Coraline bleached, now unbleached, what's going on?

[Trever]

New tank (7 months) with SPS lighting.

I started seeing coraline at the 3 month mark. Beautiful bright magenta color.

However it started bleaching and the various spots became white for several months.

Recently, the coraline has regained full coloration and is growing.

Throughout, water parameters are extremely stable and have not measurably changed.

I did let hair algae grow for awhile, then exported out of the tank as much as I could.

I still (as I have for many months) have zero measurable phosphate or nitrate.

My theory is the algae was sucking all the nutrients, and exporting the algae meant more nutrients for the coraline and thus they stopped bleaching and recovered.

The problem with this theory is that I have not seen issues with my corals (mostly beginner SPS stuff) that have been growing well and continue to grow whenever I put coral(s) in the tank (I keep adding stuff, again, new tank... stocking it). No noticeable changes in the corals regardless of what's going on in the tank.

Is there something I'm missing? Not sure why the coraline has done this emergence --> fail --> reemergence, while my corals have not.

 

[Jekyl]

Having no measurable no3 and po4 could be the issue.

 

[landlubber]

i think you mentioned exactly what the issue was in your explanation.
you had said that parameters have been very stable but also said that you had hair algae (elevated nutrients) followed by undetectable nutrients.
coraline (like coral) requires phosphate and nitrate to thrive. if it gets none because the hair algae is getting it first the result will be paling of the coraline.

 

[PBar]

Hello,
Hard to say the reason for sure... but white spots on coraline can be an indication of low strontium level in the tank.
Mike Paletta also uses this as an indicator.


Good luck

 

[mindamoo424]

Great! Thank you. So new at this!