my first Tort not doing good

[jacobB89]

So at the last meeting I decided to try my luck with a tort picked this on up from the speaker that day. Jason fox blue monster. Not doing great not sure if it is already to far gone or not.

 

Had it in upper part of tank with good flow.

 

Today moved it down to middle and moderate flow.

 

29 gallon tank

4 bulb T5s 

2 Actinic Blue

2 10ks

actinics on 8 hours a day

10ks on 6 hours a day

 

Salinity-34 ppt

Cal-440

KH-11dkh

phosphate-0

nitrate-0

Edited November 30, 2013 by jacobB89

[GraffitiSpotCorals]

Looks completely bleached or dead, hard to tell on my phone. If it has skin left it might come back. Just let it be and cross your fingers, keep your parameters stable.

[jacobB89]

Looks completely bleached or dead, hard to tell on my phone. If it has skin left it might come back. Just let it be and cross your fingers, keep your parameters stable.

yea I am not sure hopefully somehow it will come back.

[GraffitiSpotCorals]

Do you have other sps corals?

[miggs76]

You said your nitrates and phosphates are at 0. If that is true you may have starved the coral. I learned that lesson the hard way too. I was obsessed with my parameters at zero and pale colors followed...once my nitrates increased the colors followed. Do you run a skimmer on the biocube?

[TheyCallMeMr.703]

It still has a chance it looks like... Get water Correct ASAP, and Try to keep it like that, As Piper27, said above. That will help to Ensure the Health of the Coral

[YHSublime]

I'm no expert with SPS, but from my understanding, sometimes higher alkalinity levels can lead to what you're seeing. It looks like you still have some hue left in that. I agree with Piper, and I'd just make sure you keep your paramaters in line and stop moving it.

[jacobB89]

Do you have other sps corals?

only monti cap rest or lps of softies

 

You said your nitrates and phosphates are at 0. If that is true you may have starved the coral. I learned that lesson the hard way too. I was obsessed with my parameters at zero and pale colors followed...once my nitrates increased the colors followed. Do you run a skimmer on the biocube?

running RO HOB skimmer

 

It still has a chance it looks like... Get water Correct ASAP, and Try to keep it like that, As Piper27, said above. That will help to Ensure the Health of the Coral

What do I need to get in line as far as water condition? from what i have read levels are right were they are supposed to be?

 

I'm no expert with SPS, but from my understanding, sometimes higher alkalinity levels can lead to what you're seeing. It looks like you still have some hue left in that. I agree with Piper, and I'd just make sure you keep your paramaters in line and stop moving it.

hmm i do not have alk test kit ill see if a friend does.

[GraffitiSpotCorals]

What test kits are you using to test nitrates and phosphates? If you were carbon dosing I could understand the water being too low of nutrients and alk being high would definatly add to coral stress.

 

Alk and kh test kits are the same thing.

[GraffitiSpotCorals]

I would like to see the rest of the corals in the tank, might help determine what's going on. But keeping stable alk would be the thing to focus on, alk higher than 9 with no visable phos or nitrates have given some reefers problems with sps.

[zygote2k]

If your tank hasn't been setup for 1 year or more, then you shouldn't introduce acros yet. Water chemistry needs to be pretty good and stable before attempting SPS. Start off with something that's easy to grow and also start with real frags, not those 1/2"-1" chips that everyone says is a frag. Get something with at least 2 branches. There's a direct correlation between size of "frag" and expected survivability in a new environment.

Your tort looks dead or is on it's way out if not already.

Stability is way more important than any given number value for alkalinity. SPS will grow in low alkalinity and high alkalinity but does not like fluctuations.

Edited November 30, 2013 by zygote2k

[jacobB89]

What test kits are you using to test nitrates and phosphates? If you were carbon dosing I could understand the water being too low of nutrients and alk being high would definatly add to coral stress.

 

Alk and kh test kits are the same thing.

