Who Gives A Fish Forums

I'm having a bit of trouble identifying burned tips on my corals and I was hoping someone could share some clear pictures to help me out. I've been dosing vinegar for about three weeks now, and I'm pretty sure I'm seeing some burned tips on two of my pieces - my ORA pearlberry and monti verrucosa. It's similar to STN, but it's only affecting the tips of a couple corallites.

The problem is, most of the photos I've found online are way too blurry and aren't really helping me get a good understanding of what I'm looking for. Has anyone else dealt with this issue and have some decent pics to share?

I'm also interested in seeing some clear pics of burned tips. I've got a couple corals showing a slight STN issue, just at the tips.

Alk spikes can cause that issue you're seeing. When dosing, it's generally recommended to keep alk below 9 dkh. I've noticed that whenever my alk approaches 9, my acros get stressed - they start sliming at the tips, which is usually followed by stn at the tips, or what you're referring to as "burnt tips".

Another thing to consider is that when you start carbon dosing, it can really clarify your water, allowing more light to penetrate. This might be worth keeping in mind, as it's possible to inadvertently light burn a few tips, especially when you're just starting out with this method.

alk's gotta be around 8 for ulns, in my experience. if there's some nutrients in the water, higher alk isn't as likely to burn tips. i've learned that keeping alk stable is key, can't have it bouncing around. had issues with gfo alk swings causing this too.