Nems keep wasting /going gray

[Ernieaz1]

My tank is established. Fairly stable chemicals with very minimal spikes.
Ammonia 0
Ph 8.0-8.2
Nitrite
Nitrate 10-20
Phosphate .25
Calcium 460
Magnesium 1320

I supply phytoplankton, zooplankton, algaebarn and algagen. They get amino acids and a variety of food such as plankton clams mysis krill and silver sides.

The only thing I can think of is my lighting schedule which is the recommended reef color spectrum except with white added in to ramp up to 65% for 6 hours then back down with recommended reef spectrum.

My light is a current orbit ic pro marine with bluetooth control.

Someone please help, what am I doing wrong that is causing my nems to constantly start turning grayish, stop eating, then have to be pulled before they die. Its breaking my heart.

To add, I have a very healthy Duncan, ricordea, and all kids of mushrooms as well as a blastomussa. Several fish all doing great. But nems always waste away.

 

[Spare time]

What size tank (dimensions)? The orbits are weak lights at max intensity and is possibly the problem.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Nems in the last picture look good. On the backside of the rock. Same supplier?
Maybe stop gut feeding them and let them catch their own food when they are hungry? They know when they're hungry...looks like uve had some splits. Good sign of growth.
D

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

It could be ur chemicals.
D

 

[Spare time]

I'd also not feed large and more difficult to digest items like silversides. I find planktonic and fish foods work well for bubble tips as well as amino acids.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

I've feed whole dead fish to nems. Both btas and the tube nems.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

I'm just thinking over feeding...
D

 

[Spare time]

For reference, bubble tips in my experience light moderate lighting (around 100 to 150 par), light but frequent feedings, and variable light to moderate flow (no whipping). I've had mine split over 100 times easily so this recipe seems to work.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

My coral dealer just sold me a nem and said they like high flow...
Lol
D

 

[Ernieaz1]

What size tank (dimensions)? The orbits are weak lights at max intensity and is possibly the problem.

The depth of the nems are all about 10" or less below light. The light is a 36 inch centered on aquarium top

 

[Ernieaz1]

9

Nems in the last picture look good. On the backside of the rock. Same supplier?
Maybe stop gut feeding them and let them catch their own food when they are hungry? They know when they're hungry...looks like uve had some splits. Good sign of growth.
D

Yes a few have have split. Those are the healthy looking ones. The new splits.

 

[Ernieaz1]

My coral dealer just sold me a nem and said they like high flow...
Lol
D

We have good flow from both ends

 

[Ernieaz1]

For reference, bubble tips in my experience light moderate lighting (around 100 to 150 par), light but frequent feedings, and variable light to moderate flow (no whipping). I've had mine split over 100 times easily so this recipe seems to work.

The website says the par at my depth should be about 150 and we have great flow

 

[Ernieaz1]

What size tank (dimensions)? The orbits are weak lights at max intensity and is possibly the problem.

36 long 18 deep. Nems sit at about 10" below light. The current website says par is around 150 at that depth

 

[Ernieaz1]

It could be ur chemicals.
D

My only chemicals elevated are phosphate and nitrate and I will be vodka dosing in tiny increments to help lower those further

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Vodka would be ur chemical.
Phos and nitrate nutrients
D

 

[Ernieaz1]

Vodka would be ur chemical.
Phos and nitrate nutrients
D

My kh is about 179

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

K.... lol.
Alk is for calcification in lps and sps corals. Nems and soft coral won't deplete alk imoe that much....

 

[dedragon]

how old is this tank? could just be biological stability, if not icp test is always a good test to run to identify oddities

 

[dvgyfresh]

Sounds like sick nems with bacterial issue that could be spreading to other nems ? It is possible although unlikely , I was expierencjng something similar btas would shrink and die I dosed cipro into DT and saved them , my GBTA were dying but rbta doing fine