Is the Sarcophyton molting or sick?

[itelshot]

About 2.5 months ago I bought a sarcophyton and a Kenya tree on the same rock, everything was fine except for problems with partial color loss in the tree, but we came to the conclusion that it was probably due to daylight from the balcony. The last few days I observe that sometimes besides evening and night time it retracts polyps and some of them are brown, or sometimes brown like in the photo. Is it not a molt? Also about a month I dosage nitrate, phosphate. Phosphate in my case is very difficult to dose, perhaps I somehow overdosed with it? On the test phosphate is still not visible, although I dosed normally so. Maybe the Kenya tree stings it somehow? For all these 2.5 months it has not grown noticeably. I also feed once a week Red sea Ab+.
A video how they looked a month ago:

 

[itelshot]

Now it looks like that, more opened, alive, but still browny polyps

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

what kind if light do you have? Browning sometimes happen due to insufficient light.

What is your phosphate and nitrate level?

 

[itelshot]

what kind if light do you have? Browning sometimes happen due to insufficient light.

What is your phosphate and nitrate level?

Jebao Al-90 with tank 75x45 55 high. Nitrates 2.5 +-, phosphate I'm not sure exactly, but now seems to be 0.03, isn't it? (Photo). As i mentioned, it's hardly to dose, I'm trying to it do it to 0.06 per dose, but but it looks like vanishing somewhere, where could it go?
1. Two flow pumps Jebao mlw 20
2. Bubble Magus Curve 3 skimmer.
Also have filter socks, DIY cooler and scrubber, temperature not higher than 27.5 degrees, KH 12 , salinity 0.026 +-, red sea salt. RODI water

 

[vetteguy53081]

Now it looks like that, more opened, alive, but still browny polyps

These guys need moderate to medium water flow directed towards them- Not at them. Also moderate lighting. Too bright will bleach them. In the pic, does not look terrible

 

[itelshot]

These guys need moderate to medium water flow directed towards them- Not at them. Also moderate lighting. Too bright will bleach them. In the pic, does not look terrible

Hm, here you can see where are pumps and return. Pumps are on program with 5000l each at day time sine and on/off modes, 4500 night. 200+- litres sump+ tank, seems good flow to me

 

[itelshot]

These guys need moderate to medium water flow directed towards them- Not at them. Also moderate lighting. Too bright will bleach them. In the pic, does not look terrible

Ok, if you say it looks ok now- i will calm down. If something changes in bad way- will post here more

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hm, here you can see where are pumps and return. Pumps are on program with 5000l at day time sine and on/off modes, 4500 night. 200+- litres sump+ tank, seems good flow to me

Give it a few GENTLE bursts with a turkey baster. If you see dust or sediment come off of it, you need to adjust flow. The pumps in pics , one aimed at frag rack and other obstructed by sticks.

 

[itelshot]

Give it a few GENTLE bursts with a turkey baster. If you see dust or sediment come off of it, you need to adjust flow. The pumps in pics , one aimed at frag rack and other obstructed by sticks.

A bit different, the shelf in on the back, seems no sediment

 

[itelshot]

These guys need moderate to medium water flow directed towards them- Not at them. Also moderate lighting. Too bright will bleach them. In the pic, does not look terrible

Also: what could be the reason for the visual lack of growth in these 2.5 months?

 

[itelshot]

These guys need moderate to medium water flow directed towards them- Not at them. Also moderate lighting. Too bright will bleach them. In the pic, does not look terrible

Meh, when i woke up at 13:00 and it was totally closed, along today`s day it sometimes becomed like this, but mostly still fully retracted. Aside from visual lack of growth (maybe cause it was not much nutrients till a month ago when i started dosing No3 PO4), it was looking fine and went to sleep with polyps retracting every day. The colour originally was white and now it`s polyps a bit browny as on the photo, but i consider that it`s because of daylight like with kenya tree near it, whitch became browny on the daylight side too. So the main question why it became retracting and ungrowing, cause as i mentioned earlier, all parameters looks fine

Yeah, and in the past few days it looked like this not-so-healthy image, not like before- elongated polyps, healthy, white.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Meh, when i woke up at 13:00 and it was totally closed, along today`s day it sometimes becomed like this, but mostly still fully retracted. Aside from visual lack of growth (maybe cause it was not much nutrients till a month ago when i started dosing No3 PO4), it was looking fine and went to sleep with polyps retracting every day. The colour originally was white and now it`s polyps a bit browny as on the photo, but i consider that it`s because of daylight like with kenya tree near it, whitch became browny on the daylight side too. So the main question why it became retracting and ungrowing, cause as i mentioned earlier, all parameters looks fine

Yeah, and in the past few days it looked like this not-so-healthy image, not like before- elongated polyps, healthy, white.

It is photosynthetic and will close up at lights out and reopen when lights are on

 

[itelshot]

It is photosynthetic and will close up at lights out and reopen when lights are on

Yep, that's what I'm saying. I know, but I'm saying that along the day he is fully closed, or looking unhealthy like on the photo and i don't even know what else could be wrong, cause it lived normally till the start of this thread

 

[vetteguy53081]

Yep, that's what I'm saying. I know, but I'm saying that along the day he is fully closed, or looking unhealthy like on the photo and i don't even know what else could be wrong, cause it lived normally till the start of this thread

Try reducing white intensity or turn off white all together and see how it responds

 

[itelshot]

Try reducing white intensity or turn off white all together and see how it responds

By the way, I've noticed lately that hair algae has changed to this kind of fouling over time. I don't know if it's dino or cyano. Maybe it can give me some more ideas about sarc? Or just the hair moved into the scrubber, as is the idea

 

[itelshot]

Or maybe it's just green/brown algae+debris, cause it formed by don't touching it for a long period

 

[vetteguy53081]

Or maybe it's just green/brown algae+debris, cause it formed by don't touching it for a long period

Looks like dying hair algae with gas bubbles trying to escape. Check your phosphate and nitrate level to assure its not elevated.
Are you using tap water for any top off, etc?
Lack of water flow will allow this too to form

 

[itelshot]

Looks like dying hair algae with gas bubbles trying to escape. Check your phosphate and nitrate level to assure its not elevated.
Are you using tap water for any top off, etc?
Lack of water flow will allow this too to form

No3, Po4 I'm even dosing, RODI water

 

[vetteguy53081]

No3, Po4 I'm even dosing, RODI water

no3 and po4 - what are your readings?

 

[itelshot]

no3 and po4 - what are your readings?

In another thread with folks we came to the conclusion that the phosphate judging from this picture is about 0.03, and I at least have a trace. And the reason for the difficult lifting is all sorts of chemical reactions of absorption with aragorite, so I will read more on this topic. Nitrate I try to maintain 2.5