Advice...

[Joe Grubbs]

This 250g mixed reef has been running for >5 years. Chems very stable dosing with KalkRx, 2 part, RedSea 4 part (trace elements-weekly) along with RedSea Reef Energy A&B (daily)... Ca-480, Mg-1500, Alk-9.5, NO3-1-2 ppm, PO4-0.8-1.6 ppm... ICP testing every 3-4 months (waiting for results of latest sample)

All images taken under normal light level from a Kessil AP700 (at the time 100% blue) with no filters on the Android phone.

Woke up this Wednesday morning to find this...

While all others still look good...

Recent events in the Tank's life...
...introduced two new fish on Saturday, lights out 4 hr early Saturday and run at 60% for 3 days...ramped back to 100% after this morning's findings...
...Monday morning woke to find GFI tripped at 2:30 AM due to a flooded backup heater (one of 3 heaters)...resulting in the return pump, heaters, sump off line until restarted at 6 am, the closed loop and wave pumps are on a separate GFI and continued to run...Tank temp had dropped from a normal of about 78 to 75.3 and was recovered to normal over the next 5 hours.

Thoughts...???

 

[Mical]

IMO, it's just reacting to temp swing. It'll bounce back, you're doing everything right just a hiccup and a reaction. Nice looking tank.

 

[Backreefing]

When I see white around the edges of a montipora cap always makes me suspicious of MEN
That temp fall ain’t nothing IMO .
Pull it out carefully and slowly and flip it upside down and use a magnifying lens to check. I’m probably wrong but it’s worth a check . Good luck

 

[Joe Grubbs]

If this is indeed an outbreak of MEN, then I have some studying to do. With the aged of this tank, the corals have grown across most of the rock and removing any piece of coral or rock will need to be a careful an exercise in demolition. The piece in question is (of course) at the base of a stacked rock wall at the back of the tank.

I'll start by breaking the monty apart and inspecting...I'll post my findings...

 

[flagg37]

I don’t think MEN can be transferred through fish (but I’m not certain). How long has it been since you added any coral? How could they have been introduced?

 

[jda]

Everybody loses one once in a while. If just the one, then monitor, but do not freak out.

Any idea what the PAR is down there... ap700 are not output monsters, especially deep and on the sides.

 

[ghostman]

Temp drop doesn't sound too bad to me. Did the alk or mag change with the power outage, or are they dosed into the main display? Any chemicals released when the power came back on? Hopefully the monti will recover.

 

[Joe Grubbs]

I don’t think MEN can be transferred through fish (but I’m not certain). How long has it been since you added any coral? How could they have been introduced?

In the first pic above, in the center-above the green leather, the 'white' colony... about 4 or 5 weeks back we added an Acro colony that was in bad shape when we got it. The shipping bags were ruptured during shipping and much of the water had leaked out. This coral has continued to degrade, from 'purple' downard brown and now turning white...figure I lost this one. That said, this colony did not get dipped on it's way into our tank due to the stress already on it.

:-(

 

[Joe Grubbs]

Temp drop doesn't sound too bad to me. Did the alk or mag change with the power outage, or are they dosed into the main display? Any chemicals released when the power came back on? Hopefully the monti will recover.

It is possible that there was a small change, and dosing is done into the sump, The daily test of the tank is run at 7:30 am (about an hour after the system restoration) and the results were consistent with the day before and after.

 

[Joe Grubbs]

Everybody loses one once in a while. If just the one, then monitor, but do not freak out.

Any idea what the PAR is down there... ap700 are not output monsters, especially deep and on the sides.

You are correct about the output for the AP700. In the bottom center the par is about 100 and out on that edge where the monti is in the range of 50-70.

This Monti is a 'volunteer' from a piece broken off higher in the tank when cleaning the glass. It started out less than a dime size chunk blowing around the bottom of the tank and got stuck where it is today. Up till this week it has grown wonderfully...almost weed like...

 

[jda]

I would start with light.

 

[Joe Grubbs]

I would start with light.

