Too many of my corals look drab & lifeless - need ideas and help!

[s_tempest]

ok.. for you fyi leds have optic lenses which is light laser beam. it is better to mount 16inch and have better spread. much softer light for lps and softies.
also double check your salinity

The lights are 11” above the water for now. I’ve been thinking about those 3d-printed diffusers, though.
salinity is 1.026.

 

[s_tempest]

Tough without pictures to say really.

I’m not a great photographer, but here are a few:

mystic sunset Monti with very small polyps

Sunset Monti kinda faded, small polyps

 

[s_tempest]

Hammer

Lobo

 

[NowGlazeIT]

Did you rule out stray voltage?

 

[Cory]

Ime fading or bleaching corals is usally high temperature above 29C. Metals in the water like tin/copper. Low potassium. Low or zero no3 and or po4. Good luck.

 

[s_tempest]

Did you rule out stray voltage?

Yes, a few times over the months with my multimeter.

 

[s_tempest]

Ime fading or bleaching corals is usally high temperature above 29C. Metals in the water like tin/copper. Low potassium. Low or zero no3 and or po4. Good luck.

The tank stays pretty close to 25C, nowhere near 29.
I’m waiting on icp results - honestly I’d be relieved if it’s metals because then there’d be something to fix!
NO3 & PO4 are not near zero.
i suppose if I rule out a lot of other things I could try to test for potassium, but this seems less likely with a common, name-brand salt, right?

 

[ZoWhat]

My 16yrs experience tells me it's either

* lighting (too intense or not enough, and too much white and not enough blue 420-490nm)

Or

* trace elements..... I've been using Brightwell Replenish and seeing some zoas/palys getting different colors dosing 1.5ml a day

 

[vetteguy53081]

Take a water sample to a trusted LFS and them check salinity to verify your reading. Lots of false readings haunting reefers the last few months

 

[S.K.]

i would adjust spectrums. Your coral looks good no bad at all

 

[ZoWhat]

Spot feed that Lobo mysis. If fish Kamikaze the spot feed...find a plastic container to put over it as a shield while it eats. Starting ti see white skeleton spikes....not eating enough

Do that once a week

 

[s_tempest]

My 16yrs experience tells me it's either

* lighting (too intense or not enough, and too much white and not enough blue 420-490nm)

Or

* trace elements..... I've been using Brightwell Replenish and seeing some zoas/palys getting different colors dosing 1.5ml a day

Definitely value the years’ experience.
I’m mulling over the lighting, and wonder if it’s too intense. I resisted thinking that for a while because I had PAR values that seemed ok, and don’t have enough years experience to rely on my own eyes over numbers.

would you test for something before dosing trace elements? What I’ve read seems to want you to dose based on Ca or alk consumption, but I’m not seeing much of yet.

 

[s_tempest]

Take a water sample to a trusted LFS and them check salinity to verify your reading. Lots of false readings haunting reefers the last few months

Good idea, and already done. Plus recalibrated my refractometer to confirm.

 

[KrisReef]

Time.
Keep doing what you are doing the tank is more than ok for 6 months of corals. They take their sweet time sometimes and fiddling with parameters will only prolong your agony.

More food for the Lobo would also be a good idea.

A piece of live rock from a "certified" clean system might also help your microfauna jump start. Feeding live phytoplankton and pods would also probably improve things.

But time, and going slow and waiting (at least for the ICP test results) are likely the best path for you moving forward. Reliable colors develop slowly. When they fade you have to stay steady and wait.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Good idea, and already done. Plus recalibrated my refractometer to confirm.

Not to challenge you but im referring to reefers who calibrated and got comparison at LFS with readings if 1.029-1.032
Its your call but have nothing to lose with a second opinion

 

[Kremis]

Corals look pretty good, id just lower lighting and monitor progress over the next few weeks. You should notice a difference after a few weeks

 

[NowGlazeIT]

Not to challenge you but im referring to reefers who calibrated and got comparison at LFS with readings if 1.029-1.032
Its your call but have nothing to lose with a second opinion

Earlier in the thread he mentioned that he already went to his LfS and checked with a different refractometer to calibrate. His original calibration was said to be close to his final

 

[vetteguy53081]

And yes, corals don’t look bad at all.
Periodically add aminos to tank.

 

[Pennywise the Clown]

I run 2 Hydra 26's on my Reefer 250 and used to run the AB+ schedule.
It is not a very intense schedule and a reefer ran the numbers for me and I was getting under 200 par, even at the highest points on my rockwork.
I have now upped the 4 blue channels to their max power, acclimated over 6 weeks, and all my corals (except 1 hammer) have definitely improved. My acros are looking much better.

 

[MabuyaQ]

Seems all the basics are covered (there are plenty of reefs running with these values of PO4 and NO3 so woulf not look int those ad well unless there is a problem with green algae).
Now how reliable are you as a tester or are your testkits? Have these values been confirmed by somebody else getting the same values with a different testkit? I once had growth problems not understanding why untill somebody at my LFS tested my water and found my KH was 1dKH lower (confirmed with a 3rd testkit) than I had been testing myself.
Do any of the corals have soft/brittle growing tips (especially noticable on plating and digitata monti's, as this could indicate low K)?

Could any unknown toxins be entering the system (from scented candles, air fresheners).

If not it would be best to wait for ICP results.