Asking for help because I am at a complete loss

[Larry L]

There's research out there that shows that purple non-sulfur bacteria produce compounds that suppress Vibrio, and it is used for that purpose in e.g. shrimp aquaculture. If you haven't already nuked everything you might want to grab a bottle of PNS Probio (sold at @AlgaeBarn) and give that a try.

Edit: Plus, if it seems to help, then it would be super informative to the hobby if you got another Aquabiomics test done after some period of time to see if the balance shifted.

 

[MuscleBobBuffPants]

Reading for this evening for sure. Thanks for all the help by the way. This is the first time since I set the tank up that I feel like I have some clue of what is going on.

No problem! I'm happy to help out. I glad you finally have some idea as to what's going on in your tank.

After reading this it seems like the drying out of everything is probably even more important than the bleaching.

I'll have to make sure I do my best to get as much of the equipment and tank as dry as possible before restarting.

I wonder if Heat or airflow will be better for this. I'll send you a PM

 

[HWDylan]

Anyone have any ideas about how much bleach to use in a 350-400 gal system to nuke this bacteria into oblivion? I've seen the 1 cup/25gal rule before but was unsure if that's appropriate in this case.

I'd go overkill and use a 1 gal/25gal recipe but I don't know if that high of a concentration would have any lasting impacts.

 

[tripdad]

My daughter works in a lab that specializes in sterilization. They use a 5% bleach solution for general wipedown of surfaces. So maybe double that just to make sure since it will all be rinsed down afterward.

 

[Christopher Carey]

I am having nearly identical issues to what you've described @HWDylan...

Tank background: 130 gallon with 40 gallon sump, 100lbs MarcoRocks Reef Saver dry rock, 40lbs Carib-Sea arag-alive sand. I started my tank on July 24, 2019...went through a 3-month cycle (blacked out tank for a month, dosed Dr. Tim's, Microbacter7 and Prodibio throughout the 3-months, as well as added a table shrimp at beginning of cycle to feed the bacteria). Did not add a single fish until end of August 2019 (6 weeks into cycle). Fish added were 2X Percula Clowns, one Yellow Tang and one Yellow-Eyed Kole Tang to 1) keep feeding the bacteria and 2) keep algae under control.

Fast forward to today...livestock load is: 16 total fish, heavy feeding (2-3 cubes frozen twice a day)

Parameters:
Alk: 7.4 (stable and maintained through BRS 2-part dosing)
Calc: 430 (stable and maintained through BRS 2-part dosing)
Mag: 1400 (have only had to dose this once 6 months ago when it was down around 1350...otherwise consistently above 1400)
pH: 8.05-8.2 over 24 hours
SG: 1.025
Nitrate: 2ppm (has been as low as undetectable about a month ago, slowly brought up by increased feeding and 2 days of nitrate dosing with NeoNitro)
Phosphate: 0.19ppm (has been between 0.05 and 0.27 over the last 2 months)

Average PAR throughout tank is 220 (by PAR meter) and provided by 2X EcoTech Radion G4 Pro AB+ spectrum and 55% at peak, together with 4X T5 (2X Actinic and 2X Blue Plus) at 100% at peak...total photoperiod is 10 hours with 2 hour ramp-up/down and 6 hours at peak.

I've attempted well over 50 different frags over the past 10 months of various SPS (Acros, Montis, Pocilloporas, Stylohphoras) and LPS (Euphyllia-Torches, Frogspawn, Grape, Hammer; Leptastrea, Favites, Favia, Trachys, Platygyra, Acans, Blastos, Duncans) from various suppliers (Unique Corals, WWC, BattleCorals, Austin Aqua Farms, Local Fish Stores)...and exactly 3 corals have managed to survive for any extended period of time (one Blasto, GSP and three colonies of zoanthids). EVERYTHING else has suffered various degrees of STN and RTN, most of the corals go in looking beautiful (color and polyp extension), look great for about 2-4 weeks, then begin the slow (occasionally rapid) death march to tissue necrosis.

4 different ICP tests over the past 8 months (2X ATI and 2X Triton) have not shown ANY concerns or recommendations other than low Potassium at 350 (recommended to be 400).

Like @HWDylan, I am at a complete loss as to what is causing the issues with my corals (over the past 8 months I've only treated for low nutrients via nitrate dosing on 3 occasions). Between the ICP tests, my testing routine which is very consistent and regular, and replenishment of elements via auto water changes (10%/week spread out over 7 days) and 2-part dosing, I feel like I've exhausted identifying the usual suspects when it comes to coral tissue necrosis.

