Help! Save my BRAIN!

[PJNANO]

What's happening here? Too much light? Not enough light? here's the history.

The coral sits on the sand. A couple of months ago I noticed it turning white. It was getting hit with about an hour of natural sunlight from a nearby window. I moved it over about 3 inches where the sunlight never hit, and tried to be mindful to keep the curtains drawn in the afternoon when the sun hit. With a new tank build, I all but ignored this tank-just fed the fish every other day and the corals once or twice a week. It always had good extension and ate. I guess at first I thought that it was coloring back up, but now I realize that what I thought was red returning is actually brown.
src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4236/34670990184_93e9f78eff_s.jpg" width="75" height="75" alt="Unhealthy brain"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Unhealthy brain by Penny, on Flickr
Water params:
dKh 9.1
cal 400
mag 1420
pH 8.4
temp79
salinity 1.026

I'd really like to save this one.

 

[jsker]

Where are your nutrients at, and are you dosing?

 

[PJNANO]

Where are your nutrients at, and are you dosing?

Thanks for responding. Not sure what you mean by nutrients. The only thing I dose is 2 part alk and calcium which also provides trace elements. Haven't tested for nitrates or phosphates if thats what you mean by nutrients.

 

[jsker]

Thanks for responding. Not sure what you mean by nutrients. The only thing I dose is 2 part alk and calcium which also provides trace elements. Haven't tested for nitrates or phosphates if thats what you mean by nutrients.

We need a slight amount of phosphates and nitrates in our system to feed our corals and this is considered nutrients besides amino acids and food partials that float around from our frozen feeding.

 

[Jlentz]

Low light. Low flow. Direct feed. Most of all Make absolutely sure nothing is picking at it.

 

[PJNANO]

We need a slight amount of phosphates and nitrates in our system to feed our corals and this is considered nutrients besides amino acids and food partials that float around from our frozen feeding.

The rest of the tank looks good, except for a trumpet coral (I've never been able to keep trumpets for some reason). I have euphilia, Zoas, Acans, Duncans and 4 fish in a 29. Feed pretty heavy so pretty sure thats not the issue. My thought was either too much or not enough light.

 

[PJNANO]

Low light. Low flow. Direct feed. Most of all Make absolutely sure nothing is picking at it.

When I moved it to lower light, thats when it started to brown (It was turning white before that). It is just out of reach of a BTA which I think would be the only thing that could pick on it. I never see any shrimp or snails on it. There are no crabs in the tank. Ugh. I'm missing something.

 

[jsker]

The rest of the tank looks good, except for a trumpet coral (I've never been able to keep trumpets for some reason). I have euphilia, Zoas, Acans, Duncans and 4 fish in a 29. Feed pretty heavy so pretty sure thats not the issue. My thought was either too much or not enough light.

Then check if the corals are getting there elements

 

[Jlentz]

What are the fish?

 

[A Toadstool Leather]

Something must have swung for a coral to bleach. Have you dosed anything or added anything?

 

[PJNANO]

Then check if the corals are getting there elements

How do I do that?

 

[PJNANO]

What are the fish?

2 clowns a diadema basslet and a striped hawkfish.

 

[PJNANO]

Something must have swung for a coral to bleach. Have you dosed anything or added anything?

I added 4 new SPS corals about 6-8 weeks ago, but the bleaching started before that. The only thing I dose is 2 part alk cal. I did add an auto doser in March, which admittedly I had a lot of trouble dialing in. Come to think of it, thats probably when the trouble started with the brain. Ok. So lets assume it was Alk swings that caused the initial bleaching, and moving it to where it didn't get enough light caused the browning, whats the treatment to bring it back to its former glory. The water has been stable for a month or more now.

 

[miyags]

Is that a tube anemone next to it? If it got bleached with too much light,it will take awhile to come around. You can try and feed it,this helps it heal.But some corals won't take food

 

[jsker]

How do I do that?

There are kits out there for Iron, potassium, iodine to test. There are are programs out there for example Red Sea link and there are others. I use the balling method to dose my Ca, Mg, Alk and in the balling method there are also the elements that are dosed.

 

[greenhorn reefer]

Are you using a digital thermometer? Did you calibrate it to be sure it's accurate? Alk is high for only having 400 Ca. Let that come down to 7.4, or raise your Ca 450. However, I don't think any of these suggestions would help your coral because I don't think they're the reason your coral is dying. What's your Po4/No3? Maybe there is too many nutrients causing the algae to create too much oxygen byproduct?