Green birds nest turning white?

[telsonman]

I just got this frag a few days ago. It did fine the first night, but now its starting to turn white around the base. I thought that maybe its because its in a new environment and was just going to take a while for it to get accustomed to a new tank. I'm running a new biocube 32. Its placed at the top of my rockwork right next to a Jebao PP4, so its getting plenty of light and flow. One of my emerald crabs has been on it since its been in my tank, but I'm not sure if that is causing it. I hope its not about to bite the bullet. I just had a massive diatom bloom, which I think is why my hammer and GSP is staying retracted. I'm posting a pic of my GSP as well (its a small frag). My zoa's are doing awesome though. My numbers were all good, except for my nitrates are a tad elevated. I'm doing a 20% water change this weekend to help get the nitrates down. Just through in a bag of purigen in the back too. I've read that a diatom bloom can affect corals until it dies down. Here's to hoping. Half of the GSP was out this morning waving around.

 

 

 

[smiz]

The birdsnest is bleaching,meaning it is dying. You mentioned its a new tank. How old is it and do you have the ability to test your calcium and alkalinity? If you have diatoms and all your corals do not look good then something is wrong. Start with posting you test results and people can better assist you.

[telsonman]

Its about 6 weeks old.

 

Ammonia 0

Nitrites 0

Nitrates 10ppm

Phosphates .25

Calcium ~420

dkh 10

salinity 1.022

 

I guess maybe I need to frag the tips of the GBN. I thought maybe I should pop it off the rock its on at the top, and move it to the bottom. Maybe it is getting too much light too fast.

[Mariaface]

Sounds like a lot of light, but maybe alk spiked? And your salinity sounds like it's geared towards fish. Do you normally keep it that low? Mine hovers between 1.025 and 1.026.

[ninjamyst]

6 weeks old is too new for SPS, even if it's an easy SPS. Your tank is not stable.

[Clown79]

The tank is too new for sps.

 

Salinity too low, phosphates too high.

 

 

Birdsnest that starts going white from the base is usually due to flow issues. They like turbulent flow but not direct flow.

 

Depending on what the alk was in the tank you purchased it from it could be the change in parameters.

 

For example if the original tank was 1.025 for sg and 8 alk its a dramatic change going to 1.022(fish only salinity) and 10dkh.

 

Birdsnest is the easier sps but it also doesn't handle parameter changes well and takes the longest to acclimate to changes.

[telsonman]

Well when I set the tank up I bought mixed water from a LFS. It was 1.021. I've been topping off with salt water hoping to bring it up but the biocube doesn't evaporate a lot of water, so it's only come up a tad. I'm going to do a 20% change this weekend using reef crystals and I'm probably going to mix it strong, but not too strong that it will shock anything. I'm thinking I may mix it to 1.028 or something to just bring the salinity up some. My tank isn't geared towards fish only, I'm just having to deal with it being that low from buying it that way.

[Clown79]

I wouldn't mix it to that level. Just mix it to 1.025. You don't want it getting too high all at once.

[telsonman]

I meant just mixing it high for the water change.

[Clown79]

Yes i know but it makes no sense. If you want your sg at 1.025, mix it to 1.025. You're removing 20% of water, therefore adding 20% at 1.025.

 

Its not the same as adding sw for evap, thats a very small amount at one time.

 

20% isn't. It can cause fluctuations not only in your salinity but in the parameters as well, which increase with the increase in salinity mixture.

 

By mixing it to such a high number, you possibly may start fluctuating the sg to quickly or may get into a too high/lowering game.

[telsonman]

Well I moved the GBN to the bottom of the tank, and it looks much better. I think it was more of a lighting issue.

[jestep]

Birdsnests STN from the base like that when they're dying. In this case, it's very unlikely to be a lighting issue. If it was lighting, the light facing side of the coral would bleach first. When it bleaches or STN/RTN's from the base, it's almost always an environmental issue.

 

It's possible it recovers but the tank will need to be extremely stable. When these guys start to go as this one has, just about anything can tip them off and they'll STN completely. If it starts losing flesh around the base completely, I'd chop it up and save as much as possible. I've seen these completely RTN in a matter of hours.

 

I would lean towards ALK, but could be a number of issues including the salinity. Keep the tank as stable as possible and keep a close eye on it. Despite being an easier SPS, birdsnests are not good at adapting, so stability is crucial in getting it to thrive.

[telsonman]

Well by me saying it looks better, I'm saying it hasn't gotten any worse. I bought some frag plugs in the event it takes a turn and I can't hack off some branches and make frags. Where the white was around the base, the polyps are still there. The coral just doesn't have any color hardly.