I am also considering that my issues could stem from a bacterial imbalance (based solely on the fact that I started with 100% dry rock and am seeing many of the same unexplainable issues that others have seen). I just received my AquaBiomics test kit today so we'll see what enlightenment comes from that test.

In the meantime, I was considering taking some action with respect to a possible bacterial imbalance (short of nuking the tank) and am torn between 1) adding bottled bacteria or 2) just getting 10 lbs of real live rock and putting it in the tank. Does anyone have any advice on these 2 paths and which would more likely produce some positives results? I'm leaning towards the bottled bacteria simply because I would like to avoid the risk of introducing some nasties along with the beneficial bacteria in live rock. I intend to conduct a follow-up AquaBiomics test after my attempt at the bacterial re-balancing to see what comes of it.

I really appreciate you sharing your experience @HWDylan and can absolutely relate to your frustrations and helplessness. I also appreciate the vast experience and depth of knowledge you all in the community can provide in combatting these issues.

 

[terraincognita]

Ever thought about just rehoming the fish for now, and just letting the tank be for 6 months? without dosing any nutrients, you might just naturally kill off that bacteria?

 

[Christopher Carey]

Ever thought about just rehoming the fish for now, and just letting the tank be for 6 months? without dosing any nutrients, you might just naturally kill off that bacteria?

I have thought about that and that's pretty much all that would be left for me to do if adding competing bacteria doesn't fix things...that or tearing the tank down and starting over. I would like to avoid that much of a setback as much as possible, and figured the only thing I haven't tried which might have some chance of making a difference is adding bacteria via either live rock addition or bottled bacteria and see what happens. Do you see any negative side affects of this approach?

 

[Nano sapiens]

I am also considering that my issues could stem from a bacterial imbalance (based solely on the fact that I started with 100% dry rock...

In the meantime, I was considering taking some action with respect to a possible bacterial imbalance (short of nuking the tank) and am torn between 1) adding bottled bacteria or 2) just getting 10 lbs of real live rock and putting it in the tank. Does anyone have any advice on these 2 paths and which would more likely produce some positives results? I'm leaning towards the bottled bacteria simply because I would like to avoid the risk of introducing some nasties along with the beneficial bacteria in live rock. I intend to conduct a follow-up AquaBiomics test after my attempt at the bacterial re-balancing to see what comes of it.

Bottled bac has limited bacteria species (compared to true live rock) since most of the bacteria that we get from real live rock can't be cultured in a lab. Can work fine for cycling, but won't give you the diversity that you likely need.

True live rock (ocean or from a healthy established reef system) would be my first choice. GARF Grunge or the IPSF stuff should also be helpful for those who don't have room, or don't want, more rock.

 

[Halfcut skeleton]

Did you try to run some poly filter too see if it's pulling anything out? Just an idea. This is definitely a head scratcher.

 

[terraincognita]

I have thought about that and that's pretty much all that would be left for me to do if adding competing bacteria doesn't fix things...that or tearing the tank down and starting over. I would like to avoid that much of a setback as much as possible, and figured the only thing I haven't tried which might have some chance of making a difference is adding bacteria via either live rock addition or bottled bacteria and see what happens. Do you see any negative side affects of this approach?

Hmm...

I guess the only questions is no one knows what you're fighting...

But whatever the hell it is, it's making you dose CRAZY amounts of nutrients.

either that. Or we're all stupid. and your machine's actually broken, and measuring all of your params wrong, and just continually dosing, killing everything you own with over dose.

 

[Christopher Carey]

Did you try to run some poly filter too see if it's pulling anything out? Just an idea. This is definitely a head scratcher.

Ran poly filter for 3 days earlier this week and it just turned tan (pulled out organics just like the filter sock).

 

[Christopher Carey]

Bottled bac has limited bacteria species (compared to true live rock) since most of the bacteria that we get from real live rock can't be cultured in a lab. Can work fine for cycling, but won't give you the diversity that you likely need.

True live rock (ocean or from a healthy established reef system) would be my first choice. GARF Grunge or the IPSF stuff should also be helpful for those who don't have room, or don't want, more rock.

Thanks so much for the insight...I figured true live rock would be the "best" way to reintroduce an array of competitive bacteria, just a little concerned about introducing some pests. But I guess at this point (short of a tank tear down and starting over) it's either risk introducing a pest with live rock in the hopes the bacteria strains will help re-establish a balance or keep watching my corals suffer.

