why would 2 / 50 sps brown out?

[lolgranny]

Hey all,

Lately my garf bonsai and my tryee tricolor validia have been browning out. PE is still there, they SEEM happy but they are both losing their collars. Over the past 2 weeks I have changed nothing. Still doing reg water changed. Temp is stable as is my ca=440 Alk=9-10 PO4= 0 on hanna and N03 is 0. My halide is over 7months old and I just ordered a new one so I assume that might be the issue because the barf is about 20" from the light and the tricolor is off to the side of the tank about 14" below the fixture. Would they brown out if lighting wasn't sufficient? Or is something else not in line that im overlooking.

Im stumped! All the other corals are keeping their colors very well. Hawkins / red planet / rainbow Monti / pearlberry / plum crazy /pink lemonade / setosa...ext.

Any ideas guys? Im praying its the light because my tricolor has been blowing up until recently

Cheers!

David

 

[evo@32psi]

I have one doing the same thing. Will also be waiting for some responses.

 

[bobbychullo]

the tri-color is known to be finicky. from what ive heard they lose color with alk swings.

i have not been doing this very long but I think a 7 month old MH could be the culprit. do you dose Ca, Alk etc.? if so, how is it dosed?

 

[sanchoy]

7 months on MH lights should not matter. They are good up to over a year.

 

[lolgranny]

the tri-color is known to be finicky. from what ive heard they lose color with alk swings.

i have not been doing this very long but I think a 7 month old MH could be the culprit. do you dose Ca, Alk etc.? if so, how is it dosed?

I dose 10ml of Alk a day...spread up into 2x's a day.
ca is aabout 8ml a day...spread into 2x's a day as well. Morning and night

 

[lolgranny]

7 months on MH lights should not matter. They are good up to over a year.

If this is a fact, I am stumped good sir!

 

[plantastic]

My experiencewith halide bulbs...

...generally speaking, the bluer they are, the less lifespan they have. I am sure there is difference in manufacturing, but I could never tell if one brand had greater longevity than another. From the many different ones I've used, the "blue (12 K and up)" ones struggled to last up to a year, and I had my greatest continuum of success when I was changing them at the 4 to 6 month mark. The "yellow" (below 10k) easily lasted over a year...

...And, yes, some corals can look like crap, when the one right next to it looks stellar. These are your indicator corals. These are the ones that will not look right at the drop of a hat, indicating that you should check something.

Hope this helps some,

Scott

 

[lolgranny]

I double checked again lastnight and everything is still in line

alk - 9 api and salifert
ca - 440 api
NO3 - 0 api
PO4 - 0 hanna
salinity - 1.025 refractometer
temp - 77-79

 

[lolgranny]

Another test done. Still in check

I just ordered the hanna Alk checker just for some freak reason my api / salifert test kits aren't on.
along with carbon / gfo. I don't foresee my phosphates being out of line because all the other spa are still very colorful and I have 0 algae growth. Not to mention im getting 0 on my hanna phos checker

...I ponder :/

 

[RynosReef]

How many thermometers do you have in the tank? Its good to have a few to make sure one isn't going bad and giving a false reading. I had an issue with one giving me bad readings and causing issues. I turned the heater up and up and.. lol Also make sure your refractometer is calibrated with a calibration sample. It never hurts to double check and reference check even the basics.

 

[lolgranny]

How many thermometers do you have in the tank? Its good to have a few to make sure one isn't going bad and giving a false reading. I had an issue with one giving me bad readings and causing issues. I turned the heater up and up and.. lol Also make sure your refractometer is calibrated with a calibration sample. It never hurts to double check and reference check even the basics.

I couldn't agree more. I have 2 thermometers. Thought maybe the salinity was off so checked with 2 others. Dead on. :/

 

[freewest61]

looks a lot like AEFW. I hope for your sake you don't have it.

 

[freewest61]

they go for acro valida first

 

[lolgranny]

I don't think aefw

 

[bobbychullo]

ive read halides should be replaced every 6 to 8 months but i run T5's so i have no personal experience

how much does your alk fluctuate, if at all? have you tried testing at the same time over a period of days or trying different times over a few days to see if your alk is swinging a lot?

i'm having a similar problem. all of my sps are doing great except one that was doing fine for 2 months then all of a sudden, no PE now its losing tissue. all other acros and lps doing fine. even my tri color valida is still colored up with great PE. so i have no idea whats going on in my tank... i think maybe my temp got a little too high, ive been at 81 to 81.5 for a week. slowly been lowering my heater... all my params are dead stable due to my litermeter....

 

[Lovmenot35]

i replace my halides every 9 months , i also check my thermometers with a lab grade therm every week. swings in alk, salinity, temp and lack of trace elements can cause your sps to brown out along with nitrates .

 

[flamron]

I don't think aefw

Well, since you "don't think" it is them, it must not be.... :headwally:

And since you "don't think" it is AEFW, that means you QT every coral you put into your system for 4-6 weeks, right?

Losing color is a factor for AEFW, especially on a tricolor and a bonsai.

If you can, take a turkey baster and blow on them with it. See if any flatworms blow off. You can use a powerhead as well if you don't have a baster.

Good luck and I do hope you are right - I don't wish AEFW on anyone!

 

[M007]

I was under the impression AEFW cause tissue loss vs. brown out :worried2:

 

[flamron]

AEFW cause a multitude of issues.

Tissue loss
Browning/Faded Colors
Slowed Growth
RTN
STN

But that is only in my experience....

 

[werdlone]

it is true that valida , tricolors and bonsai are favorites for both red bugs and aefw. Everything starts with color loss. Look for little round bite marks on the coral base. Egg clusters between branches, or tiny redbugs. My guess is a pest for sure. you can put the coral in a small container and hit it with lugols or tmpcc (a few drops). wait a couple of minutes and use a turkey baster to it. You will know if you have flatworms or not. I've found plenty when i dip my new corals. found them on corals from pretty reputable places as well....