Understand my ICP + SPS stripping

[jordonm]

Hi All,

I've recently had an ICP done and was wondering if someone could help me out please? I've been losing quite a few SPS pieces recently but there doesn't seem to be anything jumping out.

Tank info:
8 months old
250L
Nitrates - Always been below 2.5
Phos - in test (running 50g of rowa)
Lights - ATI 8x39w T5
15-20kg of Aquaroche rock
3kg of biohome media
Deltec SC1350 skimmer

Currently dosing:
Coral Essentials - 2 drops of Amino + Gro per night
Coral Essentials - 2 drops of everything else except 'The Juice' per week
Alk - 5ml Red Sea
Calc - 2ml Red Sea (upped since ICP)
Mag - 2ml Red Sea (upped since ICP)

I've been going through a cyano stage and after syphoning out I replaced some sand - possible cause of high silicates in the ICP.

ICP link - https://www.triton-lab.de/en/showroom/aquarium/auswertung-b/icp-oes/61944/

Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[Reeferdood]

Your Calcium is low, that jumps out a little but have you looked at the corals that are dying off for red bugs or anything else?
The triton results look great otherwise and your lighting seems good. What about water flow, SPS's love flow.

 

[jordonm]

Your Calcium is low, that jumps out a little but have you looked at the corals that are dying off for red bugs or anything else?
The triton results look great otherwise and your lighting seems good. What about water flow, SPS's love flow.

Yeah I think my salifert calcium test is off - when I compared it to my test taken on the same day it read at 400. I've upped the dosing and kept monitoring.

I've always kept an eye out for red bugs/AEFW and never noticed anything suspicious. I always try to buy from trusted sellers/shops but there's always a risk.

Thanks re. the results. I was pleasantly surprised myself! Flow - I've got 2x tunze 6015's, XF130 & XF250 gyres and also a small jebao running underneath one of the gyres. Anymore flow and I have no sand left lol.

 

[Reeferdood]

Yeah I think my salifert calcium test is off - when I compared it to my test taken on the same day it read at 400. I've upped the dosing and kept monitoring.

I've always kept an eye out for red bugs/AEFW and never noticed anything suspicious. I always try to buy from trusted sellers/shops but there's always a risk.

Thanks re. the results. I was pleasantly surprised myself! Flow - I've got 2x tunze 6015's, XF130 & XF250 gyres and also a small jebao running underneath one of the gyres. Anymore flow and I have no sand left lol.

Hmm,
everything seems ok otherwise so I am stumped too.
FWIW, redbugs are really hard to see without magnification of some sort.
Hope we can find the issue for you here...

 

[jordonm]

Hmm,
everything seems ok otherwise so I am stumped too.
FWIW, redbugs are really hard to see without magnification of some sort.
Hope we can find the issue for you here...

Yeah I've heard they're difficult to spot, but I've researched bit marks and they look nothing like the initial stripping that I'm seeing.

If it helps - I've only lost 1/2 pieces completely, the rest have started stripping at the base and eventually it seems to stop. My 6 month old Red Planet frag is the most recently affected.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I don’t see anything to explain dying corals, but I would boost calcium, and continue and maybe boost the trace element supplements.

 

[jordonm]

I don’t see anything to explain dying corals, but I would boost calcium, and continue and maybe boost the trace element supplements.

Thanks for the feedback Randy - i've boosted both since the ICP and will continue to monitor.

Just had a thought - what kind of temp swings would cause stripping? My tank usually sits between 26.5-27, but recently i've seen it reach 28.5. Doesn't seem like too much to me, but I may be wrong!

Also worth noting re. the temp - i've had stripping issues before I've seen the temp reach those levels.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thanks for the feedback Randy - i've boosted both since the ICP and will continue to monitor.

Just had a thought - what kind of temp swings would cause stripping? My tank usually sits between 26.5-27, but recently i've seen it reach 28.5. Doesn't seem like too much to me, but I may be wrong!

Also worth noting re. the temp - i've had stripping issues before I've seen the temp reach those levels.

What do you mean by stripping?

 

[jordonm]

What do you mean by stripping?

They are suffering from tissue loss which is usually at the base or from the area that receives the least amount of light.

Eg - a pink stylo has suffered this but only on the underside

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

28.5 deg C (83.3 F) may be borderline for corals used to lower temps, but is most likely not the issue.

 

[jordonm]

28.5 deg C (83.3 F) may be borderline for corals used to lower temps, but is most likely not the issue.

I thought the same.

Update - a few other sps have started the stripping process. The original ones have slowed, with the exception of a tortuosa which looks lost now.

Additionally, several montis, plus a gomezi and other unknown acros are starting to get algae growing on the tips.

Seriously confused with what’s going on!

 

[PatW]

Hmmmm, I expected to see low phosphate. Yours is a tad low but that is right where I run mine and my acros are fine.

Calcium is a bit low but mine have dropped that low without effect.

Iodine is low. Maybe, that is it. I have never measured or fooled with iodine.

That leaves physical parameters. Your water flow could be off and low would be a likely problem.

Your light intensity or spectrum could be a problem.

Your temperature is pretty high. I run 78 degrees. Coral reefs hit 82 degrees regularly without problems but above 84 can cause bleaching.

It might be that you have several parameters operating simultaneously to stress your corals just a bit and they have a cumulative effect. Growing SPS corals can feel more like magic than science.

 

[jordonm]

Hmmmm, I expected to see low phosphate. Yours is a tad low but that is right where I run mine and my acros are fine.

Calcium is a bit low but mine have dropped that low without effect.

Iodine is low. Maybe, that is it. I have never measured or fooled with iodine.

That leaves physical parameters. Your water flow could be off and low would be a likely problem.

Your light intensity or spectrum could be a problem.

Your temperature is pretty high. I run 78 degrees. Coral reefs hit 82 degrees regularly without problems but above 84 can cause bleaching.

It might be that you have several parameters operating simultaneously to stress your corals just a bit and they have a cumulative effect. Growing SPS corals can feel more like magic than science.

I suspect at the time of the icp that my phos reading was slightly off. I’ve been running rowa since the ICP which I believe has lowered it due to a reduction in algae.

Calcium is now roughly where it needs to be after adjusting my daily dose.

In regards to iodine, it’s not something that I test for - I have been dosing a minor amount extra to attempt to bring this in line.

In regards to flow and light, I’m currently running the following:
Maxspect gyre xf250 - 30%
Maxspect gyre xf130 - 70%
2x tunze 6015s
1x jebao sw2

8x39 Ati sunpower (4x blue plus + 4x coral plus bulbs). Oldest bulbs are max 7 months old. My total photoperiod lasts for around 10 hours.

I really am stuck now and can fully appreciate that it can feel more like magic!

Don’t get me wrong I do have some sps growing/basing out, but the majority are unhappy.