Why does my red Monti look like this ?

[Yates273]

I’m totally lost here. This Monti was nice and red and for the last several weeks it faded. Outer edges red but the rest is brown/white. All polyps are out but under white light looks horrible. Numbers have been stable for a while. I am running 2 hydra 26 a Kessil ap 700 and the Aquatoc life hybrid with 3 blue plus and one actinic. Too much light? Par at approx 170 at mid tank. what the heck am I doing wrong. My Xmas tree Favia also looks crap. euphyilla acans and other corals look fine. Im almost done with any type of Monti. I can’t keep them looking nice. TYIA
tank temp 78-79 degrees
Alk 9.1
Cal 400
Mg 1600

Attachments​

• 
  9AFF66EA-F518-441E-8C79-756015041A0F.jpeg
  1.5 MB · Views: 5

 

[brmc1985]

I’m totally lost here. This Monti was nice and red and for the last several weeks it faded. Outer edges red but the rest is brown/white. All polyps are out but under white light looks horrible. Numbers have been stable for a while. I am running 2 hydra 26 a Kessil ap 700 and the Aquatoc life hybrid with 3 blue plus and one actinic. Too much light? Par at approx 170 at mid tank. what the heck am I doing wrong. My Xmas tree Favia also looks crap. euphyilla acans and other corals look fine. Im almost done with any type of Monti. I can’t keep them looking nice. TYIA
tank temp 78-79 degrees
Alk 9.1
Cal 400
Mg 1600

Attachments​

• 
  9AFF66EA-F518-441E-8C79-756015041A0F.jpeg
  1.5 MB · Views: 5

That’s a lot of different lights for one tank. What settings are you running them on to only have 170 par in the middle?

 

[Glenner’sreef]

So the plating monti in the middle right is the Red Monti? If so is it being stung by that blue maybe Chalice right next to it?

 

[brmc1985]

So the plating monti in the middle right is the Red Monti? If so is it being stung by that blue maybe Chalice right next to it?

Yea. I am still trying to figure out what all is going on here. Whatever is top right center (stylo/pocillopora etc) looks dead. Left might be the montipora assuming it’s a cap? We need some better pictures but maybe these are under a hotspot from on of the 3 LEDs that are on the tank?

 

[Yates273]

Ok sorry for confusion. The plating Monti is on the left. The middle coral is a blue Sympodium which is not even close to the Monti and the coral on the right is a devils hand. Picture was taken early Here’s another picture i just took I hope it’s better.
Hydras were run at 80% but I lowered to about 60% today Kessil was at 80% so I lowered to 50% today and the T5 are on from 1pm to 5 pm 3 blue plus and 1 actinic.

 

[Reefer_punk]

What are your other parameters?

 

[Yates273]

Nitrates are 20 ppm
Ph 8.3
Salinity 1.026
Phosphates were .08 as of yesterday using a Hanna ULR. I added Gfo to reactor to bring down. Only reason I hade this and nitrates elevated was
to battle Dino’s which are now gone. I do have hair algae growing on rocks which makes me think phosphates need to be lowered.

 

[Salty2021]

Looks like your not running any whites

 

[Yates273]

Whites spectrum is on the T5’s

 

[FIN&BONEZ]

If the only coral giving you a headache is montipora you could have a monti eating nudibranch. Best way to find out is to blast the coral with a flashlight in the middle of the night. Lets pray you don't.

 

[Yates273]

Will have to check that, but my green Monti which I have mounted on wall also lost its color actually worse than the red.

 

[FIN&BONEZ]

It might have came in on the green one and has now found the red. My buddie lost 6 colonies of different caps and undatas to those dam things. His choice was pretty much tank tear down or stop buying montis.

 

[sculpin01]

Check your potassium level. Plating Montiporas are supposedly the proverbial canary in the coal mine for low potassium.

 

[SilvermistInc]

Hey boss. How quickly did the GFO remove nutrients?

 

[Yates273]

Check your potassium level. Plating Montiporas are supposedly the proverbial canary in the coal mine for low potassium.

That’s the one test kit I need guess I will have to order one. If low what’s a good brand to dose or does that matter? That seems like it could be this since I stopped doing water changes during my Dino battle. Just set up my AWC again to do 2 gallons a day on approx 130-140 gallon system

 

[Yates273]

Hey boss. How quickly did the GFO remove nutrients?

Need to check my phosphates when I get home to see where they are at. I used 2 cups of GFO. Will let you know

 

[Yates273]

Ok I just ordered the Salifert potassium test kit will test tomorrow to see where I’m at.

 

[sculpin01]

Low phosphate can also do that.

 

[Yates273]

Low phosphate can also do that.

They held steady at .08 to .06 while I was fighting Dino’s

 

[Yates273]

Just checked phosphates and they are at .06 right now using Hanna ULR