SPS question

[Oceanic]

When the tips alone are effected, this is often caused by a K+ imbalance or a generally too low nutrient situation that is not being supplemented by AAs and other organics. This often happens with to aggressive carbon filtration, but an overly efficient nutrient removal system in general will do it too.


Check your Potassium level!! buy a Kalium test kit. It should be at around 380.

[Snappy]

Originally Posted by Oceanic

When the tips alone are effected, this is often caused by a K+ imbalance or a generally too low nutrient situation that is not being supplemented by AAs and other organics. This often happens with a too aggressive carbon filtration, but an overly efficient nutrient removal system in general will do it, too.


Check your Potassium level!! buy a Kalium test kit. It should be at around 380.

I agree that is a great place to start.

[Oceanic]

Originally Posted by Snappy

I agree that is a great place to start.

[christyf5]

Interesting, I had this problem as well earlier this year. Just the tips were affected and I noticed on a couple of corals that I accidentally brushed up against that the tips were very crumbly not hard like they should have been. I also noticed that if I broke the tips off just to where the tissue was they'd heal up pretty quickly but then later on other ones would have the same issue. I can't remember what I chalked it up to at the time, low alk perhaps. Never thought of potassium but I think I might get a kit just to scope it out even though I'm not having the issues now.

I did add a bucket of Seachem into the mix at some point after this happened, maybe it has better K+ levels than IO on its own.

[Oceanic]

Seachem reef salt does have higher K+ than Instant Ocean. IME most peoples tanks are somewhat K+ deprived when using certain salts and nutrient reduction systems.

I highly recommend the KZ Kalium test kit even though it can be hard to read sometimes. Using ZEOvit Pohl's K-Balance STRONG Potassium is what I use to raise the potasium.

Originally Posted by christyf5

Interesting, I had this problem as well earlier this year. Just the tips were affected and I noticed on a couple of corals that I accidentally brushed up against that the tips were very crumbly not hard like they should have been. I also noticed that if I broke the tips off just to where the tissue was they'd heal up pretty quickly but then later on other ones would have the same issue. I can't remember what I chalked it up to at the time, low alk perhaps. Never thought of potassium but I think I might get a kit just to scope it out even though I'm not having the issues now.

I did add a bucket of Seachem into the mix at some point after this happened, maybe it has better K+ levels than IO on its own.

[niloc16]

thanks for the input guys. i never thought of potassium i need to get a kit. low nutrients! wow and i keep getting told i've over stocked the fish.

ph 8.0
mg 1380
ca 500
dkh 10
po4 slightly detectable with elos kit
no3 undetectable

i run a big bag of carbon all the time and i also run the phosban reactor full of rowaphos all the time. both are changed out roughly once a month or when i remember

the thing that sucks is that my favorite pieces of the ones effected, as usual!

[Ya Dude]

as precaution i would turn off carbon + phos ban for now

[Ya Dude]

also if you dont use Zeo theres no need to test for K
zeoliths are the cause of potassium depletion