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Showing results for tags 'color change in SPS'.
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I work on a tank that has a constant bryopsis problem and it's only kept in check by high levels of magnesium. I would pull it out by hand for months and then a while back, I started using Kent Tech M like everyone else suggested but it got to be too expensive. I went to the Randy Holmes Farley method and bought Mg Chloride and Mg Sulfate and mixed it myself. This way was far cheaper but the cheap versions of these chemicals were very dirty and when mixed, had to be strained for contaminants. I also noticed an increased frequency of lineset failures on the dosing pump from using the RHF 2 part. This alone made me switch to BRS chemicals as they mix clean and clear. I learned that flushing dosing lines weekly helps prolong their longevity. So after dosing 4 gallons of RHF Mg over the course of 6 months, the Mg levels were at 2250 and all of the bryopsis and HA died away completely. The snails and starfish also bit the dust so I dropped it back to 1800 ish and everything did fine for about 6 months. I got lazy. I stopped dosing Mg because I didn't see a need because there was no Bryopsis. A year goes by and I forget all about Mg. I did notice a decline in the dominant SPS species in the tank followed by an explosion of GSP, Blue Cloves, and Anthelia. I have now been battling the Anthelia and since it grows so quickly, it creates pockets of stagnant water which spawn Derbesia, HA, and the dreaded Bryopsis. The Mg tests at 1180 and I proceed to dose BRS Mg by hand. I raised it to 2250 as of Friday over the course of 2 months and the snails and starfish seem to be unaffected. I'm going to stop dosing and let it drop to about 1700 and see if I can maintain it there. Some of the noticeable effects of high Mg are the browning of Purple Nurple, Pokerstar Monti, Purple Porites, Orange Cap, Setosa, Pink Birdsnest. The reddish corals seem to be most affected but all of the green ones are doing fine and seem to be completely unaffected. Acans are fluffy, Anthelia is booming, Green Pocillopora still bright green. Does anyone know how Mg affects pigmentation of corals?
