Sps :(

[coral_addict]

About two weeks ago, I bought a clam (I think a crocea) and what I think is a branching montipora. The clam looks AWESOME, but the monti is almost totally bleached... I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I have the JBJ 28 Professional LED system, and my livestock is:

two ocellaris clownfish
two torch corals
four colonies of GSP (all came from the same frag)
Crocea clam
one toadstool leather
several assorted colts

Everything but the SPS looks great. I do have a bit of a problem with cyano, but I'm getting it taken care of. I just don't know what's going on with the monti... Can anyone help me save it, or if it's too late, help me keep the next one alive?

[scar79]

What are your parameters? How long are you running the lights?

[coral_addict]

Last I checked,
0 NH3
0 NO2
5 NO3
0 PO4
1.026 SG

But all the other corals look great. Really good extension and everything. And the clam too. Lights are on about 7 hours a day

[betamed]

alk, ca and mg are important for sps. might want to check those

[DopeCantWin]

+1 on checking the Alk + CA. Did it bleach from the bottom up or top down. Top down means lights, bottom up means water chemistry.

[coral_addict]

Last time I checked alk and Calcium (it's been a while) alk was at like 9dkH and calcium was high (~600). That was a really long time ago though. I feel like it bleached top down. I did put it in the top half of the tank from the day I got it, could that be it?

[DopeCantWin]

Last time I checked alk and Calcium (it's been a while) alk was at like 9dkH and calcium was high (~600). That was a really long time ago though. I feel like it bleached top down. I did put it in the top half of the tank from the day I got it, could that be it?

Sounds like it was the lights. With LEDs pretty much everything should be started on the bottom. Also I'd recommend doing water changes to get that Calcium down to normal.

[coral_addict]

I thought the same thing, so I moved it back down to the bottom yesterday. I guess we'll see what happens? As for the calcium, that was several months ago, it should be back to normal now. Especially with the clam in there now! I haven't checked the Mg by the way.

[biggles]

It sounds very much like you burnt the top of the monti with your placement. I always place anything new on the sand bed for a few days to make sure it's happy with good PE prior to moving. It should recover now that you have it lower, if the condition continues i suggest your calcium and alk need closer monitoring. Are you running carbon because your softies may be releasing chemicals into your water to dissuade less flubbery corals from growing.
Regardless of what's up you need to start 2 part dosing and monitoring as that clam will strip your water if it is happy and growing well.

[coral_addict]

Thanks Biggles! I'll definitely start measuring calcium and alk more often now, hopefully keeping it in the sand bed helps. Yes I'm running carbon in the filter, the leather's pretty big though. I'm trying to switch over to a more LPS/SPS tank in general, so dosing is probably a good idea. Right now I dose Purple Up every two or three days, and do a ~15% water change every week.

[waterman78]

IMO - try a few drops of KENT Iodine to help cure the tissue on the montipora coral.

[waterman78]

A few drops in the water not directly on your coral.

[DopeCantWin]

A few drops in the water not directly on your coral.

He's doing 15 gallon water changes. I doubt it's going to be Iodine. No reason to start dumping random chemicals in there. How do you know it isn't Strontium or Manganese?

[reefsurfing]

I would just stick too consistent water changes that are properly mixed. So just add the salt slowly overtime with a power head moving the water so your Parameters come out even every batch.

[DopeCantWin]

I would just stick too consistent water changes that are properly mixed. So just add the salt slowly overtime with a power head moving the water so your Parameters come out even every batch.

Would that have benefit over putting in all the salt at once and mixing for 24 hours?

[coral_addict]

4 gallon changes, not fifteen! Fifteen would be fifty percent haha. But yeah, I'll probably put a bit of Iodine in, can't hurt because I have lots of soft corals too. I'm also dosing purple up to help with Coralline, but it supplies a lot of free calcium as well (that's why the reading was so high when I took it last time). But now I have more stonies that will take the calcium out, plus the clam. Anyhow, thanks for everyone's help!

[coral_addict]

Well, after moving it onto the bottom, it started to look better for a while. PE improved a LOT, but then about two weeks ago it went to no PE. Recession stopped, but it's totally browned out and literally no PE

[DNA]

Perhaps it's what happened to the coral before you bought it that stressed it most.

[JPMagyar]

Based on my personal experience I believe you have 3 factors that are challenging for SPS.

1) small tank - 28 gallons can work for sure, but it is harder to keep healthy SPS in so small a system.

2) mixing LPS with SPS - your tank is heavy on LPS and includes a leather which in my experience CAN (not always) but CAN fight SPS chemically.

3) use of LEDs - there are so many fixtures, optics, drivers, and colors and so little duplication of systems that getting the right mix of height, location, intensity, and color is extremely difficult.

Putting all 3 of these together, it does not surprise me that you are having difficulty.

So, what to do?

1) Keep you LEDs really high. Maybe 18 inches to start.
2) Trade your LPS for SPS and move to a pure SPS tank if that's what you want.
3) Upgrade to a bigger tank :)

Anyways, Good-luck!

Joe

[coral_addict]

Thanks JPMaygar. That's essentially what I'm doing, converting to an all SPS reef with some LPS. Got rid of the leather and some of the other large soft corals. Sadly due to space, I can't upgrade :( But I'll work on keeping the lights higher so it doesn't happen again!