Help with dying mystery coral

[Grifflane]

Got this guy about a month ago and it's done nothing but degrade since I got it. The other coral I got (pulsing xenia) is absolutely thriving and my parameters are perfect. Maybe I have the wrong lighting + flow? Not sure what coral this is though it's orange and green when blue light is on.

Fluval evo 13.5 stock lights and dual rfg powerheads. Maybe my light isn't strong enough? I'm upgrading to ai prime soon once it's on sale

 

[Grifflane]

Here's where it's at in my tank. Seasoned 2yr old tank just did an overhaul about 6 months ago going to start stocking soon

 

[crazyfishmom]

Here's where it's at in my tank. Seasoned 2yr old tank just did an overhaul about 6 months ago going to start stocking soon

Looks like a leptoseris. They’re a low light Coral all the way and indirect light is best. If you move it down and away from the light, maybe try the sand bed and see whether it’ll open for you.

 

[Grifflane]

Looks like a leptoseris. They’re a low light Coral all the way and indirect light is best. If you move it down and away from the light, maybe try the sand bed and see whether it’ll open for you.

I'll give that a go!

 

[encrustingacro]

Leptastrea, not Leptoseris

 

[Grifflane]

Still not doing to well after almost 2 weeks towards the bottom

 

[crazyfishmom]

Still not doing to well after almost 2 weeks towards the bottom

So the good news is that the coral is still alive. I have some of my leptos at around 100 PAR and some at around 30 and they’re doing well in both. one of them recently fell down in between rocks and I wasn’t able to retrieve it for a couple of weeks. Finally it seems the fish or a crab moved it and I was able to dig it out. It is open and doing awesome now which leaves me to ask: what are your parameters like? Just want to understand to be able to try to think through it. With these guys too much light definitely seems to be the initial problem but there may be more to it.

 

[crazyfishmom]

Here are some of mine. They are all toward the bottom of the tank on some of the rock work but I have a couple on the sand bed in a different tank. I actually think that your piece is looking more open in the second picture compared to the first. It may just take a few more days to get it to open. I had one a while ago that took 6 weeks or so to fully open.

 

[Grifflane]

So the good news is that the coral is still alive. I have some of my leptos at around 100 PAR and some at around 30 and they’re doing well in both. one of them recently fell down in between rocks and I wasn’t able to retrieve it for a couple of weeks. Finally it seems the fish or a crab moved it and I was able to dig it out. It is open and doing awesome now which leaves me to ask: what are your parameters like? Just want to understand to be able to try to think through it. With these guys too much light definitely seems to be the initial problem but there may be more to it.

Params-
Salinity - 1.025
Calcium - 420
Phosphate - 0.25
Ammonia - .25
Nitrate - 0
Nitrite - 0
Ph - 8.2

 

[MoshJosh]

I agree with the above ID and recommendation for low light. Also, in my experience they take a while to improve/change.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Params-
Salinity - 1.025
Calcium - 420
Phosphate - 0.25
Ammonia - .25
Nitrate - 0
Nitrite - 0
Ph - 8.2

You need to have nitrates... Your corals will likely starve if those parameters are correct.

 

[crazyfishmom]

Params-
Salinity - 1.025
Calcium - 420
Phosphate - 0.25
Ammonia - .25
Nitrate - 0
Nitrite - 0
Ph - 8.2

As the previous poster just said, please add nitrates in. Hopefully that will help. I do think with these time is key. But in my opinion, it is already looking better than it was after being moved down to the sand bed.

 

[Grifflane]

As the previous poster just said, please add nitrates in. Hopefully that will help. I do think with these time is key. But in my opinion, it is already looking better than it was after being moved down to the sand bed.

I thought low as possible was key? How should I ADD nitrates... remove my chemi elite maybe and feed more?

 

[Grifflane]

Filtration is intank rack in this order
-floss
-chemi elite
- rest bio pellets

 

[crazyfishmom]

Filtration is intank rack in this order
-floss
-chemi elite
- rest bio pellets

Definitely remove the chemi elite. The rest should be fine. With nitrates this low I would suggest NeoNitro for a few days until you have readable levels and then test to see if you can maintain them. They don’t need to be very high, 5-10ppm will do.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I thought low as possible was key? How should I ADD nitrates... remove my chemi elite maybe and feed more?

"Low as possible" is only for very specific SPS ... You increase nutrients by putting more in than you remove. So feed the fish more (or add more fish) and/or reduce export by taking the collection cup off the skimmer or run it drier, change filter socks/floss less often, take a refugium off line, etc.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Also, what do you mean by a 2 year old "seasoned" tank that has an "overhaul" 6 months ago...? Sounds like it's functionally a 6 month old tank

 

[Grifflane]

Definitely remove the chemi elite. The rest should be fine. With nitrates this low I would suggest NeoNitro for a few days until you have readable levels and then test to see if you can maintain them. They don’t need to be very high, 5-10ppm will do.

Ok thank you, removed chemi and will feed daily with reef frenzy. Current feed is frenzy twice a week and pellets all other days. There's a decent bio load in here that should help.

Also, what do you mean by a 2 year old "seasoned" tank that has an "overhaul" 6 months ago...? Sounds like it's functionally a 6 month old tank

I had it going for awhile but life happened and I let everything in it die out and stopped feeding everything in it. Then about 6 or 7 months ago I replaced the sand and rock and did a big 50% water change along with some lighting upgrades and an ATO.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Ok thank you, removed chemi and will feed daily with reef frenzy. Current feed is frenzy twice a week and pellets all other days. There's a decent bio load in here that should help.

I had it going for awhile but life happened and I let everything in it die out and stopped feeding everything in it. Then about 6 or 7 months ago I replaced the sand and rock and did a big 50% water change along with some lighting upgrades and an ATO.

Replacing the sand and rock means you removed the vast majority of any bacteria/algae/archaea that would render a tank "seasoned".
So treat it like a 6 month old tank -and if you used dry rock, expect it to go though all the new tank growing pains.

 

[Grifflane]

Replacing the sand and rock means you removed the vast majority of any bacteria/algae/archaea that would render a tank "seasoned".
So treat it like a 6 month old tank -and if you used dry rock, expect it to go though all the new tank growing pains.

Oh boy did I have those, the cycle of hell within the first 2 months but I got a very solid CuC that wiped it

Lots of copepods as well