Bleaching SPS

[Lenny718]

Hey guys I'm having a bleaching problem with the SPS in my tank. I'm not new to keeping SPS but just started adding them to my current tank. I have a JBJ 45g cube and for lighting I'm using the AI Hydra 26 and its mounted 12" above the water level. Originally I had the light settings as follows: 60% cool white 100% Deep blue 100% royal blue 70% violet 15% red and green and 20% UV. My magnificent anemone and my LPS loved those settings but it didn't seem like the SPS did even on the sandbed. When I noticed the SPS corals whiting and bleaching at the tips and cut the whites back down to 20% and left the other settings alone. Can to high of a blue spectrum cause coral bleaching? Also my parameters are:

Cal 450
Alk 9 Dkh
Mag 1400
Ph 8.1
Nitrate .05 ppm
0 ammonia and nitrite

I should also add that I carbon dose with Vodka and I'm working to get my Alk a lite lower to around 8 cause I read that high Alk while vodka dosing can cause issues.

Any help would be appreciated

 

[piranhapat]

You may not be new to SPS. But are your SPS new to your LED lights. They might need to be adjust To lower setting. . Blues will help than to adjust if they came from other lighting. What about your phosphate.

 

[Lenny718]

Honestly I'm not sure about my PO4. I don't have a Hanna meter and I don't trust the ApI, Red Sea etc. I need to bring a water sample to a LFS that has a Hanna. I never used tap water but I do feed heavily since its encouraged with Vodka dosing.

 

[JBNY]

Nitrates and PO4 generally are not going to cause your SPS to bleach. Could be the LEDs, many people have problems with LED bleaching their SPS. I can't help you on the setting for your lights I run MH. I would also work to lower your alk to 8 or slightly lower and see if that helps your problem as well.

 

[Lenny718]

Nitrates and PO4 generally are not going to cause your SPS to bleach. Could be the LEDs, many people have problems with LED bleaching their SPS. I can't help you on the setting for your lights I run MH. I would also work to lower your alk to 8 or slightly lower and see if that helps your problem as well.

Thank you, I also didn't think it was a PO4 issue either and I'm leaning towards "shocking" them and not properly acclimating them to the light. The whites are currently at a very low setting and I'll gradually raise them according to how the corals respond. My question now is can the blues being at 100% also cause bleaching or is it mainly the whites that harm them? Also do SPS ever recover after being bleached? I know they wouldn't if they were totally bleached but maybe the ones that are only slightly?

 

[piranhapat]

I had growth grow over the dead tissue on some of my SPS. But had a few that needed to be cut. I would cut back on blue a little and slowly bring than up. I would say it's LED lights. I just frag a few from my DT and place them in frag tank which is tap into DT same water. Notice a few bleaching and frag tank has LED lights. Your Alk is ok as long it doesn't change rapidly. Phosphate won't bleach them. But add stress and could effect tissue. Which may react to LED lights.

 

[JBNY]

Thank you, I also didn't think it was a PO4 issue either and I'm leaning towards "shocking" them and not properly acclimating them to the light. The whites are currently at a very low setting and I'll gradually raise them according to how the corals respond. My question now is can the blues being at 100% also cause bleaching or is it mainly the whites that harm them? Also do SPS ever recover after being bleached? I know they wouldn't if they were totally bleached but maybe the ones that are only slightly?

Personally I think it is the LED of other channels red/whites etc that cause the bleaching. But I do not run LED on my tanks, so people with more experience might want to chime in. I do have reefbrite strips on my DT and run them at 100% and have never had any issues with corals.

SPS can recover from being bleached. If you have some coloration in the color left it is mostly a matter of time for it to color up. the bigger problems are when it bleaching so bad that you start to see algae in the skeleton, then it is tough to bring them back but I have done it in the past.

 

[bklynreef]

Your over all intensity should be at 50%-60% and on new corals mabe even half that for a few weeks climbing up on intensity slowly every 2-3 days untill you see them handling the light. Try to run a 20K program, It reduces the white leds to a minimal. If you have a frag tank you should put all new corals there and acclimate them there until they are ready for your display tanks lights.

 

[Lenny718]

Thanks for the help guys. I'm now running 20% white, all blues at 80%, red&green at 10%, uv at 10% and violet at 20%. The tank now has a 20k look to it and I will be paying close attention to how the corals respond/recover. Thanks again

 

[Mattl22]

Lenny I have a 220 I run 3 radions and 2 250w mh pendants and I'm getting better color on a bunch of my acros under the radions I only run them at 55% intensity don't play with all the other colors or intensity too much corals take a much longer time to get used to LEDs a lot of sps Frags I add struggle In first few months but once settled I'm very happy with the results and will be selling my mh and replace ing them with 2 more radions
LEDs Ime can certainly color and grow sps but they r a little trickier I wasn't so quick to give up on the radions because they where so expensive
Any who good luck keep us posted

 

[MIKE NY]

I noticed there is no mention of temp.... it just something to think about because I know I just take for it for granted and I don't regularly check it because in all my years it's always between 78-82* depending on the time of year. I just recently had a few colonies not totally bleach out, but look very light and lost their color. I tested and everything was within normal ranges. My lighting has been the same so I thought why else could be because my temp has never been a problem, but during the summer months I only use one small heater just in case it does get cold. It stuck on and over a few days or longer without me realizing it my system reached 85*. I'm in the process now of slowly lowering it down again and hopefully they will recover, one of which is my prized 10"+ Shades of Fall.

 

[Lenny718]

I agree with the temp theory Mike but don't think it was an issue cause my tank runs at a steady 80 degrees.