[ilovemash]

Hey everyone I was wondering if anyone could give me som info on why my Purple Rim Monti is browning out. My Nitrates are 5ppm, phos. 0ppm, Ammonia 0ppm, everything else is within normal levels. My salinity is a little on the high end. I do weekly water changes. Oh and it is under Power Compacts (4x96 watts) but it is at the very top of the tank. I have two other montis that are doing fine its just this one.

Anyone have any info?

[e_baer]

What exactly is your SG?

And what kind of flow does it get?

Also, What (k) are your bulbs?

[ilovemash]

It gets pretty high flow, actually very high flow. the bulbs are 10k's and the SG is 1.027, I should also note that the two other monti caps are fine!

[pogodzib]

By browning out, do you mean that the purple rim is disappearing or the whole coral is darkening? From my experience, the purple rim will decrease in width if the coral growth rate slows down due to lower light levels or some water parameters. What are your pH, calcium, magnesium, and alkalinity levels at?

BTW - Your SG is a tad high. I'd gradually lower it to 1.025

[ilovemash]

ya ive normally kept it at 1.024
pH=8.2
Calc=420
Alk=9 dKH....I believe
The purple rim is still there, its the green part that is browning out

[Snowboarda42]

It might just be adjusting to your lighting. If its browning and lightening up, it might be too close to lights. If its browning and darkening, it might be a water issue, try getting your PO4 sample from really close to your rocks, as phosphate is absorbed by live rock. Also, make sure its getting enough water flow around it (whats your turnover rate?). Consider getting a fixture with some sort of actinics as well, as they can make your colors come out a little bit more than just 10k's. Also, I would bring that SG up to about 1.026. Its nothing life threatening, just a little more "idea" to most. Do it S L O W L Y...

[reefcouple]

if you can keep your calcium level up to around 350-450 your magnesium should be fine..

also, do you possibly have a fish picking at it? sometimes i will move a piece of coral thats not doing so well and it starts to thrive again in its new home... just an idea that im sure you tried already

[NYreefNoob]

phos is never zero, keeping cal up doesnt keep mag up, if you are going to start keeping sps need to keep cal around 420-450, mag 1350 dkh 8-11, and have alot of flow

[mcintosh]

How long have you had this monti? IME montis brown under high phosphates. Are you using a Merck or Colorimeter to measure phos? Salifert and the like simply get you close, but not zero. I second the check the phos level close to the rock as that can be a real source of phos.

Light probably isn't the issue, however, how old are the lights? Are they due?