pink pocci, pink tips brown body?

[addicted2reefin]

this is a wierd situation. the coral has browned out on the body, but has kept its bright pink tips. IME the tips are the first part of the coral to discolor, then the body follows. I have had the coral for about a month of so. could this be because of too much light? i have increased my photoperiod from 2 bulbs from 2pm-12am. 6 bulbs from 4pm-11pm. lighting is Nova extreme pro 6 bulbs with giesmanne/uri bulbs.
params

ph 7.8
trate approx 2 ppm
trite 0
amm 0
calc 400-420(not in one day, but over the course of a week)
KH 7.7-8.2(not in one day, but over the course of a week)
mg (1300-1350 same as above

[finksmart]

light tip dark body is a sign of high nutrient. I think your nitrate is way high at 2ppm. Try feeding less, some water change for the short term?

[vegaskid11]

no3 at 2 seems very good to me.

[addicted2reefin]

tips are the same color as when i aquired the coral. it had pink tips n whitish body. i have seen many tanks with no3 at 5 ppm

[Rodrigo_BG]

IMO po4 is worst when color is in concern. Test your po4 with a quality test kit.

[fishnut321]

since you have only had it for a month i would not worry too much, i may brown out in response to a new environment. Its probably best to not worry and keep your maintenance and params stable and wait it out.

[fishnut321]

how are you dosing? it seems that your calcium and alk are swaying alot through the week. When are you testing your ph, it is a little low as well

[addicted2reefin]

my ph doesnt bounce around much at all. i have a fuge lighted 24/7. im guessing tat co2 s high in my apartment, as there arent too many windows that i could open. i tried dripping kalk, and the only increase i have gotten with ph is when i overdosed! im am in the process of dialing in a 2 part, i have been dosing about 20ml a day of calc/alk from dts 2 part. also my salifert test kits have the top numbers rubbed off of the titrator syringe, making it more prone to error. phosphate doesnt register on my salifert test kit.

[fishnut321]

yeah, i know your pain about ph and apartments... Have you tried dropping a air stone in a cup of your tank water outside to see if it helps??? If you can run your skimmer air intake outside, thats an easy way to get the ph up .1-.2

That could also explain why your having trouble balancing your alk and calcium, good luck with figuring out your dose. Are you happy with your brs kit?

[obiwanthegoby]

I have the same issue with lower PH. In the summer my ph is low because of High CO2 and the ca reactor. I havnt seen a massivly negative effect due to it being on the lower range. Some of my acros have lost some of their color, but I think it was due to high nutrients and 10 mo old reeflux bulbs. I have changed1 bulb out and started VSV and seen a significant change in the ammount of hair algae available for cultivation and color. So im not sure the PH is your only problem. Have you tried testing with a different test kit to be 100% sure you dont have a bad kit or old one?

As far as raising PH you can try running the tube for the skimmer intake outside as Fishnut suggested. There is also a new CO2 remover that Premium Aquatics is carrying that does the same thing on a slightly higher scale, there was a thread about it in the reef chemestry forums,...

Obi

[addicted2reefin]

well, i would be a little leary with running the skimmer intake outside as i dont know when they would spray pesticides or all kinds of stuff outsides, and im on the ground floor.

fishnut, i havnet used my brs kit yet, i won a dts 3 part at a raffle so im using that up first.

obiwan i have heard vsv, but what is that? I know its a ulns but i dunno what the vsv stands for. i have been dosing vodka. i dont have a hundred to spend on the co2 scrubber. Im sure theres a diy way. If theres a way to lower co2 in the air, why isnt it being used in our atmosphere :laugh:

[fishnut321]

vsv stands for vodka sugar and vinegar, all of which are types of biologically utilized carbon.

[obiwanthegoby]

check out Sonnyx's thread or glassboxdesign.com for more info on VSV. You can increase dosing a little faster. Also try out a bacteria supplement like Zeobak or Microbakter7. I am using the Zeobak twice a week, actually had to remove my overflow strainers and clean them because of all the dead algae clogging them....

Obi