Scolymia-Major change for the worse..Please help

dkw27

dkw27

Member
I purchased this coral from SWF and it was gorgeous...Stayed happy for a few months, then it completely changed in appearance and doesn't look happy at all...I have done some changes to my setup, after the scolymia was added, I installed a UV sterilizer and a chiller, plus one more bank of PC lights....Then I had to add a few more powerheads in the tank, because the flow was cut down considerably...I feed Marinesnow once a week, then Phytofeast the next week...I have a 125 gallon and do 15 to 25 gallon water changes weekly and monitor my levels frequently...Levels are:
Salinity: 1.025
Ph: 8.2
Temp 83
Calcium: 410
Amm: 0
Nitrite: 0
I've included two photos, one when it was happy and one just taken a few hours ago...Any ideas on what is wrong?

 
dkw27

dkw27

Member
Originally Posted by jonthefishguy
Looks bleached to me. Of course I am viewing this through a phone.
What causes the bleaching? Too much light?
 
rcoultas

rcoultas

Member
although I have never kept any of these I do know that they are suited to cooler temps than you have stated - recomended temps are 72-78 deg all of the other param's you posted are good - but you did not post nitrates. Does it extend it's sweeper tent's at night and are you feeding it at night? How long have you had it? What type of lighting? or rather how much
 
dkw27

dkw27

Member
Originally Posted by rcoultas
although I have never kept any of these I do know that they are suited to cooler temps than you have stated - recomended temps are 72-78 deg all of the other param's you posted are good - but you did not post nitrates. Does it extend it's sweeper tent's at night and are you feeding it at night? How long have you had it? What type of lighting? or rather how much
I have another one of these, and it's doing great...When I lower the temps in my tank, my other coral don't seem to like it...I've consistantly kept the tank between 81-83 degrees and everyone was fine until about 3 weeks ago, that's when this guy changed....I have a 48" bank of Coralife Aqualight 65 watt 10,000K and 65watt True Actinic up front in the canopy and 2-24" aqualights in the back, one in each corner...The sweeper tent's come out while it's feeding and no, I haven't fed at night before....I've had it in my tank for several months...
 
bonebrake

bonebrake

Active Member
It still looks "healthy" because there does not appear to be any tissue recession or signs of it being picked at by a predator, but it has definitely bleached for some reason. Bleaching can occasionally be explained by abrupt changes in water parameters (usually large swings in salinity, temperature, or pH) or due to the addition of new bright lights or old bulbs that need replaced. However, sometimes corals bleach for a reason that cannot be explained.
It may eventually make a come back or it may not...
 
dkw27

dkw27

Member
Originally Posted by Bonebrake
What is your alkalinity?
I tested it today, and it was in the normal range....
 
dkw27

dkw27

Member
Originally Posted by Mach03InFront
i like how it looks now lol

I don't, it was so much prettier before it bleached....I hope it comes back, but at this point it doesn't seem like it will....
 
dkw27

dkw27

Member
Originally Posted by Bonebrake
It still looks "healthy" because there does not appear to be any tissue recession or signs of it being picked at by a predator, but it has definitely bleached for some reason. Bleaching can occasionally be explained by abrupt changes in water parameters (usually large swings in salinity, temperature, or pH) or due to the addition of new bright lights or old bulbs that need replaced. However, sometimes corals bleach for a reason that cannot be explained.
It may eventually make a come back or it may not...

pH always seems to stay the same, around 8.1, 8.2....At first I thought it was due to the new bank of lights I installed, so that may be the cause...
 
ifirefight

ifirefight

Active Member
I have a similar problem with mine. I have had it for 6 months or so...It was fine up until a few days ago....It doesnt open as much as it used to...and looks to be receding. The color is fine and not bleached....Everything else in the tank is fine. Who knows....My temp is also at 80-81.
 
ifirefight

ifirefight

Active Member
you are in the recommended range. 2.5 - 4 meq/L or 7 - 11 dKH or 125 - 200 ppm CaCO3 equivalents is the range to shoot for.
 
dkw27

dkw27

Member
Originally Posted by ifirefight
I have a similar problem with mine. I have had it for 6 months or so...It was fine up until a few days ago....It doesnt open as much as it used to...and looks to be receding. The color is fine and not bleached....Everything else in the tank is fine. Who knows....My temp is also at 80-81.
As you probably already know, all corals seem to go thru changes at one point in time where they look like they're dying, then they end up being bigger and better than ever....My other scolymia has closed up before for a few days, turned dark green and then boom, it's even bigger than it was before it closed...I thought maybe the same thing was happening to this one, but it's been like this for close to a month now...I hate the way it looks, plus I can see the skeleton on parts of it.....It used to be so gorgeous and I loved the color....I wish I knew what happened...
 
dkw27

dkw27

Member
Originally Posted by ifirefight
you are in the recommended range. 2.5 - 4 meq/L or 7 - 11 dKH or 125 - 200 ppm CaCO3 equivalents is the range to shoot for.
I just added some B-Ionic part one to the tank, let's see if that helps...
 
ifirefight

ifirefight

Active Member
Originally Posted by dkw27
As you probably already know, all corals seem to go thru changes at one point in time where they look like they're dying, then they end up being bigger and better than ever...
LOL..I agree...sometimes I feel that I am to observent to any change in my tank. I should just let nature take its course. As long as all the levels are fine ..there is not much else we can do.
 
dkw27

dkw27

Member
Originally Posted by ifirefight
LOL..I agree...sometimes I feel that I am to observent to any change in my tank. I should just let nature take its course. As long as all the levels are fine ..there is not much else we can do.

I work so hard to make sure everyone is happy, coral and fish alike...I don't know what else to do...I feed a variety of good foods, do water changes every week and do my best to keep the water levels right where they should be....It's just frustrating when you see one of your favorite corals completely change its color and fullness...I'm thinking it must be the lighting, the trouble began when I replaced the 24" light with a 48"....
 
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