SPS acros dying from tips.

[tundraguy1106]

Hey Tundra. How goes the battle? Things settling down yet?

Same, my ASD rainbow Mille is starting to brown at the tips now and my bill Murray. I thought since they were mini colonies they would make it. I just don’t get it. These ones just started over the past week. If my levels are good, what is killing them. The only thing I can think is my peak lighting which is only at 4.5 hours now but I can’t ramp it up to 8 overnight or that will cause problems too.

 

[ScottB]

Same, my ASD rainbow Mille is starting to brown at the tips now and my bill Murray. I thought since they were mini colonies they would make it. I just don’t get it. These ones just started over the past week. If my levels are good, what is killing them. The only thing I can think is my peak lighting which is only at 4.5 hours now but I can’t ramp it up to 8 overnight or that will cause problems too.

Sorry to hear.

Is that the same pattern the other SPS followed? Brown at the tips? Did they go white first and then brown out? Is the brown from algae attaching?

Sterilize your clippers and cut off the dead stuff.

Start adding 15 minutes of peak light every other day. All I've got for now.

 

[tundraguy1106]

Brown is from algae. I’m wondering if my alk still may be too high causing burnt tips and then algae covering. My alk as of today is 8.2. I’m wondering if taking my doser off line for 2 days and letting alk fall to 7.5-7.8 would help. I noticed another acro that was doing well with whitish tips. Wonder if it’s new growth or death. The only reason I say new growth is because they’re not brown. All the tips that die in my tank turn brown with algae fast.

 

[Rick5]

Brown is from algae. I’m wondering if my alk still may be too high causing burnt tips and then algae covering. My alk as of today is 8.2. I’m wondering if taking my doser off line for 2 days and letting alk fall to 7.5-7.8 would help. I noticed another acro that was doing well with whitish tips. Wonder if it’s new growth or death. The only reason I say new growth is because they’re not brown. All the tips that die in my tank turn brown with algae fast.

I can’t say for sure, obviously, but I’d try running lower alk. For a while, I couldn’t run alk that high without burnt tips. Mid-6s or thereabouts was where the tank was happy.

 

[tundraguy1106]

I can’t say for sure, obviously, but I’d try running lower alk. For a while, I couldn’t run alk that high without burnt tips. Mid-6s or thereabouts was where the tank was happy.

Appreciate the info. I thought 8ish was low on the scale of alkalinity. However everything else is in check. Running out of options. I’ll let it drop for a few days and try to get it in the low 7’s and then keep it there and see how the tank reacts.

 

[tundraguy1106]

I can’t say for sure, obviously, but I’d try running lower alk. For a while, I couldn’t run alk that high without burnt tips. Mid-6s or thereabouts was where the tank was happy.

Just out of curiosity, what size tank, lights and parameters (specifically alk, cal, nitrate, phosphate) do you have? If mid 6’s works for you I wonder if this and nutrients have been my problem all along....

 

[Rick5]

Just out of curiosity, what size tank, lights and parameters (specifically alk, cal, nitrate, phosphate) do you have? If mid 6’s works for you I wonder if this and nutrients have been my problem all along....

A Reefer XL 200. Water volume of roughly 40 gallons, maybe. 30-40 SPS frags (nearly all aquacultured but no or not many tenius). My target alk was 6 to 6.5 (with the intent of minimizing daily swings). Nitrate of 10. Phosphate was on the lower end of things but always detectable on a Hanna checker and throughput was high for such a small water volume. I rarely tested calcium but I recall low to mid 400s. Lights were LED. I was using 2 part on a GHL doser. Temperature 77 via Ranco. Not much of a temperature swing to speak of. Tropic Marin Pro Reef salt.

Check out this thread if you have not already: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/clean-vs-dirty-water-sps.777547/#post-8334642

It contains some good info as well as differing viewpoints regarding nutrients.

I also have a long post somewhere ranting about dino and dry rock. Another good source of info is @Perry. Check out his journal and his earlier issues, followed by his successes (knocking on wood for Perry).

I forget how many pieces you have in your tank, but if you’re struggling for unknown reasons and if it were me, I’d replace the dry rock with live rock, let the tank sit for a few months at a lower but stable alk, with a significant bioload, feeding generously but pre-measured amounts and pick a nutrient target you find acceptable that you can maintain with the pre-measured amounts of food. After a couple months, grab a cheap SPS frag locally and see if your problems have just magically disappeared. I bet they will.

Food for thought.

Edit: I didn’t intend to link to my post in that thread specifically. That’s just how I located it.

