fading sps
 

I have been having problems over the past few months with my acro colonies and frags slowly fading in color. When I get them they are nicely colored and then slowly fade until they are white and dead. They are not bleaching from the tip or base but rather an overall slow fading in color.

I have 3 - 250w 10,000k Ushios and 4 vho actinics across a span of 5' and a depth of 24". The actinics are on from 7 AM until 10 PM and the Halides are on from 1 PM until 9 PM. The bulbs are 8" from the surface.

I have a chiller to maintain temp, good flow and calcium reactor to maintain alk at 10 and calcium around 400.

Water perameters are fine except my iodine has been extremely high due to an overdosing mistake. I have done numerous water changes in my 190 tank and can't reduce the iodine levels. I think it has been absorbed into the live rock. The livestock is fine and the lps and softies are fine, although could be better.

Can high iodine levels cause this kind of fading in acros? Is there a product available to reduce high iodine levels. Could my lighting produce this kind of effect?

I am at my wits end and have lost waay too many acros over the past few months.

I appreciate any advice..... :frown:

Jim

Jim, did you ever try those polyfilter pads?

http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/s...uct_ID=md-bmpf

no Christy.... I couldn't remember what they are called

Thanks Christy... I will order them. I see they are on backorder.

I am still not sure that is the problem.

I think there's a thread on Reef Central on this subject, do a search overthere, seems alot of people are reducing there photperiod, some are only running there halides for 3-4 hors and are getting a deeper color from there there acros.

If your water is good, no red bugs or anything else that could be causing this, you may want to try reducing your photperiod.

Thanks, I already reduced it from 10 am to 9 pm to 1PM to 9 pm. I used to run it alot longer in my old tank. It just doesn't make sense to me

I don't have any idea if low magnesium levels would cause sps corals to fade, though it might be one possibility. Out of curiousity, do you know reguarly check and adjust the magnesium level is in this tank?

Thanks Bev,

My magnesium runs a little low, when I remember I bring it up. However I never had any problems in my old tank, This tank has been set up since the beginning of April.

If anyone can confirm that low magnesium can cause fading or there is any reading on it, let me know.

uh oh Jim you asked for reading... you know what that means. :eek: :razz:

Jim,

Why don't you do an experiment? Check and adjust your magnesium weekly and see if there is any improvement. This would have to be a long term experiment, say at least three months, to be able to notice if consistently stable magnesium levels have any effect on fading. If nothing else, you will get to know the magnesium uptake in your tank.

Here's the Reef Chemistry Calculator:

http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chem_calc3.html

Okay, I'll post the magnesium article as well :biggrin:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/oct2003/chem.htm

I have not read in that article that low magnesium causes coral fading, though I might have missed it.

I'd get a magnifying glass and look for red bugs. My acros did that when afflicted with them.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Whats happening with your Montipora species?


Wendell

Are the polyps extended or retracted most of the time? Is it affecting all your SPS? How often do you do water change? what percentage and what brand of salt? How is your skimmer doing?

How about increasing your MH photo Period. 1pm to 9pm is 8 hours. If you think about it most of the coral we have liver near the equator and has up to a 12 hr photo period

Just a thought

J

This problem is also effecting my montipora. They have all died as well. It was very noticeable on my digitata, they faded really quickly.

The polyps are extended on all sps, they appear to be healthy, albeit fading. I am using IO salt, and do a 30 gallon water change every 2 weeks.

I have a 40" becket skimmer (one of Dez's) that does a great job. I also use 100 micron filter socks on my 2 drain lines to my sump which pulls out most particulate. The water clarity is very good.

I reduced my lighting time after reading articles on RC on fadings sps. It has not helped the problem. I think I might go back to a longer MH lighting cycle.

Any more thoughts on this?

I don't think increasing his photoperiod would help since his corals are lightening, which is usually a sign of too much light or pests.

If it's occuring mostly on your montis, I think you have monti nudibranchs. Do a search on RC (when it's available) for 'nudibranch'. There are alot of threads which explain what it is and how to deal with them. There aren't that many treatments you can perform, it seems like only removing these little bastards manually is the way to get rid of them.

Red bugs don't normally go after montis, but mainly acros. So if your acros are spotting or receeding from the base up, you may want to take a magnifying glass and have a look.

Do red bugs effect acros only from the base up? In my case this is not happening. It is a fading issue on the entire colony and does not start at the base or tips.

I have not used a magnifying glass yet but I can't see any bugs or nudibranches with the naked eye.

Red bugs are hard to see, you may need to actually pick up the piece you are looking at and put it up to the glass inside the water to check.

As for nudis, do you know what you're looking for? They are little white guys that normally appear on the bottom of monti caps first. Once they are through with the caps, they will attack your digits and other monti species.

Here's a link that talks about the monti nudis and also includes a pic of what to look for..
(just in case Jim :frown: )

http://www.canreef.com/phpBB2/viewto...ht=monti+nudis

Jim,

What are your iodine levels at now?

Christy :)

Christy,


I have only been testing for Iodide.

Using a Salifert test kit, the color turns black. This is right off the chart. The darkest colour on the chart is light blue (.20)

I am really confused between Iodide, Iodate and Iodine.

:confused:

reply
 

If Mg is low your corals won't be able to utilize Ca even if you have plenty of it.

Jim, how new are your light, how long have you had the corals in the tank? I've been waiting patiently for several weeks for my sps to come back to color after upgrading my light. I have also switched to reef crystals for the added trace element. I found that IO just doesn't cut it for a reef system, it can't keep up with the demand for Ca etc.

I have done a couple of large water changes and things are progressing faster than before.

I'd say the problem with his corals isn't that they can't utilize Ca because of low Mg levels. They're being iodine dipped 24/7 :eek:

Well I'd say that if you've still got a whack of iodide in your tank, theres your problem. Iodine has alot of bacteriocidal activity, could be its just doing an incredible number on your zooxanthellae reducing their numbers and causing mass bleaching in the tank.

Iodine (I) (commercially prepared supplements ie. Kent/Seachem etc)
Iodide (I-) (this is the state at which Iodine can be taken up by tank critters)
Iodate (IO3) (I'm not sure where this one fits in, chemistry hurts my brain)



Ok here is the reading :razz:

http://www.reefs.org/library/article/e_edelman2.html
http://advancedaquarist.com/issues/mar2003/chem.htm

Hmm, that second link indicates that algae loves iodine. Fling some chaeto in there/start up a refugium and see what happens, maybe it will suck it all up :question:



Just a thought, as a test, take out a couple of smaller pieces of rock. Put them in a rubbermaid tub with new water, heater and powerhead. Leave them in there for approximately a week. Then test for iodine. There is a possiblity that the iodine has been absorbed by your rock and is leaching out.

Another idea (which sucks immensely) is to restart the tank with all new water. Even though you've been diluting the tank by doing water changes, your water changes are really too small to make any noticeable difference in your iodine levels in the short term anyways. You'd have to do incredibly huge water changes to get it diluted enough for stuff to live comfortably in it anytime soon.

Just my two cents

Christy :)

How bad was the overdose? What did you add and how much?

I thought I was adding an Iodine supplement, but I was adding Iodine instead. I am not sure how much, it was about 6 weeks ago

Yikes. Like full strength Lugol's?

NSW is aprox 0.06 Iodine. You've overshot by a bunch.

Thanks Christy.... the reading was like watching paint dry.... :razz:

you science geeks... I tell ya :biggrin:

seriously... thanks for the info. I think I will try the fuge approach. I was planning to do it anyway.


I will let you know if that helps.


Jim