Coral Bleaching

[CarChase]

What the major causes of coral bleaching? I understand lighting is the leading cause but what else?

 

[Crabs McJones]

What the major causes of coral bleaching? I understand lighting is the leading cause but what else?

Lighting, temperature, parameter swing, irritation caused by pests or other corals and toxins are probably the major factors that could cause a coral to bleach.

 

[CarChase]

What type and how big of a parameter swing would cause bleaching?

 

[Crabs McJones]

A major swing in many parameters can cause corals to become upset. Are you experiencing bleaching? There is also another thing called RTN or Rapid Tissue Necrosis or STN Slow Tissue Necrosis, which some might confuse with bleaching as they both result in white corals

 

[CarChase]

Yes I am experience some bleaching. So far I had a platy coral, Acan echinata severely bleached. also a favai coral and frog spawn coral have some Slight bleaching. It appears that my recently purchased WWC purple polyp birds nest is also fading/bleaching. See photos. I post some water parameters ina separate post

 

[CarChase]

Here are some photos

 

[Night_shift_reefer_]

Is your frogspawn doing good? hard to tell by the pictures? If your frogspawn is healthy but your other corals are bleached i would say it is some sort of parameter issues.

 

[CarChase]

The frog spawn is doing good. It’s been fully extended every day. Looking back at my parameter log my alk ranged from 8.0-8-5 dkh (API test kit)ph a steady 8.0 (Salifert kit). Phos and No3 0.0 ppm (API). I have
a dragonfly Cypestria that is doing good but he started out in a shaded area and then moved out after a few weeks. I do a 15% water change every two weeks.
Tank size is 30 gallons.

Attached is another pic of the frog spawn from today.

 

[Night_shift_reefer_]

The frog spawn is doing good. It’s been fully extended every day. Looking back at my parameter log my alk ranged from 8.0-8-5 dkh (API test kit)ph a steady 8.0 (Salifert kit). Phos and No3 0.0 ppm (API). I have
a dragonfly Cypestria that is doing good but he started out in a shaded area and then moved out after a few weeks. I do a 15% water change every two weeks.
Tank size is 30 gallons.

Attached is another pic of the frog spawn from today.

Hows your temperature and salinity? I just had a buddy who bleached most of his corals due to one of his heaters screwing up.

 

[CarChase]

Temp has been stable. I check in the am and pm every day. The salinity is something I don’t check very often but I’m going to do so daily. I don’t have an ATO so I add some make up water in-the morning and at night each day. How big of a swing in salinity would cause corals to bleach?

 

[Night_shift_reefer_]

If you are adding top off RODI water every day I would say you are fine. When I had no ATO I just tested my salinity and added a small mark for a fill line and filled it once a day.

 

[CarChase]

Update: after about three months, lowering the intensity of my lighting system and moving the platy coral( which was severely bleached) in a shady area I’m finally starting to see some good color back. It’s difficult to see in the photos but there is some flourecent green coloration comming back in addition to brown colors. I have been feeding all corals reef chile mixed with cut up mysis shrimp and pellet fish food about once per week.