 

[tundraguy1106]

A Reefer XL 200. Water volume of roughly 40 gallons, maybe. 30-40 SPS frags (nearly all aquacultured but no or not many tenius). My target alk was 6 to 6.5 (with the intent of minimizing daily swings). Nitrate of 10. Phosphate was on the lower end of things but always detectable on a Hanna checker and throughput was high for such a small water volume. I rarely tested calcium but I recall low to mid 400s. Lights were LED. I was using 2 part on a GHL doser. Temperature 77 via Ranco. Not much of a temperature swing to speak of. Tropic Marin Pro Reef salt.

Check out this thread if you have not already: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/clean-vs-dirty-water-sps.777547/#post-8334642

It contains some good info as well as differing viewpoints regarding nutrients.

I also have a long post somewhere ranting about dino and dry rock. Another good source of info is @Perry. Check out his journal and his earlier issues, followed by his successes (knocking on wood for Perry).

I forget how many pieces you have in your tank, but if you’re struggling for unknown reasons and if it were me, I’d replace the dry rock with live rock, let the tank sit for a few months at a lower but stable alk, with a significant bioload, feeding generously but pre-measured amounts and pick a nutrient target you find acceptable that you can maintain with the pre-measured amounts of food. After a couple months, grab a cheap SPS frag locally and see if your problems have just magically disappeared. I bet they will.

Food for thought.

Ahh ok, I’ll check those links out. My entire tank 4x2x2 is dry rock. Customized arches made be me and then I used dry sand as well. Pre rinsed. Taking apart my tank and replacing all of my rock work isn’t an option. I’d rather just never have SPS corals again instead. I’m gonna try lowering my alk to the low 7’s and see how it goes.

The only reason I used dry rock was because it was the only thing available. Back in the day you could get real live rocks at the LFS but not anymore. I used all Marco rock which from my research was supposed to be the best rock. I couldn’t find pukani but I heard some bad things regarding that rock anyways.

I have seeded my tank with a few different bottled bacteria. Maybe I should find a trustworthy reefer and add a piece of their rock into my fuge.

 

[Rick5]

You could place an order with KP Aquatics for some rock and add it to your existing setup. I like the diversity of live rock.

 

[tundraguy1106]

You could place an order with KP Aquatics for some rock and add it to your existing setup. I like the diversity of live rock.

Who are they? Never heard of them?

 

[Rick5]

Who are they? Never heard of them?

There are two companies (that I know of) that sell manufactured rock that has been stored in the ocean. It’s as close to live rock as you can get. KP Aquatics is one. I forget the other. The name will come to me.

 

[Rick5]

There are two companies (that I know of) that sell manufactured rock that has been stored in the ocean. It’s as close to live rock as you can get. KP Aquatics is one. I forget the other. The name will come to me.

TBS Saltwater, I think.

 

[tundraguy1106]

TBS Saltwater, I think.

Both are no longer accepting or shipping orders! SMH

 

[Rick5]

Both are no longer accepting or shipping orders! SMH

I’m sure there are other companies.

 

[X-37B]

I’m sure there are other companies.

TBS was up for sale.
They say better things are to come in the near future.
Kp may be down due to weather.
I would email them.

 

[tundraguy1106]

I’m sure there are other companies.

Aquacultured Live Rock, Diver Direct from Florida

www.saltybottomreefcompany.com

Found this one.

 

[tundraguy1106]

Prices are ridiculous

 

[Garf]

It appears nobody has a clue why this happens. How about low flow? If anyone with high flow has had this happen, please post. I’ve got 0.5N and zeroP [email protected], no burnt tips yet, but I have high flow and it’s a newish tank.

 

[tundraguy1106]

It appears nobody has a clue why this happens. How about low flow? If anyone with high flow has had this happen, please post. I’ve got 0.5N and zeroP [email protected], no burnt tips yet, but I have high flow and it’s a newish tank.

Zero P as in phosphates? Zero phosphates isn’t good. Everything I’ve read says magic number for nitrate is 5-10 and phosphates is .01-.03.

my tank which is 120 gallon has dual gyre xf330’s on opposite ends and a Nero 5 behind the rocks for flow. Gyres are set to different settings every hour but ultimately max at 70%. I don’t think flow is my issue.

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

Zero P as in phosphates? Zero phosphates isn’t good. Everything I’ve read says magic number for nitrate is 5-10 and phosphates is .01-.03.

my tank which is 120 gallon has dual gyre xf330’s on opposite ends and a Nero 5 behind the rocks for flow. Gyres are set to different settings every hour but ultimately max at 70%. I don’t think flow is my issue.

“Magic number” is correct bc acros typically disappear with those numbers