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BobC63 
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Location: Lehi, UT
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 Topic: GFO Use and Coral Bleaching
Posted: February 26 2009 at 11:14pm |
I have heard before that if you use too much GFO (granulated ferric oxide) it can "shock" SPS corals... however, I have used GFO for a long time and never had an issue.
Until now (maybe)
I have 4 new SPS frags: A Yellow Porites, A Pink / Blue Acro, An Purple-rimmed Monti Cap, and an Orange Monti Cap. All were introduced within the past 2 weeks.
Last weekend I hooked up a GFO reactor with 454g of new GFO inside. It runs around 100 gph... up until then I had been running 200g of GFO inside a canister filter that ran at 240 gph.
Now it looks like my 2 Cap pieces are bleaching 
Interestingly enough, however, the Porites and the Acro look fine. All other SPS, LPS and softies unaffected. No changes to refugium macroalgeas or anything to suggest a drastic change in pO4 levels. Test kits have always read "0".No other changes in water quality or parameters to speak of.
Lighting-wise, all 4 of these pieces are around the same distance from the halides and in an area of similar flow...
Could the addition of a larger amount of GFO have caused the Caps (only) to bleach out?
Otherwise, I'm kinda stumped as to a cause 
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- My Current Tank: 65g Starfire (sitting empty for 2+ years) -
* Marine & Reef tanks since 1977 *
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tileman
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Posted: February 27 2009 at 12:44am |
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I think so. 6 months ago, I changed my rowaphos, and doubled the amount and lost 2 whole colonies over the next week. All the rest were fine, but 2 of mine that I had for over a year died. Yesterday I changed it again, but this time only used half the amount.
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335G Reef
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ReefKeepers TOTM Feb. 2012
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BobC63
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Posted: February 27 2009 at 12:45am |
Should I remove some of the GFO or leave as-is, since it doesn't seem to be bothering anything else?
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- My Current Tank: 65g Starfire (sitting empty for 2+ years) -
* Marine & Reef tanks since 1977 *
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tileman
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Posted: February 27 2009 at 8:20am |
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I would just leave it now. I would think the initial shock is over now.
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335G Reef
TOTM.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2015/2/aquarium
ReefKeepers TOTM Feb. 2012
http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index....k-of-the-month
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kgross
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Joined: September 20 2006
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Posted: February 27 2009 at 10:41pm |
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I would say the shock is over as well.
What many people believe is happening, is to fast of a drop in PO4. When you changed out the old media, it was partially exhausted allowing the PO4 level in the tank to raise. Then when you put the all the new media, the level dropped back down to very very low quickly, causing stress.
What I always suggest is when you first change media, turn the flow down to just a trickle for the first week, and then slowly turn it back up over another week to the normal level so you don't have that shock.
Stability is the key, and of course any fast change is bad in a reef tank.
Kim
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BobC63
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Posted: March 02 2009 at 4:52pm |
Yeah, I guess I learned that lesson... I'd be surprised if either of my Capricornus makes it 
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- My Current Tank: 65g Starfire (sitting empty for 2+ years) -
* Marine & Reef tanks since 1977 *
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kgross
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Posted: March 02 2009 at 5:11pm |
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If you come up to Idaho for the reef tour, I will give you a frag of a nice red cap to help get you restarted..
Kim
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Mike Savage
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Posted: March 02 2009 at 5:13pm |
Now you have to go Bob!
Mike
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soundsurfer
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Posted: March 10 2009 at 10:22pm |
 YEah,
This picture was taken in november and it was way larger. My second biggest coral in my tank next to the plana right next to it....which i am probably going to loose. It had already made a huge table and was awesome.....now there is a big whole...in my heart and tank
i just lost a huge Plana tabling coral about 8x8. (of course my favorite piece) due to this. And another Plana right next to it has had zero polyp extension and it is normally the most extended. Im expecting to loose that one as well. Nothing else seems affected. Oh well, bummed out. As soon as i saw it i thought it was for sure from the phosguard, then i asked bob in his build thread, but i guess this is part of it here. Yeah, i took it offline for a day, and then i just put it back on. Figured whats done is done.
Edited by soundsurfer - March 10 2009 at 10:27pm
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