Torch Coral Deformed (Stretching for light?)

[shaner014]

I have been battling a "brown slime algae" issue. Still not sure if it's cyano or dino, but thats another post.

 

The torches now look like this after 5 weeks with no water changes. Before that I had done a 3-day blackout, and I have shortened the photoperiod slightly.

 

I'm just curious whether this behavior is more likely a light issue or a nuisance issue or a parameter issue.

 

torch by ShaneOhMac, on Flickr

[ReefSafeSolutions]

Might be parameter-related...have you recently added a pH buffer by any chance?

 

My torches started to look like that after I tried to "fix" my pH with a buffer, which messed everything up and nuked my tank.

[Cencalfishguy56]

Might be parameter-related...have you recently added a pH buffer by any chance?

 

My torches started to look like that after I tried to "fix" my pH with a buffer, which messed everything up and nuked my tank.

pH buffers screw alk big time I learned that the hard way also lol

[shaner014]

pH buffers screw alk big time I learned that the hard way also lol

Might be parameter-related...have you recently added a pH buffer by any chance?

 

My torches started to look like that after I tried to "fix" my pH with a buffer, which messed everything up and nuked my tank.

pH buffers screw alk big time I learned that the hard way also lol

 

The only thing I've added to the tank was maracyn thinking the slime was cyano, and that the Antibiotic would nuke it. The torches seemed okay at that time though. It may well be an alk swing thing, I haven't dosed anything and haven't done a water change in forever.

[ReefSafeSolutions]

Did the torches gradually start looking like this or was it sudden?

 

I suppose a water change couldn't hurt anything!

[shaner014]

Did the torches gradually start looking like this or was it sudden?

 

I suppose a water change couldn't hurt anything!

It was over the course of a couple weeks I'd say, hard to narrow down as the tank was in an auto-pilot phase.

 

I haven't done WC's as to not fuel potential Dino

[ReefWeeds]

The only thing I've added to the tank was maracyn thinking the slime was cyano, and that the Antibiotic would nuke it. The torches seemed okay at that time though. It may well be an alk swing thing, I haven't dosed anything and haven't done a water change in forever.

What are your alk and calcium readings?

[shaner014]

What are your alk and calcium readings?

 

I'll do a test tonight, its been too long, I figured it wasnt worth doing if I wasn't doing WC's or Dosing anyways.

[metrokat]

Hey Shane, how is the little princess?

 

I could be wrong but those corals look like they are reaching for the light. I haven't seen any euphyllia that don't have their tentacles all over the place in the flow.

 

I would also look closely for pests.

[Mariaface]

Did... Did you throw an antibiotic in your display tank?

[shaner014]

Hey Shane, how is the little princess?

 

I could be wrong but those corals look like they are reaching for the light. I haven't seen any euphyllia that don't have their tentacles all over the place in the flow.

 

I would also look closely for pests.

 

The "queen" as she's known, if you ask her, is doing great. Will be 3 in 2 months or so, and will have a brother in mid October. Scary.

 

I have looked for pests, none I can see. I agree with the thought that they are reaching. I need a damn PAR meter.

 

Did... Did you throw an antibiotic in your display tank?

 

And yes I dosed antibiotic:)

[Mariaface]

Was it Maracyn, or Maracyn 2? The latter's probably guaranteed to reset your bacterial filter (kills gram negative bacteria, which includes nitrifying), but either way you should check your ammonia/nitrite/nitrate to see if there's a cycle (small or large) going on?

 

If you did add it, did you stop any chemical filtration? Did/Are you going through the full treatment to avoid letting whatever's in your tank build resistance?

[shaner014]

Was it Maracyn, or Maracyn 2? The latter's probably guaranteed to reset your bacterial filter (kills gram negative bacteria, which includes nitrifying), but either way you should check your ammonia/nitrite/nitrate to see if there's a cycle (small or large) going on?

 

If you did add it, did you stop any chemical filtration? Did/Are you going through the full treatment to avoid letting whatever's in your tank build resistance?

