What could be happening with my Bonsai?

[allabarton]

I have 180 g + sump tank been running for 8 months.

Salinity 1.025
Alk 8-8.2 dKH (Hanna checker and Red Sea)
Ca 420-460 (Hanna and Red Sea)
Mg 1250
Ph 8.15 before lights and 8.4 after
Nitrate 0-0.25 (Red Sea)
Phosphate 0.05 (Hanna)

There are a lot of things being going on in my tank in the past 3 months. However before I list them I wonder if anyone from your experience could tell by the pictures what could be happening to my coral?

It is slowly losing color and started to lose tissues just on the tips. The base is incrusting pretty fast.

I run GAG 1 cup and GFO HC 1/2 changed every 3 weeks.

Thank you.

 

[Duc1098]

Have you by chance had a drastic alk swing?

 

[KChan]

The burnt tips could be caused by too much GFO.

 

[trueblackpercula]

This is the only sps affected? What fish do you have? Everything else as far as water quality goes looks great. Also gfo touch to fast is also no good

 

[allabarton]

My Alk goes from 8.2 to 7.7 sometimes over a few days and back again to 8.2-8.3.

Middle of January I added 1.5 cup of BRS GFO HC (I've been running GFO since the beginning just with much less dose.) I did lost mini colonies and frags to STN/RTN I turned GFO reactor off. Some corals were doing still ok including Bonsai.

A week ago I put GFO reactor back online with 1/2 cup (HC) since my Phosphate went up to 0.16 ppm (Hanna checker). My corals were starving so I started to dose Amino Acids and feed Oyster Feast every day.

 

[allabarton]

I have 2 clowns, 1 Anthia, 1 Yellow Tang, 1 Whitecheek/Goldrimmed Tang, 1 Blue Throat Trigger and 1 Bellus Angelfish.

My Green with purple tips Hammer now has white tips.

 

[biggles]

Were your corals looking ok despite the higher phos reading. In particular was that small colony doing ok until you put the reactor back online. If so i would suggest taking it off again until this gets figured out. Lower your feeding a bit and monitor your phos levels as it might have been wiser to try balancing your feed levels to find a 'sweet spot' . Just a few suggestions to think about. Good luck

 

[trueblackpercula]

I have 2 clowns, 1 Anthia, 1 Yellow Tang, 1 Whitecheek/Goldrimmed Tang, 1 Blue Throat Trigger and 1 Bellus Angelfish.

My Green with purple tips Hammer now has white tips.

Blue throat trigger = clownfish = expensive lunch also read below,
overview
The Blue Throat Triggerfish, also known as Bluechin Triggerfish, or Gilded Triggerfish, is grayish-brown, covered with light-blue spots. The fins are edged in yellow. The male of the species has a darker blue area on the cheeks, hence the name Bluechin or Blue Throat.
A 125 gallon or larger aquarium with rocks and caves provides a good environment. The Blue Throat will rearrange the landscaping and rocks. It is said to "talk," which is actually a grunting sound.

The Blue Throat Triggerfish needs a varied diet of meaty foods including; squid, krill, clams, small fish and hard shelled shrimp to help wear down their ever growing teeth.

Approximate Purchase Size: Female: Small 1" - 2" Medium 2" to 3" Large 3" - 4"; Male Medium: 2-1/2" to 4-1/2"; Large: 4-1/2" to 6"

I am not saying this is the cause but it will be a problem down the road for sure. I think I would lay off the over feeding of the tank,change some water and stop GFO and see what happens.

 

[potterjon]

I don't see any burnt tips at all in the photo? I also don't understand how your alk can go up if you aren't dosing for it or doing water changes. 8.2-7.7 is absolutely nothing to be concerned about in my opinion. When I was dosing manually I would easily lose 2 dkh per day.

