Browned out sps question

[xrayrider]

I had some high Alk problems about 6-8 months ago with my tank. About 1/2 of my Acros were shocked and turned brown. Some of the tips died off. The tips have all grown back now. The sps are happy with nice polyp extension. However, except for the fact that the tips of many of them have turned blue, none of them have lost the brown color, and colored back up. None of them had blue tips before this, and they all look a lot a like in color now, brown with blue tips, even though they are all different strains. Why does a sps turn brown, and what triggers it's return to a colored up state?

Thanks,
Robert

 

[xrayrider]

By the way, this is a 125 gallon tank, with a 60 gallon sump that is a little over half full. Large refugium, taking up over half of sump. 6-9 inch deep sand bed. 150 lbs live rock. 26 salinity, no detectable amonia, nitrites, nitrates, or phosphates. My API phosphate test kit is worthless, but I have no hair algae, and I run Rowaphos. I have a Calcium reactor, and keep Alk at about 12, and Calcium at about 450. Lighting is two 6' VHO super actenics (UV lighting company), and one 4' VHO Super Actenic, on an Icecap 660. I have 2 x 250 Metal halides on the ends, with ARO ballasts, and Radium bulbs. One 400 watt Coralvue ballast, with a 400 watt Radium in the center. Most of the sps are in the center, under 9 inches of water, and the bulbs are about 18 inches above the water. The sps Acros that never browned out, have kept their color nicely to this day, but the brown ones never color back up. Are they getting too much light? Any other ideas? What causes them to brown out?

 

[COReefer]

tons of things can cause them to brown out. Not enough light in several cases or just pure stress from unstable water(temp and ph swings). IF I were you I would lower my alk down closer to 8 is. For some reason higher alk aids in the production of zooxanthellae sp? and this is the brown stuff. When the acro needs less zoox to grow because of the amount of sugar that a single cell of zoox produces rises due to more light, lower alk, the zoox starts to go away and this is when the colors shine through. I am so sorry for all of this jumble and I hope it helps you a little. Just alot of information to type in one post

 

[xrayrider]

Sure it helps, you gave me something new to try. I have been wondering if I should switch out the 400 watt Radium in the middle, for another 250. I have been wondering if it is too much light. I have about 11 watts per gallon. Changing to a 250 watter would reduce power consumption, and lower the heat a bit. Maybe dropping the alk, and the light intensity both, might help.

Thanks,
Robert

 

[FaviaFreak]

there are tons of factors that affect SPS coloration, Alkalinity, Salinity, P04, N04, light intensity, length of photoperiod, etc. as long as your parameters are stable than I would look into photoperoid and intensity first and foremost. As they say, too much of a good thing isn't always a good thing

 

[bkv1997]

I've personallyl never experience too much light causing SPS to brown.

I would recommend lowering your alk (Slowly) to the 8-9 range. My first thought though would be water quality.

What are your phosphates with a good LE test might have to get a LFS to test for you or a lab. Are you running a good skimmer? How often are you doing water changes? If you fill a white 5 gallon bucket full of your tank water does it make the bottom look yellow when you look through it? I know that isn't the most scientific method but is easy for most people to check.

Brandon

 

[gilmour01]

i've had phosphates cause my acros to brown. make sure youre running enough rowaphos and that its changed regularly. also as others have already said, bring your alk down to around 8.

 

[xrayrider]

I have thought about high phosphates a lot. I don't think it is phosphates. I run Rowaphos and carbon, and change them every 3 weeks regarless. The API test kit I have to test for phosphates is worthless, but the sps all have nice polyp extention, I have no nusance algae, and the sps turned brown in responce to a high alk problem, and won't change back. The sps that stayed colored up through the high alk issues, have not ever lost color. I would expect all my sps to have problems if it were high phosphates. If it were high phosphates, I would expect no to little growth in my sps, which I have great growth. I would also expect algae issues. I use an Octopus Needlewheel 200, with the mesh mod. I also have a huge refugium, at least 20+ gallons. I do need to get a better phosphate test kit to confirm my assumptions though. I think reducing the light, and decreasing the alk, might be a good place to start.

Thanks everyone.

 

[COReefer]

personally I wouldn't do the light just yet. Most of the time when too much light is involved you get bleaching, not browning. It's just me. I'm thinkin alk is your major issue.