My poor trach “Pancake!”

[Newreefmama]

Is Pancake too far gone? She’s bleaching and lots of skeleton showing in the last week. Calcium has been low and we are bringing it up.

Calcium level 318 - Alkalinity 15.7
PH 7.78
SG 1.024
Pics of other monitors and Neptune system attached- thank you!!!

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

Water isn’t ideal. The ph and salinity need adj. how much light u throwin too? Looks like
Radion. And what’s the nutrients?

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

Just saw that alk and calcium. I’d retest. Ca way low and alk off charts

 

[Newreefmama]

Just saw that alk and calcium. I’d retest. Ca way low and alk off charts

My husband manages this aspect of our reef and he said the readings are accurate, “they’ve been tested multiple times.” He is doing a partial water change right now.
We are 2 months into this and the whole thing has escalated/ gone off the rails!!! I don’t know anything about how alkalinity, pH, calcium, etc all affect each other.

 

[Derrick0580]

Cal and ph are low, alk wayyyy too high, temp too high as well. I’m just shocked the trachy is the only thing struggling.

 

[Newreefmama]

Cal and ph are low, alk wayyyy too high, temp too high as well. I’m just shocked the trachy is the only thing struggling.

What is the ideal temp? Ours is set to 80 right now. 78? 79?
THANK YOU!!!

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

My husband manages this aspect of our reef and he said the readings are accurate, “they’ve been tested multiple times.” He is doing a partial water change right now.
We are 2 months into this and the whole thing has escalated/ gone off the rails!!! I don’t know anything about how alkalinity, pH, calcium, etc all affect each other.

Well, 2 months is a young tank for a trachy, they usually do best in older, more established setups. I see there is a nemenzophyllia above the trachy, they are very high light coral and trachys are low light, have you tried testing the PAR? Also, make sure the flow isn't too strong, and make sure those nutrients are in a good range. Also, that alk is extremely high, trachys need stable water, definitely lower that, also raise the calcium.

 

[Derrick0580]

Reef Tank Water Parameters

Need to know reef tank water quality specs? Save this reef tank water parameters chart as a handy reference.

www.bulkreefsupply.com

For reference

 

[Newreefmama]

Reef Tank Water Parameters

Need to know reef tank water quality specs? Save this reef tank water parameters chart as a handy reference.

www.bulkreefsupply.com

For reference

Just saved this and sent to my husband, thank you!!

 

[Newreefmama]

Well, 2 months is a young tank for a trachy, they usually do best in older, more established setups. I see there is a nemenzophyllia above the trachy, they are very high light coral and trachys are low light, have you tried testing the PAR? Also, make sure the flow isn't too strong, and make sure those nutrients are in a good range. Also, that alk is extremely high, trachys need stable water, definitely lower that, also raise the calcium.

He just sent this:
“Let them know that we are currently raising the calcium and letting the alkalinity drop naturally. I can’t raise ph without affecting the alkalinity. So I did a 20% water change. Temp is set for 80 degrees”

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

He just sent this:
“Let them know that we are currently raising the calcium and letting the alkalinity drop naturally. I can’t raise ph without affecting the alkalinity. So I did a 20% water change. Temp is set for 80 degrees”

Good to hear, do you know what the PAR is where the trachy is? What are the phosphates and nitrates sitting at, looks like It might be getting burned by the light or by high nutrients

 

[Newreefmama]

Not sure but I will find out!! THANK YOU for your help!!

 

[ckuhny3]

Not sure but I will find out!! THANK YOU for your help!!

Do yourself a favor and start listening to the BRS videos on alkalinity and calcium and How these relate to each other. Do you know what the nitrates and phosphates are ? 2 months is so soon to be putting corals like this into the tank. These are animals and you need to have full knowledge of their care requirements before adding them .

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

Not sure but I will find out!! THANK YOU for your help!!

No problem! Here to help!

And one last thing to check, could be getting too much flow, if you drop a piece of food on the polyp it shouldn't have enough flow to blow it away, and if it does it should be very gentle/slow, they're sensitive to high flow, if he's getting too much I'd move him to a semi shaded, low flow spot, though make sure nothing is too close him, they could sting him and vice versa, good luck!



Edit: just in case, check if there are any small holes in the base of the skeleton, they could be gall crabs and they eat/irritate coral, especially elegance, lobos and trachys

 

[Dburr1014]

Good luck.
Temp really doesn't need to be so high.
Ph can be solved with gas exchange.
But, good luck.

 

[Newreefmama]

Do yourself a favor and start listening to the BRS videos on alkalinity and calcium and How these relate to each other. Do you know what the nitrates and phosphates are ? 2 months is so soon to be putting corals like this into the tank. These are animals and you need to have full knowledge of their care requirements before adding them .

Listening to it now, thank you!!

 

[ckuhny3]

Listening to it now, thank you!!

I’d also say. Whatever you change. Change it slowly . The trachy may be too far gone with all the skeleton showing. But the other corals may still survive if you gradually shift the parameters closer to the ideal levels. I keep my tank at 9 Alk and 420 calcium. Find a salt that mixes up close to what you want your tank to be and do small water changes daily. No need to dose anything until you get things back to normal levels and you can then see what, if anything, your tank consumes in a day of Alk and Calcium

 

[ckuhny3]

Listening to it now, thank you!!

if you don’t already get yourself the Hanna High Range nitrate checker and the Ultra Low Range Phosphate checker. That along with the other monitoring stuff you already have is all you’ll really ever need

 

[Newreefmama]

Post- water change update: alkalinity down to 14.4, calcium up to 371. BETTER!

 

[Derrick0580]

Post- water change update: alkalinity down to 14.4, calcium up to 371. BETTER!

Getting better, my trachy wasn’t looking good on the sand out in the open but once I moved it under a ledge where it’s in the shade it started ballooning up and looking good. Plus the rock around it allowed it to have lower flow. As long as there is still flesh on it it has a chance.