Surf N' Turf acro sudden tissue loss

[Swell]

It would be my favorite acro that I seem to have the worst luck with... This is my third attempt to grow surf n' turf with no luck. This time, I have experienced sudden tissue loss. Any opinions on causes? All of my other sps (echinata, tenuis, hoeki, etc) all do just fine. I've checked for AEFW, and other pests, but none found. I have had those "half-eaten" looking mini starfish in the tank for about a year now with no other issues with my other corals, but I'm starting to wonder... This is after it has been in the tank for 1 month.

Alk 12.2
Cal 450
PAR @ acro in question 186 (Radion G4pro) 12 hour photoperiod (AB+ modified for longer ramp times)

 

[bobby.w.hodges]

Frag looks to be new, if all other corals have done well then I would say that the coral either was not healed when you brought it home or it didn't acclimate very well. You could try to cut the healthy tip of and reglue it, may work. It doesn't appear to have been chewed on.

 

[Ling_Thing]

What are your nutrients? Looks starved

 

[Swell]

What are your nutrients? Looks starved

I didn't get a chance to measure last night, but I intend on doing so tonight. I feed twice a day with Hikari S pellets and equal parts reef chili. I moved down from 3 feedings a day a couple months ago due to nutrient overload.

 

[Ling_Thing]

I didn't get a chance to measure last night, but I intend on doing so tonight. I feed twice a day with Hikari S pellets and equal parts reef chili. I moved down from 3 feedings a day a couple months ago due to nutrient overload.

I feed heavy 3 times a day and I still Have to dose n03 and p04 everyday to keep
My acropora happy. I would bet your nutrients are bottomed out.

 

[Swell]

Frag looks to be new, if all other corals have done well then I would say that the coral either was not healed when you brought it home or it didn't acclimate very well. You could try to cut the healthy tip of and reglue it, may work. It doesn't appear to have been chewed on.

Fairly new (received back in early December)
Any chance this is common from alk swings? Or too high alk?

 

[Swell]

I feed heavy 3 times a day and I still Have to dose n03 and p04 everyday to keep
My acropora happy. I would bet your nutrients are bottomed out.

What levels do you personally look to aim for? I will compare with mine (if in fact I have any to compare)

 

[Ling_Thing]

What levels do you personally look to aim for? I will compare with mine (if in fact I have any to compare)

10ppm n03 and .06 p04

 

[Ling_Thing]

What levels do you personally look to aim for? I will compare with mine (if in fact I have any to compare)

Alk is directly correlated to nutrients for acropora. So we need to know what your nutrients test out at before we can give any opinions on too high alk.

 

[ScottB]

If the acros frags are withering so quickly, these are the things I would think about:

a) Difference in tank parameters between vendor and yours: ALK, NO3, PO4 would be key.
b) Dip/acclimation procedure: temp acclimate in sump for a few hours. Then place in low light area for a few days or a week BEFORE doing a dip to let them recover from transport.

I have reduced my new frag losses to near zero by being selective in who I buy from (our parameters are very similar) and by letting the frags settle BEFORE dipping.

 

[Swell]

Alk is directly correlated to nutrients for acropora. So we need to know what your nutrients test out at before we can give any opinions on too high alk.

Jumping ahead, would you add more feeding or would you adjust refugium light to macro (chaeto) to adjust nutrient levels? I currently have a 4 hours schedule over my chaeto from 11PM - 3AM

 

[Ling_Thing]

Jumping ahead, would you add more feeding or would you adjust refugium light to macro (chaeto) to adjust nutrient levels? I currently have a 4 hours schedule over my chaeto from 11PM - 3AM

I don’t run any refugium, algae scrubber, gfo, gac, Carbon dosing and only run my skimmer 1 hour every 3 days. So personally I would shut down all nutrient export you have including your refugium and start dosing n03 to get your levels up but that’s just me. A lot of people like running an ULNS but not me.

 

[ZoWhat]

 

[ZoWhat]

ALK 12.2? That's a problem for Acros

 

[Swell]

I don’t run any refugium, algae scrubber, gfo, gac, Carbon dosing and only run my skimmer 1 hour every 3 days. So personally I would shut down all nutrient export you have including your refugium and start dosing n03 to get your levels up but that’s just me. A lot of people like running an ULNS but not me.

Hanna ULR phosphorus (HI 736) reads 152ppb not sure if it matters, but the ULR reagent expired 11/2019
Phosphate = 0.466 ppm

Nitrate reads a tad darker than 20ppm

 

[DesertReefT4r]

I looks alk related to me, tissue loss appears to be alk burn. If it was coming from a system with a lower alk and you did not very slowly aclimate it to the higher alk that can kill most sps. The frag also looks pretty pale and had not healed over at all making the frag even weaker. I only buy well healed up frags that have encrusted onto the plug or fresh cut frags from a healthy colony. If its freshly cut or pale its a hard past for me. I try to remember to ask what the alk of the water they are in is at.

 

[Swell]

I looks alk related to me, tissue loss appears to be alk burn. If it was coming from a system with a lower alk and you did not very slowly aclimate it to the higher alk that can kill most sps. The frag also looks pretty pale and had not healed over at all making the frag even weaker. I only buy well healed up frags that have encrusted onto the plug or fresh cut frags from a healthy colony. If its freshly cut or pale its a hard past for me. I try to remember to ask what the alk of the water they are in is at.

Thank you. That frag had been in the tank since December 9th, so for it to last almost 2 months, I was instantly skeptical about any sudden changes in chemistry.

 

[flyfisherman]

first year or two trying to keep SPS i wouldnt be worried about getting fancy with nutrients. keep nutrients down focus on stable alk between 7.5 and 9.5. it can drift between there over the course of a month, but if it swings daily more than 1.5 you could have problems.

in theory you could drift slowly from 8alk to 12alk with resident sps, boost nutrients and get good growth. most likely you are going to have problems trying to acclimate corals to 12alk in a young tank.

 

[Graffiti Spot]

I don’t think acros care about going from a high alk tank to a low alk tank. I have never had issues from getting frags from higher alk tanks. Anyways there is no way to acclimate slowly for this issue, it’s still going from one to the other, in one min or two hours won’t make a difference imo.