Bleaching Acropora

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Jpassman

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Jan 16, 2013
Messages
15
I have currently have a 75 gallon 48 inch mixed reef tank. It has a berlin type sump with a bubble king, protein skimmer, and a UV sterlizer. I have owned it for 9 months now. I purchased a few branching acropora frags from a local fish store about 3 months ago. I have started to notice a slow bleaching from the bottom to the top. I also have a few plate montipora, and some LPS but they seem to be doing well at the moment. I did reciently change my 2 part from BRS product to Reef fusion. but by levels are very stable. I am using a bubble magnus automatic doser.

1) Lighting: Maxispect LED running at 60% actinic and 60% blue 4 hours a day. I a gradual on to off pattern. My acropora are at the top of my live rock approx 9 1/2 inches from the LED.
2) temp 79.2, salinity 1.024, PH 8.2, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 0, phos 0, alk 8.4, calcium 420.
3) 5% water changes weekly
4) I use Dr Tim's waste away at the recomended dose one weekly.

I have been removing the "dead" pieces, and re gluing the live coral, but not sure what i am doing wrong.

Advice would be awesome.
Thanks a million

John
 
also I forgot to mention flow.
1) Using a Catalina sump pump rated for the tank
2) 2 Tunze flow pumps
3) 1 tunze wave box.
 
If you are doing weekly water changes, why are you using waste away? Acros are a difficult coral, using this stuff might be masking nitrates that are higher than acros will accept.

Did it show any signs of bleaching in the months prior to this? Have you tried moving it to a different location? Are the parts you cutting off bleaching or dead, tissue-less skeleton? It is already stressed, cutting at the tissue might be adding to the problem you are trying to solve at this point.
 
Picture 143.jpg
Here is a pick of one of the frags. Has a crab on top of it.
I have been using Dr Tim's waste away for 8 months or so. I was trying to resove an hair algae problem. That particular issue resolved after a month or so. I am now using it for prevention only. It seem like they started bleaching when I changed the 2 part solution. I will hold off on Dr Tims for a while and see what happens. I asked the local fish store Owner where I purchased the coral. He said the ones I bought were not aquacultured, and are very difficult to keep. I did not know at the time aquacultured coral were more user friendly. I wish he would have forwarned me. I am basicly still a greenhorn with all this. Hind sight is 20/20.
Maybe the remaing frags will make it. :facepalm:
 
Looks like reverse tissue necrosis to me, the tissue is receding from the bottom up. Some super glue gel will put a stop to that, just dab some at the start of the tissue.
 
Looks like reverse tissue necrosis to me, the tissue is receding from the bottom up. Some super glue gel will put a stop to that, just dab some at the start of the tissue.

Ok thanks
Will give it a try.
 
I bet phosphate isn't zero. Most color wheel test kits cannot measure phosphate down to the levels that affect SPS growth. You want to be .05 ppm or less. My SPS stops growing at anything much above .1 ppm.
 
"Less is more" is what has been working for me for years. I don't even use test kits any more. I do weekly water changes and no dosing what so ever. I have plenty of stony corals growing nicely and am not losing any of them. Super glue on these corals is not going to help. If it was, it wouldn't have started in the first place (they are glued to the plug!).
Algae problems can be resolved by lowering the nutrient level in the system. Cut back on feeding, Increased water changes, siphon it out when applicable.

It's not your lighting, or they would be bleaching from the top down.
 
Well mine is bleaching from top down lol.. don't mean to hijack the thread mr x but how do I save my corals that are bleaching from my recent lighting change.. went from 150 watt mh to 12 bulb t5
 
Do you really think you need 12 lamps? I would get a roll of window screen and cut it into multiple pieces and put them between the light and the tank. Take one off a week or so Until there are none left. 3 or 4 layers. Damage has been done though, and you aren't going to see results for a little while.
 
Its a 72 inch fixture so its 6 bulbs each side its been on for like 3 weeks and all my sps is freaking out started with reduced photo period and have been ramping up weekly... will they make a recovery slowly polyps are still out just white at the tops
 
Well I guess not i took your advice from some time ago about the lighting and finally switched to these lights..hopefully I don't lose much lol..
 
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