Help me figurure out my issue (4/19 New Sump?)

Browned corals, very close to in person color (notice how great the PE is though):

 

I honestly don't think your corals were getting enough light. To couple that with your apparent chemistry issues......bad situation. BTW, phoenix DE bulbs FTW if you are going to go that route.

 

Yeah, the perfect storm. Kind of surprised polyp extension was what it was and that nothing really suffered tissue loss, especially the sps.

I'll probably invest in a bulb around June. The Phoenix only comes in 14k?

 

Brown outs typically occur with lack of light or increased phosphate, or both. The brown is just the coral creating more symbiotic algae so that it can continue to feed and thrive. When we throw more light, the coral needs less because what is already there is producing plenty to sustain it. That's why "high light" bleaches and "low light" browns. There is a happy medium we have to find. I'm surprised as well. Everything has to be pretty stressed out. Please keep us update and by the way, your persistence is great.

 

Thanks, will do. Makes sense about brown outs vs. bleaching. I think I am just about at the point where I need to let things be and stabilize. I think my mag is in check, alk. is almost in check and I hope to have salinity verified and in check by weeks end. The lighting acclimation process should be done in 2 weeks as well. Hopefully we'll see results within the next 4-6 weeks.

I am starting to take weekly photos of the corals to compare growth going forward.

 

I slowly adjusted my salinity from 1.028 (which it was) to 1.025. The salinity must have been in the 1.030-1.032 range before the 50% water change. I must have changed out 1/4 gallon of salt water with RO/DI water too.

Pretty excited to have no readable nutrients (never did), salinity in check and top of the line lighting. Things should begin to take off.

 

My polyp extension is incredible today after the salinity change. I've never seen my corals with PE like this.

My alk. test must be off. It read 5.0 today and 4.0 after that. Either way, that's really high and when you consider I have done 11 gallons of water changes (out of 20, but probably 18-19 really) and replaced a 1/4 gallon of salt water with freshwater in the last week, you would think it would have dropped.

I can't imagine the PE would be this good with an alk. of 5.

 

IMO, everybody should have a refractometer with calibrating fluid. Should be the first question when there's a problem, as most people don't know how important it is.

Now that you have corrected that one "little" detail, im sure you will have great success.

 

Thanks barbianj. I do hope you're right.

 

I'm curious, how much will corals "color up" under halides? They're fairly brown, but fluoresce under moon lights. I am hoping that they color up naturally and not be "masked" by heavy blue lighting. Should I expect that to happen?