sps bleaching

[evoIX]

i'm new to the sps world and so far 3 out of 1 frags have gone bleach on me.

i've checked my parameters constantly

temp 78.3
sg: 1.025
api test kit
alk: 10
pH:~8.4
phosphates: ~0
nitrate: ~0
nitrite: 0
calc: 560

salifert calc: 480

RO/DI: ~5ppm

i'm not currently running a skimmer but i am doing my frequent water changes.
the lowest coral is sittin about ~14" from the water surface
the overall depth is about 10-12"
lighting is provided by 2x 20k XM 175MH (did not test par)
water flow is being provided by k4, k3, k2 and mag 5 return
tank age is about 3+months
softies zoas etc. did fine

i'm on week 3 of my NeoZeo method
i paused the use of organic dosing - reef biofuel until i get my new skimmer
for food i've only been using rods food and phytoplankton.


any suggestions?

 

[Mbodell]

ro/di should be 0. Your calcium is a bit high along with the alk. Stop dosing phytoplankton which adds to phosphate issues. I also think you are going to need a skimmer or be prepared to do large water changes frequently with sps.

 

[mnat]

Where did you poisition the SPS frags when you got them? Corals need light acclimation and is it always recommended to start them out on the bottom and work them up over time. I pulled this off of ultimate frags as their acclimation process.

Acclimation Procedure:
1. Turn off all Aquarium lights, dim any bright lights surrounding the fish room. Please remember after being in the dark box during shipping for many hours, any strong sudden light can add to corals (photoshock).
2. Open the bag and place it in a plastic bucket next to the aquarium you will be putting it in to. (If possible we do recommend using a quarantine tank for new corals before placing them into your display tank.
3. Using a small plastic air line set a drip line from the aquarium to the
bucket or bag. You may also use a dropper or Turkey baster to add your tank water into the new corals. Set a siphon and use either a valve or tie a knot in the tubing to set a steady drip rate. Let the animal adjust to the new water over a period of two hours. If the bucket is filling to fast either slow the drip or remove a few cup of water from the bucket or bag as needed. (Please don't pour the water from the bucket back into your tank! While acclimating keep a close eye on the temperature, Ph of the water in the bucket. Make sure it closely matches the water in the aquarium where the corals is to be placed.
4. Carefully remove the coral from the bag or bucket and place it in the aquarium at the low light areas first between 1-2 weeks and slowly raise them to the desired place to reduce photoshock. PLEASE REMEMBER that these are grown under T5 lighting. You must turn off the lights for at least 4 hours to allow the corals to get acclimated to its new home. For blastos, and Yumas must be placed under NO light for few weeks prior to putting them under a light.

 

[Mbodell]

It sounds like you had them far enough down that light acclimation wasn't the problem.

If you have any bio balls, filter socks, pads, sponges or anything like that they need to be cleaned daily.

 

[evoIX]

i have filter socks that i clean off weekly but not daily.

i kept them without light for 12~ hours then actnics came on around 9am til MH 12pm

so about 15 hours before MH came on and cut my MH off earlier than usual 5~PM
then next day i let them stay on full 7 hours

then i moved them upto the spot they are now.

before putting them in i used medicoral 5-7 minutes and shook off in ro/di then DT water then in they went

they came from mheaven so his tank is meticulous and never any bad word from his buyers. it's definitely on me not him. something had to be something i did. next time i get or buy i'll definitely be more stringent on my acclimation.

 

[evoIX]

so i'll stop the phytoplankton and clean out my filter socks more regularly every 2 days or after i feed.

keep my water changes up until i get my skimmer hopefully next week. was waiting for nuocean to get their shipment of nac6 but their shipment got delayed.

any other suggestions?

i saw no eggs/red bugs or anything on the frags from eye visual when handling the frags (used gloves) just to rule that out.

