Help with pale Acropora color loss for a year

[bumpyj38]

Hello,

I need help specifically with my Acropora. I have a mixed reef that is coming up on 2 years old. Most of the corals look great. However I have many SPS Acropora (and 1 or 2 LPS) that are almost colorless or barely colored. These Acropora have been in my tank for almost a year now. When placed in then tank they had a very good amount of color. I have tried different parameters very slowly with no success. Here are my current parameters now:
Salinity - 1.026
Temp - 78.5
Nitrate 12.6
Phosphate - .10
Alkalinity 8.3
Calcium - 440
Mag - 1370
These parameters have been very consistent for the last year. I have tried small adjustments to include (6 months at phos - .05, Nitrate 5ppm/ 3 months at phos .08, nitrate - 10ppm/ and also 6 months of Alkalinity at 9. I decided to try and run a lower amount of Alk only in the last few months. My lighting hasn’t changed and I have happy Stylophora, Monti Cap, Montipora Digitata, Anacropora, euphylia and other LPS. Here is a pic of my whole tank as well as pics of problem corals.

 

[bumpyj38]

Problem Corals:

WWC Yellow Tips. Barely any blue or green. Tips are really white beyond growth. No yellow tips anymore. Still growing quickly though.

 

[bumpyj38]

Problem Coral

Pink Cadillac. Not pink at all. Mostly a very pale green.

 

[bumpyj38]

Problem Coral

ORA Red Planet. No color

 

[bumpyj38]

Problem Coral

Coops Cali Cali. Straight green. Has color but all green.

 

[bumpyj38]

Problem Coral

JF Fox Flame. No color in tips. A weird skin color that doesn’t look good at all.

 

[bumpyj38]

Problem Coral

PC Superman. No color. Again with the weird skin color.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

What are your methods for trace elements replenishing? Waterchanges? Supplements?

 

[bumpyj38]

Again. Parameters and lighting have been stable. I recently fixed some trace issues a few months ago. Most of these corals have been in this tank almost a year and have not “adapted” as people say they will. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[bumpyj38]

What are your methods for trace elements replenishing? Waterchanges? Supplements?

I do regular water changes. It was daily until I had some trace elements out of whack a few months ago and began adding them individually to correct (per ICP). I have been dipping my toes into reef moonshiner method to correct the imbalances. I corrected what was off in my last ICP (Flouride, bromide, barium, etc.) that has been only over the last 3-4 months. This has been going on almost a year.

 

[bumpyj38]

What are your methods for trace elements replenishing? Waterchanges? Supplements?

Oh and supplements I just started dosing Brightwell Coral Aminos a month ago. I add a little iodine daily.

 

[Grill]

When I hear about Acropora I think of this video by Abe... Acropora Coral Care Hopefully it can give you some insight.

 

[ryshark]

Type of lights?
Flow?
Maybe pests?

 

[ryshark]

Also, are you getting polyp extension?

I don’t think it’s related, but looks like there is micro vermetid everywhere. I hate those things.

 

[Dburr1014]

I do regular water changes. It was daily until I had some trace elements out of whack a few months ago and began adding them individually to correct (per ICP). I have been dipping my toes into reef moonshiner method to correct the imbalances. I corrected what was off in my last ICP (Flouride, bromide, barium, etc.) that has been only over the last 3-4 months. This has been going on almost a year.

How much water change and how often?
I want a percentage and how often you do a water change.
What test kits are you using for each parameter?

 

[ninjamyst]

Aminos is a good step forward. What are you dosing for two parts?

 

[homer1475]

When I hear about Acropora I think of this video by Abe... Acropora Coral Care Hopefully it can give you some insight.

What a great video, and oh so true!

 

[bumpyj38]

Type of lights?
Flow?
Maybe pests?

Lights are Radion XR30s with T5 lights supplementing. Par is 350 toward the top and 200 on the sand bed. Very far ends of the tank I have at a slightly lower setting so I can put LPS there.
flow= I have plenty of powerheads however this could be an issue. I have a maxspect gyre at one end pointed mostly up for gas exchange. I have another maxspect gyre in the tank and 2 MP40s.
I keep a good eye out for pests. The only thing I see is vermetids but don’t seem to irritate the corals. They have great polyp extension.

 

[bumpyj38]

Also, are you getting polyp extension?

I don’t think it’s related, but looks like there is micro vermetid everywhere. I hate those things.

You are correct I have a crazy amount of vermetids but they don’t seem to bother the corals right now. They have great polyp extension. They grow pretty well just color is bad. I don’t feed any reef roids or anything in an attempt to limit them but they multiply anyway.

 

[bumpyj38]

Aminos is a good step forward. What are you dosing for two parts?

Sorry yes. I dose Kalkwasser and the consumption is pretty high. Im almost at my max evaporation rate per day. So then I will need to add some two part soon. My Alk consumption is steadily increasing.