problems with parameters and coral color

[spardoin]

So these are the problems that I am having.
My corals are having color problems
Favia = brown
montipora- white
zoas= just not bright maybe a bit brown.

My parameters all check out. Ph. is at about 8.1, amonia, nitrate, nitrites all near 0 levels. But I can't get my manesium and calcium at the appropriate levels. They are not super low, but they are low. I have added both, then check an hour later and the parameters are no different than before. Is there an order that I should add them in. When dissolving the magnesium, is there a temperature that the water I dissolve it in should be?

 

[kirkwood]

What kind of salt do you use? What salinity do you mix at? If you use inferior salt or mix at low end salinity then you may be reducing your alk cal and mag when doing water changes. If you have a lot of coralite algae it will suck up your cal. Some is good but a lot can hurt your cal. If your params have been neglected for a long time it can take awhile to get them up. Most importantly is that you do it slowly.

 

[jeffmuse]

spardoin;909953 wrote: So these are the problems that I am having.
My corals are having color problems
Favia = brown
montipora- white
zoas= just not bright maybe a bit brown.

My parameters all check out. Ph. is at about 8.1, amonia, nitrate, nitrites all near 0 levels. But I can't get my manesium and calcium at the appropriate levels. They are not super low, but they are low. I have added both, then check an hour later and the parameters are no different than before. Is there an order that I should add them in. When dissolving the magnesium, is there a temperature that the water I dissolve it in should be?

Most of the parameters sound good. If magnesium and calcium are coming back low, I would start with your magnesium and work towards getting that in order first. Buy a couple of good test kits and monitor your levels until mag gets to an optimal level.

One thing to consider is changing the salt mix that you are using. Different brands of salts will have a wide variety of trace elements as well as calcium/ mag concentrations. I personally like Sea Chem Salinity; however, there are a lot of good options out there.

While there are a lot of things that impact coral health, I would say that flow and lighting are two of the biggest factors. What equipment are you currently using on your tank?

 

[spardoin]

I'm using Instant Ocean Reef Crystal Sea Salt. Salinity is a 1.025.
I had not checked my magnesium until this week, but 3 weeks ago the calcium was where it should have been. Should I dose every night? Should I dose calcium and magnesium at the same time, a certain order, certain amount of time between each?

 

[jennm]

Tell us more about your tank - size, age, inhabitants, filtration, light... the more information we have, the better the chances of identifying the problem(s).

Jenn

 

[tbub1221]

spardoin;909968 wrote: I'm using Instant Ocean Reef Crystal Sea Salt. Salinity is a 1.025.
I had not checked my magnesium until this week, but 3 weeks ago the calcium was where it should have been. Should I dose every night? Should I dose calcium and magnesium at the same time, a certain order, certain amount of time between each?

When I began checking my magnesium it took testing almost daily and dosing to get it up where I wanted it.
I dose every other day now and stay @11-1200 .
I dont add cal and mag at the same time , typically adding one to the sump and returning later for the other as per instruction on the bottles . But it depends on the methods of doseing , I think ppl that put it in there top off water mix it all but I don't suggest that method.

Adjusting cal and alk will drop ph FYI.

IMO if your only looking at calcium every 3 weeks then that's a lot of the problem until your stable where you want you should be looking at it daily or every other atleast.

Also weekly water change should bring mag to usable levels.
I don't know your understanding of water chemistry so if you already know this, forgive the explanation. Alk/PH go hand in hand, Mag/Cal go hand in hand and they all work in what is called synergism. When I experimented with raising my Mag to 1500 ppm I had to get the Cal to 480-500 ppm to "hold the Mag. The ratio for Cal to Mag is accepted as 1:3. The Mag should be close to 3X the Cal.

Your test kits will need to be quality , if its inaccurate there is hardly a point to check it so invest in a good magnesium kit , I personally like red sea , its a bit involved compared to some test but very accurate.
Just don't dose anything unless your sure of your lvls.

Here is a good dosing calculator that may be of assistance to you in the near future.

 

[spardoin]

JennM;909981 wrote: Tell us more about your tank - size, age, inhabitants, filtration, light... the more information we have, the better the chances of identifying the problem(s).

Jenn

Here is more information regarding my tank. In regards to my LEDs, I was told by someone that one reason for the monti not to be colorful (white) is that I may have too much light. So I have decreased the percent strength of my lights.

Deep Blue Professional 65G Reef Ready
36x18x24
Proflex II Sump 17.2 gallons
ESHOPPS PSK75 in pump skimmer
Maxspect Razor R420R LED Light Fixture 16000k, 27 inches

Edit:

Tbub1221;909992 wrote: When I began checking my magnesium it took testing almost daily and dosing to get it up where I wanted it.
I dose every other day now and stay @11-1200 .
I dont add cal and mag at the same time , typically adding one to the sump and returning later for the other as per instruction on the bottles . But it depends on the methods of doseing , I think ppl that put it in there top off water mix it all but I don't suggest that method.

Adjusting cal and alk will drop ph FYI.

IMO if your only looking at calcium every 3 weeks then that's a lot of the problem until your stable where you want you should be looking at it daily or every other atleast.

Also weekly water change should bring mag to usable levels.
I don't know your understanding of water chemistry so if you already know this, forgive the explanation. Alk/PH go hand in hand, Mag/Cal go hand in hand and they all work in what is called synergism. When I experimented with raising my Mag to 1500 ppm I had to get the Cal to 480-500 ppm to "hold the Mag. The ratio for Cal to Mag is accepted as 1:3. The Mag should be close to 3X the Cal.

Your test kits will need to be quality , if its inaccurate there is hardly a point to check it so invest in a good magnesium kit , I personally like red sea , its a bit involved compared to some test but very accurate.
Just don't dose anything unless your sure of your lvls.

Here is a good dosing calculator that may be of assistance to you in the near future.

Thanks for the explanation regarding the water chemistry, i was sort of aware and that is part of my uncertainty. If they go hand in hand, then it would seem that you would need to dose in close proximity to each other. If you can't really raise calc without Mag, and can't raise Mag without calc, well it seems that one is screwed. So it would seem that there would be a proper order.

I have been placing in my top off water, but have been doing so one at a time as opposed to mixing in one top off.

 

[jennm]

What does your temperature run, and how many hours is your photoperiod?

White Montipora is probably dead or dying. If there's pale (original) colour it might come back if the problem is resolved. If it's white just around the edges, that's probably new growth, but I suspect that's not what you are describing here.

Browning can be for a variety of reasons too - but unless there's something else you haven't mentioned, it could be light. LED does not have to be high-wattage, just the right spectrum(s). It takes little LED power to match the Par of more traditional lighting.

One example - we replaced 250 W MH on a 210g tank a while back, and using AI Sols, they only needed to be at 30% to match the par of the MH at the bottom of the tank - and that's a deep tank. I think sometimes people overdo the LEDs and the corals can't quite take the sudden increase in light, and in fact they can be "overloaded".

Jenn