Mika Stylo

[Gellisjr1]

Hey folks.

I have attempted to add Stylophora to my tank a few times now. I just added a Blue Milka Stylo to my LPS dominated tank. The first one lasted for a while but eventually died off. The recent Milka Stylo I added. The very next day I got home from work and was inspecting my new addition to see the flesh gone from the bottom back side. I placed it near the top of my rock work with some indirect flow. The polyps were moving around but I didn't consider it to be extreme by any means. I am trying to add some SPS to the top of my rock work as it looks bare up there since my LPS are mid level and lower in the tank. I have since tested my parameters.

Temp 79.5 degrees F. digital therm.
Salinity 1.025 Refract.
8.4 pH Hanna Checker
9.0 dkH Hanna Checker
450 PPM Calcium Salifert test kit.
1350 PPM Magnesium Aquaforest Test kit
23 PPM Nitrates Hanna Checker
.03 PPM Phosphate Hanna Checker

Tank has been established just about 1 year now. LPS and softies are doing great with noticeable growth.

I did some research for hardy SPS and the Stylo was on WWC top 5 beginner SPS corals list. Not sure what the heck is going on I don't know why I am having so much difficulty with supposably hardy SPS. Any thoughts? The attached photo is an older photo with the first frag of Purple Stylo I tried and its placement. The Monti in the photo didn't survive either. I placed the new Milka Stylo in the same spot where the Monti was placed?

 

[CBonito]

Is your light adequate?

 

[DanyL]

By the placement of the chalices, I’m doubting you have enough light in the spot where the digitta is located.

also doubting there is enough flow for SPS too.

Also, just to make sure - are you using RODI water with TDS 0?

 

[Pod_01]

Just a quick suggestion, when I add SPS I start them on the sand and slowly move them to the final location over time.
They do need time to adjust.

Also if you add SPS coral and it RTN over night it is a good indicator the tank might not be ready yet, stress in transport or excessive dipping etc…

Slow growth on LPS can also suggest that something is missing, my LPS do show significant growth over a year:

Good quality coral food or extra feeding might help, light or flow….

Good luck,

 

[Gellisjr1]

By the placement of the chalices, I’m doubting you have enough light in the spot where the digitta is located.

also doubting there is enough flow for SPS too.

Also, just to make sure - are you using RODI water with TDS 0?

I am using AI Hydra 32's with Reef Brite XHO supplemental lighting. Certainly not a lighting issue Plus I have two 1050 GPH powerheads that are running at 30% on Wave mode. Yes I have a 4 stage RO/DI unit and measure TDS with a stick meter. I do currently need to change the DI Resin as I have tested my RO water and It is just starting to show 3 PPM. Which is a whole lot better than my tap water reading of 267 PPM.

 

[Gellisjr1]

Just a quick suggestion, when I add SPS I start them on the sand and slowly move them to the final location over time.
They do need time to adjust.

Also if you add SPS coral and it RTN over night it is a good indicator the tank might not be ready yet, stress in transport or excessive dipping etc…

Slow growth on LPS can also suggest that something is missing, my LPS do show significant growth over a year:

Good quality coral food or extra feeding might help, light or flow….

Good luck,

I appreciate your suggestion of starting them on the sandbed. I will certainly give that a try. I did have the coral overnighted from Kansas and the shipping was late getting here Thanks to UPS. It turned into 48 Hr shipping instead of overnight. So you very well may have hit the nail on the head with the coral being stressed. I did do a lengthy acclimation. I floated the bags in my sump for an hour before doing a drip acclimation for another hour. The photo I posted is an older photo as I stated. I do have very good noticeable growth on my LPS. For example. My pink ****** chalice has tripled in size from when I first got it. It has completely covered the disc of the frag plug and is draping down the sides all the way around. Thank you for your suggestion. Much appreciated.

 

[DanyL]

I am using AI Hydra 32's with Reef Brite XHO supplemental lighting.

It isn’t about the type of light nor the amount of fixtures that matter in this case, but their intensity.

I have to keep most of my chalices shaded for close to a year until some of them are able to slowly acclimate to the amount of PAR I have on my sand bed.

Again, judging by the location of the chalices, I find it hard to believe this digi and the stylo received enough light.

I have two 1050 GPH powerheads that are running at 30% on Wave mode.

This confirms my suspicion.
My Stylophora always received a prime location for flow, it specifically likes direct, strong current.
My stylo is sitting about 15cm in front of a 15,000LPH wave maker running with pulses up to 100% of its capacity, and an MP40 running at 60% adding some additional indirect flow.


Sure, it wouldn’t kill a stylo overnight (which even though rarely, can happen from time to time when you introduce new coral), but you also said the other stylo and I’m assuming also the digitta lasted for awhile before they died, and insufficient light or flow are very viable possibilities you should take into account.

