The SPS Q&A Thread.

[ReeferDre]

A. Total water volume ( Please include sump, etc.)
33
B. What are your parameters? ( CA, ALK, PO4,Salinity, etc.)
410, 8, 1.026,
C. Type of lighting. Please include age, watts, andA. Total water volume ( Please include sump, etc.)
diy led,
D. Filtration method (Skimmer, GFO, DSB, etc.)
Sump w/ small fuge curve 5 skimmer biopellets
E. What types of corals do you keep other than SPS?
Mixed ref
F. How long has the tank been running?
Just downgraded 4 weeks ago but before that 2yrs
G. What are you dosing? Dosing schedule?
Bionic 2 part by hand @ morning and night
H. Which brand of salt are you using?
Reef crystals
I. What brand of test kits are you employing?
A dr different brands
J. What are you using for CA/ALK supplementation?
2 part
K. What are you using for flow? (Pump names, how many, placement, etc.) bulb/ballast name.
Mp40
So have you seen polyps extend like this on a milli frag before. Just started using nualgi 2 weeks ago.

 

[Janessa]

Lighting Question

My sps are doing well as far as living and growing, but I have an issue with their coloring. I have a blue acro and a few montis my concern is that the montis loose their green tint in my tank and some of the blue has faded from the acro. I also have a scroll coral that lost it's purple color to a more redish color. I have T5s an actinic and a white light. I am wondering if supplementing with some blue LED lights will help bring those blues and greens back? Any ideas?

 

[SunnyX]

My sps are doing well as far as living and growing, but I have an issue with their coloring. I have a blue acro and a few montis my concern is that the montis loose their green tint in my tank and some of the blue has faded from the acro. I also have a scroll coral that lost it's purple color to a more redish color. I have T5s an actinic and a white light. I am wondering if supplementing with some blue LED lights will help bring those blues and greens back? Any ideas?

Apologies for the delay in response. Have you had any luck restoring the blues and greens in you corals? The addition of Lugols Solution has always helped with my blue coral coloration. As for green, iron could help but id be hesitant to add it as it may cause algae issues. In the past when I had wanted to "darken" up the sps I would drop a couple hour off of my lighting schedule.

What brand and how many T5 bulbs are you running.

Photoperiod?

Are all of you parameters in line?

Thank you.

 

[Janessa]

Thank you for your time and reply! Actually my parameters were a little out of line and soon swung way out. I couldn't figure it out until the lfs suggested trying a different batch of salt. It worked. I didn't consider the fact that salt could go "bad". Unfortunately in the process I lost most of my sps. *tear*

I did take the opportunity to switch to an LED and I am loving it! (I was very hesitant to switch and shock any of my more delicate specimens before.)

 

[SunnyX]

Thank you for your time and reply! Actually my parameters were a little out of line and soon swung way out. I couldn't figure it out until the lfs suggested trying a different batch of salt. It worked. I didn't consider the fact that salt could go "bad". Unfortunately in the process I lost most of my sps. *tear*

I did take the opportunity to switch to an LED and I am loving it! (I was very hesitant to switch and shock any of my more delicate specimens before.)

Hello,

That is great to hear. I'm glad that you found the issue and came out for the better.

 

[ReefPiracy]

A. Total water volume ( Please include sump, etc.)
185
B. What are your parameters? ( CA, ALK, PO4,Salinity, etc.)
450 CA 9.5 alk 0.03 po4 1.024 SG
C. Type of lighting. Please include age, watts, and bulb/ballast name.
Gen 3 pro radion 2 48 inch t5 blue plus and coral plus for 6 months
D. Filtration method (Skimmer, GFO, DSB, etc.)
CA reactor 3000 sro skimmer 1/2 cup GFO twist uv 18 watt
E. What types of corals do you keep other than SPS?
Mixed reef mostly lps/SPS
F. How long has the tank been running?
2 years
G. What are you dosing? Dosing schedule?
CA double chamber
H. Which brand of salt are you using?
Kent and Red Sea coral pro
I. What brand of test kits are you employing?
Hanna and Salifert
J. What are you using for CA/ALK supplementation?

