Can I save this coral?

[Evand68]

This is the only coral in my system that looks to be having a problem. I think it is bleaching from the base up. Just noticed it today. Is there any saving it? I think it's a stylophora but not certain. Now about the system. 55 gallon DT with a 20 long sump, and 29 gallon display refugium. Tank is 5 months old and have been battling hair algae in the display, and just started to get some cyano in the display fuge. Reef breeder photon v2+ about 12 up off the top.
Salinity 1.25
PH about 8.1
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Phosphate. 02ppm
Calcium 370
KH 3.9 meq/ 10.9dKH
Iodine .06
Potassium 368ppm
Iron 0
Need a new magnesium test but but consistently around 1340 in past tests
Any help is greatly appreciated

 

[DQM5]

yeah you can still, frag the bottom off. since it is bleaching from the base. GL!

 

[TaylorJames]

Its definitely possible. Is it happening fast? If it is happening really fast I would frag it immediately.

It seems like the GHA is out competing your corals for nitrate. With undetectable nitrate, a dkh of 10.9 is way too high. You should slowly lower your dkh to 8-8.5. Cut back your dosing and let it fall down on its own.

 

[Evand68]

Its definitely possible. Is it happening fast? If it is happening really fast I would frag it immediately.

It seems like the GHA is out competing your corals for nitrate. With undetectable nitrate, a dkh of 10.9 is way too high. You should slowly lower your dkh to 8-8.5. Cut back your dosing and let it fall down on its own.

Ok, thank you, and it is fast. How do I lower alkalinity. I do not dose anything yet. I do 10 gallon water changes every Sunday since the corals aren't taking up too much calcium yet. Though, I do add red sea NoPox and Coral energy A & B daily

 

[TaylorJames]

The tank is still young and the algae issues are normal. You want your nitrates to be detectable, you could lower your dosage of NOPOX. What kind of salt do you use and how are you testing your dkh?

 

[Evand68]

I use red sea blue bucket salt not the coral pro and the red sea titration test kits

 

[TaylorJames]

Doing water changes should lower your alk. I dont know how it got so high using that salt which should test around 8dkh mixed.

 

[Evand68]

I have not had a detectable nitrate yet, and the test from yesterday with the above results is the first time I've had detectable phosphates. I've just put a ball of cheato in the refugium with the ai prime fuge light. Golf ball to a baseball in a week. I've beaten the long green hair algae. Now I just have diatoms and brown algae.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Do you dip your corals before placing into your display?

How old is your system?

 

[Evand68]

Am I on the right track or do I need to do more?

 

[Evand68]

Do you dip your corals before placing into your display?

How old is your system?

No I did not. I now realize I should and will from now on...5 months old

 

[Flippers4pups]

No I did not. I now realize I should and will from now on...5 months old

Looks like RTN. Frag above the dieing tissue, discard the plug and dead tissue. Dip the healthy frag in coral dip. Revive, coral Rx.....etc. Follow the instructions.

Best of luck with it.

 

[Evand68]

Looks like RTN. Frag above the dieing tissue, discard the plug and dead tissue. Dip the healthy frag in coral dip. Revive, coral Rx.....etc. Follow the instructions.

Best of luck with it.

Thank you... what's the best way to frag it without a bandsaw

 

[Flippers4pups]

Thank you... what's the best way to frag it without a bandsaw

Should cut easy. Clean side cutters/wire cutters.

 

[TaylorJames]

If your nutrients are so low what is your reason for dosing NoPox? Chaeto and NoPox together will likely strip all the nutrients from your water. I would slowly stop dosing NoPox all together.

 

[Robert McCreary]

is 10.9dkh really too high? im not sure if its alk related though anyways go and frag. i would make to cuttings incase one dies

 

[DQM5]

is 10.9dkh really too high? im not sure if its alk related though anyways go and frag. i would make to cuttings incase one dies

10.9 alk is pretty high, some reefer might get away with it, since their tank is very established. usually 7-8 is the ideal number.

 

[TaylorJames]

Lots of people run high alk but it also requires high nutrients.

 

[Robert McCreary]

10.9 alk is pretty high, some reefer might get away with it, since their tank is very established. usually 7-8 is the ideal number.

alright, I've never had my water chemistry nutrients undetectable, and been keeping it no higher than 10 ppm nitrates. maybe this is why i can get by with a higher alk. though i can say dropping alk from my old standard of 12 dkh to 8 dkh has been a huge health benefit to my acros. changed from reef crystals to red sea coral pro.

 

[Dkeller_nc]

Your alkalinity is most certainly too high with such low nutrients - it's the combination that's bad news for SPS corals, not simply high alkalinity. Lots of folks with very successful tanks run higher alkalinity with elevated nutrients. (edit - Taylor beat me to this by 5 seconds!).

What you should be asking yourself is how your alkalinity got so high in the first place, because the salt mix you're using should mix up to about 8 dKH. Your 11 dKH suggests that something's wrong with your RODI system (or you don't use one), your specific gravity is considerably higher than you think it is because of a miscalibrated or incorrectly used refractometer, or an incorrect alkalinity assay.

The only other possibility that I can think of is if you used artificial rock, such as Real Reef, which is basically cement, and will leach alkalinity into your system in the form of calcium hydroxide for quite a while after immersion.