Coral possibly dying !

[Juscuziam]

Hello ! I received a coral that is bleaching or turning white. I received it for a fellow reffer who was selling his whole system long story short he gave it to me for free. My tank is still fairly new and the spa I currently ha e are doing well. I have a 40 gallon with sump and protien skinner (somantic 60). For lighting a have a hydra 26 with DR saxby low power setup. I have never taken care of a coral like this and I would like your opinion on how to bring this guy back to life.
Calcium is 510ish
Mag was around 1200 but testing today is around 300.
Amonia is 0.25
Alkalinity is 4.5
Phosfate 0
All others zero.
I've added aquavitro fuel as required
I have aquaforest calcium and magnesium and will add recommended levels tonight to bring them to where they should be.
Magnesium was fine before I put the coral in or maybe I mischecked it or it's a possibility.

What else can I do or add ?
I have my lighting setup up with Coral acclimation mode selected with 50% reduction and bringing it up to full intensity in the next week

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as this is a pretty beautiful piece of coral I would like to say.

Thanks in advance for your help

 

[OutsideBrian]

Probably wouldn’t hurt to do a water change, see if you can’t get rid of that ammonia. Sounds like the tank isn’t cycled?

 

[Juscuziam]

No it hasn't, fully cycled yet. I've done one water change per day. I also have a media reactor going with biopellets

 

[ZipAdeeZoa]

Typically adding any living thing to an un-cycled tank doesn't end well, especially with animals as sensitive as corals. I'd probably try and find someone with a more mature system and give them away. You should't have any ammonia in your tank once there are living things in it (other than the nitrifying bacteria). Also remember Ammonia is much more toxic at the higher PH of reef tanks so the fact that you have any means they probably won't make it unless you rehome them. Do you have local club or anything that you could get in touch with to see if any body has a tank to put all your live stock in until your tank has cycled and ideally matured for some time after?

 

[Bayareareefer18]

Ammonia not that big a deal for coral right?
Alk truly 4.5?

 

[Juscuziam]

I downgraded from a 165 to my 40 gallon. I wouldn't have taken them but the coral was dying and he had no one that would take it. I am the only reefer I know in my area. I asked the local pet store but they said they cant be responsible for it and would not be able to give it the care it needs so kinda on my own.

 

[Juscuziam]

I downgraded from a 165 to my 40 gallon. I wouldn't have taken them but the coral was dying and he had no one that would take it. I am the only reefer I know in my area. I asked the local pet store but they said they cant be responsible for it and would not be able to give it the care it needs so kinda on my own.

 

[astridaly]

4.5 alk? It should be higher: 7-9 or so, correct?

 

[OutsideBrian]

What test kit are you using for alk?

 

[Juscuziam]

4.5 alk? It should be higher: 7-9 or so, correct?

Its 7.1

 

[Juscuziam]

I had an issue with my current test kit salifert. I'm possibly switching to hanna products

 

[Juscuziam]

All my levels seem to have been leveling out so what I'm wondering is is this Coral healthy and growing

 

[Juscuziam]

I noticed at the tips of the coral there's a little hole like a canal and it seems like there's something fluorescent in there I'm wondering if that's a good sign or not I know it's hard to tell me these pictures.

 

[Hemmdog]

All my levels seem to have been leveling out so what I'm wondering is is this Coral healthy and growing

How long has it looked like that ?

 

[IslandLifeReef]

Ammonia not that big a deal for coral right?
Alk truly 4.5?

No, that's not right. Ammonia is a big deal for all saltwater animals.

If the test kit being used is API, that .025 ammonia reading could actually be 0.00 ppm ammonia.

I noticed at the tips of the coral there's a little hole like a canal and it seems like there's something fluorescent in there I'm wondering if that's a good sign or not I know it's hard to tell me these pictures.

Unfortunately, that coral looks dead. You need to get you tank stable before adding any more corals. There are several articles in the reef chemistry section by @Randy Holmes-Farley that give you ranges you should shoot for in your tank.

 

[Bayareareefer18]

Double post

 

[Bayareareefer18]

No, that's not right. Ammonia is a big deal for all saltwater animals.

If the test kit being used is API, that .025 ammonia reading could actually be 0.00 ppm ammonia.




Unfortunately, that coral looks dead. You need to get you tank stable before adding any more corals. There are several articles in the reef chemistry section by @Randy Holmes-Farley that give you ranges you should shoot for in your tank.

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?ur...share_pid=3668543&share_fid=1020&share_type=t

FWIW, I've not seen much data on ammonia toxicity to corals. Some might even like it.

 

[IslandLifeReef]

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?ur...share_pid=3668543&share_fid=1020&share_type=t

FWIW, I've not seen much data on ammonia toxicity to corals. Some might even like it.

I don't think that constitutes proof that ammonia at measurable concentrations on reliable home test kits isn't harmful to corals. There are some ocean animals that live next to vent tubes that spew hot gasses, but that doesn't mean that is what we should do in our tanks. There are many articles talking about negative effects that ammonia has on coral.

I certainly wouldn't add ammonia to a tank with coral in it. Would you?

 

[Bayareareefer18]

I don't think that constitutes proof that ammonia at measurable concentrations on reliable home test kits isn't harmful to corals. There are some ocean animals that live next to vent tubes that spew hot gasses, but that doesn't mean that is what we should do in our tanks. There are many articles talking about negative effects that ammonia has on coral.

I certainly wouldn't add ammonia to a tank with coral in it. Would you?

Didn't say anything about intentionally adding ammonia to a tank with coral. What I'm saying is there may be more at play here than the ammonia. A dkh of 4 would be more of a concern to me. There are also plenty of articles that will say ammonia isn't detrimental to coral. I think people like RHF and Jake Adam's are a pretty reputable sources. I've seen Jake place coral in an uncycled tank and they look amazing. Pretty sure the guy knows what he's doing when it comes to coral.
https://reefbuilders.com/2018/04/20...i-cycle-a-reef-tank-before-putting-corals-in/

 

[IslandLifeReef]

Didn't say anything about intentionally adding ammonia to a tank with coral. What I'm saying is there may be more at play here than the ammonia. A dkh of 4 would be more of a concern to me. There are also plenty of articles that will say ammonia isn't detrimental to coral. I think people like RHF and Jake Adam's are a pretty reputable sources. I've seen Jake place coral in an uncycled tank and they look amazing. Pretty sure the guy knows what he's doing when it comes to coral.
https://reefbuilders.com/2018/04/20...i-cycle-a-reef-tank-before-putting-corals-in/

No, but you did say that ammonia isn't a problem for corals, and then provided a quote that stated some might even like ammonia. If they like it, why not feed it to them?

I agree that the ALK is probably the problem and an ammonia reading of 0.25, depending on the test kit, probably isn't a problem either. You did say the "Ammonia not that big a deal for coral right?," which could be telling a new reefer that they don't need to be concerned with ammonia. Even in the last article that you linked, it stated that ammonia causes cell structure problems in coral, just like all other living organisms, though not at the levels typically seen in an aquarium. The problem is, what are these "typical levels?" Is it 0.2 ppm and lower, or is it 2.0 ppm or higher? I just think that telling a potentially new reefer that ammonia isn't a big deal for corals is dangerous. They don't have the same experience that someone like RHF or Jake Adam's has.

Again, I agree with you that the ALK is probably the culprit in the OP's situation, along with stability issues.