K. What are you using for flow? (Pump names, how many, placement, etc.)
Two mp40s and fuval sp6 3000 gph 0 head

Small issue with hair aglae. Added new tonga and it really took off but under control just need to get rid of it.
Have sea hair, rabbit and powder brown.

 

[SunnyX]

A. Total water volume ( Please include sump, etc.)
185
B. What are your parameters? ( CA, ALK, PO4,Salinity, etc.)
450 CA 9.5 alk 0.03 po4 1.024 SG
C. Type of lighting. Please include age, watts, and bulb/ballast name.
Gen 3 pro radion 2 48 inch t5 blue plus and coral plus for 6 months
D. Filtration method (Skimmer, GFO, DSB, etc.)
CA reactor 3000 sro skimmer 1/2 cup GFO twist uv 18 watt
E. What types of corals do you keep other than SPS?
Mixed reef mostly lps/SPS
F. How long has the tank been running?
2 years
G. What are you dosing? Dosing schedule?
CA double chamber
H. Which brand of salt are you using?
Kent and Red Sea coral pro
I. What brand of test kits are you employing?
Hanna and Salifert
J. What are you using for CA/ALK supplementation?

K. What are you using for flow? (Pump names, how many, placement, etc.)
Two mp40s and fuval sp6 3000 gph 0 head

Small issue with hair aglae. Added new tonga and it really took off but under control just need to get rid of it.
Have sea hair, rabbit and powder brown.

Hello,

How long has the algae been a problem? If it is regressing then I wouldn't make any sudden changes. I'm hesitant to suggest fish as algae control, but in my experience Yellow Tangs are great at picking algae off of the rocks, but nothing is guaranteed.

Personally, I'd keep an eye on the algae and see what happens. If it starts to quickly get out of hand then we can make some changes. The new live rock is likely leaching nutrients, so it should eventually exhaust all nutrients once a proper bacterial colony has been allowed to settle.

There are many options when it comes to tackling algae, so have no fear. Right now I suspect that it's only a minor issue.

Please shoot me an update in a week or so, and we can go from there.

Thank you,

Sonny.

 

[Ballgame]

My green stylo is turning white. Is that because of my lights? I use the fluval full spectrum. Was told it doesn't have UV. Ordered Kessil 360w.

All water levels in line

 

[SunnyX]

My green stylo is turning white. Is that because of my lights? I use the fluval full spectrum. Was told it doesn't have UV. Ordered Kessil 360w.

All water levels in line

Hello,

A coral turning white could be due to multiple factors. Sometimes it can be an issue with water chemistry, flow, or lighting. I am not familiar with your current light fixture, and couldn't say for sure what is causing the coral bleach. Stylo's are quite hardy, so unless it's absolutely getting hammered with light I don't think it's a problem. I've kept Stylo's from high to low in my reefs, and they generally adapt well to all lighting.

Unfortunately corals can die off even when all conditions are met.

Is the coral displaying any polyp extension?

 

[Ballgame]

Hello,

A coral turning white could be due to multiple factors. Sometimes it can be an issue with water chemistry, flow, or lighting. I am not familiar with your current light fixture, and couldn't say for sure what is causing the coral bleach. Stylo's are quite hardy, so unless it's absolutely getting hammered with light I don't think it's a problem. I've kept Stylo's from high to low in my reefs, and they generally adapt well to all lighting.

Unfortunately corals can die off even when all conditions are met.

Is the coral displaying any polyp extension?

Thanks for the reply. Has strong flow so might be too high. But I don't think my lights are strong enough. Only 35 watts. I'll move it down and see if that helps.

 

[httorihanzo]

I am new to SPS and for the first few months frags I had were doing great. Now, I have some bleacing from the base up and loss of color. Tips look like new growth still and there is some good polyp extension. Not all my frags are losing color but green slimmer seems to be the one getting the worst of it. I am sure its not rapid tissue degeneration as the base is not super white and where there is bleaching there is still some polyp extension.

Running 8 bulb dimmable ATI fixture – 6 bulbs on at a time at 75% and run time is around 5 hours (been ramping up since getting new frags)

105 Rimless - been running for years.

My water test using Red Sea test kit
Ca – 390
Alk – 9.5
Mg – 1400
Nitrates – 0
Salinity 1.025

LFS water test result using Sailfert
Ca – 450
Alk – 11
Mg – 1170
Phosphate - .003

I dose Alk and CA- 22Ml a day. Since testing I’ve stopped dosing Alk and turned off GFO/Carbon

Now, there is obviously a huge different in what I tested and what the LFS tested. My red sea test kit might be a little old and I may not be proficient in using it so I am going on the premise that the LFS got it more correct than I did.

