Another lighting debate

[renato120]

I have been struggling with my sps's for a long time. Most of them starts bleaching from the tips. Never from the middle or the base.
My parameters are fine. Alk stable, I dont dose anything besides ca, alk, mag.
I know two things will burn sps tips.
Too much light, and high alk.
I have an Ati 6x24w. It is now 10 inches above the water. Before it was around 7. I raised the fixture and still new sps's bleaching the tips. It keeps going till I loose the entire colony.
Just in case this is my parameters:
Alk 8/9
Calcium 430
Mag 1280
Nitrates just checked 5
Phosphates 0
Salinity 1.025
I dont think it has anything to do with parameters. Its the lighting.
How can I fix this. If lower the fixture or raise the fixture will still bleach the tips and eventually the hole colony goes to trash.
I just dimmed to 80% at 10 inches from the water. No pests in the tank. Everything else is doing great. Only problem sps's.
Here a fts of the tank so you have an idea where the sps's are placed.

If anyone with ati fixture, please tell me how you set yours.
How many % are you running
How high it is.
Thank you.

 

[fragit]

have you thought about trying some of the zeovit products? I've seen a lot of really good results online with people having the same issue. Just a couple drops a day and boom! Full polyp extension, colors darken, and tips color up. Look into it.

 

[renato120]

have you thought about trying some of the zeovit products? I've seen a lot of really good results online with people having the same issue. Just a couple drops a day and boom! Full polyp extension, colors darken, and tips color up. Look into it.

I never! Maybe its a good Idea! I will look into it

 

[Pfisherman]

I don't think by any means you have too much lighting, but here are two questions.

1). Is this only new corals that experience this bleached tips
2. What bulbs are you using?

 

[smh254]

I have the dimmable ATI fixture 4 bulb 36 wide. I ran ch1 at 90% ch2 at 80% for 6 months then ramp them up to a 100% both channels. I have never had a problem with bleaching. My lights are 8" off the water.

 

[renato120]

I don't think by any means you have too much lighting, but here are two questions.

1). Is this only new corals that experience this bleached tips
2. What bulbs are you using?

Most of the corals that bleaches is the new ones.
Im using
B+
P+
B+
C+
B+
Actinic
But today I see one of them that I have it for over 8 months starting to bleach the tips.

 

[renato120]

I have the dimmable ATI fixture 4 bulb 36 wide. I ran ch1 at 90% ch2 at 80% for 6 months then ramp them up to a 100% both channels. I have never had a problem with bleaching. My lights are 8" off the water.

Indont get why my is bleaching. Its been like this forever. Water is perfect. Everything else grows crazy here.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

do you have a light meter? par or lux. it will rule out some of the speculation.

 

[renato120]

do you have a light meter? par or lux. it will rule out some of the speculation.

I do not! Already called lfs around here none of them seems to have it.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

A lux meter will actually work. (15 20 bucks) It measures intensity. 20,0000 to 80,000 lux. at the surface of the water for sps seems reccomend by the old schoolers who didnt have a par meter.
youll be able to at least track the levels like we do with all other parameters.
It does not measure spectrum.

Corals are highly adaptable to light to a point.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

After rereading and thinking a bit, I dont think its too much lighting here.

 

[Triggreef]

<<------ Another doubter about the lights. Sounds like alk spike or Ca way out of whack. I would try different better test kits as many are known to be wrong.

Also how long is the tank set up for? Looks like its well matured.

 

[renato120]

<<------ Another doubter about the lights. Sounds like alk spike or Ca way out of whack. I would try different better test kits as many are known to be wrong.

Also how long is the tank set up for? Looks like its well matured.

All my tests kits are from ellos. I already tried buying the second kit and reads all the same. Tank now is 14months

 

[BigKid4788]

Could it be growth tips? The pic looks pretty good. My acros usually get white tips when they are growing and then it colors up.

Are you doing anything?

 

[renato120]

Purple one in the back. You can see all the white. Its starting to bleach

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

The other thought would be food and nutrition in the water.

 

[renato120]

Could it be growth tips? The pic looks pretty good. My acros usually get white tips when they are growing and then it colors up.

Are you doing anything?

Its not growing tips. Im sure of that.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Purple one in the back. You can see all the white. Its starting to bleach

the large green stick seems to have a bit of loss at the base.

 

[renato120]

The other thought would be food and nutrition in the water.

I dose acropower with the food everyday.

 

[BigKid4788]

Do you have dosing pumps or are you manually dosing. Could be an alk spike if you are dosing manually