 

It was maracyn regular, I dosed it twice actually (two seperate 5 day doses). There were no ammonia spikes I caught while dosing. I have used this stuff succesfully and with no ill affect on coral in the past. Its about the same ingredient as chemi-clean best I can tell.

[Mariaface]

Cool Then yeah, I'd suggest more light/flow and regular nutrient monitoring.

[shaner014]

Tested.

 

Salinity - 1.025

Nitrates - Undetectable with API

Phosphates - 0.00 with Hanna Checker (ppm)

Mg - 960-1040 RedSea Pro

Cal - 290-320 RedSea Pro

dKH - 7.6 - 7.8 RedSea Pro

 

 

I use RedSea Coral Pro salt; these params are obviously all low, but with no water changes for 5 weeks, and wetter skimming, I suppose thats to be expected? The problem is I don't want to do a large water change to try and bring these back up because I'm sure that will fuel the brown algae issue.

 

So, would you dose to bring the levels up? Not sure where to go from here. I still have the algae, and I still have upset coral

[Mariaface]

Not that I'm not jealous of the low nutrients (you're feeding daily and exporting a lot, right? the corals feed off organic nutrients and the algae feeds of inorganic nutrients you're testing for), but if you haven't done a water change in five weeks: do you do carbon filtration? What's the replacement schedule? 1-2 weeks is best to avoid bacteria build-up on the surface rendering it useless.

 

I wouldn't dose alk just yet. Start with magnesium, and slowly bring it up to 1300 at least. Maybe raise it 50ppm per day; quick rises will harm some inverts. Once it's there, test calcium and alkalinity again.

 

With undetectable phosphates and nitrates, I wouldn't bring alkalinity up past 8dKH anyway. Higher alk levels combined with such low nutrients is a sure way to get 'alk burn'. If you can manage to bring phosphate up to 0.03ppm and nitrate between 0.5 and 5ppm, and keep them there, I'd consider 9dKH. Just focus on getting calcium up to par.

 

Once those three parameters are stable, a large water change is a lot more feasible. Especially if you can bring the tank's parameters up to match the new salt.

[shaner014]

Not that I'm not jealous of the low nutrients (you're feeding daily and exporting a lot, right? the corals feed off organic nutrients and the algae feeds of inorganic nutrients you're testing for), but if you haven't done a water change in five weeks: do you do carbon filtration? What's the replacement schedule? 1-2 weeks is best to avoid bacteria build-up on the surface rendering it useless.

 

I wouldn't dose alk just yet. Start with magnesium, and slowly bring it up to 1300 at least. Maybe raise it 50ppm per day; quick rises will harm some inverts. Once it's there, test calcium and alkalinity again.

 

With undetectable phosphates and nitrates, I wouldn't bring alkalinity up past 8dKH anyway. Higher alk levels combined with such low nutrients is a sure way to get 'alk burn'. If you can manage to bring phosphate up to 0.03ppm and nitrate between 0.5 and 5ppm, and keep them there, I'd consider 9dKH. Just focus on getting calcium up to par.

 

Once those three parameters are stable, a large water change is a lot more feasible. Especially if you can bring the tank's parameters up to match the new salt.

 

 

 

I run chemi-pure blue and purigen, and a Tunze 9001, in addition to mechanical filtration. No other carbon, chemi-pure is new as of about 3 weeks ago, as is the purigen; I ran a bag of carbon for about 2 weeks after the antibiotic to pull it out (this was after a 40% water change, the last one I did).

 

I feed a large pinch of pellets usually everyday, which 2 clowns and a firefish gobble up.

 

I suspect trates and phates are undetectable due to the brown algae consuming them. Id rather not dose anything.... as I never have, and don't believe my coral load to be demanding of such, unless you think I have to since I'm not doing WC's, in which case, how long can I just dose and not water change?

 

RedSea CP Salt has pretty high parameters mixed up so It'll be a big swing if I did a large WC, and I don't plan to change nay water until this damn brown shit is starved off... I'm rambling now, still unsure what to do next.

[metrokat]

Congratulations on the new frag coming soon!

[shaner014]

Any other ideas on what to do next?