Another lighting debate
- Thread starter renato120
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so weird. it is still possible that its not getting the right amount of foods.
I personally hate lighting debates. From a lot of research the sun is 80,000lux at the surface of the water. Its hard to get 80k in a tank. and yes some corals struggle under that.
But you may consider posting a nutrition question in the SPS forum as well. An SPS/nutrition expert would helpful.
it would be speculation at this point.
You clearly have nutrients, you have zoas. so the water is a little dirty.(good dirty) and everything else looks great.
Its been my experience that broad statements like bleaching is caused by X & X is not so true with corals. some to an extent but>>>
Its nice we have some REAL experts with decades of real experience on r2r. Id try to get their attention.
get ready for the no3 po4 questions.
You clearly have nutrients, you have zoas. so the water is a little dirty.(good dirty) and everything else looks great.
Its been my experience that broad statements like bleaching is caused by X & X is not so true with corals. some to an extent but>>>
Its nice we have some REAL experts with decades of real experience on r2r. Id try to get their attention.
get ready for the no3 po4 questions.
OP
OP
renato120
Valuable Member
Nitrates is 5it would be speculation at this point.
You clearly have nutrients, you have zoas. so the water is a little dirty.(good dirty) and everything else looks great.
Its been my experience that broad statements like bleaching is caused by X & X is not so true with corals. some to an extent but>>>
Its nice we have some REAL experts with decades of real experience on r2r. Id try to get their attention.
get ready for the no3 po4 questions.
Po4 0
SunnyX
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It's safe to assume that lighting is not the issue here. Based in the bulbs used and how high above the tank they are placed you are in no way providing too much light. I've run ATI and T5 fixtures at 100% 4" off the surface for more than 10 years with no issues.
Concerning the tips, it is likely caused by a sudden ALK swing. I would take a sample of the water and have it tested at the LFS.
What is your Ph and temperature? What is your photo period?
I would rule out using zeovit or testing for potassium at this point.
The last thing I would ask is are you running any form of carbon? Did you recently add a large amount of carbon? This can cause tips to burn. If you're not running carbon it may be a good idea to run a small amount in order to rule out any contaminants.
Burnt tips can be attributed to almost anything, so it's hard to say what is causing. Of all the things it could be it's safe to say that lighting is not the issue.
Concerning the tips, it is likely caused by a sudden ALK swing. I would take a sample of the water and have it tested at the LFS.
What is your Ph and temperature? What is your photo period?
I would rule out using zeovit or testing for potassium at this point.
The last thing I would ask is are you running any form of carbon? Did you recently add a large amount of carbon? This can cause tips to burn. If you're not running carbon it may be a good idea to run a small amount in order to rule out any contaminants.
Burnt tips can be attributed to almost anything, so it's hard to say what is causing. Of all the things it could be it's safe to say that lighting is not the issue.
Hey Sunny, can you weigh in on the sps thread he/we started after this one.
Any insights would help.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/sps-experts-please-help.229307/
OP
OP
renato120
Valuable Member
I dose alk and ca every 3 hours to keep a stable alk at 8, and ca at 430.
I do use one bag of chemipure blue. I change every couple of months.
PH during the is around 8.0/8.1 night time 7.8/7.9
Temp always between 78/78.5
Could this be not enough lighting?
I agree with what sunny said. Also, is it only SPS that are struggling? Are any of your other corals having trouble? More info about your system. Do you run a refugium? Do you run GFO? Carbon? Have you checked all of your equipment for problems (rusty parts, broken heater, etc)?
The next thing I would do is send a sample to Triton and get a full water analysis to see if there's something unexpected in your water. What kind of Mag do you dose? If you do water changes regularly you shouldn't need to dose mag in my experience.
Have you thoroughly checked for pests? They can be very hard to spot.
It could be all kinds of things. So, I would keep checking every single possibility you can think of. Meanwhile continue to do regular water changes. Make sure your salinity checker is accurate, temp probe accurate, etc, etc.
The next thing I would do is send a sample to Triton and get a full water analysis to see if there's something unexpected in your water. What kind of Mag do you dose? If you do water changes regularly you shouldn't need to dose mag in my experience.
Have you thoroughly checked for pests? They can be very hard to spot.
It could be all kinds of things. So, I would keep checking every single possibility you can think of. Meanwhile continue to do regular water changes. Make sure your salinity checker is accurate, temp probe accurate, etc, etc.
no rust 
Pfisherman
Active Member
I really don't think it's the lighting either, is the stn on all the tips or just the ones exposed to more flow? Are they getting any algae growth before they bleached?
STN and RTN are usually a bacterial infection. Vibro. it should have wiped out the corals by now. algae and cyano will grow pretty immediately on the dead or dying spots. IME
Corals can STN after a quick swing or when it finally gives up the ghost after enduring longner term probs.
Personally I think we can rule out the lighting and bump up the other thread and let this one die.
davidc
Community Member
This and elevated potassium.