 

[Pod_01]

I appreciate your suggestion of starting them on the sandbed. I will certainly give that a try. I did have the coral overnighted from Kansas and the shipping was late getting here Thanks to UPS. It turned into 48 Hr shipping instead of overnight. So you very well may have hit the nail on the head with the coral being stressed. I did do a lengthy acclimation. I floated the bags in my sump for an hour before doing a drip acclimation for another hour. The photo I posted is an older photo as I stated. I do have very good noticeable growth on my LPS. For example. My pink ****** chalice has tripled in size from when I first got it. It has completely covered the disc of the frag plug and is draping down the sides all the way around. Thank you for your suggestion. Much appreciated.

From my experience with SPS I find the quicker you get them into the tank the better. So I tend to float the bag for 15min, depending on source I might dip and in the tank they go.
Drip acclimation works for fish but prolongs the stress on corals especially SPS.

Also your PO4 is on low side, do you run GFO? I find that use of GFO when PO4 is below 0.05 can lead to unhappy SPS.

Here is coral when I used GFO and I had low PO4:

Same coral when GFO was removed and PO4 increased naturally:

I also use little bit of carbon dosing to promote bacteria that hopefully SPS corals can feed on. I use TM Bacto Ballance and 0.5ml per 50 gal and this is not intended for nutrient control.

 

[Gellisjr1]

It isn’t about the type of light nor the amount of fixtures that matter in this case, but their intensity.

I have to keep most of my chalices shaded for close to a year until some of them are able to slowly acclimate to the amount of PAR I have on my sand bed.

Again, judging by the location of the chalices, I find it hard to believe this digi and the stylo received enough light.


This confirms my suspicion.
My Stylophora always received a prime location for flow, it specifically likes direct, strong current.
My stylo is sitting about 15cm in front of a 15,000LPH wave maker running with pulses up to 100% of its capacity, and an MP40 running at 60% adding some additional indirect flow.


Sure, it wouldn’t kill a stylo overnight (which even though rarely, can happen from time to time when you introduce new coral), but you also said the other stylo and I’m assuming also the digitta lasted for awhile before they died, and insufficient light or flow are very viable possibilities you should take into account.

It isn’t about the type of light nor the amount of fixtures that matter in this case, but their intensity.

I have to keep most of my chalices shaded for close to a year until some of them are able to slowly acclimate to the amount of PAR I have on my sand bed.

Again, judging by the location of the chalices, I find it hard to believe this digi and the stylo received enough light.


This confirms my suspicion.
My Stylophora always received a prime location for flow, it specifically likes direct, strong current.
My stylo is sitting about 15cm in front of a 15,000LPH wave maker running with pulses up to 100% of its capacity, and an MP40 running at 60% adding some additional indirect flow.


Sure, it wouldn’t kill a stylo overnight (which even though rarely, can happen from time to time when you introduce new coral), but you also said the other stylo and I’m assuming also the digitta lasted for awhile before they died, and insufficient light or flow are very viable possibilities you should take into account.

It isn’t about the type of light nor the amount of fixtures that matter in this case, but their intensity.

I have to keep most of my chalices shaded for close to a year until some of them are able to slowly acclimate to the amount of PAR I have on my sand bed.

Again, judging by the location of the chalices, I find it hard to believe this digi and the stylo received enough light.


This confirms my suspicion.
My Stylophora always received a prime location for flow, it specifically likes direct, strong current.
My stylo is sitting about 15cm in front of a 15,000LPH wave maker running with pulses up to 100% of its capacity, and an MP40 running at 60% adding some additional indirect flow.


Sure, it wouldn’t kill a stylo overnight (which even though rarely, can happen from time to time when you introduce new coral), but you also said the other stylo and I’m assuming also the digitta lasted for awhile before they died, and insufficient light or flow are very viable possibilities you should take into account.

I misunderstood what you were trying to tell me about my lighting. My apologies for only reading at face value and not thinking about what you were telling me. I do not have access to a par meter to know exact par in my tank. So with that said I have to go with recommendations from experts before me. I am using settings I found on Aqua Illumination web sight. It has been a long time since i up loaded the settings. From what i recall the settings i up loaded were of a very similar size & shape tank i have with a single Hydra 32 lighting the tank. I just went back and found the listing for the settings and they are for an LPS dominant tank. I was thinking it was set up for a mixed reef. I have gone into the My AI app and the settings are conservative. I would estimate them to be roughly 50 - 60% across the spectrum channels & more blue spectrum with very little white mixed in.

I placed the Stylo & Digi at the very top of of my rock scape to give them the most exposure and highest par available. When I lost those two corals I was experiencing some very high nutrient issues and chalked the loss up to the high nutrients i was experiencing. 57 PPM Nitrates & .613 PPM Phosphates. It has taken a long time to get my nutrients back undercontrol. My Nitrates are still higher than I would like currently but this maybe where the tank wants to be. My corals are looking fantastic and is why I decided to try adding the SPS again. Here is a picture of the Milka stylo that I just added on Wednesday. This photo is from this evening when I got home from work.

