SPS has bleched out tips! Need some help please

WIlliam_24 · May 30, 2018

Hey Folks, so I have a 90 gallon Frag tang that is having issues with SPS having Bleached tips. LPS and softies doing are doing good. The tank has two Kessil 360 wide angle over the center. On the sides of the tank there are T5 54 watt ATI blue plus and purple plus. There are two units with 4 bulbs on each side. Photo period is 11am-8pm. so 9 hours a day. Tank has two skimmers and a refugium.

Current Tank parameters

SG: 1.025

ALK 8.3

CAL 390

PH 8

Nitrate 0

Phosphate 0

Potassium 460

Magnessium 1380

Any help in finding out the cause of the SPS bleached tips would be greatly appriciated. Thanks for the help!

Flippers4pups · May 30, 2018

Your water maybe too "clean". If you have any swings in alkalinity with no nutrients in the water, burnt tips could occur.

Stop skimming for a few days and see it you can get your N03 up to 5ppm. Reduce your lighting period during this time. Good luck!

x2uranium · May 30, 2018

usually alk fluctuations as said above.

Kyl · May 30, 2018

My frag tank had SPS issues when my nitrates would always read undetectable / zero, PO4 has always been around .02. Dialing back the refugium lighting to an hour a night, turning off the skimmer for about a week and now that it's reading around 4-5ppm, the SPS are looking much better and recovering. This was with an alk range of 8-8.4 dKH.

jda · May 30, 2018

Do you have a photo? It could be from over LEDing them and burning them, or it could be low-alk/alk-swing type of burnt tips. Does this happen just under the Kessil, or everywhere?

WIlliam_24 · May 31, 2018

Flippers4pups said:
Your water maybe too "clean". If you have any swings in alkalinity with no nutrients in the water, burnt tips could occur.

Stop skimming for a few days and see it you can get your N03 up to 5ppm. Reduce your lighting period during this time. Good luck!

Thank you for the tip

WIlliam_24 · May 31, 2018

jda said:
Do you have a photo? It could be from over LEDing them and burning them, or it could be low-alk/alk-swing type of burnt tips. Does this happen just under the Kessil, or everywhere?

Hey thank you ill try this

WIlliam_24 · May 31, 2018

jda said:
Do you have a photo? It could be from over LEDing them and burning them, or it could be low-alk/alk-swing type of burnt tips. Does this happen just under the Kessil, or everywhere?

I dont have pictures right now but i dont think its to much light. its not just under the Kessils

WIlliam_24 · May 31, 2018

Kyl said:
My frag tank had SPS issues when my nitrates would always read undetectable / zero, PO4 has always been around .02. Dialing back the refugium lighting to an hour a night, turning off the skimmer for about a week and now that it's reading around 4-5ppm, the SPS are looking much better and recovering. This was with an alk range of 8-8.4 dKH.

Hey thank you. Ill try that

markalot · May 31, 2018

WIlliam_24 said:
Hey Folks, so I have a 90 gallon Frag tang that is having issues with SPS having Bleached tips. LPS and softies doing are doing good. The tank has two Kessil 360 wide angle over the center. On the sides of the tank there are T5 54 watt ATI blue plus and purple plus. There are two units with 4 bulbs on each side. Photo period is 11am-8pm. so 9 hours a day. Tank has two skimmers and a refugium.

Current Tank parameters

SG: 1.025
ALK 8.3
CAL 390
PH 8
Nitrate 0
Phosphate 0
Potassium 460
Magnessium 1380

Any help in finding out the cause of the SPS bleached tips would be greatly appriciated. Thanks for the help!

Not enough information, are you new to keeping SPS? What kind of SPS? Acropora?

Basically, without trying to be rude, the lack of information provided tells me you are probably dealing with unstable water parameters and the SPS, whatever they are, are suffering. I am able to grow most SPS in a fairly unstable small tank that is constantly low on Alk. I can't grow Acropora in this tank, they will die in random spectacular fashions due to the lack of stability. In my large tank I grow acros and try to keep all water parameters as stable as possible, most importantly Alk.

Once you get the water stable, and this means not suddenly attacking Phosphate with GFO, making sure to test Alk daily, at the same time every day, and getting the same reading, then you can worry about the other things like food and Nitrate. IMO.

Leadfooted · May 31, 2018

Of course tank to tank differs but anytime I allow my CA to drop below 400 my SPS takes a step back and growth stalls. I've found keeping my CA at 450 continues growth and a dip in CA down to 420 is okay. IT's when I kept mine at 420 and it would dip close to 350-390 I saw my SPS weakening. When I see my Hollywood Chalice forming a white edge on the tips of the coral, 9 out of 10 times I find it's my Calcium below 400. Might not be your issue but it's been the case for me.

WIlliam_24 · Jun 1, 2018

markalot said:
Not enough information, are you new to keeping SPS? What kind of SPS? Acropora?

Basically, without trying to be rude, the lack of information provided tells me you are probably dealing with unstable water parameters and the SPS, whatever they are, are suffering. I am able to grow most SPS in a fairly unstable small tank that is constantly low on Alk. I can't grow Acropora in this tank, they will die in random spectacular fashions due to the lack of stability. In my large tank I grow acros and try to keep all water parameters as stable as possible, most importantly Alk.

Once you get the water stable, and this means not suddenly attacking Phosphate with GFO, making sure to test Alk daily, at the same time every day, and getting the same reading, then you can worry about the other things like food and Nitrate. IMO.

Hello sorry for the lack of info it is indeed the acropora that is bleaching. the two big green Montipora each about 1ft wide are doing good. The ALK has been unstable. and yes i am a new to SPS and reefing. The water is also to clean with undetectable NO4 and Po4. Thank you for your input i appriciate it!

WIlliam_24 · Jun 1, 2018

Leadfooted said:
Of course tank to tank differs but anytime I allow my CA to drop below 400 my SPS takes a step back and growth stalls. I've found keeping my CA at 450 continues growth and a dip in CA down to 420 is okay. IT's when I kept mine at 420 and it would dip close to 350-390 I saw my SPS weakening. When I see my Hollywood Chalice forming a white edge on the tips of the coral, 9 out of 10 times I find it's my Calcium below 400. Might not be your issue but it's been the case for me.

Thanks for your input. Ive had unstable ALK that has effected CAL so i wll try to get both stable. Thank you

markalot · Jun 2, 2018

WIlliam_24 said:
Hello sorry for the lack of info it is indeed the acropora that is bleaching. the two big green Montipora each about 1ft wide are doing good. The ALK has been unstable. and yes i am a new to SPS and reefing. The water is also to clean with undetectable NO4 and Po4. Thank you for your input i appriciate it!

Hi William,

for stable Alk, test alk, does the same amount of both parts of a two part solution based on the Alk testing. Don't chase Calcium around, it will be fine as long as you always dose the same amount of both parts. Always test Alk at the same time each day since usage will vary day and night. Good luck!

BoomCorals · Jun 2, 2018

markalot said:
Hi William,

for stable Alk, test alk, does the same amount of both parts of a two part solution based on the Alk testing. Don't chase Calcium around, it will be fine as long as you always dose the same amount of both parts. Always test Alk at the same time each day since usage will vary day and night. Good luck!

Great advice. When your parameters are where they should be, dose two part in equal 1:1 parts based upon ALK consumption. Do this and calc and mag will almost always be in line and never need to be tested for in most cases.