Help with acros

scabbedwings616 · Apr 27, 2021

My system is a 90g with 80g tank with a 40g sump attached to it. I recently redid all my aquascape with negative space aquascape. I’ve took out all that rock that was about 4 years old and been taking out a piece of the old rock a week. I recently changed my lights out from t5 to led lights. Been watching the par as well on the top and it’s between 350-412. Dkh is below and stays between 8-8.5. Nothing dramatic going on. The rock has been in there for a month now and getting the brown uglies now. I have added a few acros to see how they are doing and they are slowly turning brown. I add 20ml of amino acids a day, feed the fish once a day(mysis), and reef roofs and chili once a week. Can anyone help me with what is going on with the tank and pick my brain a little.

Stuartmercer · Apr 27, 2021

I'm no expert with acros, but... I believe some acros will turn brown when introduced to a new system. Just give them time and they should bake nicely after a couple months. However, lets wait for the experienced acro keepers to chim in.

scabbedwings616 · Apr 27, 2021

Stuartmercer said:
I'm no expert with acros, but... I believe some acros will turn brown when introduced to a new system. Just give them time and they should bake nicely after a couple months. However, lets wait for the experienced acro keepers to chim in.

They keep color but then slowly turn white too. The 80g tank still has t5 lights on it and the acros just don’t have any colors. I have a Walt Disney in there and it’s a year old. No issues at all with it. Polys out and doing ok. By no stretch is the color nice but still doing well.

Stuartmercer · Apr 27, 2021

scabbedwings616 said:
They keep color but then slowly turn white too. The 80g tank still has t5 lights on it and the acros just don’t have any colors. I have a Walt Disney in there and it’s a year old. No issues at all with it. Polys out and doing ok. By no stretch is the color nice but still doing well.

They're turning white? Like STN? And if the colors arent great? I would take a look at your phosphate and nitrate levels. Just because you are feeding that stuff it wont help unless those levels stay consistant. I could be wrong w/ it being a nutrient issue but there's a few clues pointing towards that being the issue. Can you post the nutrient levels please?

homer1475 · Apr 27, 2021

Why is your calcium sky high?

And your taking out 4 year old live rock, and replacing it with what? Dead dry rock?

Browning typically means high nutrients or low lighting, but seeing as you said lighting was in the 350 to 412 range, you can probably rule out lighting.

Stuartmercer · Apr 27, 2021

homer1475 said:
Why is your calcium sky high?

And your taking out 4 year old live rock, and replacing it with what? Dead dry rock?

Browning typically means high nutrients or low lighting, but seeing as you said lighting was in the 350 to 412 range, you can probably rule out lighting.

Ohh I completely missed that his calcium levels are sky high!

scabbedwings616 · Apr 27, 2021

Stuartmercer said:
Ohh I completely missed that his calcium levels are sky high!

I just tested my calcium and it’s at 450. Trident hasn’t given me an accurate reading as of recent or ever. My phosphates are .02 and nitrate are 0.

I run a calcium reactor on the tank and test once I change out the reagent.

It was dry Marco rock. I have the old rock in the frag tank and taking out some rock weekly. I have bio bricks for more biological filtration

Reefbreeders v2 50.

Duffer · Apr 27, 2021

homer1475 said:
Why is your calcium sky high?

And your taking out 4 year old live rock, and replacing it with what? Dead dry rock?

Browning typically means high nutrients or low lighting, but seeing as you said lighting was in the 350 to 412 range, you can probably rule out lighting.

I would agree with this, last year no matter what I did with acros, they always turned brown over time, no matter where I put them in my tank...once I figured out my phosphates were high and got them under control, my acros have survived and now I’m getting good growth and color..

scabbedwings616 · Apr 27, 2021

duffer said:
I would agree with this, last year no matter what I did with acros, they always turned brown over time, no matter where I put them in my tank...once I figured out my phosphates were high and got them under control, my acros have survived and now I’m getting good growth and color..

I just tested my dkh to see what it really was at vs the trident and it was off by 1dkh. Test said 7.89 but Hanna said 8.9. Now I’m starting to think something is up with the trident or the reagents.