Montipora Skin Pale/Polyps Dark

[JaaxReef]

So I have a montipora issue I'm wondering what the cause might be. I have a digitata in my tank that has been doing week until recently. It's skin has turned pale but it's polyps have gotten darker than the bright orange when I got it. If a coral starts to bleach would the polyps also bleach with it? I'm wondering if I'm giving it too little light. It is about halfway up the tank off to the side in strong flow and under a Hydra26HD running at about 45% power at 18k.

Parameters:

Salinity: 35ppt
Alk: 8.4
Calcium: 440
Magnesium: 1500
Nitrate: 2.5
Phosphate: .03

I have a bird of paradise and poccilipora that are doing very well, but the montipora is looking weird as described. All parameters have been quite stable, but

I will say my phosphates have been zero for a while so maybe it is starved? Either that or a lighting issue?

Let me know what you think.

Best Regards

 

[Mattrg02]

It's probably too much light. I also have a hydra26hd. Once I moved my corals down, away from the light, they've begun recovering. I had a coral turn white, which now has a pink metallic hue on it.

 

[JaaxReef]

It's probably too much light. I also have a hydra26hd. Once I moved my corals down, away from the light, they've begun recovering. I had a coral turn white, which now has a pink metallic hue on it.

How high is your light above your tank?

My light is using the mount that came with my Red Sea E170 12" above the water. The tank is 22" deep. So even at the top of my rocks, I'm already about 18-20" below the light. I don't have any corals up there. Wouldn't the light be significantly reduced at that depth?

 

[Mattrg02]

How high is your light above your tank?

My light is using the mount that came with my Red Sea E170 12" above the water. The tank is 22" deep. So even at the top of my rocks, I'm already about 18-20" below the light. I don't have any corals up there. Wouldn't the light be significantly reduced at that depth?

My corals were 18in under my light, with my light peaks as follows: blues at 90% , whites at 30% and the others at 20%.

They all turned white. Now they are 26in under the light and are coloring back up.

 

[JaaxReef]

So currently my montipora is 24" under my lights and 10" from the center. Blues at 65% whites at 20%. This is why I'm wondering if it is not getting enough light... I noticed the portion of my other sps that are shaded lose their color in a similar fashion as I'm seeing on my montipora.

 

[Mattrg02]

So currently my montipora is 24" under my lights and 10" from the center. Blues at 65% whites at 20%. This is why I'm wondering if it is not getting enough light... I noticed the portion of my other sps that are shaded lose their color in a similar fashion as I'm seeing on my montipora.

It's been my experience that montis get easily burned by leds. My montis and acroporas were burned despite having my light in acclimation mode. I had to raise my lights and put everything on the bottom to see any color come back.

Sps tend to turn brown from too little light, assuming youve got some nutrients, which you do. Try putting a coral on the bottom, off to the side, as a test. I'll bet you see improvement.

 

[JaaxReef]

It's been my experience that montis get easily burned by leds. My montis and acroporas were burned despite having my light in acclimation mode. I had to raise my lights and put everything on the bottom to see any color come back.

Sps tend to turn brown from too little light, assuming youve got some nutrients, which you do. Try putting a coral on the bottom, off to the side, as a test. I'll bet you see improvement.

That makes sense. I guess I'm just confused that my other SPS are doing well under similar conditions as the dogitata. My birds nest is up higher, and the Pocillipora is very close to the Montipora. I also started the Digi on the bottom for a week and slowly moved it up the rock work one week at a time. Thinking that would be enough time to acclimate it to the light.

When your corals bleached, did the polyps turn lighter too? Or did they get a darker brown color like mine did with the skin turning pale?

 

[Mattrg02]

That makes sense. I guess I'm just confused that my other SPS are doing well under similar conditions as the dogitata. My birds nest is up higher, and the Pocillipora is very close to the Montipora. I also started the Digi on the bottom for a week and slowly moved it up the rock work one week at a time. Thinking that would be enough time to acclimate it to the light.

When your corals bleached, did the polyps turn lighter too? Or did they get a darker brown color like mine did with the skin turning pale?

