Acropora Millepora Low PE

[Reefer Matt]

Hey Reefers! Looking for some advice from fellow stick heads on my 3-4 year old colony of JF Solar Flare Acropora Millepora. It had the fuzzy polyps we all love for years, but in the last four months, the polpys are not coming out. I have twice daily Trident testing, and have checked potassium.

All other acros in the tank have full PE, and there are no pests or fish bothering it. Alk is usually 8.5, Ca 450 MG 1400 and K was found at 360, but adjusted to 450. This tank gets monthly 40% water changes. Nitrates are 24 ppm, Phosphates .05 ppm, which are normal for this four year old tank. Just looking for something else to check while waiting it out. Thanks.

 

[Troylee]

If you ever figure it out lmk! Haha.. my asd rainbow will not extend for anything! It grows great but doesn’t like showing off polyps at all! Other sticks and Millie’s are fuzzy wuzzy!

 

[Reefer Matt]

If you ever figure it out lmk! Haha.. my asd rainbow will not extend for anything! It grows great but doesn’t like showing off polyps at all! Other sticks and Millie’s are fuzzy wuzzy!

Yeah it looked great for a couple years and now it is just growing new skeleton but not fully extending. I just see the tips of the polyps.

 

[Troylee]

Yeah it looked great for a couple years and now it is just growing new skeleton but not fully extending. I just see the tips of the polyps.

Exactly what my asd has done since day 1!!!

 

[ptrahan]

What about spot feeding? What about after lights out? Maybe around an hour after lights out, use a flashlight to see if there is PE?

 

[Reefer Matt]

It used to look like this.

 

[Reefer Matt]

What about spot feeding? What about after lights out? Maybe around an hour after lights out, use a flashlight to see if there is PE?

This coral used to be out all day. Nothing after lights out either.

 

[Reefer Matt]

This is now.

 

[matt_work27]

I am not exactly sure if this is the reason but you have alot more nitrates compared to phosphates. Alot of people like 100: 1 ratio (10 nitrates then .1 phosphates)

 

[Curiousbranching]

Have you check for pest?

 

[IntrinsicReef]

Have you sent out an ICP? I had a few large acro colonies recently that changed color and lost polyp extension. My iodine came back high and flouride non detectable. I stopped the iodine part of Red Sea Trace Colors and added ATI flouride, and things went back to normal. Not saying this is the same element imbalance, but it might be something similar.

 

[chipchipbro]

I also had some corals with very low PE.
Well I did send out an ICP and my Zinc plus especially Fluoride were very low or even undetectable.

So I also dosed ATI Fluoride…

A few days later the corals without nice PE showed more and more polyps again.

I have to say, my millies were not affected and always had PE though.

 

[Reefer Matt]

I just noticed it starting to bleach. Since the temp is always around 79°F, this tells me it is possibly a flow/lighting issue. I did change over to gyres in February, and haven't had good PE for about 6 months now. Lights have been the same intensity for 3-4 years. I installed the gyres vertically to move water around the rocks, as they are in the middle of the tank when I got them.
Today I have put the lights on acclimation mode, and pointed one of the gyres more toward the acro to increase flow. This tank gets regular water changes of 40% each month. I will monitor it for a few weeks, and possibly add another wavemaker if it helps.

 

[IntrinsicReef]

I just noticed it starting to bleach. Since the temp is always around 79°F, this tells me it is possibly a flow/lighting issue. I did change over to gyres in February, and haven't had good PE for about 6 months now. Lights have been the same intensity for 3-4 years. I installed the gyres vertically to move water around the rocks, as they are in the middle of the tank when I got them.
Today I have put the lights on acclimation mode, and pointed one of the gyres more toward the acro to increase flow. This tank gets regular water changes of 40% each month. I will monitor it for a few weeks, and possibly add another wavemaker if

You have so many fast growing SPS corals in that system that the hardier fast growers might be outcompeting some of the more delicate corals for certain elements. As a service company guy, I believe in water changes. But, when corals get really packed in a tank, they quickly absorb elements from water changes and the strong survive. It definitely looks like the corals are bleaching where the light hits it. But if you haven't changed lighting recently, it doesn't make sense that the lighting suddenly caused the bleaching. I am guessing the coral is missing some element it needs to protect itself from the light, or needs to make healthy new growth with appropriate amounts of zooxanthelle. Since all your base parameters are solid, I think an ICP test would be very informative.

 

[Reefer Matt]

You have so many fast growing SPS corals in that system that the hardier fast growers might be outcompeting some of the more delicate corals for certain elements. As a service company guy, I believe in water changes. But, when corals get really packed in a tank, they quickly absorb elements from water changes and the strong survive. It definitely looks like the corals are bleaching where the light hits it. But if you haven't changed lighting recently, it doesn't make sense that the lighting suddenly caused the bleaching. I am guessing the coral is missing some element it needs to protect itself from the light, or needs to make healthy new growth with appropriate amounts of zooxanthelle. Since all your base parameters are solid, I think an ICP test would be very informative.

Thanks. I will consider an icp test. I have changed flow recently, which affects the coral's ability to process and absorb co2 and oxygen (from my understanding). IME if the lighting isn't lowered on a bleaching coral, it usually dies. My WD acros did that twice in the past, and I lowered the light, then they came back.

The middle of my tank has the least amount of flow, as the gyres move the water around it. I'm sure like you said though, the colonies are bigger now, and could be depleting the trace elements in between changes. I just don't want to get into the trace element dosing/icp game though.

 

[ninjamyst]

Keep us updated!!

 

[Reefer Matt]

Keep us updated!!

Will do! I keep video updates as well.

 

[Ben's Pico Reefing]

My 2 cents is all the corals have grown for thepast few years. Flow current has changed and the fact you just changed the pump as well. Other corals could be changing flow pattern as well as how it flows around this coral due to growth.

 

[Uncle99]

Hey Reefers! Looking for some advice from fellow stick heads on my 3-4 year old colony of JF Solar Flare Acropora Millepora. It had the fuzzy polyps we all love for years, but in the last four months, the polpys are not coming out. I have twice daily Trident testing, and have checked potassium.

All other acros in the tank have full PE, and there are no pests or fish bothering it. Alk is usually 8.5, Ca 450 MG 1400 and K was found at 360, but adjusted to 450. This tank gets monthly 40% water changes. Nitrates are 24 ppm, Phosphates .05 ppm, which are normal for this four year old tank. Just looking for something else to check while waiting it out. Thanks.

Is there any coral close that’s either aggressive, or defends with toxin?
The event is very localized, all else super happy.

 

[IntrinsicReef]

Thanks. I will consider an icp test. I have changed flow recently, which affects the coral's ability to process and absorb co2 and oxygen (from my understanding). IME if the lighting isn't lowered on a bleaching coral, it usually dies. My WD acros did that twice in the past, and I lowered the light, then they came back.

The middle of my tank has the least amount of flow, as the gyres move the water around it. I'm sure like you said though, the colonies are bigger now, and could be depleting the trace elements in between changes. I just don't want to get into the trace element dosing/icp game though.

I hear you. I do 50 gallon water changes on my home 150 gallon every 2 weeks. It is so easy to mix a bag of salt and swap the water out. I dose Red Sea Trace colors once a week and I rely on the big water changes to "reset" chemistry instead of sending off ICP and adjusting accordingly. I do ICP based testing and correction on several systems, but they are large systems packed with corals, and it is easier than doing massive water changes. I am curious if your water flow theory works out. I usually see stn from the base in diminished water flow. I will watch the thread. Lmk how it turns out