Birdsnest turning white

[Bthomas]

I got this birdsnest frag and another stylo frag since they are beginner sps but this birdsnest is starting to turn white in spots. Been in the tank for 3 weeks now. Any idea what this is or how to correct it? The other frag right next to it is still doing fine
I know the photo isn't great, it's the best I could get with my phone

 

[Crabs McJones]

Can you provide us with some more info? Lighting, flow, water parameters?

 

[Hemmdog]

If it turned white like that quickly it has rtn. But yea what lights, water chemistry, and flow do you have? And how old and how big is the tank

 

[Bthomas]

Water parameters as of last test on 1/23
(I know i need to test again, I'll do that today)
Nitrate 40
PO4 .12
Alk 8.5
Calcium 440
Salinity 1.024

Sbreef lights
Med-high flow
150 gallon long tank

It was also in my quarantine for 2 and a half months and I didn't notice this until today

 

[Mikedawg]

Had same thing happened to mine after four months of explosive growth. Parameters stable, sufficient light, flow, etc.
I have talked to several experienced reefers who experienced same thing without being able to identify any "causes". Moving on to green Montipora digitata

 

[Hemmdog]

Water parameters as of last test on 1/23
(I know i need to test again, I'll do that today)
Nitrate 40
PO4 .12
Alk 8.5
Calcium 440
Salinity 1.024

Sbreef lights
Med-high flow
150 gallon long tank

It was also in my quarantine for 2 and a half months and I didn't notice this until today

My guess is your nutrient levels. The phos isn’t to bad, the 40 nitrate is pretty high. Sps don’t usually like it that high.

 

[Crabs McJones]

What are you using to keep Calcium and Alkalinity up?

 

[Bthomas]

What are you using to keep Calcium and Alkalinity up?

Just water changes

 

[Bthomas]

My guess is your nutrient levels. The phos isn’t to bad, the 40 nitrate is pretty high. Sps don’t usually like it that high.

Yeah this is why I started with beginner sps. I know my nitrates are usually up there

 

[Hemmdog]

Yeah this is why I started with beginner sps. I know my nitrates are usually up there

Birdsnest can be tricky for some. I’d do a water change and go from there. Are you running carbon or gfo or anything? Skimmer ?

 

[Crabs McJones]

Just water changes

alk swings can cause RTN if it is fluctuating to much

 

[Bthomas]

Birdsnest can be tricky for some. I’d do a water change and go from there. Are you running carbon or gfo or anything? Skimmer ?

Skimmer yes. No carbon or gfo

 

[Bthomas]

Water parameters from just now:
Nitrate 50
PO4 .24
Alk 8.1
Calcium 450

Alk should be higher right?
What do I need to do to get that higher? I don't feel I should be dosing just yet cause I don't have alot of corals in the tank

Is it possible to have sps in a high nutrient system?

 

[Flippers4pups]

Water parameters from just now:
Nitrate 50
PO4 .24
Alk 8.1
Calcium 450

Alk should be higher right?
What do I need to do to get that higher? I don't feel I should be dosing just yet cause I don't have alot of corals in the tank

Is it possible to have sps in a high nutrient system?

I keep acropora, montipora, birds nest etc.....LPS and softies in 30-50 ppm N03 and P04 around .10 and they do very well. I doubt it’s your N03 or P04 that’s causing the RTN.

Do you have any idea what your PAR is? If not, can you provide a full tank picture?

Edit: and your light fixture % for blue and white channels.

Edit x2: and the light fixture you had the frag under in your QT.

Thanks.

 

[Bthomas]

I keep acropora, montipora, birds nest etc.....LPS and softies in 30-50 ppm N03 and P04 around .10 and they do very well. I doubt it’s your N03 or P04 that’s causing the RTN.

Do you have any idea what your PAR is? If not, can you provide a full tank picture?

Edit: and your light fixture % for blue and white channels.

Edit x2: and the light fixture you had the frag under in your QT.

Thanks.

No par meter but here is a full tank shot with a circle where the Frag is located.
Lights are at 40% blue 10% white
The light on the quarantine is just a cheap led fixture from amazon. It had no color when it was in quarantine, looked completely brown, but since being in this tank the polyp color has come back. Or maybe it just looked brown under the quarantine light.. Everything seems to look dull in that tank

 

[Flippers4pups]

No par meter but here is a full tank shot with a circle where the Frag is located.
Lights are at 40% blue 10% white
The light on the quarantine is just a cheap led fixture from amazon. It had no color when it was in quarantine, looked completely brown, but since being in this tank the polyp color has come back. Or maybe it just looked brown under the quarantine light.. Everything seems to look dull in that tank

Did you light acclimate it to your DT?

 

[Bthomas]

Did you light acclimate it to your DT?

I did not

 

[Flippers4pups]

I did not

Remove it from where it's at and place lower in the tank. Give it some time. Likely "bleached" do to the intensity and spectrum change.

 

[Bthomas]

Remove it from where it's at and place lower in the tank. Give it some time. Likely "bleached" do to the intensity and spectrum change.

I havnt ever light acclimated anything in the past, are they just more sensitive to those changes?

 

[Flippers4pups]

I havnt ever light acclimated anything in the past, are they just more sensitive to those changes?

Some corals can handle sudden changes in light intensity, others can't.
Has a lot to do with their health at the time of transferring to your DT.

Always place new frags at the sand bed for a week or two to acclimate them to your lights. Move them up a little when they look okay and repeat to they are where you want them.

Sounds like the birds nest was stressed before you moved it and was shocked by the higher intensity.