I'm thinking so... I've scrubbed over the following series of pics on a 24" monitor and, best I can tell, I see no signs of MEN anywhere... I've many more pics, these are just a sample...

 

[Joe Grubbs]

Here's a shot of a very happy meat coral and acan cluster... Also in the same lighting zone as the Monti that is receding...

 

[MTBake]

I would also look at possible alk swing and any changes in flow in that particular area.

 

[jda]

It is nearly always the easiest thing. Go light, stability and then parameters.

As a reference, you do not want corals extended to the max. This is an issue with lack of light. healthy, well lit corals are out and fluffy, but not out 100%. Polyps the size of nickels are not great when they should be the size of pencil erasers... or with stalks an inch long.

 

[Joe Grubbs]

It is nearly always the easiest thing. Go light, stability and then parameters.

As a reference, you do not want corals extended to the max. This is an issue with lack of light. healthy, well lit corals are out and fluffy, but not out 100%. Polyps the size of nickels are not great when they should be the size of pencil erasers... or with stalks an inch long.

It's been about a year since I changed from 6-36" T5s to the AP700. In this time, there has been a great improvement in the corals. My initial belief was that I had too much light at the time and was burning out the more sensitive corals. Generally, until this week, I've been very pleased with the improvement in the tank this year.

 

[jda]

You are not going to want to hear this, but it is not likely from the light where just a year of maturity can do wonders for nearly everybody. In any case, PAR more around 100-200 is going to make the corals more healthy and have more energy to fight off any kind of bad stuff... being at "just enough" gives you no margin for error.

 

[Joe Grubbs]

You are not going to want to hear this, but it is not likely from the light where just a year of maturity can do wonders for nearly everybody. In any case, PAR more around 100-200 is going to make the corals more healthy and have more energy to fight off any kind of bad stuff... being at "just enough" gives you no margin for error.

PAR has been something that I've been concerned with. With the T5s there was 300+ on the gravel in the center of the tank and in the 200s out at the ends. I'd considered running 3 of the Kessel A360s or the AP700. As I don't run a hood, the install of the AP700 is cleaner...though with a 2'x5'x28" tank... it simply may not work out as sufficient in the power (PAR) department...for keeping any SPS out on the edges.

It may be time to retire the AP700 and install the A360s....

 

[SeaDweller]

PAR has been something that I've been concerned with. With the T5s there was 300+ on the gravel in the center of the tank and in the 200s out at the ends. I'd considered running 3 of the Kessel A360s or the AP700. As I don't run a hood, the install of the AP700 is cleaner...though with a 2'x5'x28" tank... it simply may not work out as sufficient in the power (PAR) department...for keeping any SPS out on the edges.

It may be time to retire the AP700 and install the A360s....

or get better LEDs

 

[Joe Grubbs]

Received back the ICP test results... (https://www.triton-lab.de/en/showroom/aquarium/auswertung-b/icp-oes/60506/)

The Sr & Ba are very high, I've yet to locate the source for these elements. I've completed 4 - 10% water changes and will do a couple more. Stability takes a bit of a shot in the arm doing this. I'm sure that all trace minerals are now low. I've continued with the weekly trace mineral dosing of the RS Trace Color A - D supplements. After the final water changes, I'll send in another ICP test and adjust from there. Current testing: Alk-9.0, Ca-480, Mg-1480, NO3-1 ppm, PO4-0.12 ppm

Here's an updated pic of the Monti which suffered a die off. Still no other coral has experienced any issue. I've gone ahead and broken out much of what has died off. I see the Monti's grow back very well when prices are 'fragged' by fish or cleaning the glass.

Through this evenest, I've come to believe that it is un-likely that I have any issue with MEN, chemistry is good (it is not likely that only one coral colony would be impacted by the high Sr & Ba), and lighting is just ok. If I make any change it will likely be to change out the AP700 for 3 A360WEs...

My brother-in-law dropped off a volunteer frag from one of his colonies that I've been admiring. Sorry, not the best pic.