Problems with LPS

[laostitan]

I have a green star polyp and some candy cane under 260 watt PC's.... I purchased the tank from a friend and not really sure how old the lights are.. My question. can this affect the coral or cause bleaching? B/C as of right now, the green star polyps are bleaching and not really extending.
light are on for 9hrs a day
S/g 1.026
Calcium 420
Ammn 0
nit- 0
basically all my parm are in check.... Just needing some help on this one... can level be a issue b/c both sit mid level..

[boxerzz]

how deep is yoru tank? If it is the light, reduce the light and slowly increase it.

[laostitan]

well i have a 55gallon. What do u mean by reduce the light and slowly increase it? Or how do u do that? Do u mean, cut the light down to 4 hrs, then maybe a week later increase to 6hr, and then to 9hrs... or should i just buy new bulbs and leave them on for 9hrs. if so, will this cause the bleaching to get worse?

[killagoby]

The corals might be bleaching because of the light. Move them to the bottom of the tank and reduce the time the lights are on for about 4 weeks. I just had the same problem with my new Solaris fixture. I don't think I'll ever be able to run those day lights on 100% because they bleached my 2 brains.

[GoingPostal]

I really can't imagine gsp bleaching under pcs, especially in a deep tank, I did no acclimation at all for mine when I switched from pcs to 150 halide in a very shallow tank and they couldn't care less, I would suspect the bulbs are old and they aren't getting enough light or something off in the tank water. Any temp swings or changes lately?

[laostitan]

Well nothing major! About 2 mnts ago, i had a faulty Coralife Digital temp that was giving me the wrong Temp... So i set the temp 2 high, for about 1 week, now everything is back in line... other than that, Nothing else that i could think of... So do u guy think it will be safe to change out the light as a safety measure...

[seapug]

GSP will often stay closed for weeks when introduced to a new tank. As long as the mat isn't dissolving or being overrun with hair algae they are fine and will take over your tank in no time.

[killagoby]

Key words in the last post are "take over". lol.

[samb]

I don't have a GSP but I do have a candy cane. In my 60g (15" deep), I had the same lighting and the candy cane was dying, my bubble coral never fully inflated.

Several l weeks ago, I doubled my lighting to 8X 65w PCs, and the candy cane is recovering nicely (I have it at mid-level) and the bubble coral (placed on the bottom), could be called a 'pillow' coral, as the bubbles are huge. I've since added a number of other LPSs, and they are thriving.

[killagoby]

My baby blue Candy Canes did great in my old 29 gallon and then one day they just went south. I could never figure out why. They were the only LPS in the tank at the time that met their demise. From what I know of LPS's such as Candy Canes and Bubbles it is intense, direct flow that bothers them the most.

[laostitan]

well, what i have now are 4x65 PC's... The Strange thing that im trying to figure out is the fact that my buddy had the same setup, same coral and his was doing fine.... Now that i have his setup, the GSP is not doing so well. Everything else is doing fine, from the Coraline algae growth - to filter feeders... I hate to think its the lights, but as of right now, its my last opt. and killa Goby, Ur right, candy canes hate Direct Flow... that ways i say " My Tank and me have a love hate relationship"

[rickyfins]

You didn't mention your alk level. This should be tested regularly too. Any idea where it is at?

[killagoby]

Yea, how old are your lightbulbs? Where's your alk? How's your phosphates?

[rickyfins]

I knew there was something I forgot, Phosphate would be great to know as well. I wouldn't think that they would bleach out being at that level in the tank. The last thing you want to do is move an already stressed coral. If it was doing fine where it was for an extended period of time, DON'T MOVE IT. You will only make it stress more.

When was the last time you tore apart your skimmer and cleaned it well? What is your maint. Routine?

Give some more specifics on the system and an accurate diagnosis should not be too far off.

[laostitan]

well as far as ALK I have no clue... I took a water sample to the LFS and was told everything was perfect... Guessing that they did the most important test on the water... as far as my testing goes...everything is fine.. Phosphate is around 0.4.... RickyFins.. about moving the GSP... I did it the other day to move it out of Koralia 3 flow... Right now... i doing anything possible to bring this baby back... ? about Skimmer... Well since u said something, its my the first thing i plan to do... I really don't clean it much.. b/c everytime i do.. it take a week to get back on schld... Maint. routine... 5 gallon every week or 7 every 2 weeks... i have a DSP.. so levels arent really effected by the extra week... are the GSP known to be a very difficult to keep????

[rickyfins]

NO, GSP are easy to keep. Unless the flesh is falling apart it is still alive. It may be going through one of those dormant/ shedding phases. This happens on occasion to rid its skin of excess algae/detritus/dirt.

How old is this system? I am assuming not very old because of your questions. I actually should ask how old is the DSB? After about 8 years they usually tank for most aquarists, it is a well documented occurance and should be more understood and researched to understand why.

Since I am not happy about the DSB issues, I have eliminated them from my systems until I understand the issues with them better. They require maint. on occasion, addition of sand as they get less deep, and often have dead spots, etc. If I were to employ sand again, I would opt for a plenum as this nearly eliminates any issues with a fouling DSB!

Good luck I hope things turn around.

[laostitan]

Great point.. Well the guy i purchased the system from has a BB.. when the setup was sold to me... It was only dry goods.. the 55gal has been setup for a little over 6mnts... The DSB was from the LFS and the Live rock from a 3 year old tank... I had the system running for about 4 mnts b4 adding the GSP and Candy... i noticed a downward trend once i started adding,... Reef complete, phytoplex, and micro-vert..

[rickyfins]

Then stop adding things to the system bud. This is your key signal.

You noticed it when... fill in blank...

Thats exactly when I stop doing something. I hopefully figure it out before that though. I would dose less after a cessation period. Do a few water changes and turn up the skimmer. Add carbon if you haven't done so and things should spring back rather quickly.

I hope this helps even more.

[killagoby]

Stop adding additives to the tank. It's excess nutrients your system does not need. Right now just dose for alk and calcium.

[laostitan]

Thanks for the Help... I was driving myself crazy over it... If everything gets better ill post an update... thanks again.. KillaGoby and Rickyfins

[rickyfins]

no problem, anytime!

[killagoby]

You are welcome!