking for no apparent reason. It had been growing quickly for 3-4 months, and had grown onto a large piece of LR near where it had been anchored.

About a month ago, it unattached itself from the LR, and "jumped" down to the sand bed (which is where I left it) -- it's probably about 1/3 the size it had gotten to.

Water parameters are stable:
Temp 80F
0 Ammonia, Nitrite
<10 ppm Nitrate
Very low Phosphate
SG 1.024
CA 400+ ppm
PH 8.2
Alk is in the lower middle area of the Red Sea test kit (in the yellowish-green "acceptable" area), and should probably be higher

The colt had been about 8-10 inches from a torch coral frag (which is growing nicely), so I was concerned that the torch may have been attacking the colt. The colt doesn't seem to be growing now that it has moved further away from the torch, though.

Any ideas??

Thank you!

 

[Dubbin1]

What kind of lighting are you using and where was it placed in the tank?

 

[GreyG35]

Lighting is a Current USA PC 260 watt actinic / daylight (65x4). The colt was a little higher than half way up in the tank (now at the bottom).

I also forgot to mention that I have been transitioning my salt mix from Oceanic (CA too high @ 600+ppm, Alk too low) to Crystal Sea Marine Mix at the recommendation of my LFS (who sells both). This would fit in with the timing of the colt shrinkage -- the colt was growing great in the Oceanic water.

Regards,

 

[Dubbin1]

Well if this truly does fit in the time frame of the salt changeover then that would be something to look into a little more. I really don't know what to tell you from here so lets hope someone else jumps in here with some advice.

 

[GreyG35]

Update: Moved the colt much higher in the tank in an area with more flow, plus have been increasing the ALK -- the colt seems to be looking better (not droopy like before). I have a feeling it was the lowish ALK -- I need to get a better ALK test kit, because I can't tell what's going on with the Red Sea kit.

Is the Salifert ALK kit the best choice? It seems to have a much better resolution and actually provides a number (I really dislike the high, medium, low of the Red Sea).

Thanks!

 

[doody]

Well for the last couple of weeks my colt's been looking like crap. It's doing the shrinking thing to, but still attatched to it's rock. Today I tested everything and the only parameter off was the ALK. It's low just like yours. I never tested for ALK before and know nothing about it. So I'll do some research on it tonight, but how'd you get yours up? Also, can someone verify that this is our prob.

 

[GreyG35]

I had talked to a guy at a LFS, and he thought the colt shrinking could be an Alkalinity issue, too.

My understanding is that fish don't care about Alk and Calcium levels (other than Alk to maintain PH), but most corals are dependant on them being correct to grow (corals use them to build skeletons, etc).

As far as fixing the Alk issue, you also need to be testing and fixing any calcium problems -- you need to get them balanced (they are related to each other).

Here's the best (and most understandable) article on Alk and Calcium I have seen: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm

Personally, my calcium was too high for awhile (turned out to be due to my salt mix, which I changed), so I was using a powdered alkanity buffer (and water changes) to increase the Alk, but not touch the calcium. Once the calcium got under control, I started dosing B-Ionic daily (this is a 2 part alk / calcium supplement).

Hope this helps.

 

[doody]

Thanks for the link. My CA is 460. I've read that 400-480 was fine. If that is the case then I need to do like you and use a alk buffer (and water changes) to increase the Alk, but not touch the calcium. Right?
Maybe I should read the artical 1st.

 

[GreyG35]

Definitely read the article.

I think if your CA is normal, you probably should use a balanced additive like B-Ionic.

If you try to raise the Alk without adding CA, your CA can drop very quickly and end up worse off than you were (they are sort of inversely proportional, I guess). My CA was 600+ ppm off the charts, which is why I had to wait for it to come down.

That article tells you what will work for most situations / combinations of problems.

Regards,

 

[doody]

Seems that I just need to add alk for a while and that I can use baking soda. However it does'nt say how. Im sure I don't just add it to the tank. Do I drip it or add it to my top off water or something?

 

[GreyG35]

I was using Seachem Reefbuilder Alkalinity Buffer -- you add the powder to the makeup water, let it dissolve, then add it to the tank (or sump) just like regular makeup water.

Regards,

 

[GreyG35]

Quick update: Finally got my Alk and CA where they belong -- Alk= 3.2 Meq/L and CA=400 ppm -- now the colt is looking much better (growing), plus my Xenia has started to grow like crazy.

Dosing with equal parts of B-ionic seems to be holding the Alk and CA steady.

How did things go with you, doody?

 

[xcreonx]

My colts were doing a similar thing, and my ALK was very low too. My kalk reactor broke and I was unable to keep up manually with the demands. I raised my ALK by slowly dripping baking soda dissolved in water for two days. went right back up.

 

[bllfish]

What test kit are you using for alk?

 

[kevensquint]

Ditch the RedSea ALK test kit and get one that tells you numbers. ALK is too important to just have a ruff idea of where its at. I keep mine between 8.5 DKH and 9.5 DKH and my Colts and the rest of the gang are really nice. P.S, my test kit cost me $7 and over 2 years it must be acurate since I never had any coral problems.

 

[bllfish]

Which test kit? Brand?

 

[kevensquint]

KH test carbonate hardness by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals. Don't be fooled by the cheapness or the crappy brand name, it gave me the same test results as my buddy's more expensive salifert Alk test. Its so quick and easy, you start off with a blue solution and you add drops of another until it turns green then one more drop its yellow. The number of drops to turn from blue to yellow is the ALK in DKH. 8 drops=8 DKH ( I see the green as .5 DKH)

 

[bllfish]

Thanks kevensquint - good to know there is one that takes the guesswork out of the test!

 

[doody]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6597477#post6597477 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GreyG35
Quick update: Finally got my Alk and CA where they belong -- Alk= 3.2 Meq/L and CA=400 ppm -- now the colt is looking much better (growing), plus my Xenia has started to grow like crazy.

Dosing with equal parts of B-ionic seems to be holding the Alk and CA steady.

How did things go with you, doody?

Allmost got it back to par. However it was to late for my frog. I'm trying to learn about doseing with picklng lime to keep it balanced when I'm ready. Any tips?

 

[GreyG35]

My LFS guy gave me a spare Red Sea card with numbers from the old version of the kit. I don't know why they took them off. Now it all makes more sense, because I can tell how much more Alk to add. I was going to get a Salifert kit, but I think I'm okay with the Red Sea for now.