Corals Dying

[Moogled]

Hey guys, thanks for all the replies.

I upgraded to these Tek Lights under the promise of better growth because the bulbs have better PAR. Switching back to the Coralife T5s wouldn't make it better because those are fairly weak lights to begin with.

I'm beginning to think it's a chemistry issue because I have a Gorgonian frag that's been growing steadily with superb polyp extension (the frag is 3 inches long now and the polyps are nearly an inch when extended). Some corals do "good", some flat out die on me.

The other coral that seems to do well is GSP, which has quadrupled its surface area in my tank (started as a frag too).

I've taken a look at some of the chemistry articles provided here on Canreef (like balancing Ca and Alk) and I think that's what I should dwell into to improve coral health, but everything seems so steep and technical.

Where do I start? Should I change the way my setup is run?

[andsoitgoes]

Not to go backwards, but if the only thing you've changed is your lights and the corals were doing fine before that change, that's the one big thing that strikes me as a concern. How did you acclimate to the light change?

Going from PC to MH offers an increase in PAR, but if you switch from PC to MH without any adjustment, it can result in a wide range of problems. Maybe the SPS are using up more CA to grow faster in the higher provision of light, same with alk/etc. Maybe it's a combo?

[Der_Iron_Chef]

Maintaining CA & ALK hasn't been too difficult for me. The only times it's difficult is when I'm lazy and haven't taken the time to figure out how much is being used/how much to dose. Now I've settled into a pretty regular routine and I test sporadically. I don't have a calcium or kalk reactor, but dose with Turbo Calcium and Kent Superbuffer.

[Moogled]

Nick, you might be on the right track.

I put the Tek Light on the tank and fired 2 of the 4 bulbs on for about three days, then put all bulbs on.

Corals dying over time has always been an occurrence for me. Corals just won't do well for some reason.

[Der_Iron_Chef]

Have you always had that problem? Corals slowly dying?

[Moogled]

Yup. Some live (GSP, donut, gorg, scolymia). Others die.

[michika]

I'm guessing its either lighting, or something in the water your not testing for. What kind of water are you using?

[Der_Iron_Chef]

Interesting. But your fish thrive?

[Moogled]

Yeah. I've had a pair of percs for a year, a Lubbock's wrasse and some other fish that show good signs of health. I won't list the others for the sake of avoiding a debate about my fish husbandry.

I recently had an outbreak of hair algae too, does that mean anything?

[Ruth]

I suspect that you probably have a water quality issue. The corals that you say seem to do well for you are ones that tolerate a less than pristine environment. If you have a large fish bioload you are going to have nutrient issues with your water. It's not a big deal but you have to decide what you want more - lots of fish or more delicate coral.