My first acro is going pale

[hllb]

My tank is about 1.25 yrs old. 32g cube with an AI Hydra 26 HD mounted in the hood. The green slimer is mounted maybe 6” below water level in the brightest spot.

Parms:
78 deg
1.025-1.026 salinity
Ph: 8.2
Cal: 430 (dosing pump and stays quite steady)
Alk: 8.9 (dosing pump and goes between 8.8 and 9)
Mag: 1400

Nutrients are low and I’m trying to bring them up. Most of my corals look great but this acro is pale and anew blasto is not doing well. Montis, zoas, hammer, duncan, trumpet, galaxea, lepto, favia, ricordea all doing pretty well. Nitrates are 1 and po4 fluctuates between .03 and .06. I feed the fish frozen once a day (6 fish, 1/3 cube) and dose Brightwell Coralamino daily (12 drops). Once a week I dose either BRS Reef chili or Brightwell Reef Snow (these are what makes the po4 fluctuate I think).

Thoughts? I’m trying to bring nitrates up but no luck so far (it went up to 2.5 for a couple of days but then back down). No skimmer, small amount of carbon (3 tbl), and a fuge i harvest from every other week.

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

Feed your fish more.
What’s your hydra 32 schedule?

 

[hllb]

Feed your fish more.
What’s your hydra 32 schedule?

I’ve tried feeding them in the morning too but they don’t eat at all. I could feed them twice in the evenings I suppose - like 6 and 10 pm.

Here’s my schedule. I’ve been battling GHA for a year and finally have turned a corner with it thanks to the fuge. It’s still there but is weak and dying andcompletely gone from some rocks. Trying to find a balance for the tank to keep the corals happy but not the GHA.

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

Whites at 65% and limited nitrogen could be bleaching it. I feed my 50g cube 3-4 frozen cubes per day. I believe coral health is more important than an algae free tank.

 

[hllb]

Whites at 65% and limited nitrogen could be bleaching it. I feed my 50g cube 3-4 frozen cubes per day. I believe coral health is more important than an algae free tank.

The algae was killing my coral. I’ve lost several zoa colonies. I can turn the whites down a bit (I had them at 55% until a couple of months ago - I’ve only had the acro a few weeks), but I like a whiter tank so I can actually see my fish. What would you suggest? I haven’t tested the par since I put these lights on.

 

[Uncle99]

I had to pull my chaeto from my fuge.
It sucked up all the available nitrate and phosphate.
Nitrate now running at 10ppm and phosphate at 0.05.

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

The algae was killing my coral. I’ve lost several zoa colonies. I can turn the whites down a bit (I had them at 55% until a couple of months ago - I’ve only had the acro a few weeks), but I like a whiter tank so I can actually see my fish. What would you suggest? I haven’t tested the par since I put these lights on.

A Single 32?

 

[Smarkow]

White light compared to blue will include more red spectrum, which some have linked to bleaching.

Consider dropping the intensity temporarily for a few weeks, and particularly the white or red channels. Or use an acclimation setting if AI hydra has that feature.

I find the distance from the surface to be more concerning than any of your parameters. Just need to acclimate the coral.

 

[mattzang]

you said it was inside the hood, how far is it from the water surface?

 

[hllb]

A Single 32?

A single 26

 

[hllb]

I did ask about acclimating it (I can’t remember if that was here or a different forum) but consensus was that it was likely under much higher light levels than what I had. I can reduce the whites for a bit and see if it helps.

 

[uhgster1]

These are all under AI Prime 16’s

check your nutrients, you have enough for Bremen sliders as you can see in mine.

 

[hllb]

you said it was inside the hood, how far is it from the water surface?

It’s a biocube so it’s quite close to the water but the lenses have been removed to give it a better spread.

 

[uhgster1]

These are all under AI Prime 16’s

check your nutrients, you have enough for Bremen sliders as you can see in mine.

Green slimers, I hate autocorrect!

 

[hllb]

These are all under AI Prime 16’s

check your nutrients, you have enough for Bremen sliders as you can see in mine.

Yeah, I’m suspecting nitrates. Your tank looks great!

 

[uhgster1]

Yeah, I’m suspecting nitrates. Your tank looks great!

Thanks.

 

[Madonia]

May be too high lighting

 

[hllb]

May be too high lighting

Maybe, but the mystic sunset monti next to it is ok and is lower light. But I will reduce my whites for a few weeks and see if it helps

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

I don’t have any experience with removing the lenses. I have 2-26 HD’s 15” above my sps/zoa 29b bio cube scrap tank.

And 2-52 HD’s 16” above my 50g sps display

 

[mattzang]

It’s a biocube so it’s quite close to the water but the lenses have been removed to give it a better spread.

mmm well based on brs' video on hydras, i'd guesstimate placing a hydra inside a biocube hood will result in a laser beam of light. but idk what removing the lenses will result in. i'd rent a par meter if you can