overnight colour loss in some corals.

[rickwaines]

hmmmm

Any insights? I will try to include all the details I can imagine are relevant but to start, all of my corals have been doing pretty well as far as colour and growing. This morning I woke up and it seems some of them, the monti's, and some of the sps, have become much paler over night.

Likeliest reasons: two of the monti's are now touching which could explain why those two are paler this morning but would it affect the sps that aren't near them? The lps and polyps and a couple of the hardier sps seem fine.
Other potential causes. 5 days ago I changed to RO water and replaced my rowaphos with more than usual as I have been trying to get on top of an algae problem.

It seems like the algae problems are subsiding... could it be that the increase in rowaphos and the introduction of ro water has left the corals hungry? I do feed the corals a couple times a week and the fish two or three times a day

My tank: 40 gallon cube
has been up over a year. lot's of coraline algae.
temp 77-80
alk 12
calc 500
mag 1400
I skim 24/7 and use filter socks which I change almost every day.

ammonia 0 nitrite 0 and nitrate 0 ish. I have obviously had some phosphate issues given how often I clean the glass and the continued battle with nuisance algae.
I dose with two part twice a day and change about 10 gallons a week.

Anyhowwww, difficult to figure these things out of course sooo many variable but I am pretty new to the hobby and could use any insight for you more experienced reefers

I have pictures but I'm not sure it would be very helpful given there isn't anything to compare them to.

Rick

[BlueTang<3]

I am going to guess that the drop in nitrate and phosphate was too rapid and it is stressing the corals out. Is it pale and they are brown or going pale ?

[rickwaines]

Originally Posted by BlueTang<3

I am going to guess that the drop in nitrate and phosphate was too rapid and it is stressing the corals out. Is it pale and they are brown or going pale ?

thank you for your response. no brown just a loss of colour, pale by comparison to that last few months. not dead it doesn't seem just a fairly substatial loss of vibrancy.

[MitchM]

You may have some alleopathy going on, are you running any carbon?
40g is small to be keeping both SPS and LPS. They have pretty different flow requirements.

Corals would notice both the change to RO (depending on what you changed from) and that you're using more than usual phosphate remover.
I would be surprised if you didn't notice any changes after that.

[rickwaines]

Thanks Mitch.

Things seem to be back on track. colours coming back with most. And yes I am running carbon.

[Proteus]

I'd have to agree with Wes. Just a big in po4 and possibly alk

Glad it's comming back

[dudley moray]

What your ph?