SPS bleaching from the base up

[httorihanzo]

Hey R2R!

I am new to SPS and for the first few months frags I had were doing great. Now, I have some bleacing from the base up and loss of color. Tips look like new growth still and there is some good polyp extension. Not all my frags are losing color but green slimmer seems to be the one getting the worst of it. I am sure its not rapid tissue degeneration as the base is not super white and where there is bleaching there is still some polyp extension.

Running 8 bulb dimmable ATI fixture – 6 bulbs on at a time at 75% and run time is around 5 hours (been ramping up since getting new frags)

105 Rimless - been running for years.

My water test using Red Sea test kit
Ca – 390
Alk – 9.5
Mg – 1400
Nitrates – 0
Salinity 1.025

LFS water test result using Sailfert
Ca – 450
Alk – 11
Mg – 1170
Phosphate - .003

I dose Alk and CA- 22Ml a day. Since testing I’ve stopped dosing Alk and turned off GFO/Carbon

Now, there is obviously a huge different in what I tested and what the LFS tested. My red sea test kit might be a little old and I may not be proficient in using it so I am going on the premise that the LFS got it more correct than I did.

Here are a few things that I expect to be causing the problem (if not all)

Too high Alk
Too low light
Too high light
Poor flow area (running 1 Gyre on the opposite end of the tank from the green slimmer)
Micro nutrient deficient

Beyond this I really do not know and dont want to start changing a lot at worse making the issue that much harder to deal with.

Did a 10 gallon water change 2 days ago and working on a new batch of salt water to do a much larger water change on Christmas. Plan on doing 40+ gallons.

I REALLY want to nip this as fast as possible because I’ve picked up a TON of new frags trading my old softies for new SPS frags.

So I am looking for a quick fix, most likely cause, and long term fix. (yes, getting paramerters in check and stability is key)


Sorry to go on and on.

 

[MounteeFrag]

Following. How stable is your tank? How old?

 

[Greenstreet.1]

Following also. Did you try getting a different brand of test kits and doing your test over ?

 

[httorihanzo]

its been very stable in the past before I started dosing although I've never had to test often because everything was thriving. Acans, Zoa's, chalice, and monticaps were growing like crazy so regretttfully I only had it tested once ever few months I never recorded the parameters since nothing was every out of wack for softies.

Following. How stable is your tank? How old?

 

[httorihanzo]

No, no new test kit. I'm going to take water samples, after my large water change, to the LFS.

Following also. Did you try getting a different brand of test kits and doing your test over ?

 

[fiji4118]

You said you now have a gyre. Did you notice the changes since you installed it? I ask because I have a similar issue with one of my montis. It is dying from the base up and the only difference is it used to have an MP blasting directly on it and now it has a gyre on the far side

 

[fiji4118]

A massive change in flow. I think my overall flow is better but it is not as strong in that area as it once was

 

[httorihanzo]

First few days I noticed a lot better polyp extension all around. Its on the far side but also directly under the return. But then again before I did have something blasting straight at it. Shall I try to put a pump back in straight at the colony getting the worst of it?

 

[httorihanzo]

Better pic of what I am talking about
[URL=http://s199.photobucket.com/user/httorihanzo/media/Aquarium/277C9BD1-51F6-450D-A2E4-723EF4BBD337_zpsrjrh5nyy.jpg.html][/URL]

 

[Greenstreet.1]

Whenever I have seen that happen in my setup it was an ALK problem

 

[Eckolancer]

Whenever I have seen that happen in my setup it was an ALK problem

+1 to that and seems slimmer is more sensitive to it then my others.

 

[fiji4118]

I'm adding a second gyre to my tank I think installed vertically in the back pushing around the side and front so that there is more even flow on both sides.

 

[httorihanzo]

Alk has been what I most suspected all along. 11 a few days ago when I tested it... I've heard that high Alk can "burn" corals?

Update on LFS water test
ALk 9.4
Ca 450
Mg 1340

 

[httorihanzo]

I'm adding a second gyre to my tank I think installed vertically in the back pushing around the side and front so that there is more even flow on both sides.

I've got a chips acro (new addition) near this colony and its polyps are long and blowing around like crazy. Can't imagine its not getting enough flow.

 

[Greenstreet.1]

Well it looks like you may have found your problem unstable alk

 

[seargentslice]

Alk swings caused it for me when I had some rtn in the past due to faulty timer on my doser.

 

[httorihanzo]

I think my red sea test kit is garbage or maybe just a little old. It tested low a few weeks ago, I started dosing more and I think it swung too high. Like I posted before, my LFS is testing it way higher than my Red Sea kit. They use saiflert.

A new test kit is in order.

Well it looks like you may have found your problem unstable alk

 

[hinovak]

In my experience, it was always low ALK that caused bleaching at the base for my acros, the next thing I think would be not enough flow. Try basting the area and see how much sediment is depositing around the rocks, sometimes that helps me determine if there is a dead spot. Hope we have helped

 

[hinovak]

High ALK spikes for me, always caused burn on the higher branch areas. Or at least that was what I determined to be the cause in my case, but as you know, it can be frustrating to determine the cause sometimes....

 

[cumbeje]

Low Alk caused the same problem for me. Unfortaunely it took some losses before I figured it out. Also different SPS respond differently.