Why is my montipora bleaching?

[snakeblitz33]

It's slowly fading away. I can't figure it out.
I've done a water change last Sunday and I am going to do another one today, this Sunday.
My system:
20g high with a 20g long sump
4xt5 Nova Extreme with ATI bulbs 15k look
Chaeto fuge
SC65 cone skimmer that works very well
Auto top off system
Phosphate reactor
Internal flow:
500gph x2 JBJ wave maker
300gph powerhead no name brand
Korala 240 nano
about 185gph coming from the return pump
I have a filter sock on my overflow that has been catching detritus and I clean it once a week on Sunday
My tank has been set up in its current location since December
I have numerous signs of good coralline algae growth
I use the cheap Instant Ocean salt - not even the reef kind. Once I run out of this, I am switching to Seachem Reef or better.
I am just now doing 5g water changes EVERY Sunday. Before this, I never did water changes since last August.
Parameters are as follows:
Nitrate: 0
Nitrite: 0
Ammonia 0
Phosphate: Undetectable
SG: 1.024 constant
Temp:79F-81F I can't get it more stable than that without adding additional heaters.
Calcium 400ppm
Alk: 9dKH
Mg: No test kit.
I assume my calcium needs to come up to 440ppm and dKH needs to stay about the same. I don't know if calcium is the only issue or what...
I'm thinking about maybe holding off on more SPS corals and just start to buy some softies. I am just about to give up on a small tank with sps. lol

 

[snakeblitz33]

By the way, I don't know if it will help you guys or not with a diagnosis, but I have coralline growing everywhere now. The overflow, the back glass, the bottom glass and all over the rocks. Mainly Red coralline algae and Purple coralline algae.
Also, my chaetomorpha algae is dying back.
My stock list for the time being:
2 tomato clowns
1 bicolor blenny
3 chromis
2 false percula clowns IN THE SUMP FUGE, yeah, I'm not stupid. lol
I'm thinking about turning in the blue chromis to my NEW LFS (YAY!) and try to switch them out for some black and yellow striped chromis. They are so gorgeous! I love the yellow.

 

[bang guy]

The Calcium is fine. Lower than I would suggest but not low enough to inhibit coral growth. If you can maintain 9dKH with 400ppm Ca then I'm not concerned about Mg.
You water sounds pretty clean which could be the problem. Do you feed your coral? Try removing the filter sock for a couple weeks and see if that makes a difference.
Are you still dosing Vitamin C?
How stable is the PH?

 

[snakeblitz33]

No, I haven't been feeding anything. Just flake food to the fishes.
I'm thinking that my water also may be too clean.
I just added the filter sock to the tank last week. The monti has been slowly bleaching for a month.
pH has been steady every time I checked it, it was around 8.2 every time. Now that I have a profilux controller with a pH monitor, I will be taking note of the pH more often.
Do you suggest start to feed Live phyto or some other food? I was always under the impression that SPS corals usually just needed calcium and alkalinity to thrive.

 

[bang guy]

Not phyto, Montipora cannot eat that. Zooplankton (or an acceptable substitute) is what is needed. There is a high percentage of Mintopora anatomy dedicated to capturing and digesting food. I recall it's comething like 90% but I don't remember the exact number. Even if it's lower I know it's above 50%. So, we have an animal where most of it's anatomy is dedicated to deriving nutrition from zooplankton. Yes, it's circumstancial evidence, but personally, I believe it's adequate evidence that Montipora should be fed. This is true of most stoney corals.
My suggestion is to stop feeding flaked fish food and start making your own fish food. Add a variety of meaty seafood and some algae to a blender along with some RO water. If you have a good skimmer then I used to also add cod liver oil, especially for breeding fish. Blend up the mixture only enough so that your fish can eat the largest chunks but it's not totally liquified. Freeze the mixture in an ice cube tray. For a small tank use a tray that makes small cubes and also add more water so that a single ice cube is a serving. This tekes some experimentation but you'll get it quickly.
To feed, just drop the cube in the sump and the water pump will dose it out to the tank in a natural fashion that mimics zooplankton. The fish will take the larger chunks and the corals will take the finer pieces.

 

[snakeblitz33]

That is a great idea bang. I'll try that first.
I am doing another water change today and will run to the store to make some homemade food this evening.
I hope to see it start popping back and coloring up more. It was doing really well for a while and now it's just really drab.
I guess it will take about a week or so to really start seeing some results if it is working or not. I guess the extra food in the system will make the chaeto start growing more.
I like the ice cube trick.

 

[bang guy]

A couple other common things:
How old are the bulbs? Is it time to replace a bulb or two?
Gelbstoff - time to run GAC for a day or two?

 

[geoj]

Post a pic

 

[snakeblitz33]

My iPhone takes terrible pics of my tank.
The lights are three months old, Ati brand. I don't think that is the problem. When I put the tank on the new stand, it greatly improved! Then it's just gone downhill in the last month.
I hope that it will pick back up. I'm fixing to do some maintenance. I guess I should run some carbon for the time being. My phos reactor media is almost spent I think. It would be fine to switch it out for the time being.

 

[geoj]

After verifying if the feeding is or is not the prob I would then check if there is to much flow or light.
How much flow is directly on it, is it so much that the polyps are not opening?
How long is the photo period, so long that the coral is fading?

 

[snakeblitz33]

Polyps are open
30x turnover with indirect water flow
8 hour photo period.
I just made some home made fish food:
1lb uncooked shrimp
1 can minced clams
1/2can oysters
1 fistfull chaeto
1 large pinch flake food
2 cups water.
Frozen into ice cube trays.
I fed a little fresh food in the tank and my fish went nuts!

 

[snakeblitz33]

Five days of skimmate... if it helps. LOL

 

[snakeblitz33]

The home made fish food I made today.

 

[bang guy]

Looks fine. Might want to cut the cubes into quarters until you see how much food is needed. They look pretty dense
Seriously, just toss the flaked food unless you have a guppy tank.
As far as fish going nuts... what would be your reaction to a baked potato if all you had ever eaten was potato flakes.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Oh yeah, I was thinking of cutting them into 1/8ths.
I'm hoping that feeding the tank is going to help the monti and all other kinds of filter feeding inverts.

 

[jupoc911]

The only times I ever had my SPS coral bleach out were from either to much light, alk swings, and not enough food in the tank. Just try feeding your fish more with the quality food you are going to use. If you are lightly stocked on the fish add some more.

 

[snakeblitz33]

I have plenty of fish. Lol! I am feeding more food now.
I don't think it's alkalinity. Could be, but most likely not.
Temp swing is likely.
The light might be an issue. I guess I might turn off half my lights and see if it helps.

 

[jupoc911]

Are you dosing two part? If you think it is the light try moving the coral down. Is the montipora new to your tank? By new I mean in the last few months?

 

[bang guy]

Quote:
Originally Posted by SnakeBlitz33 http:///t/391421/why-is-my-montipora-bleaching#post_3471761
I have plenty of fish. Lol! I am feeding more food now.
I don't think it's alkalinity. Could be, but most likely not.
Temp swing is likely.
The light might be an issue. I guess I might turn off half my lights and see if it helps.
"slowly fading" does not sound like lighting to me. If you think it's overlit try a layer or two of window screen for a bit. It's less stressful that moving the coral or turning off lights.
A Monti should be able to acclimate to full sun in 6" of water so don't believe that it's a permanent issue.

 

[snakeblitz33]

it's been in my tank since november of last year.
my lighting is really actinic. Maybe I should throw in a daylight to see any change?
I'm still feeding the tank more.
I'm still keeping up with a 5g water change every Sunday for the past month.