1 month old montipora, bleaching?

ethankap · Nov 24, 2017

I'm not sure if this is bleaching or what. I noticed two bubbles on the montipora and blew them off with a baster and under it was a bit white. Since then its spread slightly. Otherwise the montipora is growing, but not sure what this is. I turned the lights down slightly in peak period to see if that helps.

Is this bleaching or something else? One theory I had is it could have been salt fall from the skimmer plate above. Any way to help it repair?

SDReefer · Nov 25, 2017

Can you take some pics with the whites on, or even just the whites? It's hard to tell from actinic lighting. From what you are describing, it sounds like slow tissue necrosis (STN) which commonly results from water quality issues.

ethankap · Nov 25, 2017

SDReefer said:
Can you take some pics with the whites on, or even just the whites? It's hard to tell from actinic lighting. From what you are describing, it sounds like slow tissue necrosis (STN) which commonly results from water quality issues.

Will take one tomorrow when the lights come up.

Params:

8.4 alk
1 nitrate
0 phosphates
490 calc
0 ammonia, o nitrites
8.2 ph
1.026 salinity

Holding pretty steady too.

rtparty · Nov 25, 2017

Is skin missing? That doesn't look like bleaching from those pictures but hard to tell.

You will want to get your nutrients up slightly IMO. Nitrate around 5 and phosphate around .03-.05. Corals need food/nutrients.

ethankap · Nov 25, 2017

rtparty said:
Is skin missing? That doesn't look like bleaching from those pictures but hard to tell.

You will want to get your nutrients up slightly IMO. Nitrate around 5 and phosphate around .03-.05. Corals need food/nutrients.

Yeah, so I heard. The low nutrients killed a brain coral. Working on that.

Here's a better shot of the Monti