My Pagoda Cup

Chrisc0930 · Oct 1, 2013

I have a pagoda cup that I've housed for the last 4 years. It used to be like a dark peach color I fact it was just the other day but today it's completely bleached. Every inch of it is white. I moved it to the bottom of my tank for the time being but I'm not sure what happened. All my levels are perfect from the test today. Can it and will it come back? Here is a photo I took today, the photo makes it look darker than what it is but I can assure you it's pure white.

ImageUploadedByReef2Reef Aquarium Forum1380671405.531329.jpg

akitareefer · Oct 1, 2013

Phosphate levels?

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Chrisc0930 · Oct 1, 2013

That was at 0.025 been that way for some time. I do t think that would cause it to bleach would it??

Connie · Oct 2, 2013

I think it can come back. It still has PE.

evolved · Oct 2, 2013

It can come back; low light levels in the meantime.

If you had it up high and your water suddenly became much cleaner than usual, this would explain the bleaching.

Chrisc0930 · Oct 2, 2013

What do you mean evolve..l I haven't done any water changes... In fact I was planning one this week

evolved · Oct 2, 2013

Photo-shock can be caused by a few things, but all boil down to too much light.

If your phosphate/nitrate levels suddenly dropped to level much lower than what you typically keep, the coral might then suddenly get more light it could handle.

Physically increasing the water clarity (such as suddenly running carbon after a period of its absence) would also effectively make your lights stronger, resulting in photo-shock.

Just offering a couple scenarios in which you could have gotten sudden bleaching on a coral that's been fine for a long with no changes in it's placement.

Tab28 · Oct 10, 2013

evolved said:
Photo-shock can be caused by a few things, but all boil down to too much light.

If your phosphate/nitrate levels suddenly dropped to level much lower than what you typically keep, the coral might then suddenly get more light it could handle.

Physically increasing the water clarity (such as suddenly running carbon after a period of its absence) would also effectively make your lights stronger, resulting in photo-shock.

Just offering a couple scenarios in which you could have gotten sudden bleaching on a coral that's been fine for a long with no changes in it's placement.

I will say there have been different things that has bleach one or two corals of mine. After thinking about it i was always able to track down what sudden thing changed. Generally it was carbon or something that shocked the system. Most corals come back just had to lower them in the tank to get a little for less light. And feed them more. Till the colors came back. It could take months.

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Chrisc0930 · Oct 10, 2013

I still can't piece it together, I've placed it on the bottom of my tank, still has some color to it. I guess now it's just a waiting game

Tab28 · Oct 11, 2013

As long as the polyps are still extending the coral should be able to make it. It will need to be fed more often since its zooxanthelle needs to be rebuilt. And as the color comes back it can slowly be readjusted to the light.

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cuzican76 · Oct 13, 2013

I have a strawberry pagoda cuz and was told I have to feed this 3 times a day is that tru5

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Tab28 · Oct 14, 2013

cuzican76 said:
I have a strawberry pagoda cuz and was told I have to feed this 3 times a day is that tru5

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Is it a red pagoda? Must be pretty i never saw a red one. I have seen some sites also refer to the scroll coral as a pagoda cup but i think those sites just have the common name incorrect. Either way the pagoda cup and scroll corals will grow faster if feed, but three times a week imo is over kill. You may be fouling you water. I do not think you really even have to feed them. They would get all they need from your lights and the food you normally feed your aquarium habitants.

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cuzican76 · Oct 14, 2013

No the ones in the back are bright pink ....then the ones in the front are supposed some rare one its pink with yellow skirt

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Tab28 · Oct 14, 2013

cuzican76 said:
No the ones in the back are bright pink ....then the ones in the front are supposed some rare one its pink with yellow skirt

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Those are gonipora or flowerpot coral. Pagoda cup or turbinaria are much hardier corals. Gonipora will survive better with regular feedings.

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cuzican76 · Oct 14, 2013

I thought it was the same lol my bad

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Chrisc0930 · Oct 24, 2013

Tab28 said:
I will say there have been different things that has bleach one or two corals of mine. After thinking about it i was always able to track down what sudden thing changed. Generally it was carbon or something that shocked the system. Most corals come back just had to lower them in the tank to get a little for less light. And feed them more. Till the colors came back. It could take months.

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I think I may have found what may have caused it to bleach. It was before my water change and I tested the water. My kh was down to 143.2 ppm (8 dkh) it was at 179 ppm (10 dkh). Still within parameters but that was the most drastic change. Since my last water change it's since gone back up to179 ppm and I'm starting to see a bit more pink in it. Could that have been the cause?