Tissue on candy canes

[debdp]

I noticed on my kryptonite candy canes the green is all the way on the tube to the rock. On some of my other candy canes I noticed on a few the tissue is only close to the head but the remaining tube is bare. Is that a sign something's wrong if the tissue is receding away from the tube and only around the head of the coral?

 

[Reefmike]

If there was tissue and it has receded then that could be an issue. If it just hasn't started growing yet give it time and make sure all your params are good. Do you feed them?

 

[debdp]

@Reefmike wrote:

Yes I target feed them at night about once a week, but I feed "the tank" every night with with Reef Nutrition Oyster feed and 3 times a week with some coral food mix at night as well.

What prompted the question was somebody was selling kryptonite candy canes and I noticed there was only green up around the head area. But looking at mine the tissue pretty much covers the whole tube down to the rock as well. But on my pale green candy canes some tissue is only around the head where on others it covers the tube. The purple candy canes the tissue is only around the head. So I became concerned that receding tissue could be a sign of something lacking, ie water quality issues that are not showing up on tests, not enough feeding.

 

[Reefmike]

You could target feed them more often. What are your calcium, alkalinity, & magnesium levels?

 

[debdp]

@Reefmike wrote:

This is in my new 40 so I'm monitoring those parameters really close. Last night the Calcium was at 460 and Alk was at 8. The test was taken at midnight. My last Mg test was 2 weeks ago at 1380. I drip B-ionic at night mixed in RO water so it drips all night. pH has been a steady 8.0. I am looking into doing additional kalk drip since I'll be moving in my other SPS as the tank matures. Even with my older tank, these were pretty much the same parameters. Alk has rarely ever gone up to 9. This new tank started with Alk of 12 and when I moved the huge monti cap in it started going down quick and I can only maintain an alk of 8.0 using B-ionic and water changes. The candy canes were in the old system as well and the parameters were pretty much the same. Could it be that over a long period of time that low alk could be just now affecting them?

 

[Reefmike]

Your alk/ca balance is a good deal off. With ca at 460ppm the balanced alk would be ~14dkh. I would ease up on the calcium a little bit. With a dkh of 9 the balanced ca is around 425ppm. It wouldn't hurt to bump up the pH to 8.2 - 8.4

 

[debdp]

I've been trying to do that. I'm only putting the recommended 1 ml for every 4 gallons of calcium on the b-ionic calcium potion, but full 1 ml per gallon on the alk portion of b-ionic. Hence the reason for the nightly testing. I"ve been reading on Kalk drip to raise the pH and keep it more stable.

How do you know what a "balance" between alk & ca is? Is there a chart that says if your CA is 420 then your Alk should be X dkh?

 

[Reefmike]

I use this calculator.

 

[bimmerzs]

Hi,

Keep in mind that the bionic 2-parts are not designed to raise ca or alk, only to maintain them. I would suggest getting a small jar of Kents superbuffer and use that to adjust your alk levels. After they are adjusted you will need to recompute your tanks consumption levels and then dose accordingly. The instructions are just meant to be a general guideline, since consumption varies tank to tank.


Cheers,

 

[debdp]

@bimmerzs wrote:

I have superbuffer but have been afraid to use it because if I remember correctly I thought it said something about not to use other products with b-ionic, although it did mention using kalk drip along with b-ionic unless I misread. Otherwise, if it is okay, I have both Kent's Super Buffer and Salifert Buffer as I use those on my soft coral tanks when needed.

ReefMike, thanks for the calculator link.

I took another reading this afternoon when I saw the pH meter at it's highest level, and the alk was at 9 dkH, pH was at 8.15 and CA was still 460.

 

[debdp]

Okay here's what I'm talking about with regard to tissue recession. The second picture is the worst looking to me. And that's where I was wondering if that's signs of something lacking on candy canes. Mine aren't there, but some of my pale green ones are heading that way and until I saw the picture hadn't paid attention.

 

[Jeff]

I think it's a flow issue. My blue candy canes in high flow are just a mound of flesh on a bone stick and in high flow. I have some kryptonite that isn't getting direct flow and the flesh extends a bit father down the skeleton but not a lot.

Since you recently changed tanks the flow patterns obviously changed.

Here's my blue in high flow:

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