When some montis look like this...

[aqua80]

does it tell you something ?

Nodosa





another encrusting




Theses 2 pieces and 1 other encrusting montis have been struggling like that for the past couples of months...
Other montis are doing good (digitata, capricornis, danae, setosa) but nothing outstanding growth or color wise..
acros, birdnest are doing good too...

ideas ?

 

[auburnreefer110]

Move them higher up in the tank

 

[aqua80]

Move them higher up in the tank

thx for the reply
they are receiving about 120-150 PAR from MH/T5 were they are now.
I thought lower light to help them recover ?

 

[ssscuz]

I agree, give them more light. Looks like they are dull from a low light area. Some montis like high light, I find tri colours, superman, reds need high light

 

[biggles]

If those have that pale wishy washy almost powdery look to the base tissue rather than deep saturation i'd be inclined to think something was off with your water possibly that montis require. I only say this because you have so many different ones looking off it's highly unlikely all of them are lacking light. I can't keep any of my monti's happy even though all the acros are good, different lighting levels hasn't made a difference for me so i'm guessing my no water change routine is causing trace elements to be missing that monti's need. Good luck getting them to brighten back up, i'll be following along to see the results of whatever you try mate.

 

[GroktheCube]

I have odd issues here and there with my Montis too. My spongodes look pretty good, but doesn't grow well. My mollis grows like a weed, but it is very faded in the middle, and has almost no PE. My other Montis, and all my other SPS in general for that matter, look pretty good.

 

[aqua80]

If those have that pale wishy washy almost powdery look to the base tissue rather than deep saturation i'd be inclined to think something was off with your water possibly that montis require. I only say this because you have so many different ones looking off it's highly unlikely all of them are lacking light. I can't keep any of my monti's happy even though all the acros are good, different lighting levels hasn't made a difference for me so i'm guessing my no water change routine is causing trace elements to be missing that monti's need. Good luck getting them to brighten back up, i'll be following along to see the results of whatever you try mate.

water issue was what I was thinking too... either something too much or something too litlle !
what's weird also is that for the nodosa, the best looking parts (with some almost natural looking tissue) are on the edge, where there is even less light...
that's why I put them in the bottom of the tank to let them recover...

anyways I've tried to give them a litlle more light to see...

thanks for the help everyone
will keep updated and don't be shy to share your experience too...

 

[tripdad]

I have caps and digitata's doing well and a couple of encrusting doing ok but I have one encrusting struggling, it has the same dry look as yours and it's red, will try moving it up and will let you know. Good luck.

 

[Koralcrazy]

I noticed something similar when my tank was experiencing high calcium for some period of time....the issue was my test kits were saying my calcium was 420, but when I had a second opinion at the LFS on my calc, it wasn't even readable, essentially off the charts 600+....perhaps have your big three double checked by some other test kits....

 

[aqua80]

I noticed something similar when my tank was experiencing high calcium for some period of time....the issue was my test kits were saying my calcium was 420, but when I had a second opinion at the LFS on my calc, it wasn't even readable, essentially off the charts 600+....perhaps have your big three double checked by some other test kits....

will look at this thanks !
salifert says 460 but will double check...

 

[Allmost]

3rd pic looks like high calcium "bubbling the tissue". Sorry, this is a homemade term I use lol for higher calcium causing a buble under the tissue of SPS, which makes the tissue kinda come off in cases .. or grow abnormally in others.

also do double check K+ as well. I doubt its below 380 .... [if it was birdsnest would have showed no PE] but worth a check ... the tissue on first pic looks really thin so ...

 

[aqua80]

3rd pic looks like high calcium "bubbling the tissue". Sorry, this is a homemade term I use lol for higher calcium causing a buble under the tissue of SPS, which makes the tissue kinda come off in cases .. or grow abnormally in others.

also do double check K+ as well. I doubt its below 380 .... [if it was birdsnest would have showed no PE] but worth a check ... the tissue on first pic looks really thin so ...

I do think that the tissue is very-very thin, almost showing the skeleton through...

thx !

 

[aqua80]

potassium 390 (salifert)
I don't have another test kit for calcium, but I doubt it to be high since I dose 5-10ml less than alk (brs stuff). will try to have another test though...

 

[Allmost]

460 for calcium is fairly high, try to lower that in coming days.

thanks for the potassium testing ... now we know thats not it

I wouldnt move it to higher light right now though. as mentioned the tissue is thin, so it will just burn under more light rather than grow more zoox. [my opinion.]

ID do a water change, correct CA++ and hope for the best.

 

[sahin]

3rd pic looks like high calcium "bubbling the tissue". Sorry, this is a homemade term I use lol for higher calcium causing a buble under the tissue of SPS, which makes the tissue kinda come off in cases .. or grow abnormally in others.

also do double check K+ as well. I doubt its below 380 .... [if it was birdsnest would have showed no PE] but worth a check ... the tissue on first pic looks really thin so ...

Looks like water issue, if you are sure no pests.

The tissue looks "dry and thin" much like when a Zeovit reactor is run too fast. Can also be a sign of low K+, but you already tested this.

Keep LOWER in the tank. Ie on the bottom and carry out at least 20% water changes for 4 weeks. As I said, if there are no pests those will recover.

I had a rainbow monti in that same condition some months ago...actually it was much worse...I was about to throw it out...but I found that my K+ was around 280-290 (Salifert). So I dosed K and then carried out lots of w/c's and its healed now and starting to grow nicely.

 

[sahin]

Forgot to say, that bubbling look to some of the surface means one of your parameters is out...either Mg or Ca. I bought a frag of Green Milli last year that this a severe case of this bubbling...the guy I bought it from asked me about it...we came up with several ideas...I even thought it was some kind of tumerous growth etc etc...but the frag after having been in my tank for around a year is growing and the bubbling has completely disappeared in my tank.

I would check your Ca and Mg with fresh test kits.

 

[aqua80]

thx for help
another affected monti (peltiformis) that I have spot tonight with some with bubbles ?





last tests :
ca++ 460
mag is high too at 1450 !
alk 7,8

 

[GroktheCube]

You just inspired me to check mag. 1650+ on both salifert and red sea! I have no idea how that happened, given I don't dose Mg. All I can think is that an alk overdose (esv two part) might have thrown things off.That may explain why my M mollis looks "thin" near the middle.

I'll underdose the Mg component of my ESV salt for the next few WCs.

 

[GroktheCube]

Ahh, I found my issue. ESV part 2 (Cal) has Mg in it. I added over a month's worth in the week following the alk overdose to make up for cal lost to precipitation. That would explain the ludicrously high Mg.

It would probably be wise for me to do a few large WCs, in case anything I can't test for is equally as elevated.

 

[sahin]

I would definitely carry out lots of water changes over many weeks.

I would also retest the Mg, Ca and Alk with SOMEONE else kits. I had a Salifert Mg kit go bad and it was reading low Mg no matter how much Mg I added, eventually I tested with another kit and found the Mg to be much higher.

Sometimes test kits go bad if left in very warm places etc, either in your house or at the LFS. Eg one of my LFS keep all their test kits and additives in their basement where all their SPS corals are...its always damn hot down there...I dont buy their test kits as warm temps can reduce the life of the kits.