My polyps retracted, so hard to know for sure. They weren't glowing under actinic lighting.

All corals react differently. I'd look into less light and stable parameters.

 

[DSC reef]

IME montipora digitata retracted polyps like that due to chemistry swings. Numbers look good but a fluctuation could be happening that the coral doesn't like. For me the coral tolerated high and medium light. Not saying that light isn't the issue but the digitata was always a first indicator for me to keep an eye on chemistry.

 

[Mattrg02]

IME montipora digitata retracted polyps like that due to chemistry swings. Numbers look good but a fluctuation could be happening that the coral doesn't like. For me the coral tolerated high and medium light. Not saying that light isn't the issue but the digitata was always a first indicator for me to keep an eye on chemistry.

I once had a digitata. It was the first to go south on me before all the others followed suit. Sucked then polyps in like no bodys business!

I'd get some $$$ test kits and learn how to use then right. Try to drill down into the parameters and ensure stability. Water changes could be a source of instability.

 

[JaaxReef]

I once had a digitata. It was the first to go south on me before all the others followed suit. Sucked then polyps in like no bodys business!

I'd get some $$$ test kits and learn how to use then right. Try to drill down into the parameters and ensure stability. Water changes could be a source of instability.

I appreciate the responses!

I have good test kits and use a dosing pump for foundation elements. Mostly Red Sea and a couple Salifert test kits. I keep a parameter log in my phone using the Reefminder app. Over the last month I don't see any serious swings of anything. Alk has been very stable around 8.4-8.7 since I got the digi. Calcium hasn't budged from 440. Magnesium has always been high at 1500. Nitrate has gone up a little from 1.5 to 2.5. Phosphate has been between 0 and .03. I even went out and got a Potassium test because I heard that deficiencies in potassium can have this affect on Montipora. Test came back at 410ppm, which is completely normal. It is driving me bonkers that I can't figure out why it is turning pale and retracting polyps, while the polyps aren't bleaching at all.

 

[JaaxReef]

So, I moved the digi to the sand bed off to the side in low light to help it recover. Hopefully that is the issue. I also bumped the lights down by about 10%. I'll just watch to see if my other corals start to brown out from the lower lighting.

I'll also just continue to maintain stable parameters and wait.

I absolutely love montipora, so I hope I can keep some at some point in the future. I didn't buy this tank and lights to just keep soft corals and LPS. Ha.

 

[JaaxReef]

UPDATE: It must have been the lighting being too strong. The polyps have been out much further and the orange coloration is returning slowly after moving to a place partially in the shade on the sand bed. I can notice a difference after just 4 days. Thanks for the recommendations.

It is just weird to me that it is now in lower light than my Duncan and Blasto.

About how long until I should think about moving it up slowly?

 

[DSC reef]

If it grows and colors up where it's at then don't move it. Sometimes they like to be where we don't want them. Lol

 

[JaaxReef]

If it grows and colors up where it's at then don't move it. Sometimes they like to be where we don't want them. Lol

Bummer. I don't really want to grow my Digitata on a plug in the sand bed. Haha. Maybe in a month I'll move it out from under the shade and see how it reacts. I'd at least like to get it on a rock.

 

[DSC reef]

I'm sure that will be fine, just give it time to acclimate.

 

[JaaxReef]

So... now it looks the same as in the original picture again. Except it is in very low light...

All parameters have been stable. Alk only fluctuated by .4 dkh over two days but came back up. I got three new fish and have been feeding more. Nitrates have not gone up and phosphates are still at .03. Don't notice any severe algae bloom either so not from a nitrate spike.

The polyps are half retracted and it looks grey and terrible on the skin underneath.

Other SPS still looking good. Poccilipora is growing and has very nice color, birds nest good too!

I decided to dip it last week before I moved it to see if it might be pests and nothing came off either. So I doubt it is pest related. Can't find any nudi's anywhere at night with a flashlight either.

I don't get it.

 

[JaaxReef]

Solved. Stray voltage from my heater... All this time I thought it was something I was doing wrong! Finally got a Voltometer and did some troubleshooting. I guarantee that was it.