Corals bleaching

[guitars2018]

Hi I am not total new to reefing but i have a "new" tank it has been set up for about 4 months and i have a 40g breeder and i am running current usa oribit marine led with the 2 strips of lights. I have 6 corals in there 3 acans 1 favia 1 duncan and a torch coral they are all on the sandbed and the 3 acans are bleached with very little color and so is the torch and the duncan is starting to loose a little color and the favia looks ok. I do a 30% water change every 1-2 weeks and have a refugium with chaeto algae that is starting to take off. Perameters are nitrite 0, nitrate 0-5/ undetectable, ammonia 0, ph 8.3 day and night, kh 9, calcium 480, phosphate 0, salinity 1.023, temperature 77. I was currentley running all lights at 100% not nowith that theese lights are actually very powerful my lfs said that that is probably why theu are bleaching today i have put them all on 50% power reccomended by my lfs. I am asking if you guys think this ist the problem also??? Stock list 2 clownfish 4 small blue legged hermits and a feather duster that is fat and happy. Flow is moderate i run 2 curremt usa powerheads set to 50%.

 

[James M]

Welcome to reef2reef !!!
Those lights aren’t very good at keeping coral besides softies. How long have you had the frags for ?

 

[Piranhapat]

You need to get your phosphate around .02 and Nitrites .05. Alk is good but get salinity 1.25. As lighting you don't need them blasting. Start out more blues at 50% with whites 20% increase a little each week.

 

[guitars2018]

Welcome to reef2reef !!!
Those lights aren’t very good at keeping coral besides softies. How long have you had the frags for ?

If they wernt good at keeping coral why would they bleach out corals then

 

[guitars2018]

You need to get your phosphate around .02 and Nitrites .05. Alk is good but get salinity 1.25. As lighting you don't need them blasting. Start out more blues at 50% with whites 20% increase a little each week.

I might have some of both but the defugium is keeping it down

 

[guitars2018]

Welcome to reef2reef !!!
Those lights aren’t very good at keeping coral besides softies. How long have you had the frags for ?

Ove had the frags for 3 months

 

[James M]

If they wernt good at keeping coral why would they bleach out corals then

Because they’re not getting enough light

 

[guitars2018]

Because they’re not getting enough light

Dont they bleach from gettkng to much loght

 

[guitars2018]

No activated carbon or gfo pressent since set up

 

[James M]

Dont they bleach from gettkng to much loght

They can get bleached from getting too much light or getting too little light.
In your case they weren’t getting enough light

 

[guitars2018]

They can get bleached from getting too much light or getting too little light.
In your case they weren’t getting enough light

I know a guy running the same lights on 80% growing sps over a 80 gallon tank so i dont think it was under lit

 

[ShaunRobinson]

Hi I am not total new to reefing but i have a "new" tank it has been set up for about 4 months and i have a 40g breeder and i am running current usa oribit marine led with the 2 strips of lights. I have 6 corals in there 3 acans 1 favia 1 duncan and a torch coral they are all on the sandbed and the 3 acans are bleached with very little color and so is the torch and the duncan is starting to loose a little color and the favia looks ok. I do a 30% water change every 1-2 weeks and have a refugium with chaeto algae that is starting to take off. Perameters are nitrite 0, nitrate 0-5/ undetectable, ammonia 0, ph 8.3 day and night, kh 9, calcium 480, phosphate 0, salinity 1.023, temperature 77. I was currentley running all lights at 100% not nowith that theese lights are actually very powerful my lfs said that that is probably why theu are bleaching today i have put them all on 50% power reccomended by my lfs. I am asking if you guys think this ist the problem also??? Stock list 2 clownfish 4 small blue legged hermits and a feather duster that is fat and happy. Flow is moderate i run 2 curremt usa powerheads set to 50%.

Picture? Did you start them off on the sand bed and slowly move them up or were they placed high up from the start?
I have no experience with the lights you are running so can’t comment on that but your nutrients are a little low for sps. As mentioned above you could really do with getting your nitrates up a little bit to be honest.

 

[guitars2018]

Picture? Did you start them off on the sand bed and slowly move them up or were they placed high up from the start?
I have no experience with the lights you are running so can’t comment on that but your nutrients are a little low for sps. As mentioned above you could really do with getting your nitrates up a little bit to be honest.

All on sand bed sence beginning and staying there and they are lps not sps

 

[ShaunRobinson]

All on sand bed sence beginning and staying there and they are lps not sps

Apologies, must have got confused with a different thread. Good call on reducing the lighting to be honest. I would also reduce the water changes down to 10-20% bi-weekly and bring your salinity up to 1.026.

 

[ChiSox Rabbitfish]

I have a birds nest that started to bleach and it’s polyps weren’t extending I moved it to the bottom of the tank 3 weeks later it’s growing and polyps fully extending. Point is maybe try moving your corals to either more light or less light and maybe a little less flow might help.

 

[James M]

I know a guy running the same lights on 80% growing sps over a 80 gallon tank so i dont think it was under lit

I’m probably wrong but I’ve been told that light can only grow softies

 

[guitars2018]

I’m probably wrong but I’ve been told that light can only grow softies

With the earlier moddles i think but not newer

 

[leepink23]

@Sarah24! seems to know a lot about current lights, maybe she can provide insight to these.

 

[guitars2018]

I have a birds nest that started to bleach and it’s polyps weren’t extending I moved it to the bottom of the tank 3 weeks later it’s growing and polyps fully extending. Point is maybe try moving your corals to either more light or less light and maybe a little less flow might help.

Thanks

 

[Sarah24!]

Welcome to reef2reef !!!
Those lights aren’t very good at keeping coral besides softies. How long have you had the frags for ?

Hello,

If your talking about the current usa model 4117 version they are more powerful than g4 radions. They will absolutely bleach and produce more par. I have those on my 240, that’s 34 Inches tall and I average between 150 and 200 par on the sand bed. The 60 degree lens is extremely powerful and extremely unwise to underestimate.

The newer orbit Ic can grow any thing softies and lps. It can grow sps (probably in a 40) but I’d question them in a 90 or higher for sps. If they did place sps in them, it must be the upper section of the tank.

If the op is running the 60 degree versions I think for a 40 is model number 4110 I think. I would run the white at 20-30% and blues at 100%. I would also make sure alk is at 8 constantly. Cal is at 440 constantly, and being the salinity up to 1.025. I would make sure phosphates are very low also, but do not bottom them out or your nitrates, then worse problems happen. Another issue could be flow or too much flow and the coral can’t handle it. Since they are on the sandbed and sand isn’t getting blasted around I wouldn’t think there is too much. But a pic of the tank and light and I could definitely answer more for you.

Sincerely
Sarah