Blue Tort Bleached. Heat related?

JSB · Jul 20, 2012

I have a 60 cube that has been running for 9 months now. I have several SPS, a couple LPS, and a handful of zoas. I am running carbon/gfo in a BRS media reactor and bio pellets in a bio pellet reactor. Since the warm weather began, temps average about 79F with a 1-degree swing either way.

Last weekend, I replaced both utility pumps on the reactors with MAG3s as the others (mj1200 and tunze 1026) were too loud and too weak respectively. These larger pumps caused the average water temp to increase by a degree or two, where the average temp is now 81. I just returned last night from a trip to find my blue tort frag bleached completely. It is in the top of the tank about 15" below my Radion LEDs where it has been for a couple of months.

Could this be related to the heat? Or should I look elsewhere? Will this recover on its own or do I need to take proactive steps to a) reduce the heat or b) treat the coral? I don't think summertime heat of 81F is excessive.

Params are:
Ca: 440 ppm
Alk: 8.1 dKh
Mag: 1380 ppm
Ph: 8.0-8.2
ORP: 450
Sg: 1.025
PO4: 0
NO3: 2ppm

I will say that I noticed an inordinate amount of algae on the glass after a 4-day trip, and a few other corals look less than thrilled. I hope it is just a temp acclimation thing.

Any help would be appreciated.

Steelerfan747 · Jul 20, 2012

Since all your parameters seem to be in check, I would have to ask if you have always had the radions or are they new. Also did/ do you dip your corals before introducing them to your display?

JSB · Jul 20, 2012

The radion was there before everything but the water. That is all the corals know. That particular one has been showing a little growth, so I felt is was acclimated and well placed. As for dipping, no coral has ever gone in the tank that was not dipped.

usfpaul82 · Jul 20, 2012

Maybe you disrupted your balance with your biopellets. When you changed the pump, did the flow through the pellet reactor go up? I have heard that to much flow through pellets can lead to negative results. If you did increase the flow, I would bring it back down to what it was...

Montrosereef · Jul 20, 2012

Sps would come back even if they Have completely turned white with no tissue.

JSB · Jul 20, 2012

The flow over the GFO/Carbon was increased somewhat, but I tuned the BP flow to about where it was to begin with. I do intend to cut my GFO dose in half in a process to see where the sweet spot is, making sure not to overstrip the PO4.

The frag still has tissue, and shows no sign of necrosis. It is simply no longer blue, but more a cream color.

Acropora Crazy · Jul 20, 2012

JSB said:
The flow over the GFO/Carbon was increased somewhat, but I tuned the BP flow to about where it was to begin with. I do intend to cut my GFO dose in half in a process to see where the sweet spot is, making sure not to overstrip the PO4.

The frag still has tissue, and shows no sign of necrosis. It is simply no longer blue, but more a cream color.

I had almost all of my SPS bleach do to Boyds chemi clean and most of them colored back up after about a month. Chemi clean is evil stuff and is not reef safe be warned not to use it ever in an SPS reef.