 

[Chrisrush]

I hate to say it but check for AEFWs. The underside of the front left portion of the coral looks like bite marks

 

[allabarton]

Were your corals looking ok despite the higher phos reading. In particular was that small colony doing ok until you put the reactor back online. If so i would suggest taking it off again until this gets figured out. Lower your feeding a bit and monitor your phos levels as it might have been wiser to try balancing your feed levels to find a 'sweet spot' . Just a few suggestions to think about. Good luck

With higher phosphate Bonsai started to turn in more pale. That is why I turned GFO reactor back on. And than I saw tissue was peeling off of its tips. The only thing I could say I had GFO running with even bigger dosage in the past and Bonsai was doing well. With one difference: I was feeding fish frozen 2-3 times and I had Cyano and phosphate stayed 0.02-0.03 with Hanna.

I took GFO of offline again. Stopped feeding Oyster Feast and stopped dosing Amino Acids. In stead I just feed my fish well. Rods, Mysis, Cyclop-eeze. As you can see I have only 7 fish in 180g + 30g sump.

Thank you for your suggestions.

 

[allabarton]

The Blue Throat Triggerfish needs a varied diet of meaty foods including; squid, krill, clams, small fish and hard shelled shrimp to help wear down their ever growing teeth.

I am not saying this is the cause but it will be a problem down the road for sure. I think I would lay off the over feeding of the tank,change some water and stop GFO and see what happens.

The Trigger did ate my Cleaner shrimp that was a good size. But I love him anyway. He is my favorite. My Nemos are huge. Hopefully he will not eat them. But thanks for mentioning it: I was just about to buy 3-4 1" Premium Picasso clowns. I'll have to pass on that.

 

[allabarton]

I don't see any burnt tips at all in the photo? I also don't understand how your alk can go up if you aren't dosing for it or doing water changes. 8.2-7.7 is absolutely nothing to be concerned about in my opinion. When I was dosing manually I would easily lose 2 dkh per day.

It is hard to say from the picture, but it does loses tissue just on the tips.

Also I do 10% weekly WC (never missed once) and add in freshly mix Alk, Ca and Mg supplements when needed.

I dose Kalkwasser 1.5 tsp/g with my ATO with Optical Level sensor controlled by GHL Profilux 3 controller.

 

[allabarton]

I hate to say it but check for AEFWs. The underside of the front left portion of the coral looks like bite marks

The discolored strokes do look like bites. Could AEFW cause tissue lost just on the tips?

I bought it from Cherry Corals. They dip their corals. I kept it in QT with interceptor for 24 hours. I dipped it in Revive.

I have a magnifying lenses attached to glass. I am trying to see anything that looks like bugs or worms. Day time, night time with the flash light. I cannot see anything.

 

[allabarton]

Another thought: 2.5 months ago I installed TIR lenses (supposed to increase intensity by 25%). So I was running Radions with TIR at about 35% whole intensity for 2 months. And over the last 2.5 weeks I increased it to 45-50% whole intensity. Probably to fast since the lights were way to dim. Now it could explain why my Northern Lights Granulosa did the best. It likes low light. And now it's tips got pale bluish white.

 

[MarinaP]

My powder blue tang started biting acros' tips off... I would watch those tangs, damage in your pics looks very similar to what I am seeing in my tank right now. He is well fed and has been in the tank for 10 years. One day he woke up with new taste for acros

 

[KChan]

You should probably increase the intensity more gradually.

 

[allabarton]

Today I took a good look at Bansai. The tissue is not peeling off. It looks like someone used a tiny brash with Bleach to make strokes. The whole base looks really good with great PE.

Another thought:
The water parameters've stable and Bansai been growing and encrusting. Is it possible since I've been running GFO, have only few fish and have not fed enough the coral does not get enough Nutriens or/and enough light for the tissue to cover a growing skeleton?

 

[allabarton]

My powder blue tang started biting acros' tips off... I would watch those tangs, damage in your pics looks very similar to what I am seeing in my tank right now. He is well fed and has been in the tank for 10 years. One day he woke up with new taste for acros

Thank you, Marina. I'll keep an eye on my tangs and my Bellus Angelfish.

Alla

 

[allabarton]

You should probably increase the intensity more gradually.

Yes. I went back to lower intensity. Not going to rush now. Thanks.