Millipora losing color w polyp extension

[Eskimodanny]

Hi all,

I have had an SPS only tank for 8 months.

My parameters are as follows:
temperature: 78 degrees fahrenheit
Alkalinity 8.3 dKH
Calcium 375 ppm
nitrate 1 ppm
phosphate 0 ppm

The vibrant red from my bubble gum milli frag has lots of polyp extension day and night but the darker red is turning pale.

I have a bonsai that is encrusting but it is also a pale peach so I think it is losing color.

I have other acros that are doing well and encrusting for the past 3 months one of them being what looks like a peter pan and the other is a walt disney.

I am not sure why I can't take care of milliporas I thought they were less difficult than acropora.

Thank you all in advance.

 

[Surfzone]

What is your lighting intensity and photo period? For me if my corals are bleaching out it's due to too much light. also you may want to think about bringing up the PO4 and NO3. More so the 0 PO4, is not where you want those two levels. Low nutrients in the tank will bleach corals.

 

[mtraylor]

Yeah I would keep an eye on those phosphates. You may be stripping to many out.

 

[declanisadog]

I would like to hear about your lighting, but lack of nutrients are also my guess.

 

[markalot]

@Eskimodanny

How long have these acros been in your tank?

What, if anything have you changed in the last month?

What are you using to control Phosphates and Nitrates, if anything.

 

[Joshua M Hall]

If you have low Nitrates and Phosphates does spot feeding things like Reefroids help with that? I don't mean do they help increase nutrients, cause I know they can do that. I mean does the feeding itself act as a substitute for a ULNS?

 

[Surfzone]

Most ppl who run a ULNS use amino acids to feed corals but they also run a lower dKH of 6.5 to 7.5

 

[Graffiti Spot]

Without pictures no one can truly help you. Also millepora is a type of acropora.

 

[ycnibrc]

Do you add any new sps lately? Check for AEFW

 

[Eskimodanny]

@Surfzone Im not sure of the photointensity but I do have have my lights on for 10 hours mainly ultra violet, white light, and royal blues from a diy set up, I thought my light intensity might be too low actually. I ll keep a closer eye on the nutrients for the coming week. What aminos would you recommend. I have had the fish in the tank before but some kind of parasite has taken them all out and I am waiting for the cycle to die out, which I was recommended to be 76 days or so. I am spot feeding some powdered coral feed.

@Joshua M Hall @mtraylor @declanisadog Maybe I do have some algae that grows pretty wildly on one side of the tank tho. I will try some small spot feeding.

@Pedoconfuego Yea... Im not too good at taking clear pictures yet. But other than the just colors getting duller no burnt tips or anything its just encrusting fine. and Acropora Millipora genus oops guess I forgot haha.

@ycnibrc Very unlikely I think I watched these corals for a month after they settled in and they were the firsts coral to go into my tank and have been for 4 months. The walt disney is encrusting and not losing color so I was not sure. I heard millipora was easier than the smoother skin acros like walt disney, orange passion etc.

@markalot The acros have been in my tank for 4 months I only have 3 corals in the tank a bonsai, bubblegum millipora, and a walt disney.
bonsai is encrusting like crazy but is a dull peach color so I think is losing color I remember it being slightly darker alot of polyp extension.
bubblegum millipora is very slowly encrusting and went from a light red to pale white pink with alot of polyp extension.
Walt disney is encrusting at a decent rate and the color is pretty good but it looks like it is trending towards the greener side.

Thank you all for the suggestions I am going keep a closer eye on the nitrates, and if they hold more steady for a week ill dose some aminos.

 

[markalot]

@Eskimodanny

You didn't mention PO4 control. IMO if it's really 0 then you may be over doing it. I've had the purple fade from a bonsai like valida a few times, usually related to nutrients being too low. That good purple is tough for me.

 

[jda]

Millepora can be incredibly resilient and fast growing in the past, but current husbandry practices have made them a lot harder. Lots of people struggle with millepora these days.

Lights are more tantamount to good color than chasing any parameter. Quality and then quantity.

 

[BoomCorals]

What are you using for nutrient export? GFO? Refugium? Nopox? Other? Using LED?

 

[BigJohnny]

Need pics

 

[Graffiti Spot]

Millepora can be incredibly resilient and fast growing in the past, but current husbandry practices have made them a lot harder. Lots of people struggle with millepora these days.

Lights are more tantamount to good color than chasing any parameter. Quality and then quantity.

I have also found that there are different types that do better for me. Mille that comes in with more spaced out coralites and fatter branches do well for me but I have noticed the smaller thin branches phones with tightly spaced coralites are much more finicky. Not sure if the difference is collection site or more to it than that.

 

[jda]

A. Millepora is one coral that can do very well in a true ULNS tank. You see all kinds of nice ones in the European ZeoVit tanks. However, unless you are driving N and P low with media, GFO, organic carbon, LC, etc., then you are not ULNS. If you are, you really need to evaluate why you are trying to be. Low is no problem, even down to .1 nitrate and .005-.01 phosphate, but lower than this can be a problem - these are incredibly hard to test for.

 

[wish]

I don’t know if this helps but all my Millie’s loves random flow.