jaggedfire Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 It doesnt seem like I can catch a break lately. I recently got the 25g tank setup with a sump and dosing system to stabilize the alk and calcium levels. This is working incredibly well despite a long time to setup and tweak. I did notice my birds nest to start receding at the base about a month ago (slowly) and thought it might be not enough light as it is in a shaded spot. I am not so sure now as I have moved the colony slightly and the 'shadier' spots darkened up. BUT...the STN seems to have accelerated once the dosing has been online and alk is more stable. Params: 9/11/2012 API ph:8.1 Alk: 9 Nitrate:0 Phos: >0, <.25 Red Sea Test Alk: 10.0 Cal: 435 Mg: 1560 Salinity: 1.025 Temp: 81 I am seeing much better coloration in my acros and monti's and the hyacinth BN, as well as excellent polyp extension in all....but this guys seems to be getting too much light. Is this a catalyst for RTN? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juiceman Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 Mine has flourished where there is low light. Does your temperature change a lot throughout the day? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 They're evtremely hardy, but also the pickiest SPS i've dealt with. I've had several STN with no apparent cause with very sensitive acros doing just fine. If you don't get their placement correct from the start, there's a good chance of losing the coral completely. There was an article in advanced aquarist some time back and they said they are one of the slowest corals in adapting and to move them if they aren't growing like a weed. http://www.advanceda...rent-conditions Just based on observation, I completely agree with it. I had a small pink one for more than a year with almost no growth. Moved it to higher light and flow and it's softball size in 6 months. Had a green one that was huge and when I switched tanks, I couldn't get it happy and eventually ended up losing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaggedfire Posted September 20, 2012 Author Share Posted September 20, 2012 It has grown from 3 1" pieces into a colony(ies) totaling the size of two softballs. But once the coral load was high, it seemed to slow in growth and I couldnt keep up with the alk swings. I cant discount the age of my bulbs being a huge factor here either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaggedfire Posted September 20, 2012 Author Share Posted September 20, 2012 On another bummer note, I lost another tang today.....this tank falling apart has really !@#$ed up my everything lately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niko's Reef Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 Hope things turn around for u. When it rains it pours. Good luck with it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaggedfire Posted September 27, 2012 Author Share Posted September 27, 2012 I ended up fragging the entire colony Tuesday night by cutting above dying parts. Wed morning the remains were completely bleached but I now have ~20 large frags of SA BN that seem to be healthy. I will be keeping a close eye on these for the next few weeks to see what might be happening and ensure this does not spread. So far though, it is only this one type of BN as I have 3 and nothing else in the tank is affected. Of note, the last few days the necrosis seemed to accelerate rapidly. The only thing I can come up with are the lack of trace elements in the water or light spectrum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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