Acropora burnt tip?

ReefFreak@ · Jun 19, 2018

All my Acro frags are doing great encrusting, good polyp extension ,but noticed a few looking like this. I do have a couple of bigger crabs in the system, hopefully they are not the cause. Every coral that goes into my system is dipped throughly and checked. Parameters are checked weekly. All is being checked weekly since noticing this problem. All stays in the upper 8's was 9.3 last month. I also use rox carbon.
Parameters
Calcium-420ppm
alk-8.5dkh-9dkh(currently 8.8dkh hasn't changed since last week)
mag-1440ppm-1470ppm
nitrate-16ppm
phosphate-0.06ppm-0.1ppm
Dosing
-NOPOX
-.5ml calcium daily
-stopped dosing 1ml alk
-4ml reef energy a+b

ajcanale · Jun 19, 2018

While I do see what you are referring to, not quite sure I'd call that burnt tips quite yet. Definitely a degree of paling though. Numbers look great aside from nitrate being a bit high.

If you are going to stop dosing alk to let it fall some, you should also stop calcium, so that you stay in ionic balance. Given the higher nutrient levels, I think you'd maybe be better off around 9dkh and 430ppm Ca

ReefFreak@ · Jun 19, 2018

ajcanale said:
While I do see what you are referring to, not quite sure I'd call that burnt tips quite yet. Definitely a degree of paling though. Numbers look great aside from nitrate being a bit high.

If you are going to stop dosing alk to let it fall some, you should also stop calcium, so that you stay in ionic balance. Given the higher nutrient levels, I think you'd maybe be better off around 9dkh and 430ppm Ca

Thanks for the reply. I usually keep nitrates around 10 but they recently came up a little upon adding reef energy and feeding more. I was shooting for 9dk but then I got burnt tips on a milipora( whole tipped turned white and algae grew over it). Then i saw this happening on a few corals and didn't want the same to happen. Will burnt tips go away after the alk settles at 9 or will the tips keep staying burnt?

ajcanale · Jun 19, 2018

ReefFreak@ said:
Thanks for the reply. I usually keep nitrates around 10 but they recently came up a little upon adding reef energy and feeding more. I was shooting for 9dk but then I got burnt tips on a milipora( whole tipped turned white and algae grew over it). Then i saw this happening on a few corals and didn't want the same to happen. Will burnt tips go away after the alk settles at 9 or will the tips keep staying burnt?

If reef energy is a carbon source additive then it could be responsible, or at least play a part in why this is happening. I could be wrong, but I recall there being a correlation with using bio-pellets and having burned tips, though I don't remember the specifics.

ReefFreak@ · Jun 19, 2018

ajcanale said:
If reef energy is a carbon source additive then it could be responsible, or at least play a part in why this is happening. I could be wrong, but I recall there being a correlation with using bio-pellets and having burned tips, though I don't remember the specifics.

Nope reef energy is just an amino/carb/etc coral food additive. Nopox is a carbon source that i do add, but it was under my interpretation that carbon dosing caused burnt tips by the increased rate of calcification on the tips of the coral and the skin of the coral could not keep up. Also i thought that happened with a ulns which i don't have. Im beginning to think something must of fluctuated in my system which those couple corals did not like and i just have to deal with it and keep everything stable rather then trying to change something to help sick corals which could the corals that are thriving.

ReefFreak@ · Jul 3, 2018

If anyone is following along to this or just stumbling across it i fixed the problem. Lowered water change alkalinity to 8.0 using muriatic acid(be careful with the stuff), and in addition to that dose 0.2ml kh2po4 daily.

Reefahholic · May 13, 2019

ReefFreak@ said:
If anyone is following along to this or just stumbling across it i fixed the problem. Lowered water change alkalinity to 8.0 using muriatic acid(be careful with the stuff), and in addition to that dose 0.2ml kh2po4 daily.

So it was the high Alk? I hear it can be a nutrient issue too.

JaaxReef · Jun 13, 2019

ReefFreak@ said:
If anyone is following along to this or just stumbling across it i fixed the problem. Lowered water change alkalinity to 8.0 using muriatic acid(be careful with the stuff), and in addition to that dose 0.2ml kh2po4 daily.

Dealing with the same thing dosing almost the same things as you and my alk is 9.0. Did you just lower alk slowly to 8.0 and dose Phosphorus?