Here are a few things that I expect to be causing the problem (if not all)

Too high Alk
Too low light
Too high light
Poor flow area (running 1 Gyre on the opposite end of the tank from the green slimmer)
Micro nutrient deficient

Beyond this I really do not know and dont want to start changing a lot at worse making the issue that much harder to deal with.

Did a 10 gallon water change 2 days ago and working on a new batch of salt water to do a much larger water change on Christmas. Plan on doing 40+ gallons.

I REALLY want to nip this as fast as possible because I’ve picked up a TON of new frags trading my old softies for new SPS frags.

So I am looking for a quick fix, most likely cause, and long term fix. (yes, getting paramerters in check and stability is key)


Sorry to go on and on.

 

[ReefPiracy]

5 hour run time? Try more like 10, I would run 14 hours for my tank of course white for 8 hours. Keep frags lower in tank and move up. No need to lower photoperiod.

 

[httorihanzo]

When the fixture was new a few months ago I had them 100% for 9-10 hours (same period as I ran LED's) and i got a brown dust in the tank which covered everything including my small SPS frags and killed some out then algea started to grow. Had no choice but to lower and bring them back up. Algea all gone now.

 

[SunnyX]

I am new to SPS and for the first few months frags I had were doing great. Now, I have some bleacing from the base up and loss of color. Tips look like new growth still and there is some good polyp extension. Not all my frags are losing color but green slimmer seems to be the one getting the worst of it. I am sure its not rapid tissue degeneration as the base is not super white and where there is bleaching there is still some polyp extension.

Running 8 bulb dimmable ATI fixture – 6 bulbs on at a time at 75% and run time is around 5 hours (been ramping up since getting new frags)

105 Rimless - been running for years.

My water test using Red Sea test kit
Ca – 390
Alk – 9.5
Mg – 1400
Nitrates – 0
Salinity 1.025

LFS water test result using Sailfert
Ca – 450
Alk – 11
Mg – 1170
Phosphate - .003

I dose Alk and CA- 22Ml a day. Since testing I’ve stopped dosing Alk and turned off GFO/Carbon

Now, there is obviously a huge different in what I tested and what the LFS tested. My red sea test kit might be a little old and I may not be proficient in using it so I am going on the premise that the LFS got it more correct than I did.

Here are a few things that I expect to be causing the problem (if not all)

Too high Alk
Too low light
Too high light
Poor flow area (running 1 Gyre on the opposite end of the tank from the green slimmer)
Micro nutrient deficient

Beyond this I really do not know and dont want to start changing a lot at worse making the issue that much harder to deal with.

Did a 10 gallon water change 2 days ago and working on a new batch of salt water to do a much larger water change on Christmas. Plan on doing 40+ gallons.

I REALLY want to nip this as fast as possible because I’ve picked up a TON of new frags trading my old softies for new SPS frags.

So I am looking for a quick fix, most likely cause, and long term fix. (yes, getting paramerters in check and stability is key)


Sorry to go on and on.

Hello,

Looking at the picture alone I can tell you that I've had the exact thing happen to me with green slimers. For some reason they like to get gummed up and purple near the base. The rest of the coral will be doing fine, but the base ends up looking bad. Eventually the base withers a bit and new growth covers the dead spot.

Your water parameters look fine, even if the numbers are a bit varied due to tests and environmental factors.

The 5 hour photoperiod is very short, especially for SPS. You can get away with it for a couple weeks but after that the corals will be affected. The corals will lose color and stop growing. I would ramp up the lighting, 15 min per day until you're around 6-8 hours of full lighting, running a couple bulbs for 10-12 hours.

Concerning flow:

As a general rule I like to see polyps swaying every 4-6 seconds. This tells me that waste is being removed from the coral, and that it's receiving the proper flow of elements and nutrients. So long as you can measure decent movement in the coral you are OK.

You can keep the gfo out for now but I would continue to run carbon. You never know, a random household chemical could have contaminated the setup.

