Mystic sunset monti problems

[jazonPartij]

My monti was growing great and then all of a sudden it started to lose color and now it has a couple of spots. It's right under my hydra 26 so I figured it was too much light. I broke it up and moved it to three different par levels. Then the good pieces I moved started doing the same. Why would that be? My other montis are doing fine.

The other coral that's having trouble is a mushroom. But the other mushrooms are fine.

 

[Highgrade]

Hard to tell but it looks like your undata is brownish. Should be a deep green/emerald with white polyps. If its on the dull side or browning I would say you either have a lack of No3 or lighting issues. What is your No3 along with your lighting schedule/intensity?

 

[jazonPartij]

Hard to tell but it looks like your undata is brownish. Should be a deep green/emerald with white polyps. If its on the dull side or browning I would say you either have a lack of No3 or lighting issues. What is your No3 along with your lighting schedule/intensity?

Lighting schedule

I just tested nitrate and its at 5ppm. Any thoughts?

 

[jazonPartij]

My magnesium is high at 1500.
Calcium 380
Alk 7.5
Salinity 1.027

 

[jsker]

Interesting, I have a superman monti doing the same, the rest of my monti are fine. Following along

 

[jazonPartij]

None of my sps are where I think they should be. Many of them are about a year old. I'd of expected a lot more growth compared to other tanks I've looked at. I've recently changed some of their locations to try to figure out what I'm doing wrong. I've improved a few with better locations in the tank. I'm almost there just missing something. None of them are as bad as the mystic sunset. I'm worried that the rest are to follow though.

 

[jsker]

My magnesium is high at 1500.
Calcium 380
Alk 7.5
Salinity 1.027

Mg is high a nice place would be around 1140 in relation to you Ca Mg is usually 3 times you Ca.
Your salinity is also higher then I run. I am at 1.025
Just for reference with myself having issue with my superman my parameters are
Ca450
Mg 1340
Alk 8.26
No3 4ppm
Po4 .04 a little high need to be 02 pmm to a trace

 

[jsker]

Same thing here, Then the monti came back I am going to drop in some more GFO to get my Po4 down.

 

[Highgrade]

Lighting schedule

I just tested nitrate and its at 5ppm. Any thoughts?

Nitrate seems ok. The lighting intensity may be a bit much. Maybe try moving the monti to the outer edges of the tank or a partially shaded area. Lack of Potassium may be playing a role in the faded/dull red base in the monti.

 

[jazonPartij]

I fragged the monti when this started about two weeks ago. I put one in a shaded area and one to the end of the tank since the main piece was right in the center top. But after I did that they all started to look bad.

 

[jazonPartij]

My phosphate is like .10. I use API test kits which I hate because I can never tell the colors that well.

 

[jazonPartij]

Bump. Anymore thoughts?

 

[Highgrade]

Sounds like your Phosphate may be a bit high. Unless that was a typo.

 

[jsker]

My phosphate is like .10. I use API test kits which I hate because I can never tell the colors that well.

Phosphate should be a .02 or below.

 

[maroun.c]

Could be that u stressed it further by fragging. I would move one if the frags to the shade and see how it does then gradually take out to more light.

 

[jazonPartij]

API test kits show 0.0 or .25. Nothing in between. I need to buy another test.

 

[jazonPartij]

Let's say my test is accurate. I recently added some macro algae. How quickly will that bring my phosphates down?

 

[Lenny_S]

Let's say my test is accurate. I recently added some macro algae. How quickly will that bring my phosphates down?

Macro won't bring it down that fast. But if you don't have large amounts of nuisance algae and cyano I wouldn't worry about slightly elevated PO4.
Was that an established piece that has recently started going downhill, or a new piece?
What things have you changed prior to the issue?

 

[jazonPartij]

It was established. I added more corals and started dosing Red Sea coral colors. It wasn't doing amazing before I started dosing I started adding the coral colors. I was trying to get all of my SPS to look better. I also dose BRS two part but I've been doing that for a while now

 

[Lenny_S]

I'd be careful putting any additive where you can't test what it's doing. If you are dosing the full set of the program it's adding Iodine/Iodide (not sure which), Potassium, Iron, and a bunch of other "trace elements". If you're doing water changes, then you really shouldn't need to supplement those at all. And if you do supplement them, you should really be monitoring those items with a proper test kit. Other than that you have plenty of PO4, not enough to be very harmful, and your lighting program looks fine. What about NO3, do you test for that?