 

[MattW33]

I am having nearly identical issues to what you've described @HWDylan...

Tank background: 130 gallon with 40 gallon sump, 100lbs MarcoRocks Reef Saver dry rock, 40lbs Carib-Sea arag-alive sand. I started my tank on July 24, 2019...went through a 3-month cycle (blacked out tank for a month, dosed Dr. Tim's, Microbacter7 and Prodibio throughout the 3-months, as well as added a table shrimp at beginning of cycle to feed the bacteria). Did not add a single fish until end of August 2019 (6 weeks into cycle). Fish added were 2X Percula Clowns, one Yellow Tang and one Yellow-Eyed Kole Tang to 1) keep feeding the bacteria and 2) keep algae under control.

Fast forward to today...livestock load is: 16 total fish, heavy feeding (2-3 cubes frozen twice a day)

Parameters:
Alk: 7.4 (stable and maintained through BRS 2-part dosing)
Calc: 430 (stable and maintained through BRS 2-part dosing)
Mag: 1400 (have only had to dose this once 6 months ago when it was down around 1350...otherwise consistently above 1400)
pH: 8.05-8.2 over 24 hours
SG: 1.025
Nitrate: 2ppm (has been as low as undetectable about a month ago, slowly brought up by increased feeding and 2 days of nitrate dosing with NeoNitro)
Phosphate: 0.19ppm (has been between 0.05 and 0.27 over the last 2 months)

Average PAR throughout tank is 220 (by PAR meter) and provided by 2X EcoTech Radion G4 Pro AB+ spectrum and 55% at peak, together with 4X T5 (2X Actinic and 2X Blue Plus) at 100% at peak...total photoperiod is 10 hours with 2 hour ramp-up/down and 6 hours at peak.

I've attempted well over 50 different frags over the past 10 months of various SPS (Acros, Montis, Pocilloporas, Stylohphoras) and LPS (Euphyllia-Torches, Frogspawn, Grape, Hammer; Leptastrea, Favites, Favia, Trachys, Platygyra, Acans, Blastos, Duncans) from various suppliers (Unique Corals, WWC, BattleCorals, Austin Aqua Farms, Local Fish Stores)...and exactly 3 corals have managed to survive for any extended period of time (one Blasto, GSP and three colonies of zoanthids). EVERYTHING else has suffered various degrees of STN and RTN, most of the corals go in looking beautiful (color and polyp extension), look great for about 2-4 weeks, then begin the slow (occasionally rapid) death march to tissue necrosis.

4 different ICP tests over the past 8 months (2X ATI and 2X Triton) have not shown ANY concerns or recommendations other than low Potassium at 350 (recommended to be 400).

Like @HWDylan, I am at a complete loss as to what is causing the issues with my corals (over the past 8 months I've only treated for low nutrients via nitrate dosing on 3 occasions). Between the ICP tests, my testing routine which is very consistent and regular, and replenishment of elements via auto water changes (10%/week spread out over 7 days) and 2-part dosing, I feel like I've exhausted identifying the usual suspects when it comes to coral tissue necrosis.

I am also considering that my issues could stem from a bacterial imbalance (based solely on the fact that I started with 100% dry rock and am seeing many of the same unexplainable issues that others have seen). I just received my AquaBiomics test kit today so we'll see what enlightenment comes from that test.

In the meantime, I was considering taking some action with respect to a possible bacterial imbalance (short of nuking the tank) and am torn between 1) adding bottled bacteria or 2) just getting 10 lbs of real live rock and putting it in the tank. Does anyone have any advice on these 2 paths and which would more likely produce some positives results? I'm leaning towards the bottled bacteria simply because I would like to avoid the risk of introducing some nasties along with the beneficial bacteria in live rock. I intend to conduct a follow-up AquaBiomics test after my attempt at the bacterial re-balancing to see what comes of it.

I really appreciate you sharing your experience @HWDylan and can absolutely relate to your frustrations and helplessness. I also appreciate the vast experience and depth of knowledge you all in the community can provide in combatting these issues.

I posted earlier in this thread, your story sounds very similar to mine. I started with dry rock in 2018 and its only since March this year I've had some success with corals. I have a very long winded post on a different forum where I'm still trying to pin down the issue by looking at things sequentially, I also suspect my microbial balance has been out, so following with interest.

