Montipora slowly fading

[Fishguy2727]

I have had the 45 gallon tank running for almost two years. I have had montipora in there for about a year. They are not growing like weeds but are growing. Most seem to develop very bright coloration but then the fluorescence slowly fades (not browning out). Now some of them are almost white. They continue to grow and the fading is going very slowly, over months, so I don't think it is bleaching of any kind.

I use Brightwell: Reef Code A and B, Magnesion, Zooplanktos L, Phytochrom, KoralColor, Replenish, and Restor. I feed New Life Spectrum Thera+A, Hikari Rotifers, and H2O Oyster Eggs.

If this coincides with any changes it is when I first ran out of KoralColor. I tried to not use it because I didn't think it was doing much, but that was about the time the fading became more noticeable.

Since I have had the montipora I have switched from a 2x96watt compact fixture to a 4x96watt compact fixture. Overall everything is doing very well. I have a Derasa and a crocea clam, both have been in the tank for months, both are growing well and are very colorful. My LPS (Frogspawn Euphyllia, Fungia, Cycloseris, and Symphyllia) are all doing well. Mushrooms, Zoanthids, Ricordea, etc. are all doing well (but not too well).

Thanks in advance.

[labnjab]

What kind of montipora? Caps, branching, or encrusting. Before i got a tank with halides i never had very good luck with montiporas. They would live for a few months then slowly die. Under or halides they grow like weeds.

Do you have any other sps? If so how are they doing? Do you notice anything crawling on them at night that maybe consuming them? We can rule out light because you clams are doing good.

Im no expert but if i had to guess, could it be excess nutrients, like phosphate. Most lps, clams and softies all like higher nutrient levels and most sps dont.

What coral are near by, it could also be some type of warefare, either chemical or physical ( with sweepers). Any leathers?

[Fishguy2727]

No phosphate or nitrate. Nothing nearby (some are on racks with nothing else around at all and it is happening to all of the montis in the tank). No leathers. I have the following montis: red and green cap, rainbow, superman, and purple polyped yellow.

I don't have any other SPS, I just like the montis.

The chaeto in my fuge barely grows because there is so little nitrate and phosphate available.

[labnjab]

Thats just odd. I've never seen that happen. Ill talk to a few people in my local reef club who are really knowledgable with sps and see what they think. Whats your calcium, alk, and ph?

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

I've heard of issues like this with some of the Brightwell products. Some people really like them, but I have heard of reports where people had SPS just bleach out on them for no apparent reason. They stopped the use of Brightwell products and things improved.

You say your are dosing, but how frequent are your water changes? How large are they, and what kind of salt are you using?

[Fishguy2727]

I use Tropic Marin salt for weekly five gallon water changes at 1.025.

I have been researching and have found a few possibilities. One is the lack of actinic (new bulbs needed). Another is lack of Potassium (they actually specified the use of Brightwell's Potassion as improving things). One person even said the use of iodine improved things.

Calcium is 450, Alkalinity is 12, pH is 8.3.

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

I'd put the lack of actinic as being the least likely of the issues. There is still much debate about it, but the use of actinic bulbs has not been directly linked to photosynthetic invertebrate health at all.
Iodine would actually be my first guess. I dosed Iodine regularly with my SPS and had no problems with bleaching.

[Fishguy2727]

Actinic causes more coloration though. For example corals under 6500K are very brown but grow better. They get the energy they need without having to 'tan'. The higher the Kelvin rating the more they need to protect themselves so the more pigment they create (the more coloration). They are still growing very well but their color has faded to almost white.

The purple monti (aka purple haze and purple nurple) is still fully colored.

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Coloration of SPS has a lot more to do with the availability of the proper elements in the water then it does lighting. While lighting can help, it's not the primary factor in coloration. sufficient lighting period will help coloration. I've seen tanks with no actinics on them at all and the color would blow you away, the bulb was a single 250w 12000K MH but the guy did his regular water changes and IIRC he didn't dose anything but he had some of the most incredible SPS I've ever seen, including some Idaho Grape that would make most people jealous.

I say all that to say that it is far more likely a matter of something lacking or being in abundance in your water that is creating your problems.

[labnjab]

I'd put the lack of actinic as being the least likely of the issues.

I 2nd that. We don't run any actinics, just 2x250 watt 14000K halides for 12 hours a day and have some incredible color.