What is wrong with my LPS?

[ClubReef]

I'm currently having problems keeping the colors on my LPS corals. I currently have 2 fungia, few zoanthids and 2 ricordia but the majority of my tank is SPS Acro (~90%). My SPS frags are growing and coloring up nicely but most of my zoanthids have bleached slightly and they aren't fully extended out, my fungias are fading fast and my ricordias have faded as well.

these are my parameters
90 gal tank -30 gal sump
Salinity: 1.024
Temp: 80-82f
Nitrate: non detectable
PO4: 0.01ppm
Mag:1260ppm
Cal: 420ppm
Alk: 8-10 dkh
(salifert tests)

Lights:
actinitcs on 12hr/day
250watt MH XM 8hr/day

Flow 25X

I feed every second day with mysis/flakes
I dose Kents concentrated Phyto and Zoo planton every second day

Can someone explain why my LPS is not doing well? what am i doing wrong? Too much light? too much flow? need to spot feed? not enough nutrient?

I love LPS but they just fade for me.

 

[duec22]

My first guess would be too much light. Try getting them into some shaded regoins if you can.

 

[spidey07]

actually my first guess would be not enough light.

go figure.

Is the flow knocking them around a bunch and not letting the polyps fully expand?

Don't know about the zoos fading/bleaching.

You could always try moving the corals to a different spot depending on the light/flow you want.

 

[duec22]

I'm guessing that they are getting too much light because when I upgraded from PC to T-5 and then again when I added more T-5 I had simmilar problems with some of my LPS. I had a orange rics that sort of bleached out..then once I got them acclimated they turned pink/red.. Most of my chalices had really lost a lot of color, exept for where they are shaded.. Just my experiences though, as many things can give these simptoms.

 

[ClubReef]

After the bleaching event, I tried moving my fungias to an area with less light and flow. They are still contracted..been there for 2 days now. I hope they return to full health soon.

 

[duec22]

Have you started doing anything new to the tank befor the event started? New lights, new supliments or anything?

 

[stevedola]

sometimes it can be tough when corals start to stress, when you more them you stress them even more. IMO I think you did the right thing in moving the lps to a less light/flow intense area. Most LPS like low flow...Im not exactly positive why but it must have something to do with their fleshy large polyps.Ive had the problem you had with LPS before and after some time (could take awhile) they start to become accustom to their surroundings.

As for the zoas, Ive seen zoas blasted with light from 400w bulbs that are wide open and extremely healthy. Now do I think that is the ideal scenerio? no, but 250w on a 90 isnt over kill unless you recently upgraded from a different light source or added extra lighting which would shock the coral at first. Try doing a water change to replace lost nutrients and decrease toxins and wastes in the water column. That would help all inhabitants-

One thing I was curious about was your Alk reading, you say it shift from 8dhk to 10 dhk?!? that is not good. I dont know if you were just making up those test results or couldnt remember how many drops you added but an accurate ALK reading is a must because if in fact you do have a daily swing of 2 Dhk then thats your problem right there. Consistant levels are a must.

One more thing is target feed. you really should with LPS and in imo most corals. I like to use a turkey baster and cover the 'fading' corals with a plastic container to make sure that fish dont steal the mysis. Have some imagination when it comes to feeding...raw fish,shrimp,scallops,clams,mussels,crab,ect...are excellent sources of protein for corals as well as fish. Those are nice because you can cut them up into tiny bits and feeze what ever you dont use.

 

[ClubReef]

all - Thanks for your reply

I'll give the manual feeding a try...seems like a lot of work because my light fixture is very heavy and I have to move it everytime I need to get into the tank.

The 8-10 dkh is my average reading..i usually do a reading once a week and if it's below I bump it up to 10dkh. It's hard to maintain it at a constant rate because I dose 2 parts and my SPS suck up the carbonates.

hopefully the reduction in light intenstity and slower flow will help recover my corals.

 

[stevedola]

Do you know if your PH value fluctuates? That can effect corals-a reverse lighted fuge would help.

If you dose 2 part and find that you levels are reducing over the course of a week then its probably that you are not dosing enough additives. Do the calculations and figure out what your ammount should be and if thats not working then try adding just a bit more each time. Mainly SPS systems have a larger demand on the system.

Ill give you a piece of advice- get a kalk reactor and autotop off unit. I know that the cost is up there but after you experience the difference you will be kicking yourself for not doing it sooner. Check your EBAY and local reef clubs for people breaking down systems to get a deal. I understand most people dont have the resources to drop a couple hundred on a system but the time it saves you and the better reefing results are well worth it.