I'd simply bump up the lighting schedule, bulbs at 100%, and conduct normal water changes.

Keep and eye on the slimer. If it gets bad then I would chop and save the good area. Heck, I'd probably chop it in half now and not have to worry about it. Slimers are incredibly hardy.

 

[SunnyX]

When the fixture was new a few months ago I had them 100% for 9-10 hours (same period as I ran LED's) and i got a brown dust in the tank which covered everything including my small SPS frags and killed some out then algea started to grow. Had no choice but to lower and bring them back up. Algea all gone now.

While lowering your photoperiod can help combat algae blooms, it also can cause serious harm to your corals. It's a quick fix and will help get you back on track, but the algae is going to come back if you haven't found the cause.

All you can do now is ramp up the lighting schedule and see what happens. If algae rears it's ugly head then gfo will have to come back online.

 

[httorihanzo]

Sunny check out my other most affected colony...
http://

While lowering your photoperiod can help combat algae blooms, it also can cause serious harm to your corals. It's a quick fix and will help get you back on track, but the algae is going to come back if you haven't found the cause.

All you can do now is ramp up the lighting schedule and see what happens. If algae rears it's ugly head then gfo will have to come back online.

 

[SunnyX]

Sunny check out my other most affected colony...
http://

Is the remainder of coral healthy and growing? In the past it was common for my large coral colonies to appear as yours does at the base. Unfortunately it always ends up happening because the coral blocks out any light coming into that area.

My coral bases looked bare for years with no issues.

What I would look for is any pest bite marks, peeling skin, or rapid tissue necrosis.

For now I would just keep and eye on the coral in question. If the coral is healthy , growing, and displaying polyps then I would leave it be.

 

[httorihanzo]

Its happening to more than a few now. Some are frags, some are colonies. Its taken a few days to bleach as much as you see there.

 

[Ellery]

A. Total water volume ( Please include sump, etc.)
380 gallons (125 SPS, 90 LPS, 80 shallow, 40B Refugium, and sump)
B. What are your parameters? ( CA, ALK, PO4,Salinity, etc.)
600 CA 10.6 alk 0.03 po4 1.026 SG , Mg = 1390
C. Type of lighting. Please include age, watts, and bulb/ballast name.
Gen 3 pro radion 2 48 inch t5 blue plus and coral plus for 6 months
D. Filtration method (Skimmer, GFO, DSB, etc.)
CA reactor 3000 sro skimmer 1/2 cup GFO twist uv 18 watt
E. What types of corals do you keep other than SPS?
Mixed reef mostly lps/SPS
F. How long has the tank been running?
2 years
G. What are you dosing? Dosing schedule?
CA double chamber
H. Which brand of salt are you using?
Kent and Red Sea coral pro
I. What brand of test kits are you employing?
Hanna and Salifert
J. What are you using for CA/ALK supplementation?

K. What are you using for flow? (Pump names, how many, placement, etc.)
Two mp40s and fuval sp6 3000 gph 0 head

 

[SunnyX]

A. Total water volume ( Please include sump, etc.)
380 gallons (125 SPS, 90 LPS, 80 shallow, 40B Refugium, and sump)
B. What are your parameters? ( CA, ALK, PO4,Salinity, etc.)
600 CA 10.6 alk 0.03 po4 1.026 SG , Mg = 1390
C. Type of lighting. Please include age, watts, and bulb/ballast name.
Gen 3 pro radion 2 48 inch t5 blue plus and coral plus for 6 months
D. Filtration method (Skimmer, GFO, DSB, etc.)
CA reactor 3000 sro skimmer 1/2 cup GFO twist uv 18 watt
E. What types of corals do you keep other than SPS?
Mixed reef mostly lps/SPS
F. How long has the tank been running?
2 years
G. What are you dosing? Dosing schedule?
CA double chamber
H. Which brand of salt are you using?
Kent and Red Sea coral pro
I. What brand of test kits are you employing?
Hanna and Salifert
J. What are you using for CA/ALK supplementation?

K. What are you using for flow? (Pump names, how many, placement, etc.)
Two mp40s and fuval sp6 3000 gph 0 head

Hello and thank you for the information. What's issue(s) are you currently dealing with?