LPS zooxanthellae

[Innovative Aquariums]

In the past, I had a 55g where I had a purple tip frogspawn that did well for about 2 months. After those two months, it started to release zooxanthellae. I know because it was a brown string coming out of its mouth. It ended up losing all the purple pigmentation with very little green left.

Present day: bought Hammer coral, green frogspawn and a torch coral. They were all doing great for about 4 days. As of today, they all started releasing zooxanthellae just like my purple tip frogspawn in the past. I'm not sure what to do. I still see my SPS polyps fully extended and doing well. I checked salinity with a hydrometer and a refractometer and it read 1.026. Nitrates and phosphates are fine.

Currently I'm using a Vipar spectra black box at 60% channel 1 and 50% channel 2. I lowered it today from 65%channel 1 and 50% channel 2 yesterday.

 

[Innovative Aquariums]

 

[Maritimer]

Lowering lights is probably a decent place to start. What's your temperature looking like?

"Fine" is a bit nebulous as a number for nitrates and phosphates. It'll be easier for folks to offer you constructive assistance if you post the actual readings for them, along with ammonia, calcium, alkalinity and magnesium. With more concrete information on what's going on in your system, members of the #reefsquad or others will better be able to help you out.

~Bruce

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

How high is the light above the tank?

 

[Innovative Aquariums]

Lowering lights is probably a decent place to start. What's your temperature looking like?

"Fine" is a bit nebulous as a number for nitrates and phosphates. It'll be easier for folks to offer you constructive assistance if you post the actual readings for them, along with ammonia, calcium, alkalinity and magnesium. With more concrete information on what's going on in your system, members of the #reefsquad or others will better be able to help you out.

~Bruce

How high is the light above the tank?

-10 dKH
-440ppm Ca
-10ppm Nitrates
-0ppm Phosphates
As for magnesium, I don`t currently have a test kit for it.

The light is 3in from the water line. Frogspawn and hammers are about 22in from the light to where they are placed. i currently cannot raise the light height since I have to build a hanger for them to hang up on. That will be about a month or so.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I would turn them down to 1% honestly. The way dimmers work in those , it’s not an even dim. So 1% is actually about 40 of full power.

I have 3 B.B. innmy 55 8in above the water with diffusers. I’m at 30% w and 20% blue.

 

[Innovative Aquariums]

I would turn them down to 1% honestly. The way dimmers work in those , it’s not an even dim. So 1% is actually about 40 of full power.

Would that still be enough to grow SPS like Monti, Stylo, and Birdsnest?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

You’d need a meter to know for sure.

Lux meter.
Test the amount of Light at the top of the water.
100 par is approx 1000 lux.

You probably want 400 par at the top of the water. 24-000 lux.

I’d bet you have a lot more then that.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LSFR0F...t=&hvlocphy=9061183&hvtargid=pla-505585159192

At 12in at full blast those are usually
About 45,000 lux. About 750 par.
So it’s going to be a bit of a trick to have a low med coral and a med -high coral.

And not all sps are high light.

 

[Innovative Aquariums]

You’d need a meter to know for sure.

Lux meter.
Test the amount of Light at the top of the water.
100 par is approx 1000 lux.

You probably want 400 par at the top of the water. 24-000 lux.

I’d bet you have a lot more then that.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LSFR0F...t=&hvlocphy=9061183&hvtargid=pla-505585159192

At 12in at full blast those are usually
About 45,000 lux. About 750 par.
So it’s going to be a bit of a trick to have a low med coral and a med -high coral.

And not all sps are high light.

Just ordered the Lux Meter. Thanks for the Link to it by the way!
I`ll lower the light to 30%w and 20%b. Lux Meter should be here in two days so once its here, I`ll aim for 4k lux at the surface based of the 1k lux ≈ 100 par. Thanks again for telling me how intense these black boxes are! No wonder SPS is doing well (previously bought at Vivid aquariums which always uses Radions for their corals).

I`ll keep you updated.

 

[Innovative Aquariums]

Okay guys, so I finally got my LuxMeter. When I had the Channels at 30%W and 20%B and i had it about 800x100 Lux. I dropped the Intensity to 1%W and 1%B and it hits at 450x100 Lux. Im Pretty sure the numbers might be a bit weird since i have to multiply it by 100 first.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

8,000 lux? 45,000lux?

 

[Innovative Aquariums]

I take that back, It was 363x100 Lux

 

[Innovative Aquariums]

I`ll try to send you a better image

 

[Innovative Aquariums]

This is a better image

 

[Innovative Aquariums]

only way i get a number, I have to put the Meter to 100000 rating. the 2k and the 20,000k rating is for some weird reason unable to be registered.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

only way i get a number, I have to put the Meter to 100000 rating. the 2k and the 20,000k rating is for some weird reason unable to be registered.

Makes sense. It maxing out the ,20,000 setting.

It looks like you’re peak is about
36,300 lux.

This is a better image

 

[Innovative Aquariums]

Just realized my math was off lol. That 36,300 peak is right at the surface of the water. Wouldn't that be too high? Its at 1% both channels with that reading.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

My 30 cube right now (20in deep) is about 30k. At the top. The fixture is 12 in and I’m at 75%on both. That’s a B.B.

My 55 is (and I’m going up) right now 28000.

The 30 gal is higher Light stuff acros clams on the sand.

How far above the tank is the light?

What did you get at 100%

 

[Innovative Aquariums]

The light is currently at 2in from the water line. (I know pretty low). This tank is a 100g (24in deep from the sand-bed line).

My 40g (15in deep) is using 1 kessil a80. with the LuxMeter, Its reading 15k from the surface at full spectrum and full intensity.

at 100% on the B.B., it is reading at 50k (jesus thats strong).

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

The light is currently at 2in from the water line. (I know pretty low). This tank is a 100g (24in deep from the sand-bed line).

My 40g (15in deep) is using 1 kessil a80. with the LuxMeter, Its reading 15k from the surface at full spectrum and full intensity.

at 100% on the B.B., it is reading at 50k (jesus thats strong).

Yup. Thank goodness for the dimmer eh? Lol.