Sticks dying top down

[pandaparties]

Tips on a lot of my acros have turned white and seem to be spreading down, some have started growing algae on the tips. Could use some ideas and insight.

Alk 8.2-8.4
Ph 8.3-8.4
Calc 550
Mag 1400
Nitrates consistently 7-8
Phosphates swing a bit but typically .1-.2
Temp 77.5-78
Par 250-300 (5 reefi duos, 2 xr30 on 10x3x2 tank)
My euphillia all seem happy

I run GFO and dose a little nopox once a week
I don't really do water changes until the past day or so I setup an AWC changing about 5 gallons a day on a 500ish gallon tank.
I also dose baking soda every day to maintain all and dose calcium as needed

 

[Lavey29]

Can you frag off the infected areas to save the coral?

 

[pandaparties]

PE is pretty bad on all of them too, particularly a couple of the milis which had great extension a couple weeks ago. Colors are fading on some. A few still look really happy and vibrant. I can try to frag a couple but others arent going to be as easy

 

[Lavey29]

How long has the system been running? Numbers are decent but phosphate swings might irritate some acros. Calcium is elevated. Have you done a recent ICP test to check everything?

 

[pandaparties]

 

[pandaparties]

How long has the system been running? Numbers are decent but phosphate swings might irritate some acros. Calcium is elevated. Have you done a recent ICP test to check everything?

System been running 2 years though the acros are new in the past month. Just ordered some icp tests but figured I'd ask here while I wait

 

[Lavey29]

This pic doesn't show a problem. White tips are signs of growth. PE doesn't show but depends on when pic was taken.

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

Not much coraline for rock that’s been in the system for 2 years. I used to use Rowaphos but stopped while back. My acro look better since it’s been offline. Also increased water changes. Using AF reef salt now. Liking the results.

 

[pandaparties]

Not much coraline for rock that’s been in the system for 2 years. I used to use Rowaphos but stopped while back. My acro look better since it’s been offline. Also increased water changes. Using AF reef salt now. Liking the results.

Yeah there's no coralline but to be fair I have urchins that munch on it. My issue is without gfo my phosphates shoot up to like 2 in the span of a day

 

[pandaparties]

That other picture doesn't show it well but it really looks like tissue necrosis instead of growth and their is algae on the tips which reinforces that

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

Yeah there's no coralline but to be fair I have urchins that munch on it. My issue is without gfo my phosphates shoot up to like 2 in the span of a day

How many fish and what are you feeding?

 

[pandaparties]

How many fish and what are you feeding?

I have one 8" halleri ray, one 16" marble catshark, 1 10" louti grouper, one 12" vlamingj tang and a 6" purple tang. So like 5 fish total but bigger ones

Tank is 10x3x2 and sump is 6x2x2. Total volume in the 500s. I feed one cube of frozen mysis and 7-8 sliders a day. Nitrates I'm happy with but my phosphates are awful without gfo.
I run filter socks, a 5000sss skimmer but it doesn't seem to pull out much, and I just brought a surf4x scrubber online today.

3 mp40s, 2 mp60s for flow

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

I have one 8" halleri ray, one 16" marble catshark, 1 10" louti grouper, one 12" vlamingj tang and a 6" purple tang. So like 5 fish total but bigger ones

Tank is 10x3x2 and sump is 6x2x2. Total volume in the 500s. I feed one cube of frozen mysis and 7-8 sliders a day. Nitrates I'm happy with but my phosphates are awful without gfo.
I run filter socks, a 5000sss skimmer but it doesn't seem to pull out much, and I just brought a surf4x scrubber online today.

3 mp40s, 2 mp60s for flow

Wow no wonder.

 

[pandaparties]

Wow no wonder.

Care to elaborate? Feel like that's actually relatively light for my tank size and most people I know with tanks or similar size seem to have way more fish. I guess most of them don't keep acros though.

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

Was for the po4. Big animals need healthy feedings so makes sense as to why it increases the way it does. I’d try to do more water changes to husbandry. Help keep nutrients down. Skimmer?

 

[pandaparties]

Was for the po4. Big animals need healthy feedings so makes sense as to why it increases the way it does. I’d try to do more water changes to husbandry. Help keep nutrients down. Skimmer?

Ah gotcha, yeah definitely a little more challenging with the big guys. But I kind of would of expected to have nitrate issues too but they are in a great range.
My AWC just came online and I'm hoping that helps too, comes out to about 150g of turnover a month and I might throw a monthly larger one in there too. Also trying out an algae scrubber. I do have a skimmer from reef Octopus and its appropriately sized but I hate it. It's either pulling out nothing or overflowing. The fish have always done well and most my corals are happy, just those heckin acros :'(

 

[Lavey29]

Maybe try some simple SPS like stylos, monti digi, birdsnest, etc...

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

Maybe try some simple SPS like stylos, monti digi, birdsnest, etc...

Was gonna suggest that. I’d try the stylos and Monti like caps, digitata and hirsuta. If they do well then some BN species. I find them to b little finicky at times. May not do well if problems persist w acropora.

 

[pandaparties]

Maybe try some simple SPS like stylos, monti digi, birdsnest, etc...

I have some other like this one that are doing great. Good color, good growth and PE. But there's a birdsnest right next to this guy struggling

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

Some acro do well for me in my mixed reef and some don’t. Happens. I’m not chasing numbers and keep stability the best I can.