 

API reef master test kit

I would like to see the rest of the corals in the tank, might help determine what's going on. But keeping stable alk would be the thing to focus on, alk higher than 9 with no visable phos or nitrates have given some reefers problems with sps.

http://wamas.org/forums/topic/61737-my-first-attempts-at-taking-some-photos-with-a-nice-camera/

look the same from those pics.

[jacobB89]

If your tank hasn't been setup for 1 year or more, then you shouldn't introduce acros yet. Water chemistry needs to be pretty good and stable before attempting SPS. Start off with something that's easy to grow and also start with real frags, not those 1/2"-1" chips that everyone says is a frag. Get something with at least 2 branches. There's a direct correlation between size of "frag" and expected survivability in a new environment.

Your tort looks dead or is on it's way out if not already.

Stability is way more important than any given number value for alkalinity. SPS will grow in low alkalinity and high alkalinity but does not like fluctuations.

 

yea its under a year still so maybe I just need to wait to try these harder corals and get bigger frags when im ready to try. What would you say for ones to start with when ready.

[GraffitiSpotCorals]

Your tank looks very capable of keeping sps, stay away from spending hard earned money on nubs of coral people call frags as rob suggested. Bigger pieces of coral will be easier to keep alive, a tiny single branch of that coral will take forever to get growing. Once they get larger and form colonies most corals grow rather well. Buy from someone who's tank you can visit and look at and discuss with about coral and which ones will be best for you. Then make sure you get the appropriate size in order to ensure it survives and grows a little easier.

 

If you want to keep sps I would suggest the saliferts line of test kits. I doubt your nitrates and phos are 0 if your measuring with API kits.

[GraffitiSpotCorals]

I am going through Maryland tomorrow, if you want nice sized frags of easier corals that will live then send me a text or give me a call.

You don't really need the tank to run for a year in order to keep sps, just need to know how to test and manage your water parameters.

[AlanM]

For comparison, I got the same frag at the meeting, here is mine in the foreground of this picture.

 

It hasn't grown, but has stayed that color. Others have grown in the interim, so I think this one is really slow.

 

[sachabballi reef]

for me that coral is alk sensitive...if not totally stable it loses some of its color. Once I had my dosers dialed in and its been set it and forget it mine has taken off...Also its slow to get going growth wise but once it starts it really seems to take off IME

 

He may have just bleached it out though too...sounds like he had it pretty close to the top in his tank. I keep mine mid tank...under 250w de halides.

Edited December 1, 2013 by sachabballi reef

[pizzaguy]

I don't think it would bleach under t5 but not positive

[sachabballi reef]

yeah I have a feeling his kits aren't telling him the correct story...needs some saliferts...

[Piper]

I would like to see the rest of the corals in the tank, might help determine what's going on. But keeping stable alk would be the thing to focus on, alk higher than 9 with no visable phos or nitrates have given some reefers problems with sps.

 

That's great information. Thanks.

[jacobB89]

Yea I think its time to buy nicer test kits. Saliferts seem to be go to or red sea. Also seen Hannah checkers are on sale as well so time to switch.

 

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

 

 

[zygote2k]

if the source tank had higher or lower alkalinity than your tank, this could easily explain why it bleached.

When buying SPS frags, ask what the water chemistry is before buying to see if yours is reasonably close.

[Wrench]

IME a combination of high alk and low nutrients spell disaster for acros. This is the reason that zeo users try to maintain lower alk. The unstable nature of a new system could be a contributing factor as well. 

[GraffitiSpotCorals]

if the source tank had higher or lower alkalinity than your tank, this could easily explain why it bleached.

When buying SPS frags, ask what the water chemistry is before buying to see if yours is reasonably close.

Good advice!

 

Wrench before he should worry about thoes situations he needs some saliferts test kits.

[BowieReefer84]

IME a combination of high alk and low nutrients spell disaster for acros. This is the reason that zeo users try to maintain lower alk. The unstable nature of a new system could be a contributing factor as well. 

+1.  I have been keeping Alk b/t 7.5-8 with my low nutrient tank, and things seem very happy.