Some SPS good some not

[Scubajoe1]

So I am trying to figure out why some of my SPS look great(at least look fine to me with polyp extension etc) and a couple do not.

A little bit on my tank and parameters....180 gallon and 60 gallon sump. Parameters are and have been very steady....Nitrates 1-2 ppm, Ca about 440 ppm, Mg 1350, phosphates about 0.03-0.05 ppm using hanna phosphorus ultra low checker.

I have a few questions I suppose....is some light green algae common on rocks or am I feeding my tank to the point where the phosphates are being consumes to create the growth? I did not think it was a big deal as I have some tangs that like to graze and it's only on rocks that don't yet have coraline algae growing. See below.
not bad

not bad

Algae

I also get a light dusting of brown algae I suppose diatoms on the san bed....not bad but also not pristine white.

Also I mentioned a couple SPS are not looking great and I do see a little algae growth on the tips and one has a lot of growth....see pics below.


here a little growth on one tip

Here a lot of growth of algae.

So any advice? Should I stop feeding like oyster feast and things like that all together and look to get phosphates even lower than 0.03 ppm?

My glass gets a light dusting on it after about 10 days or so but I did not think that was bad.

Any comments or suggestions are welcome please.

Thanks

 

[natas]

How old is the tank? I see your sandbed has something on it. From looking at the pic at first glance it looks like diatoms....but I have seen dino look like that at the early stages.

Also what is your ALK at? Is it very stable?

 

[chueu]

Need an alk reading

 

[pstank1]

Picture #5 is showing quite a bit of skeleton at the base as well as some burnt tips. Did you recently have an alk spike? How old is the tank and what other fish are in it besides the tangs? How long have you had sps in the tank?

 

[Scubajoe1]

Alk is 9.0

Pic 5 has new growth at the tips...don't think it's burnt tips but that is a fairly new frag. tank is about 9 months old...no alk spike I use a GHL doser and measure a few times a week. Most of the SPS in the tank is 5 months old. Fish include hippo tang, long nose hawk, bicolor blenny, three clowns, spotted mandarin, sand sifting goby, a fox face, a naso tang ,two anthias and one brown clean up crew tang...cant think of his name now.

 

[Scubajoe1]

Also the frag in picture 5 was completely white when I got it....base and all with brown polyps. It has become a little darker since MACNA at the beginning of the month so about a month in my tank now.

Joe

 

[Scubajoe1]

Ah yes Scopus tang....just under the buzzard!

 

[dh350twin]

Honestly I think your good to go. Nature of the beast if you have more doing good then bad your fine imo.

 

[pstank1]

Alk is 9.0

Pic 5 has new growth at the tips...don't think it's burnt tips but that is a fairly new frag. tank is about 9 months old...no alk spike I use a GHL doser and measure a few times a week. Most of the SPS in the tank is 5 months old. Fish include hippo tang, long nose hawk, bicolor blenny, three clowns, spotted mandarin, sand sifting goby, a fox face, a naso tang ,two anthias and one brown clean up crew tang...cant think of his name now.

Algae won't grow over living tissue (well, at least not that type of algae). That coral has algae growing on one tip and looks like at least one other tip is going to be growing algae shortly. It could just be the pictures, but that's how it looks to me.

 

[Scubajoe1]

Algae won't grow over living tissue (well, at least not that type of algae). That coral has algae growing on one tip and looks like at least one other tip is going to be growing algae shortly. It could just be the pictures, but that's how it looks to me.

Yes you are correct on both accounts. I talked to the folks at vivid aquariums and they said that the tip might have been damaged. This is a relatively new frag and it was in a bag for several hours until I got home from MACNA so very possible it got knocked around in the bag. I will sue the tip off and let it grow over.

 

[pstank1]

Ah, that makes sense. Rubbing against a bag can cause that. It's possible some of the tips got banged up on the other coral that's having an issue as well. If that's the case, then just keep doing what you're doing. You don't seem to be having any major algae issues and the colors look decent for the most part. Slow and steady wins the race.

 

[DesertReefT4r]

First off any changes you make need to slow nithing good happens fast in a reef tank. Make sure your alk is rock stable dont chance number so much as stability. Get your no3 undetectable and your po4 is not bad at all so just keep it low. Having a large good quality skimmer helps a ton with no3 and po4. Keep an eye out for pests lime aefw and red bugs or fish that may be picking at your sps. Once the tank is good and stable it just takes some ti e for the sps to come back. And again stability stability stability.