Sps going down hill- Zero answers : /

[LifeAquatic]

Its weird that the algee is growing over live tissue. Do you have sufficient flow? Maybe the powerheads are slowing down. Its common to see algee growing on dead spots of SPS. If you have live tissue under the algee that is strange. Algee blooms are stresfull. I have zero nitrates and zero phospahtes. At one point my tank was so nutrient poor my SPS started to loose color. I had to double my feeding and buy 2 large fish. I run a huge gob of cheato and 3g skimmer. Sometimes I dont need the skimmer for days. Anyway, I sitll get an algee bloom here and there, even with zero nitrates and phosphates. I have read that raising the mag to 1500 will help kill certain algee blooms. Any magnesium supplement is fine but I would reccomend BRS mag. You can buy a small bottle of Tech M mag for $20 at the store or get 7 pounds of mag powder from BRS for the same price. Mag sulfate and mag chloride is what you need from BRS. Mixed at a regular ratio.

 

[john90009]

Ok so far over the past days i have brought the magnesium up from 1140 to today which is at 1200. im guessing the low magnesium was showing in my chalices not having strong colors and my 2 tiny trumpet heads not filling up with water?

 

[vegaskid11]

I would clip the tips of your sps that have necrosis and algae forming. When the lead polyp on acropora dies the branch will go into like hibernation mode or something. If you clip the tip even just a 1/4" you will get a growth spurt with multiple new tip from that spot.

Its much easier for acropora to regrow a new tip then to try and encrust its own dead skeleton.

 

[LifeAquatic]

I was re thinking about your problem. You most likely have algee from overdosing your zeo products. Start by less dosing, get your mag stable and you should be ok.

 

[LifeAquatic]

1200 mag is pretty low in my opinion. I would shoot for a range of 1300-1350. Its going to take a lot of mag to raise it. Thats why I suggested bulk reef supply.

 

[shenyong]

I'm having the same acxact problem as you do. Some of my acroporas keep having burning tips even I cut off the burning part. But some of them are growing nicely.

 

[john90009]

im not using any zeo products- system is pritty basic just fish food goes in the water. I get alof of magnesium stuff of brightwells for fairly cheap so im going to go with this cause of its reviews- and i would find a way to mess up bulk reef supplies. Shen you better knock on wood lol- i had one colony that wasn't affected and is started to show weakening tips skin on the tips. I clipped tips on my shades of fall some re-grew over some haven't so far- i did the same on my crayola and it doesn't seem to recover at all- weird because when i first acquired the coral was in super bad shape a giant colony with only a few polpys the thing grew like a champ and re healed over dead tips.

 

[Fragmented 99]

Check specific gravity, I had random RTN /brown algae when realized I was at 1.031

 

[LifeAquatic]

LOL, sorry about the zeo comment. Im getting my threads crossed. = )

 

[john90009]

lol- i have a tds of 005 on my ro- im not to sure if it would be smart to do a water change? all new filters and ri resin will be coming in before friday.

 

[marmanning]

What brand of bulbs are you using? I had the same issue with my sps and I have to tell you....my husband got sunburn by the lighting. He was doing some maintenance and withing 20 minutes he started feeling his arm hot and his eyes were watery. Before the day was over he complain about his arm hurting (like a sunburn); the next day, I checked his arm---sunburn--pretty bad....we're very shocked. We've been in this hobby for over 5 yrs. and never have experience something like this before. What really makes me wonder, hobbyists in our community have been running the same brand of bulbs and as we did and lately they replaced them with new ones and are having the same issues we did....burned tips on sps

 

[john90009]

im using 54 watt t-5 ati and kz bulb.

 

[Randy1]

Most everyone problems comes form general maintenance. Alk calk and lighting and temp. If you let it swing too much you maybe done. If it was only alittle it may recover in 6 months to a year. Sps are touchy!

 

[john90009]

i know it wa the alk that swing caused it im just wondering why healthy corals that were growing during the swing- are now looking bad. my pink lemonade isnt affected at all and growing- yet my shades of fall that had dead tips have regrown over the piece i have cut. But some of the stags seem to not die but not recover they just let the brown algea grow on it also the crayola doesnt seem to recover which i know that one recovered from this before- so im starting to think something else isnt right,

 

[marmanning]

Have you check your phosphate levels....if any? Some sps are more sensitive to high levels of phosphates than others.....this is just from observation and keeping track on our tank.