Bleaching? Lights to high? Bad placement?

[Rp8]

Ok just measure with Photone so lights were lower than I thought when I used the reef clubs par meter. They were like at 150 at the top. So “according to Photone” they are at 275@ the top of the acro.
The pictures below show how it’s fading, it had some fading when I got it, but I’d now receding from tips. The front pic shows where the Pwr head is.

 

[sculpin01]

Center of colony shows some loss of color. Two things, 1) it's been shown in several scientific studies that less than 0.05 ppm for phosphate can cause coral injury, and 2) I would be worried about Tegastes (red bugs) or similar given the appearance of the central colony.

Personally, I would dip it and look very closely at what fall off.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

That's gfo, you've replied to everything else...the zoas under it aren't happy either

 

[Rp8]

Ok. I’ll put my reactor on a schedule. See if that helps.

 

[Rp8]

That's gfo, you've replied to everything else...the zoas under it aren't happy either

I do run Gfo and maintain about .03. I’ll put it on a timer. Maybe run it one or 2 days per week. See what it looks like by next weekend.
I do run a pretty clean system.

 

[Rp8]

So any Gfo surpresses growth and sps health?

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

Frags do better than colonies in new systems,
if the colony looks iffy before you buy it and your system isnt in top shape I would pass on colonies.

So any Gfo surpresses growth and sps health?

No not necessarily, but was this colony use to gfo, are you using allot of gfo, is your phosphates actually swinging (probably everyones does a little) and how was the acclimation process( to lighting, flow and parameters)? What was the system like it came from ? If it's not use to gfo and your using heavy gfo could tick it off, but you said it had some damage or paleness when you bought it. Ive had acros get "hurt" but not rtn/stn until a few months later (there could have been an initial issue at the store then change of system is the nail in the coffin). allot of people don't realize that their gfo is actually releasing fine particles, I don't use gfo in sps tanks if possible, I utilize nitrates, carbon dosing and bacteria dosing and awesome filtration to lower levels, but if your trying to run low nutrients you got to start with low nutrients and stay low not get way up and then decide to start lowering. Also I don't fight the system if it's naturally low stay low if it's naturally high stay close to that within reason. JMO!

 

[Rp8]

Turned off Gfo. Maybe I am staring at this thing to much. Appears to still receding, I dunno just hate seeing it seem to recede

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

Turned off Gfo. Maybe I am staring at this thing to much. Appears to still receding, I dunno just hate seeing it seem to recede

It’s not going to be reversed in a couple days. It’ll take weeks….and that’s only if it was the problem. Sorry if I missed this but what lights are you running and how high are they mounted above the water? And what percentage are your whites at?

 

[mrpontiac80]

I do run Gfo and maintain about .03. I’ll put it on a timer. Maybe run it one or 2 days per week. See what it looks like by next weekend.
I do run a pretty clean system.

So I’m not the guy to ask but I want to piggyback a question related to this…. I’ve heard that turning off a reactor is not good because the water inside without flow turns bad because of no movement and everything in the media. Does anyone know or have opinions on this? I’d hate for the OP to do more harm than good using a timer.

 

[Rp8]

So I’m not the guy to ask but I want to piggyback a question related to this…. I’ve heard that turning off a reactor is not good because the water inside without flow turns bad because of no movement and everything in the media. Does anyone know or have opinions on this? I’d hate for the OP to do more harm than good using a timer.

I just turned it off. Not going to use the timer. I keep a super low nutrients, I’ll just manage it with routine wc

 

[Rp8]

It’s not going to be reversed in a couple days. It’ll take weeks….and that’s only if it was the problem. Sorry if I missed this but what lights are you running and how high are they mounted above the water? And what percentage are your whites at?

2 x Viparspectras 165 w. 9” above the water. Whites are at 1 blues are at 75. Par is at 275 at the colony

 

[vetteguy53081]

Came across this colony, got it. Think I may have my lights turned up to high for it. Does this look like it’s bleaching/receding? It’s in the top 2/3 of my tank.
Recent pic

Past pic

I don’t have acess to a par meter now. But when measured before par was around 250 in the top 2/3

Cal 500
Mg 1450
Alk 8.3
Po4 .03
No3 10 ppm
Temp 78
Ph 8.3
Recommendations? Thanks

Recommendations- Keep it stable at its current point
Dont let CA get much higher but appears to be growth and Not burnt tips

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

2 x Viparspectras 165 w. 9” above the water. Whites are at 1 blues are at 75. Par is at 275 at the colony

The little I know about those lights is that they have laser beam lenses. I would raise them up and try to get your hands on a par meter.

 

[JCOLE]

The little I know about those lights is that they have laser beam lenses. I would raise them up and try to get your hands on a par meter.

I second this. Get a PAR meter and test. Then honestly I would pull the lens off the diodes. This will help blend the color better and reduce the disco ball effect. You will need to turn the blue/white levels up more after removing the lens but it's worth it in my opinion on black boxes.

Also, that looks like a humulus, which are amazing corals. If I am right then they are light hogs. You should be able to blast them and give them more white light as well.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

Yeah I've got two of them myself its not growth tips, but if your heading in the right direction, it will take a few weeks, it could have been a stress from where you got it and your system could be just fine, give it time, it will go or it won't, it's hung around this long the chances of it turning around get better by the day.

 

[Rp8]

Yeah I've got two of them myself its not growth tips, but if your heading in the right direction, it will take a few weeks, it could have been a stress from where you got it and your system could be just fine, give it time, it will go or it won't, it's hung around this long the chances of it turning around get better by the day.

Oh well, it lost all color. Completely done. Parameters haven’t fluctuated. Temp is 78 ph 8.3 everything same as previous post except po4. It raised since shutting off reactor.
Dunno bros, win some lose some. Still testing the waters on sps. Not quitting tho, playing thru it

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

Oh well, it lost all color. Completely done. Parameters haven’t fluctuated. Temp is 78 ph 8.3 everything same as previous post except po4. It raised since shutting off reactor.
Dunno bros, win some lose some. Still testing the waters on sps. Not quitting tho, playing thru it

Don't be discouraged I get the same thing, I just keep the ones that survive in my system. They definitely don't all survive.

 

[Tamberav]

Oh well, it lost all color. Completely done. Parameters haven’t fluctuated. Temp is 78 ph 8.3 everything same as previous post except po4. It raised since shutting off reactor.
Dunno bros, win some lose some. Still testing the waters on sps. Not quitting tho, playing thru it

Was it maricultured? It looks like it would be to me. If so… don’t test waters with those. You want frags that have been aqua-cultured for awhile.

Definitely was not growth, could see the slight brown on the tips from diatom/algae forming when SPS dies.

 

[Rp8]

Was it maricultured? It looks like it would be to me. If so… don’t test waters with those. You want frags that have been aqua-cultured for awhile.

Definitely was not growth, could see the slight brown on the tips from diatom/algae forming when SPS dies.

I new something was off