Worried about SPS Frag

[warforged]

I recently converted my 55 gallon to salt... I started off with a 10 gallon..it turned out well and I decided to go 30 gallon Oceanic Nano type...

Now its 55 gallon time... this time I actually put more effort into set up.

I have roughly 50 -55 pounds of 5 types of rocks (i forget all the names).

Equipment:
x2 Fluval 205's intakes on the far ends..return flow dead center.
Coral Life Needle Nose skimmer (venturi) 65g hanging off the back. (65g)
Zoomed power head 206.
Odysea 36" hood with MH bulb dead center and actinic compacts x2..443 watts.

I havnt taken a test this week with my reef test kit to give you numbers today.

THE PROBLEM:
All I know is I bought this SPS coral that looks like a jagged tree branch and is brown.... I broke off a few pieces trying to remove it from the frag holder and now have several pieces in my tank... all are doing well but the main stem...which ive had for 2 weeks now.

Its bleaching out...i have it placed directly below the MH and its sitting mid way in my tank.

The most recent thing that may have shocked things...I had taken all my rocks with corals out .. soft lps sps ....just totally out on a towel...cause I bought 30lbs of more rock.... my guess is they sat out of the tank 20 min max...before I started placing them back in the tank.

My guess:

stupid me didnt consider time ...and temperature....and possibly shocked all my corals..... and thus causing me to cause the bleaching of one piece.

Trace elements I put in seachems trace element once a week...but considering using C-balance very soon.

Any advise on equipment additions...and care I have not considered besides my problem with a frag bleaching??

 

[tike]

What are your water parms?

 

[warforged]

What are your water parms?

Im at work and thats the only thing I have not checked this week.

ill have to get back to this thread this evening and post the test results.
I use that APCI Reef Master Test Kit also... Ill post results this evening.

 

[tike]

That is were you should have started in the beginning. Low nutrients via good skimming and water changes, consistent levels of cal,alk,pH , lots of flow, are the keys to keeping sps happy.

 

[warforged]

That is were you should have started in the beginning. Low nutrients via good skimming and water changes, consistent levels of cal,alk,pH , lots of flow, are the keys to keeping sps happy.

out of 5 pieces of the same species...only one is bleaching ...reason I ask via forums before I test today.

I figure if it was an issue with the cal,alk,ph levels it would affect more than one piece....

FLow is one thing I have considered increasing but not sure by how much.

The zoomed 206 power head and the two fluval 205 return pipes are my only flow makers at the moment....

Should I add another powerhead?

Also as I read the forums more to learn a few new things.. It seems that coral may have been thrown into shock after i think about it...

Taking him out of the water while putting in new rocks...and placing him back without proper acclimation.

I am starting to believe now after reading here about sps...I should have treated it like a new acclimation and when taking those out keep them in water too...

I knew SPS were sensitive..but wow...I didnt think that bad till reading some threads in here.... I got careless treating it like some soft coral that can take more abuse ..

 

[spongebob lover]

i'm not an expert by any means as i'm still learning about sps .
but what i'd do is.. put it a little bit more down.

 

[warforged]

Reporting API test results:

480 Calcium
196.9 KH
Phosphate between .5 and 1.0 on color scale.

Here is the scary part....after i added new rock I went from 5.0 ppm nitrate last week..

to


between 20-40 on the NO3 color card scale!.... Holy Clown Poo!

Dear god I can not believe just adding 30 pounds of new rock had that much crap in it...it must have not been fully cured i dont know..

all I know is in one week....my nitrate is way way too high....

off to the store for RO/DI premade....argh ...thank god its a buck a gallon.

 

[aloha_ssn]

new rock = new cycle good luck hope they recover soon. what size tank do you have? you might whant to do a 50% chainge for the next cuple of weeks untill you get back to normal

 

[warforged]

new rock = new cycle good luck hope they recover soon. what size tank do you have? you might whant to do a 50% chainge for the next cuple of weeks untill you get back to normal

55 gallon....

I think the new cycle just hit.... I had an amonia spike and didnt notice it....then the nitrate spike right after...now an algae bloom...


I changed out 15 gallons of the 55 and tossed prime in just to be safe about any amonia spike.

 

[spongebob lover]

do you run any carbon or phosphate media dood?
yes rocks can make your tank go through a cycle.

 

[tike]

Hmmmmm.......just read my first post. MAN sorry! I sound like an a-hole! Must have been something I ate. :lol:

Anyway, yea looks like a small cycle happening. Keep up daily water changes and it should pass quickly. On the water flow note.... I have a 60 gallon and have a water turnover rate of ~32 times per hour. I have found flow to be a big key to keeping most sps happy. Do you know about how much flow who have?

 

[warforged]

My Flow...well...

Two Fluval 205's (I forget the flow rate)

ZooMed Powerhead 206

65gallon Coral Life Venturi Skimmer HOB so i have the return comming back into my tank...but it hits some sponge container to break apart the bubbles. Not much of a flow but it does turn over the water.

SPonge,

I do have carbon in each of my fluval 3rd baskets. My phosphate remover is my Skimmer^^ and I have that Netty looking Algae for refuges in my tank as decoration..(a phosphate eater).

I am about to pull out those ceramic nitrate bed making things out of basket 1 and 2 in each fluval canister.

And replace them with Carbon only.... yah im gona have a whole lota carbon and mechanical filtration from my 2 canisters.

I figure with my additional rock im nearly at 1. to 1.25lbs per gallon of live rock...i have about 40 pounds of live sand...so thats my bio =)

 

[spongebob lover]

that's awesome dood .
that's goona help a lot, keep up with the water changes, definetly check the flow rate to make sure you got plenty .
I think with a little bit of time the frag will make a come back .