Monitpora color pale!

[Flippers4pups]

It is not beneath me to ask for help, so I'm reaching out for some advice from the community. I value your input.

As the title States, for the past few months all my montipora capricornis have been pale all over in color. Red and green ones.

They have been growing well and have shown that on their edges. During this time all my water parameters have been spot-on, except for NO3. It's high at 30ppm.

I use RO/DI water for everything and use kalkwasser in my ATO reservoir.

Salt is IO.

Temp 78
Dkh. 10
Ca. 500
Mag 1450
N03. 30
P04. .02
pH . 8.0

Water changes of 10% weekly.

Use of GFO and GAC is very limited and only used when needed.

No testing for potassium or other elements at this time.

No dosing of aminos, elements.

Lighting has not changed in par and spectrum.

Flow is consistent and hasn't changed.

To combat the high N03, I've been running chaetomorpha in my sump refugium with a 6500k bulb on a reverse light schedule and dosing vodka at 5ml per day. Chaetomorpha is growing and is dark green.

I broadcast feed mostly LRS reef frenzy.

All other corals, SPS and LPS are growing and have excellent color and polyp extension.

So that it in a nutshell. What's causing the paleness in the caps? Lack of K?

What am I missing? What's your experience with paling of color with caps only?

 

[DSC reef]

Have you checked your salinity regularly? IME our caps paled from alk swings or when the salinity was off by not using calibration fluid for the refractometer. Got any pics?

 

[Crabs McJones]

Have you checked for rusting equipment or tested for copper at all?

 

[HB AL]

Electrical current in tank?

 

[Flippers4pups]

Have you checked your salinity regularly? IME our caps paled from alk swings or when the salinity was off by not using calibration fluid for the refractometer. Got any pics?

I validate SG with calibration fluid once a month. Test mix water and system water regularly. No alkalinity swings. Test twice weekly for alkalinity. I did go a couple weeks not testing due to my health issues. Paling started long before then.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Have you checked for rusting equipment or tested for copper at all?

No rusting equipment. Shouldn't have any copper introduced into the system.

Electrical current in tank?

Tested with multimeter, no stray current.

 

[Crabs McJones]

Refresh my memory, what lighting do you use?

 

[Flippers4pups]

Bump, de bump bump.....

 

[Flippers4pups]

Refresh my memory, what lighting do you use?

No problem Zach. Three, 165w Mars aqua units, modded to SB reeflights led diode layout. 9hrs total, 7 hrs white, 9 hrs blue.

50% blue, 20% white.

 

[29bonsaireef]

You 100% NO3 is at 30ppm? Tank looks awfully clean. I know from past experience high Alk with low nutrients will cause paling. Your digitatas and birdsnest look a little pale as well.

 

[Flippers4pups]

You 100% NO3 is at 30ppm? Tank looks awfully clean. I know from past experience high Alk with low nutrients will cause paling. Your digitatas and birdsnest look a little pale as well.

I agree. I was thinking that the test kit for NO3 could be off.

 

[29bonsaireef]

Just my guess. I would double check or maybe get a new kit. I've had this exact issue in the past when I ran higher alk and my nutrients fell to almost 0 everything paled out. I still run low nutrients, but keep my alk 7.6-7.8 and don't have this problem anymore.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Just my guess. I would double check or maybe get a new kit. I've had this exact issue in the past when I ran higher alk and my nutrients fell to almost 0 everything paled out. I still run low nutrients, but keep my alk 7.6-7.8 and don't have this problem anymore.

The more I think about it, it makes sense that they pale out and low nutrients would definitely do this. I'm getting a new NO3 kit soon.

 

[miPapareef]

Just posted a new journal article that superbly explains the whole phosphate limitation thing as well as the ratios.

http://reefsuccess.com/2018/08/27/p...-ultrastructure-of-symbiotic-dinoflagellates/

If you read this article and then the research paper behind it, you’ll find phosphate limitation is as hard on corals as ultra low nutrients.

I would give the tank a little phosphate (say double or triple your current reading for a month and see if colors improve, and I bet algae and coral will grow faster and consume that elevated nitrate.

There’s a lot of people, me included, that lowered nitrate by dosing phosphate in phosphate limited tanks.

 

[Flippers4pups]

If you read this article and then the research paper behind it, you’ll find phosphate limitation is as hard on corals as ultra low nutrients.

I would give the tank a little phosphate (say double or triple your current reading for a month and see if colors improve, and I bet algae and coral will grow faster and consume that elevated nitrate.

There’s a lot of people, me included, that lowered nitrate by dosing phosphate in phosphate limited tanks.

Thanks, I'll give it a read.

 

[reeferfoxx]

If you read this article and then the research paper behind it, you’ll find phosphate limitation is as hard on corals as ultra low nutrients.

I would give the tank a little phosphate (say double or triple your current reading for a month and see if colors improve, and I bet algae and coral will grow faster and consume that elevated nitrate.

There’s a lot of people, me included, that lowered nitrate by dosing phosphate in phosphate limited tanks.

+1

And +1 to the new no3 kit. If the kit is true, you might be looking at a po4 limitation. That would explain the high no3.

 

[Flippers4pups]

+1

And +1 to the new no3 kit. If the kit is true, you might be looking at a po4 limitation. That would explain the high no3.

That crossed my mind.

 

[Justfebreezeit]

Only time mine pales is when my alk or salinity swing. I run sub 1 nitrate and .02ish phosphate but its almost always been around there so im sure min are used to it.

 

[Flippers4pups]

I could be phosphate limited as my Hannah checker came up all 0's. I've just assumed that Ive always had some P04 because when I have tested for P04, it's been around .02-.03. So I haven't tested for P04 in a long time. Never any nuisance algae, but the little P04 that comes from feeding is being used up faster than can be read by testing. Lession learned.

This would explain why the N03 is running upward and the corals are paling.

I'll be honest, I've never experienced this unbalance of N03 and P04 before.
I've read before of N03 rising and p04 dropping, but I never suspected this in my system because I feed frozen and broadcast.

I have reduced my feedings to once a day over the past year as well.

Lession learned and monthly testing of P04 will happen. Will order some phosphate soon or see if a LFS has some.

 

[reeferfoxx]

I could be phosphate limited as my Hannah checker came up all 0's. I've just assumed that Ive always had some P04 because when I have tested for P04, it's been around .02-.03. So I haven't tested for P04 in a long time. Never any nuisance algae, but the little P04 that comes from feeding is being used up faster than can be read by testing. Lession learned.

This would explain why the N03 is running upward and the corals are paling.

I'll be honest, I've never experienced this unbalance of N03 and P04 before.
I've read before of N03 rising and p04 dropping, but I never suspected this in my system because I feed frozen and broadcast.

I have reduced my feedings to once a day over the past year as well.

Lession learned and monthly testing of P04 will happen. Will order some phosphate soon or see if a LFS has some.

It happens. Thanks for being honest!

Curious why this would be happening. I wonder if the kalk is binding more than it should? Or are there any other things being dosed?