SPS Corals Have Almost No Color (w/Pictures)

[motortrendz]

too much nutrients will cause browned out sps not bleached, your water is too clean.. your rockslook too white also like theyre brand new.. you said the tank is a year and a half old? your tank should be covered in corraline by now... if that cant grow than sps definitly wont.. i try to keep my nitrates about 5 and my po4 about 0.04-0.08.. that seems to get the most oclor for me.. try feedinghesvy for a bit and get those levels up.. also brown glass is normal i get it every day andhave to use the mag float to clean my glass

 

[shawnriv]

Do you know someone with a different nitrate test kit you can try? I noticed your using an API kit and I had problems specifically with the nitrate test in that kit. One batch it would show nitrates were always through the roof and then the next kit always showed low to zero. It wasn’t until I stated using a different brand that I realized those kits were way off. I use some of their other tests but not the nitrate.

No, I haven't tried another test kit. To be honest, I hardly ever test nitrates because I am a very conservative feeder and I proform 15% water changes weekly.

I decided last year to use NOPOX and it was a mess. Skimmer went bananas no matter what I tried. Then when I gradually stopped all he’ll broker loose. Took forever to get the tank back to normal.

I may take my tank off NOPOX. Is it okay to quit cold turkey or should I wean it off?

How high (intensity) do you run your lights? With no nutrients in your tank and so close to your lights, it seems as if those corals are just dying slowly from starvation. With respect to the algae, are you using rodi water? I would decrease, if not stop, using NOPOX. May need to move those corals down and hope for the best. Lastly, how long has your tank been running?

I am running my lights to 50% intensity. And yes, I am using RODI water that I make myself using Bulk Reef Supply's unit. I did purchase ZEOVIT's Phol's Xtra Special and they're Amino Acids bottles when I tried bio-pellets but didn't see much of a difference with algae. I tried using them a few times within the past months but just saw my brown algae increase. I really don't want to move my corals down since most are encrusted and I designed the aquascape like that so they could be close to the light. Here is my schedule:

 

[shawnriv]

too much nutrients will cause browned out sps not bleached, your water is too clean.. your rockslook too white also like theyre brand new.. you said the tank is a year and a half old? your tank should be covered in corraline by now... if that cant grow than sps definitly wont.. i try to keep my nitrates about 5 and my po4 about 0.04-0.08.. that seems to get the most oclor for me.. try feedinghesvy for a bit and get those levels up.. also brown glass is normal i get it every day andhave to use the mag float to clean my glass

I do own KZ's Pohl's Xtra Special and the Amino Acids bottles; should I begin dosing these to increase nutrients? And my rocks do have algae, just the picture is bad quality because I used an iPhone.

 

[Mal11224]

Amino acids can cause an increase in algae growth. I personally like to use reef roids and reef chili. Looks like your radions are running max intensity of 50% for over 8 hours. In my opinion, that is way to long. It is a good idea to simulate a natural environment for your tank. Sunrise and sunset. I run my AP700s for about 4 hours at 55% max and total photo period of 12 hours with T5 supplements in between. With that much intensity and lack of nutrients, you will see bleaching. Do you monitor your ph levels? Also, brown algae is common. Scrapping it and blowing out the sand should help with the visual appearance.

 

[tripdad]

I agree, raise nutrients. However, go slow with any changes, no more than 1 change every 2-3 weeks unless emergencies arise. Otherwise you'll never know what works or what doesn't and SPS love slow, steady changes, not rapid ones.

 

[Matthias7]

I have had these same issues while carbon dosing I stopped and the colors got better pretty quickly

 

[shawnriv]

I have had these same issues while carbon dosing I stopped and the colors got better pretty quickly

Instead of carbon dosing, what did you use for exporting nutrients?

 

[shawnriv]

I agree, raise nutrients. However, go slow with any changes, no more than 1 change every 2-3 weeks unless emergencies arise. Otherwise you'll never know what works or what doesn't and SPS love slow, steady changes, not rapid ones.

I'll stop using the NOPOX but what would you recommend for nutrient export?

 

[Robink]

First, I love your rockscape. Second, I think you need more fish. I had a similar problem, no nutrients. Added more fish and I feed the fish 3X a day. I also feed the corals a combination of reef roids and brs' Mr chili coral food 2X a week, phytoplankton 3X a week. Currently trying to get chaeto to grow in my sump, no luck in the past.
I prefer the red sea test kits and the hanna checkers. I have used amino acids in the past but am not using them currently as IME it will contribute to algae problems especially if you are already having an algae issue. Once you get your nutrient level up you should see some color coming back in the acros.

 

[Robink]

I'll stop using the NOPOX but what would you recommend for nutrient export?

Are you running a skimmer? That should take care of nutrient export for now and when you get the nutrients up you could add some macro to your sump/fuge.

 

[Robink]

I've never used NOPOX , just regular water changes and maintenance to maintain levels. Actually once tank cycled and stabilized had a harder time raising the nutrient level. I also don't use carbon or gfo to reduce levels. Just the skimmer and socks.

 

[shawnriv]

First, I love your rockscape. Second, I think you need more fish. I had a similar problem, no nutrients. Added more fish and I feed the fish 3X a day. I also feed the corals a combination of reef roids and brs' Mr chili coral food 2X a week, phytoplankton 3X a week. Currently trying to get chaeto to grow in my sump, no luck in the past.
I prefer the red sea test kits and the hanna checkers. I have used amino acids in the past but am not using them currently as IME it will contribute to algae problems especially if you are already having an algae issue. Once you get your nutrient level up you should see some color coming back in the acros.

Thank you for the compliment on my aquascape; I personally hate it. Haha. It makes water movement difficult. I should of went with something not as high. But there is always next time. And I agree with you, I desperately need more fish. I think I have six all together. I am going to stop carbon dosing tonight and see what happens. I just hope I don't have an algae bloom.

 

[Robink]

If you do have an algae bloom just ride it out.

 

[tripdad]

It's very normal to have daily algae growth on the glass. You can beef up your clean up crew for rocks and sand. If you truly have low/No nutrients then you won't need additional export methods. Just go slow and see what happens, don't get hung up on chasing numbers, watch your corals. If they stay healthy and start coloring up, continue.

 

[five.five-six]

I thought the same, but I also have brown algae each day. I figure since I have algae, my nutrients must be higher than they should be.

Nope, the alage is just outcompeting the coral for what little phosphate is avalable.

 

[Matthias7]

I'll stop using the NOPOX but what would you recommend for nutrient export?

I just went back to daily automated water changes. I have nitrates but almost no phosphates. Corals are looking good and little to no algae except for the stuff on the glass every 3-4 days

 

[Icaros]

I would slowly come off NOPOX

 

[Chris Villalobos]

Oh yeah, with carbon dosing (biopellets in my case) you can have zero readable nutrients, kill your corals, and still have algae issues. Believe me I've done it. Keep your nutrients low but readable and remove all the algae you can by hand. Scrubbing rocks with h202 worked for me. If you keep at it you will eventually win the battle.

You probably want to get a more sensitive nitrate test kit. One that will read down to less than 1ppm.

 

[Pchang]

Did you have an alkalinity spike or temperature spike that also can cause you to strip your zooanthellae from your corals

 

[erk]

I don't see why you should quit carbon dosing. It is an effective way to export nutrients. It is my main method with vodka being the carbon source. I encountered the paling and die off before and had to increase feeding. It is just like any other method of nutrient export, you must find a balance. You need to figure out how much food to input to the system that it balances with the bacteria consumption rate. Once you figure that out, you just have to maintain. If you add new fish or remove fish, then you need to increase/decrease the carbon dose to rebalance.