What am I missing?

[lewis2325]

I have a 40 breeder that is home to mostly different types of Acros. This is a fully self contained system meaning no sump attached or water leaves the display. I do a 1g daily water change to help with nutrient export, along with a couple different macro algae.

Salinity: 1.026
PH: 8
Alk: 7
Cal: 380

My API nitrate test kit is coming up a yellow color, so not reading anything there. Picking up another test today just to make sure the one I have isn't bad.

Phosphates were not tested, need new kit.

I am using a Vortech mp40w es for flow that is running at about 75% on short pulse mode.

I have a custom built LED fixture using Bridgelux LED's. 110 total LEDs over the tank.

A lot of my acros were brown when I got them, and they are coloring up nicely to all different colors. My concern is that I don't seem to be getting good polyp extension. Most of my acros don't seem to extend all of their polyps, and the ones that they do extend only seem to be out for a couple hours each day.

The only things that I can think of causing this would be too much flow, or possibly a phosphate problem.

I do top off with RO/DI water I would be surprised at a phosphate problem.

Any ideas from anyone would be much appreciated.

 

[Bpb]

How's your feeding looking?

 

[lewis2325]

I feed Reef Frenzy frozen food daily. I also feed phyto 3 times a week.

 

[lewis2325]

No one has any ideas as to why I'm not getting extension?

 

[saltyh20]

What's your lighting schedule?

 

[lewis2325]

1 hour blues only in the morning
8 hours with the whites and blues
1 hour blues only in the evening

I was running this on a 12 hours schedule for a while, but I was having some problems with bleaching new corals so I just went down to a 10 hour schedule.

Color is better like this, but no polyps which concerns me as I want my tank and corals to be healthy.

 

[jda]

Don't sweat PE. There are far more important things to worry about.

IME, PE is more about the fish that I have in the tank and not about the coral.

 

[lewis2325]

I don't have any fish that I think would bother the polyps.

I have a pair of percula clowns, bicolor blenny, and a sleeper banded goby.

 

[classklown1990]

Is your flow one directional?

 

[lewis2325]

Is your flow one directional?

Well I have a single vortech, but it is pulsing causing a wave to push water from multiple directions.

 

[classklown1990]

Hmm. You dont have anything bothering the corals do you? Notice any pests?

 

[toothman]

Why not buy a Hanna Hi 736 ppb phosphate test kit, may not be the problem but it is good to have anyway. Only about 50 bucks, reagent 8 dollars for 25 packs.. All your parameters are correct and the vortech is fine. Api test kits for ca and kh are great. I usually keep my kh so the vial is yellow between 7 and 8 drops. You could bump ca a bit to 420. I would not worry about ph it tends to be correct if your ca and kh are correct. Why not post a picture or two.

 

[lewis2325]

I can post some pictures when I get home. At the office right now.

As far as pests go, I haven't seen anything on them. My cleaner shrimp wouldn't be bothering them would it? I have noticed it gets a lot more active after lights out, but never seen it messing with the coral, just climbs on them.

 

[classklown1990]

I dont think phospahate would cause no pe unless really high but if it was that high then the corals would be brown. I haven't heard of a cleaner bothering sps. Do they get pe at night or never?

 

[lewis2325]

I have a couple staghorn acros that never do it, but the rest do it sporadically throughout the day and night. Haven't noticed a pattern.

 

[classklown1990]

I have a couple staghorn acros that never do it, but the rest do it sporadically throughout the day and night. Haven't noticed a pattern.

Hmm thats tough. Id try dipping one and see if any pests come off. I dont mean to curse you and im sure you dont have them but aefw and red bugs will cause little or no pe. If its a small amount, they can look great otherwise. Look for any bite marks in the case of aefw.

If this ends up not being your problem (hopefully its not) maybe it could be one of your levels. Api tests are very inaccurate

 

[lewis2325]

I have searched for marks on the flesh, such as bite marks. Never did dip to see if anything came off. I don't know if I want to start pulling coral out and messing with them if there aren't any marks on them.

 

[classklown1990]

I have searched for marks on the flesh, such as bite marks. Never did dip to see if anything came off. I don't know if I want to start pulling coral out and messing with them if there aren't any marks on them.

I would suggest doing your least favorite as a test. Even if there are no bite marks, they could just not be visible. And the pest is nearly invisble when on the coral. Just a thought

 

[toothman]

Any water parameter that is off can stress acros and reduce pe. Dipping in not a crazy idea, most pests will cause a acro not to open. This is a picture this week in my tank using api kh and ca. I think may people think they are not accurate because they are inexpensive, there are more accurate test kits however it can be over kill. My tank's kh will drop from 8 to 6.5 in one day if I stop dosing. To measure it in less than a whole number is not necessary. Just keep it the the same every day if possible.
<a href="http://s382.photobucket.com/user/eralff/media/abrotonides.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/oo268/eralff/abrotonides.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo abrotonides.jpg"/></a>

 

[lewis2325]

Well, thanks for all the help guys, seems I found the issue. The very next morning after making this thread I woke up to one of my new frags being destroyed and one of my large colonies missing large areas of flesh. Seems I picked up some flat worms. I think I have the situation well under control as of now and only seem to have lost one small frag. The rest are mad but no more missing flesh through the last couple nights.