Bubblegum Digi Turning white :-( help please

[energypb]

Hi Reef friends. I have been reading for none stop and really enjoy the topics and help that the community dose. This is my first time to post and hope i can get some advice from the community.

I have a Bubblegum Digi that is losing it's polyps and turning white. This is one of my favorite Corals and id love to save it and from what i have read as long as it has polyps it has hope.

I had tried to get advise from my LFS but the person who runs the store is a bit of an butt and not willing to help and when you try to ask him a noob question he try to tell brush you off.


I have attached the images of my Digi, As you can see the base is become white and a lot of the polyps are gone.

My Tank:

Reefer 250, Running about 1.2 years old.

ALK (Hanna tested) : 8.6
phosphates (Hanna tested) : 0
N02 (API): 0
N03 (API): 0
PH (APEX) : 8.26
Salinity (Apex): 34.6

Lighting: Apex A700 12" from water line with peek of 45%


I have the Digi placed at the top of my rocks as well. One thing i also see as you can see in the image a bit of what looks like brown hair algae growing on it as well (seen in image) but not sure if it is and if it is what is the best way to get it off it?

One thought looking over many other posts that because my phosphates are 0 that it is lacking and causing the issue?

Sorry for the bad images, I have to still figure out how to take reef photos, well once i have something that looks good to take a picture. I tried to add as many photos to help.

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Thanks for the help in advance

 

[Tahoe61]

Hi and welcome to R2R.

I would move the piece down and increase nutrients. Either feed more or run the skimmer on timer for only 6 hrs a day.

It can recover, I have almost killed mine twice.

 

[Uncle99]

You indicate N and P as Zero.
Hopefully your always running a balanced trace amount of these two.
Otherwise, if in fact it is zero, corals will slowly strave.

 

[wes urquhart]

I would double check your salinity. Probes can wander with time.

 

[energypb]

Thank you for the replies it is great to see others who can help and not belittle like my LFS dose when asking about this type of issues. I really do love the Hobby.

Tahoe61, Thanks.

I had turned off the Skimmer in the sump for the last 3 days, I have been checking P and they are still Zero based on the Hanna checker.

I was thinking but wanted to get another opinion to try to dos a bit of Nitrate to the tank with something like ME Nitrate NO3 Pharmaceutical Grade Liquid - MECoral ? Or is that a bad idea and only asking for more issues ?

Uncle99

Your Digi looks so nice i am jealous and it makes me want more to get mine back happy.

I have been trying to see how i can get P and N up to read on the meter. I have 2 blue Chromis fish in the tank but if have been also feeing them like i have 20 to help. Id admit that before i only feed them a small amount with little to no extra.

wes urquhart,

Thanks for that tip. I checked with it my Milwaukee a second a go and it is showing 1.025

 

[Uncle99]

You can dose nitrate.
Maybe some extra feed.
How about dosing amino acid.
I run nitrate at 6ppm (Trace to 10 ppm) and phosphate at 0.15 (Trace to .2 ppm)

 

[Hersheyb]

as mentioned, bring the coral lower, they don't need a lot of light and incrase no3 and po4 but increasing your feeding, get more fish or dose.

 

[energypb]

Thank you everyone!

I will start to increase my feeding a lot more ;Happy

I got 2 new Clown Fish, they are now in the 10 gallon for observation and quarantine but it will be a few weeks till they can help.

I bought the ME Coral N03 to Dose a bit. The manual on says to uses 1 PPM, in a 100 gallon system add 20ML.

So was looking to do 2.5 ml (for the reefer 250 about 50 gallons), but it doesn't say to uses daily or is it just 1 time or should i do 2.5 ml and then wait a few days, then test then add more if needed ?

Sorry for all the questions, i don't want to crash anything.

 

[energypb]

Hi Team, Things where getting better then all a sudden pow it just got worse. One thing i just found 2 little things walking on it and wanted to see if i can get some help to see if it is a pest and if i should DIP it ?

It is hanging by a string right now so i want to do all i can to save it.

They look to be gray color and are fast walking around the Montipora. They are gray in color and don't look to be like a Nudi
.
Thanks for the help in advance.