I placed this in the same spot where the digitta was. I chose to place it there because I thought it would get enough light and indirect flow from the wave maker. I did watch the coral for a while to study the polyp movement to try and determine if the flow was right. To me the flesh looks like it was blown / ripped off. I am now hoping the coral can recover from this. I have adjusted the direction of flow away from the coral.

At this point I don't know what to think. I will certainly consider the lighting as a possibility and I will have to either invest in a par meter or do some more research for some mixed reef settings and bump up the intensity slowly. As for the flow trying to find a happy medium is proving to be difficult.

 

[Gellisjr1]

From my experience with SPS I find the quicker you get them into the tank the better. So I tend to float the bag for 15min, depending on source I might dip and in the tank they go.
Drip acclimation works for fish but prolongs the stress on corals especially SPS.

Also your PO4 is on low side, do you run GFO? I find that use of GFO when PO4 is below 0.05 can lead to unhappy SPS.

Here is coral when I used GFO and I had low PO4:

Same coral when GFO was removed and PO4 increased naturally:

I also use little bit of carbon dosing to promote bacteria that hopefully SPS corals can feed on. I use TM Bacto Ballance and 0.5ml per 50 gal and this is not intended for nutrient control.

I was stressed out about the coral being delayed in shipping. When I opened the shipping box the water temp was 65 degrees. So this is why I floated them so long. I wanted to get them back up to temperature without shocking them. I decided to do the drip acclimation to get them used to my water quality.

Yes I agree the PO4 is lower than ideal. I have been battling very high nutrients in my tank for a while now. I attempted to try vodka dosing to bring my levels down. The vodka was working but I began to experience an explosion of green hair algae and my chaeto died in my refugium. I found out that the vodka not only feeds the good bacteria but also provides fuel for the undesirable things as well. I have switched to using Tropic Marin Elimi NP to bring my nutrients back down. I have been testing the whole time dosing the elimi np. I kept dosing the elimi np because I wanted the nitrates at 10 PPM or lower. I can't seem to get them any lower than 25 PPM without bottoming out the PO4. I bought some bacto balance to help maintain a healthy nutrient level per my understanding of Tropic marin recommendations. Now your saying the Bacto Balance won't maintain the nutrients? Is this right? If so why?

i was using chemi clear blue before I finally was able to buy some of the Elimi NP. I discontinued using it once I got the Tropic Marin products. I had considered bio pellets to help with nutrients but decided against that option due to added expense of more gear to buy. The mess it makes inside the reactor and the issues with media stopping the tumble. I chose to use Aquaforest Pro bio s and -NP pro to introduce beneficial bacteria and feed that bacteria.

 

[Pod_01]

When I opened the shipping box the water temp was 65 degrees.

One of the reasons why during winter months I don’t buy live corals online, only locally or what I can pick up. My survival rate was about 10% during winter and to top it all the delivery companies just leave the box outside and don’t even ring the door bell. I suspect delivery is location specific and my location is just bad.

From the picture the damage does look stress related and 65deg is cold. From my experience nutrient, light and flow issues tend to take weeks or months to show up not over night. Water quality issues can be quick as well.

The way I try to control NO3/ PO4 is for the corals to be the main filtration. I want the corals to consume all the fish poop and other foods etc… before it leads to accumulation of NO3 and PO4. Unfortunately you need coral mass and in a new tank few frags will not accomplish this. So getting fast growing Zoas or GSP (I prefer GSP to GHA).
I still have one large rock covered in GSP:

Don’t put GSP on main structure, separate rock or back wall works well.
You can also try to get large corals from local reefers that are shuttling the tank. Over time as the tank becomes stable you can replace these with SPS corals that you want.

For example in my system I only use skimmer, GAC (50 ml (3 or so tablespoons ) per 50 gal. change once a month) and TM Bacto Ballance (not for nutrient control just to promote bacteria).
I also feed the fish pellets 4-5 times a day. This is what I use:

My NO3 is 1.8 and PO4 is 0.15. Corals are doing the heavy lifting.

The other method will control NO3/PO4, but GHA can use things stored in the rock that corals cannot get to and GHA will outcompete your corals.
Outcome corals will starve and GHA will grow.

 

[Gregg @ ADP]

Even if your par is on the lower side, it’s still a good idea to start any new corals out on the sand…sometimes even partially shaded…for at least a week or two. It takes coral a little while to ‘de-stress’ from shipping etc, beyond just the acclimation to the physical and chemical elements of a new environment.

A total of zero corals have died from a few days of low light…but countless have been fried from starting at what should be their ultimate destination, even if the par for that spot isn’t even as high as the typical range for that particular coral.