Milliporas bleaching amidst many other healthy sps!

[Xirxes23]

Alright... i dont know why within a week of adding Any type of millipora to my tank, it is white as snow. All other acro's and monti's do fine. I have heard they are temperamental but come on now!

The tank in question is a 90 display with 30 sump and 40 fuge.

Water params just tested:

Alk: 9.6-9.7
Ca: 530-550 ppm
PO4: 0
NO3: 2-3 ppm
ammo: 0
nitrite: 0
Mg: 1550
Strontium: Who knows, i hate this test kit
Iodine: 0.5
Iodide: 0.3

I keep my alk a bit on the high side because i had sever problems keeping acros at the low end or 7-7.4 and have not had issues save milliporas with this alk level. I currently decreased it slightly hoping to hit 9.0 by end of week.

Calcium is a bit high, i tapered the auto feed of that off a bit hopefully will be at steady 450 by end of week.

All water is Filtered Ocean water, tested and adjusted to required levels. ( I am not interested in a discussion concerning source water, please assume that it is nutrient poor water, as i have tested for ammo/rites/rates/po4/silicates) This is changed weekly about 25-30 gallons.

I have Randy holmes farley's 2 part alk and calcium on dosing pumps adding once daily over a 2 minute span.

Lighting: T5HO 3x10,000K, 2x actinic, 1x Blue plus all 54W 48 in a TEK fixture.

Temp: never breaches 79 with chiller, usually running 76-77.

FLow: GenX pcx40 1200GPH running chiller and through two inlets on SCWD one of which is a SEA SWIRL, SEIO 2600 gph in opposite corner. Fuge pumped in/out of MT 500 gph.

Theres the run down. I have no clue what could possibly be bleaching these millies. They have tissue for maybe 2 weeks, but cyano usually comes in before new zooxanthallae, so they usually die, but within a week of introduction, all color is lost. WHAT GIVES?

[muzz]

are they wild or aquacultured? If wild, try AC pieces, as they are much hardier. Plus, in my experience, they need lots of flow, and if they are bleaching and no necrosis, then it could be due to light shock if it is happening in the first week or two.

[Xirxes23]

double post

[Xirxes23]

hrm... i was always under the impression that going from low to high lighting caused light shock in corals, and my 325W of T5HO is usually thought of as decently low lighting for Acros.

THis was AC. I got one piece and co worker got another, his went under MH 150 and mine under my T5HO, his does fine and mine blows its wad. Starting to get ****ed.

I do not believe its RTN, seems to have the clear tissue left.

[twon8]

what fish are in the tank, mille's polyps can be particularly tasty

you also run your tank a bit cooler than i would, i prefer to be around 80. your flow could use a little breaking up, 2600 is a lot from one source in a 90

[Xirxes23]

Ive never seen any of my fish pick at corals, but its a possibility, ill keep an eye out.

As far as flow goes, the 2600 SEIO is a wall output versus a stream output... moves a lot of water, but over a large area. It is angled from back right (while looking at tank) to mid center on the front glass and is dispersed from there. The right return outlet is in front of it and deflects the flow when SCWD is that way, and the other side is pretty much opposing it when it is on.

[muzz]

If it is bleaching, then it has to do with lighting, or water quality. If the skin is still there, but no zooxanthellate(sp?), hm.

Have you tried to light acclimate, say over a 3 week period? T-5's can be pretty powerful, especailly at the top of the tank and in the middle of the fixture or bulbs. The light intensity is greatest at the center of the bulbs and drops off drastically towards the ends of the bulbs. Where are you placing the coral?

[Xirxes23]

upon further inspection it may very well be RTN, who knows though.