 

[Mbodell]

before putting them in i used medicoral 5-7 minutes and shook off in ro/di then DT water then in they went

Here is probably one of the main reasons. Don't dip your sps in ro water. It can cause the coral to lose the zooxanthellae living on it and can cause bleaching. It is fine for zoas and such, but not good for sps. For any sps treatment dips, use tank water or half of your tank water and half of the bag water.

How long did it take for them to bleach?

 

[evoIX]

the turaki took a few days - 4days to completely turn white.  another one shortly after day or two later.  half is bleached.  the other one forget the name just bleached out yesterday. 

so from the day i got it til the last one bleaching out about 9-10days  the other 8 frags i have look fine but no PE. these are my first sps so when i think polyp extension i'm thinking of acans and zoas blooming out. can't really tell with sps as of right now. not too familiar with how the polyps should extend. about two of them you can see them swaying back and forth quite easy so i know some are doing good.

 

[Mbodell]

That is pretty quick. My opinion is that it was a combination of the ro dip, potential phosphate & nitrate issues because of the phyto and filter socks, and your high calc and alk levels. 

Also it is really tedious trying to do sps without a skimmer. You could try doing a continuous water change which might help, but in all reality I wouldn't add any more sps until you get the skimmer and do a big water change first.

What are you dosing to get your levels that high?

 

[evoIX]

i've always used tropic marine pro. i've always figured it was the salt? i might switch down to just regular tropic marine

 

[mheaven]

hey whats up evo. i just read your post on the sps. I didn't know you were not running a skimmer on your tank. If i know that i would of told you to wait until you purchased one.

As for using ro after your dips. You should not rinse them off with ro, insted use some of you tank water over a sink. As some one mentioned earlier. Some sps are more easily stressed then others.

As for the lighting i don't think it's that. My sps are under 2-250w Mh de bulbs, and that on a 40b. I get sps growth on the bottom of my tank ,my light are 10" off the surface of the water.

It may be that your tank is still new. Give them some time, and send me a pm.

 

[evoIX]

i figured it had to be it's too new or the skimmer or the change in the method of neozeo and no longer using a fuge. my test kits may be wrong or off by a bit. but all my parameters have stuck on the right track. i've read that some people actually like to keep their sps tanks high on calc and alk.

also your lighting is abit stronger than mine. so it shouldn't have been lighting. unless they were pissed your more immaculate than i am.

i'll definitely pm you in about 4-6 weeks.  i'm going to finish my neo zeo 5 weeks then introduce after skimmer break in etc.  shouldn't have bought too early when i knew i had to make drastic changes.

that's what happens when you get too eager.

 

[Nickjr000]

That is pretty quick. My opinion is that it was a combination of the ro dip, potential phosphate & nitrate issues because of the phyto and filter socks, and your high calc and alk levels.

Also it is really tedious trying to do sps without a skimmer. You could try doing a continuous water change which might help, but in all reality I wouldn't add any more sps until you get the skimmer and do a big water change first.

What are you dosing to get your levels that high?

I think this is right on.

In the future, if you get frags from someone and you seen their stuff is immaculate, Dont bother with the dips and rinsing. Just float the bag and add some of your water every 15mins for about an hour. just like a fish. Less stress the better.

 

[evoIX]

your right. i should have put them straight in.

 

[asonitez]

EVO - I have a Aquamedic Turbo Flotr 1000 multi for insump or HOB. You are free to use it for a while until you get a skimmer. It should help pull some waste out of your tank.

 

[mr_X]

no matter how "immaculate" someone's tank is, it's a good practice to dip new arrivals.
i think it was the shock of the fresh water dip that did it. there is nothing wrong with your alk and that is a common reason for losing sps.
i agree with discontinuing the phyto. it's more harm than good in most closed systems.

i also know people who don't use skimmers and keep healthy sps dominated tanks. it's all depending on the bio load. everything you put in the tank must come out. it's no matter if you see the fish devour all the food before it hits the bottom, it's still in the tank. it must be removed somehow. how you do so is your choice.