Acropora Bleaching

[Red-Sea]

Hi guys, as some of you already know I just switched from 90G. to 150G. tank, moved all my livestock & everything is doing great SPS/LPS/Softies/Zoo's except for my purple tip tri-color Acropora colony, it seemed fine the firse 5 days but since last Saturday I noticed some bleaching at few tips so I cut the bad branches out & put it back in the tank since then every day i notice 2 or 3 more branches are bleaching & it seems that it's starting at the base so cutting the tips off is not an option, I know it's probably too late to save the colony but just want to know what was the reason for this.
Tank parameters are as followed:
SG: 1.025
CA: 420
DKH: 13
Amonia: 0
Nitrate: 0.25
Phosphate: 0
Temp: 79-81
Lights: 2X110W Actinic + 3X250W 10K Halides + 2X25W Moonlights.

The only thing I could think of is the lightning change causing this, since in my previous tank they were lit by 2X110W Actinics & 2X175W 10K halides, but I started 4 hours period for Halides even now after 10 days it's still at 5-1/4 hour period.
Any input & suggestions are greatly appriciated, since I don't have lots of hope for this colony to make it but maybe in the future I can avoid doing the same mistake...

[ScottM]

Sounds almost like a slow-motion RTN event. Why is fragging not an option?

Can you see how the tissue is coming off the skeleton? Is it sloughing off or just slowly disappearing? Are you running carbon?

Scott

[Chrismo]

Just because your Acro is bleaching, doesnt necessarily mean it has RTN.
Sudden change, like your tank move might do it. Check that you have good flow too. I think I've read that sudden change in UV is more likely to cause Bleaching in SPS than light.

You could try some extra UV shielding.


G'luck.
Chris

[Red-Sea]

Scott, the reason I said fraging is not an option because the bleaching is started at the base, no matter how many frags that I cut they all died within 24 hours and the tissue is just disappearing nothing peeling, I started to use carbon since last sunday which is 3 days now.
Chris, I have lot's of water flow tank volume 13X return plus 4 powerheads @ 295GH each, it is very possible caused by UV or the light spectrum change.
Thanks for you inputs...

[Dman]

I had a chance to see Red-Sea's tank first hand today, thank you very much for your hospitality.
Definately not RTN, I've had it, that's not it.
I doubt it's the flow, looked pretty turbid in there.
Must be something else, could be the new lights, but the photo period for acclimatization was gradual enough.
Got me..
Dman
:spin:

[afss]

Its weird how some corals just up and decide to bleach. I am sure its related to your recent move, but if all the water parameters are near the same and the corals are recieveing near the same light then you got me. Is it just bleaching, is the tissue still there? if so there is a chance that it will come back. Do you have any of those little red bugs they talk about on RC?

Scott

[ScottM]

There's plenty of unexplained happenings in reefs and even more in reef tanks.

Do you have another tank to try your acro in? Would you try dipping to see if it will arrest any bacterial infections?


Just because your Acro is bleaching, doesnt necessarily mean it has RTN.


no matter how many frags that I cut they all died within 24 hours and the tissue is just disappearing nothing peeling
If the tissue is actually gone, it's not bleached.

Has there been any changes in alkalinity or temp swings outside standard day/night cycles?

I had an acro colony slowly dissolve from the base up in the past - it took nearly a week before it was very noticeable. I fragged and saved one part by moving it as far from the mother colony as possible - any other frags died as did the mother colony.

Hopefully whatever has started with your colony will stay with just that colony.

Best of luck...

Scott