Lightning mistake...need help

[SweetReefOH]

I regret that I have to post this but I need some advice. I think I made a very stupid/rookie mistake and changed my lighting settings too fast and now I’m having STN on almost all my acros. Need guidance/reassurance at this point.

I was using the AB+ settings from Radion (I think that’s who wrote the article) since October 4th. My Corals we’re doing great even thru the magnesium issue in Oct. Here are those lighting settings for my AI Primes....
UV=119%
Violet=116%
Royal Blue=80%
Blue=80%
Cool White=100%

Like a rookie, I made the decision to change the last 3 hours of my photo period to try to get better coloration.
UV=115%
Violet=100%
Royal Blue=105%
Blue=105%
Cool white=90%

This was on for about 3 days and I started noticing STN on my green slimer. Next day was worse and my Mille started STN. I didn’t think it could be caused by the light so I was testing everything frantically. Everything was stable. However, My alk dosing has had to come down to 95mL/day (from 160) to stay under dKh 10. I finally came to the conclusion that the lights are burning the Corals and I put the lighting back to my October numbers. But the last two days the STN has continued and it’s effecting more Corals. My first instinct is to bring the cool white down to 70%. But then I wonder if I’m losing too much PAR. Please let me know what you guys think. I’d like to try to save as much as I can. All my LPS and softies are fine. Just my SPS : (

[Wall_Tank]

Not familiar with the settings on your lights.  How can you have a setting >100%?  What is the max scale?  But 15% in LED world is pretty significant change.  I only moved my settings about 5% at a time.

As for where to go that's really hard to say.  I would turn everything down,  UV and Blue still give off alot of light.....just in a spectrum that looks different to you.  STN is a real problem, as it can go to RTN real quick.   If the STN doesn't stop, then you might have to try something drastic and clip the burn tips.

[SweetReefOH]

AI allows you to divert power from another color to go over 100% without burning out the  LED. I have red and green at 4% each. The max is different for each channel. 119% is max for UV.

So if I bring everything down 15-20 % you think that would help stop the burning? And at this point don’t worry about the drop in PAR?

[Heinbaughb]

Could you have accidentally dropped something metal in your tank? Also make sure what ever you’re using to check salinity is calibrated.


120 gallon mixed reef.

[CoralBeauties]

When I upgraded my leds with stronger drivers and more leds I cranked them up full power without even thinking and the same thing happened to me.  It continued no matter what I did.  I lost a lot of coral and damaged a lot of colonies.  I would bring down your alk though.  My max I try to never go above is 9.  I believe natural sea levels are in the 7.7 range.
Jeff

[lazylivin]

Is the tissue loss occurring from the coral tips or the base?

[SweetReefOH]

When I upgraded my leds with stronger drivers and more leds I cranked them up full power without even thinking and the same thing happened to me.  It continued no matter what I did.  I lost a lot of coral and damaged a lot of colonies.  I would bring down your alk though.  My max I try to never go above is 9.  I believe natural sea levels are in the 7.7 range.
Jeff

Thanks Jeff. I am decreasing it slowly each day since the Corals aren’t consuming it at the normal rate.

[SweetReefOH]

Is the tissue loss occurring from the coral tips or the base?

The green slimer, Mille and passion fruit are spotty all over. The other Corals that aren’t as bad are just showing burn spots on the end of the branch. Also, the color has faded tons.

[SweetReefOH]

I have my light intensity set for 20% less light starting today. Is that going to cause more trouble?

[CoralBeauties]

When I saw stn from my lighting it was a base up issue, tip tissue loss I believe is from high alk.
Random spots might be pest issues. The spots aren't bite marks are they? I've dealt with acro eating flat worms before and it really stinks. Take a turkey baster and blast off the affected coral and watch for anything to blow off it. They will look like a tiny flat piece of tissue floating in the water.
Jeff

[SweetReefOH]

Well I guess I’ll just find out if the 20% drop had more negative impacts when get home tonight.

Jeff, I read an article while researching this scenario. What I got from it is zoanthellae can be compared to “sunscreen” for the coral. If you change the lighting too abruptly, the coral may expel the zoanathellea. Therefore the coral has no protection against the lighting. With me already having an ULNS, I think I burnt the Corals. I have been maintaining my alk between 9.5-10 for months, so I wouldn’t expect it to be alk burn. Unless there’s a correlation to the lighting....I don’t know

[Heinbaughb]

I was reading the old TOTQ posts, there is a lot of experience on this forum. You might be entirely right about the sudden change in lighting causing the damage but I'd recommend posting a picture if you can.  If only to make sure everything else can be ruled out such as pests/alk swing/ etc.

[SweetReefOH]

This is the slimer on November 19th


This is the slimer on the 24th. 4 days after the lighting change


This is the slimer Monday

[jbanion]

I have been running a AI prime HD for 5 1/2 months now. This is my schedule Ive been using simce the beginning. Every is coloring and growing nicely !

[jbanion]

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