Monti Cap Bleaching?

[joro]

We've had a Monti Cap in our tank for a few weeks and initially it was growing and had great coloration. In the last 48 hours it's really take a nose dive - it's losing color and there are white splotches all over it. I tried to take a pic but it's hard to see in detail. We're running an original Reef Breeders 48" Photon which only maxes out at 60% blue channel and 50% white during the middle of the day. The Monti cap is in a medium/high flow and mid light area of the tank. Any ideas?

 

[Dany3350]

First off have u checked your water parameters,next have u changed anything moved power heads ,or other corals that might have sweeper but I think this one has to do with the chemistry of your water let's get some numbers first.

 

[joro]

First off have u checked your water parameters,next have u changed anything moved power heads ,or other corals that might have sweeper but I think this one has to do with the chemistry of your water let's get some numbers first.

Yes, here are current parameters and test kit used -

• Salinity - 34.8 (APEX)
• Temperature - 79 (APEX)
• ORP - 441 (APEX)
• Ammonia - 0 ppm (Red Sea), 0 ppm (SeaChem Ammonia Alert Badge)
  
• Nitrite - 0 ppm (Red Sea)
• Nitrate - 2 ppm (Red Sea)
• pH - 8.2 (Red Sea), 8.21 (APEX)
• Calcium - 420 ppm (Hanna Checker)
• Alkalinity - 9.4 dKh (Hanna Checker)

We haven't moved anything in the tank recently and the only change we've made (which we did yesterday) was to lower the maximum intensity of the LEDs from 70% to 60% since we saw a few white spots on the Monti Cap. The only other thing I can think of is that we did recently have a little larger pH swing than normal (image attached) but it wasn't crazy or long-lived so not sure.

 

[joro]

Also, in terms of sweepers, there's nothing even close to it on the rock but it does have some Pulsing Xenia on the left and a small frogspawn in the back (but there is rock in between it and the Monti).

EDIT: Actually we did add a UV Sterilizer to the sump last week and it's been running continuously (trying to lessen an ich problem we have with current inhabitants) but I wouldn't think that would affect the corals?

 

[Dany3350]

I don't think so eaither and there is no real proof that they can harm but maybe try and read this maybe there is a corolation of how much is to much of a UV another things u mentioned is parasites have looked closely if there might be something attached picking at the coral or maybe not
likely a fish. Since all your parameters seem to be doing good and a swing ph that low shouldn't really effect it that much unless it was already under stress

http://www.fishchannel.com/fish-exclusives/fama/uv-sterilizer.aspx