Recovery Coral Story

[Dilan Patel]

Hello, I am making this thread based on one coral which I bought as a "recovery coral" at Vivid. They could not get the coral to color up and called it a Recovery coral. I wanted to take on the challenge to bring this corals color back. One of the employees who answered my question about this coral asked me to send him a picture of this coral if it were to color up.

Well instead of that I want to do a little story called the "Recovery Story" I will be starting a couple of new things with this coral and will be documenting it the whole way. So if you are still interested (you might want to continue reading). I will be testing out some new products to me and be dosing my tank with some additives(which I will list later). My goal is to be able to show you all how this experience will go and see week by week the changes of health and coloration of this one coral.

Basics about my tank: 55gallon reef with no sump. HOB octopus 2000 skimmer and a reactor for when I use phosphate or carbon. Two powerheads and a Nitrate reactor. No water changes or very little water changes will be taking place. Alkalinity,calcium will be on dosing and I will try to keep Alk at 9.5 to 10dkh and calc at 440-460ppm. Only three fish inhabitants not very big at all. and an apex to monitor temp and P.H. Major tests such as nitrate and nitrite,ammonia salinity,phosphate and mag will be checked at the beginning and the beginning of the last week of the month. Calcium cheked every two weeks and alk every week. Calc, Alk and Phosphate will be using Hannah checker and magnesium will be checked with ellos. All the trace elements will be tested by Red Sea coral color test kit along with its additives. The other elements will be tested with Red Sea test kits.

Additives: Will be coral color(never used and excited to try) and Acropower(never used again excited to try) and possibly some feedings of coral frenzy.

I will try and update every week and If yo are interested I would love to see you keep me on track with the photo uploading and parameters. Also any additional information can be provided by request.

Now here we go. Hope yall enjoy

This was first day in tank picture:

This is about half a week in (start of additives):

 

[CNDReef]

Tagging along

 

[recess62]

Should be interesting

 

[Dilan Patel]

Week 1: Also Start of the New Month
Observation: Seems to have recovered enough to poke a little bit of it's polyps up, no major color changes and no major die off that I can see. White polyps it seems to have.

Tests:
Salinity:1.025
Nitrate: 5ppm
Nitrite:0ppm
Ammonia:0ppm
Calcium: 489(I know a little high will be bringing down with lower dosages)
Alkalinity: 11.1dkh(I know a little high will be bringing down with lower dosages)
Magnesium:1450ppm(I know a little high will be bringing down with lower dosages)
Iodine:.06
Iron:.05
Potassium: less than 320(limit of the red sea test kit)

Any question please feel free to ask!
Next week only parameters will be Alk and maybe calc and maybe an update on potassium if it test higher! and a picture

Picture

 

[AcroNem]

I love rescues and recovered corals, I have many before and after photos that are just crazy. Keep it up and update often

 

[Dilan Patel]

Well if you see anything wrong that I am doing or could approve upon for success I would love to hear it

 

[AcroNem]

Not at all, In no way did I mean you're doing anything wrong. It seems like you've got plenty of TLC going on and that's what it takes. I've liked Acropower, never tried coral colors, are you feeding the corals in this system? Only other thing I'd suggest (others may disagree) is to feed it. That's where I've seen the best results with rescues and recoveries. This colony looks like it could develop some awesome colors.
Again, keep it up

 

[Dilan Patel]

Yeah I didn't mean for my last comment to say that you were too right lol. I meant for it to read that I want your opinion on what things you have done in the past that helped your corals develop and recover . I do feed every coral in this tank at least 2 to 3 times a week with coral frenzy and restore from brightwell. Target fed they are. I hope it can develop great colors because I want to hopefully grow it out and be able to move it to the main show tank! Coral colors is Red Seas supplement of potassium,Iodine and Iron and trace elements. If you have any recommendations on the ranges for those since I am new to that it would be helpful. Also when you had dosed acropower did you dose it in the sump or in the main display?

 

[AcroNem]

I felt like a jerk for a minute sorry about that.
I still dose AP in all my personal systems, and I just dose into the main tank, right into the flow of the Gyre. As for coral colors I've never used it but I've seen results in color and health when I'm adding iodide/iodine. So I'd assume adding the other two as well should be beneficial, unfortunately I don't have numbers for them. For iodine I aim for .04-.06mg/l but go for long periods between testing just adding 2-3ml (in 130g display) after my weekly water changes and it stays where I want it.

As for your feeding I think that's perfect. I broadcast feed my systems nightly and target feed certain corals and colonies 2 or 3 times per week as well. If you're targeting it 3 times per week that's perfect.

 

[Dilan Patel]

Do not worry bout it bro. Question when you feed your tank actuall food do you shut off all flow or do you leave just circ pumps running or shut that off and keep sump running? So basically what do you shut off and what do you leave on

 

[Dilan Patel]

Another question for anyone is why is it that when I test for Iron I do not read any but I had dosed in the morning and just now tested. and getting zero or very close to zero like .025

 

[AcroNem]

When I target feed I'll often turn off the gyre(s) or flow pumps, but with broadcast they stay on. As for your Iron test I'd assume it's just being taken up quickly and you'll be playing catch up for a little while. Just don't go too quickly.

 

[Hethari]

Following

 

[Dilan Patel]

Sorry for the delay this weekend i was not home this weekend thus why I did not post an results. I will post tomorrow. Just wanted yall to know who is following that I dd not forget. A little visual results is that it seems to be getting a little more color tends to be more purplish or pink or redish. With what seems to be white polyps.

 

[Dilan Patel]

Week 2
Coral has had better polyp extension and might be on the red purple or pink side of corals but who knows. Also has white polyps.

Alk:9.45
Calc:489 bringing down stopped dossing this untill it goes down

Any questions so far feel free to ask. Any inprovements please share.

 

[FMF0331]

i love it when a brown doo-doo frag colors up

 

[Dilan Patel]

Week 3

No noticable color changes. A little bit better PE. Re did aquascape today so that is one change to the tank. Tank is not being dosed coral colrs ATM trying to figure dosages. Still feeding twice a week with amino supplement being added daily during the peak day. Two new inhabitants two clownfish were added.

So not much going on but progress takes time.

Alk 9.46
Calc 436(finally brought it down )

Anything concerning yall see plz let me know.

 

[Dilan Patel]

Week 4 (next week Nitrate,Alk,calc,mag,phosphate) will be tested and recorded

Alk:10.14

Calc:419

Notes: I had finally started coral colors and based on the consumption rate I am dosing 1ml of each every day by a dosing pump. The coral I believe looks the same no new polyp extension. not showing any tissue decline which is great. Seems to be doing fine.

 

[77railer]

Can you explain what you mean by started dosing coral colors? Is this an additive?

 

[Dilan Patel]

Coral colors is by Red Sea which is an additive to put in trace elements consisting of potassium,iron,iodine and minor trace elements. They are supposed to be dosed based on calcium uptake and have other trace elements within the main group of trace element.