sps browning out and dying

ruggirello2

New member
I have acropora and milipora. They are browning out and turning white. my calcium is high and alkalinity is 8. my nitrate was around 20ppm. what could be the problem. Oh my tank has been going for one year and I have diatoms showing on the sand bed, just recently. Advice wanted, I am not to experienced with sps.
 
are they turning brown, then white? are some turning brown and some turning white?
how long have they been in the tank?
what kind of lighting do you have? and their placement to that lighting?
what is high calcium?
is your alk always at 8? does it fluctuate alot?
 
I'd put my money on the Nitrates. Although I've heard others have luck with higher numbers, IME anything over 5ppm spells trouble.
 
Do more water changes and fast. Then figure out why they are building up in the first place. make sure your fresh water is less than 1ppm tds
 
Hey divewsharks
Part of the sps is brown more on the top and the base is bright white with no polyps, just the skeleton. They have been in the tank for about 2 months. My lights are 2x250 20k ushio. They were up high now they are low. Unless I messed up with my API calcium test, it was reading like 500. I don't check my alkalinity often enough to know if it fluctuates. I need to get off my lazy but if I want to keep sps alive.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15434197#post15434197 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ruggirello2
I don't check my alkalinity often enough to know if it fluctuates. I need to get off my lazy but if I want to keep sps alive.

This right here is your issue, the corals your keeping require more attention to care than your giving at the moment.

Please read:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1179702

for basic care information :)
 
Don't mean to take over your post in any way, but I just wanted to ask a question in regards to alk. My alk is 9 dkh then goes to 9.3 dkh. Would this minor fluctuation be problematic. I try to keep it stable at 9dkh. I think I have to adjust my CA RX.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15434197#post15434197 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ruggirello2
Hey divewsharks
Part of the sps is brown more on the top and the base is bright white with no polyps, just the skeleton. They have been in the tank for about 2 months. My lights are 2x250 20k ushio. They were up high now they are low. Unless I messed up with my API calcium test, it was reading like 500. I don't check my alkalinity often enough to know if it fluctuates. I need to get off my lazy but if I want to keep sps alive.

as 29reef and acrylic already mentioned, what you are seeing is likely the result of alk swings, the key to keeping sps is water stability and alk is very, very important to keep stable (alk, ca and mg).
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15435363#post15435363 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rmosqued
Don't mean to take over your post in any way, but I just wanted to ask a question in regards to alk. My alk is 9 dkh then goes to 9.3 dkh. Would this minor fluctuation be problematic. I try to keep it stable at 9dkh. I think I have to adjust my CA RX.

IME going from 9 --> 9.3 would classify as a big enough swing to cause issues, as long as the minor fluctuation is occurring of some period of time, like over the course of a day.
how do your corals looks? they will tell you themselves if the fluctuation is something to be concerned about.
 
If your tank is healthy and fairly clean a swing of .3 will not normally hurt anything. I have raised mine over 1 dkh in a single dose in the past. Not something I would practice now but it's also not likely to kill healthy corals. Like others have said you will get your best results from keeping alk as constant as possible.
I would think nitrate or phosphate issues would be more likely to be the cause.
Your not dosing amino acids or coral food are you?
You also may want to try to raise your lights back up until things go back to normal. Does it seem this problem started the exact time you lowered your lights? My friends and I are getting better results with our lights higher than we used to run also.
 
nah, they're not dying, but they are a little less radiant then when I originally bought them. I've only had one casualty, and that's because I didn't have my protein skimmer adjusted properly. All is well, except that ALK swing.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15441311#post15441311 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ruggirello2
if my sps is white, does that mean it's dead and I should through it away
is it just a skeleton? its it growing algae?
 
Back
Top