why are all my sps getting lighter?

[SPC]

Originally Posted by Geoff

Spanky- how often do you need to clean the glass? for me it is about once every 2-3 weeks. i am only able to feed twice a day for now.

Originally Posted by Spanky

I could go a few weeks with the coral tank. Now with all these fish, I run over it about once a week. Because of what I'm feeding and the amount, I tend to get a slight brown diatom haze in a week.

Do either of you guy's have any detritus accumulation on your tank bottom, rocks or sump?
Steve

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

I am trying to find a successful reefer in the area as well. I want to lend that person one of my frags to see if it recovers. I dont know what else to do. I am really considering the end of this reef hobby though.

[trueblackpercula]

do not give up as I started to win the battle. Please post all your levels so that i my help you. I found that in my tank it was a few things that helped.
Michael

[Geoff]

SPC- i have very little detritus settling anywhere in the tank. i have a couple of hydro prop PH coming to take care of the corners for me.

Rob- have you tried cutting back on the number of hours of light?

G~

[Mike O'Brien]

I must say I don't siphon my tank at all. I have two piles of detritus, convienently out of site in the back of the tank. There is alway's a bit being swept up with the current, but every time I feed the fish, the pellet's end up in those piles and the fish go through it all to get them. The swish their tail's at it and give all the coral's in the tank a good feeding every time. It's like filter feeder heaven in there. Only bad part is there are alot of vermetid snail's.

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

I cut the MH lighting back to 5 hours and the VHO actinics to 7. (They used to be 10 and 12)

Paramters.
CA 370 (dropped when the CO2 ran out raising that now)
Alk 8.6
PH 8.1-8.4
Temp 79
Mag 1100 (working on raising)
Sal 1.025
Nitrate, Amonia, Silicate, PO4 - 0

There is NO coraline on the rocks. NONE. There is some very light pink on the glass. I think this is telling a huge story to the problem. After cooking the LR and reasembling the tank a year ago next week there should be coraline on the LR. Its not even white - I mean bare rock.

[Leonardo's Reef]

You just have to increase your bioload. And don't be afraid with feeding. I added many fish, and I feed huge amounts of food. 2 cubes artemia and 2 times dry-food every day+fine blender mush for the corals every other day, this in a 92 gallon tank. No issues with phosphates and nitrates, and healty SPS.

btw, no coraline has also to do with lack of nutrients.

Don't give up!

Leonardo

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

If there were lack of nutrients then explain why I have to clean the glass everyday to remove the brown algae buildup?

I tried adding another fish this week and it died 4 days later. This tank is just doomed.

[SPC]

Originally Posted by Rob_Reef_Keeper

If there were lack of nutrients then explain why I have to clean the glass everyday to remove the brown algae buildup?

Yes, can someone explain this? IMO we are getting in a dangerous area (killing SPS corals with too many organics in the system). Maybe I missed some new biology during the time I wasn't on the boards, but this "feed the tank heavy" before we know all the data about someones system is not what I would recommend. If we know for a fact that SPS corals derive 90% of their needed nutrition from their zoox, and that the other 10% can come from detritus and farmed bacteria, and that are tanks are already higher in doc's and dom's than the natural reef, then why are we advicing people to add more organics to their systems to help with SPS problems?

I tried adding another fish this week and it died 4 days later. This tank is just doomed.

I am far from the person to answer this question as I have never had problems with fish deaths, but I don't believe "feeding more" is the answer.
Steve

[Leonardo's Reef]

Originally Posted by SPC

Yes, can someone explain this? IMO we are getting in a dangerous area (killing SPS corals with too many organics in the system). Maybe I missed some new biology during the time I wasn't on the boards, but this "feed the tank heavy" before we know all the data about someones system is not what I would recommend.

I think it will help. Of course I don't know the exact situation with this tank, but when you look at the bioload and the problems, I would suggest to feed more.
Other members in this thread had the same problem, and most were just running their tanks too sterile (including myself)
Feeding more isn't a big change. It a relativly small change. Therefore I think it is not a dangerous suggestion; If it doesn't bring improvement, stop it. Also when it gets bad faster (what I highly doubt).
Personally I would recomment this before recomment changing ANYTHING else. (Like parameters, lighting, skimmer ajustment etc.)
I know for sure that when I say "try to feed more" people not going to pollute their tank heavily and kill everything because of high organics.

Originally Posted by SPC

If we know for a fact that SPS corals derive 90% of their needed nutrition from their zoox, and that the other 10% can come from detritus and farmed bacteria, and that are tanks are already higher in doc's and dom's than the natural reef, then why are we advicing people to add more organics to their systems to help with SPS problems?

I know corals feed mostly by their zooxanthellae(they feed with light), but when you don't provide enough nutrients for that zooxanthellae, the corals will starve.

Also I would not compare tanks with the narural reefs. C:N:P ratio, lighting, flow, whole ecosystems etc. are so different that it is not comparable imo.

Leonardo

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

WIll pale/bleached corals recover or has the zooxanthellae been spent and gone? I had algae problems for years and now going BB to hopefully eliminate that problem I am now faces with the exact opposite. I can try adding a little more food but I dont want the algae to come back either.

WOuld the pale/bleaching affects be less or not there if there was sand in the tank?

[Leonardo's Reef]

About the sand I don't know. I wouldn't go back to that.

I can only tell my experiences; I increased bioload and feeding, and things went better with my SPS. Some pale ones did colour back up, some died.

Whatever you do, make changes slow and keep looking at the corals.

Anyone have some more suggestions/reccomendations?

Leonardo

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

Did you SPS show lack of polyp extension?

[Leonardo's Reef]

Yes they did. First fast encrustment, and then no growth and minimal/none PE.

Leonardo

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

I'll blend up some white castle hamburgers and throw it in

Seriously - What should I feed the corals? I am feeding the tank with Rotifeast everyday and the 1/2 cube each of Cyclops fromzed mysis and a 1/2 cube of Ocean Nutrition myssis every other day.