The reason I've chimed in is that what seems to have worked for me was two 50% water changes, followed by weekly 20% changes. After a month the tank turned around and my coral success rate has improved markedly. This was with no obvious issues on icp, consistent carbon usage etc.

It may not work for you but it's a fairly easy test. Similarly to you, I was only changing a small amount of water per week in the first 2 years the tank was running and I wonder if a larger turnover of tank water helps to accelerate the maturing of a system with limited initial biodiversity.

 

[HWDylan]

UPDATE ON THIS OLD THREAD:
Its been quite a while since I posted here with info regarding this issue and I wanted to take some time to lay out what has happened in the ensuing 1.5 years.

Here we go:


I did restart the tank.

Pulled all the fish out and housed them in a 300g stock tank. I drained the whole system, filled it with tap water and added about 15 gallons of bleach. I turned all the pumps and powerheads on and let it run with the bleach for about 24hr and then I drained it. I rinsed the tank by dumping and filling with tap water several times and then I drained the whole system as best I could and let it sit with a fan on it for about a week to dry it all out as best I could.

I then restarted from scratch. I bought live rock straight from the ocean (about 70lb worth) shipped in water from Tampa Bay Saltwater and placed it in the sump. I also added about 50lb of the Caribsea Ocean Direct sand to the sump as well. I let the tank run and cycle and do its thing and then re added the fish. No deaths and the whole process went very smoothly. I tried to just care for the tank as normal and forget about the problems for weeks, letting things settle down a bit and mature. I brought a few coral frags from work and every thing seemed to be going well. Saw growth on the corals and things colored up very nice. I was thrilled.

Once I saw that corals were doing well I went in hard and bought like $1500 worth from a Jason Fox live sale. I added all the corals and everything was still great. Lots of growth and good coloration.

THEN ...very gradually at first ... and then more swiftly as time went on I started to see poor polyp extension and then color loss and eventually tissue recession on most of the corals. Bleh. It kind of ebbed and flowed for a bit where some things would look bad but then color back up (montis and cyphastrea specifically seemed to be affected most). It was very up and down. Things would be good and then slowly go bad and then turn good again. Never seen a tank act like this.

Now I am at the point where things are basically back where they were before I restarted. Very disheartening. I started up an experiment tank to test some ideas on by using rock that I have had sitting in a tank of saltwater for a few years now and placed a single frag of acropora (that was doing very poorly in the main tank) on a frag rack and watched. I did 100% water changes and used NOTHING but water from the main tank with all the issues trying to see if there is some mystery contaminant in the water. Lo and behold my frag colored up and started growing. Very strange and leads me back to the bacteria issue. It HAS to be something on the rocks (microbes or something) that is causing this issue. I am currently aggressively dosing bacteria from mirobacter 7 and dr tims eco balance as well as using STN-X and RTN-X from Triton to see if I can push this mystery issue out somehow. I figure at this point I dont have much to lose so maybe if I destabilize the entire microbiome in this tank I can somehow right this ship.

Other than that I am out of ideas again. There is clearly something going on on the surfaces in that tank making corals stressed and eventually die. It never happens fast, they just stop growing, lose all coloration, and then tissue recession sets in. I've sent in countless ICP tests and all that trying to find something wrong and I just cant figure it out. With this experiment tank doing so well with nothing but old water from the problem tank being used for water changes really has me confused.

Id love to for @AquaBiomics to chime in here if possible. This seems to be their area of expertise. I have tested my tank both before and after the bleaching event and will be sending in a test again soon to see if the aggressive bacteria dosing has had any impact on anything.


Also, thank you again to everyone who has contributed to this thread. Every idea thrown out here is helpful in someway. This is such an odd issue and I am certain now that it has to do with starting the tank with dry rock originally. Since true live rock is harder and harder to find these days, it would be nice to pin this issue down since dry rock tanks are basically the standard now

 

[Wasabiroot]

Maybe try purchasing a salifert dkh test kit and a different refractometer? Apologies if you tried this, but maybe one of your test kits is a dud? I hope you get it figured out

 

[paintman]

I didn't read the whole thread but would it be possible that you have a disgruntled wife/girlfriend? At this point you might want to think outside the box.

 

[HWDylan]

Maybe try purchasing a salifert dkh test kit and a different refractometer? Apologies if you tried this, but maybe one of your test kits is a dud? I hope you get it figured out

Any ideas are good ones at this point. I have a Hanna Checker and a Red Sea Test kit to back it up. Also I use a trident to manage my dosing. All of these tests agree +-0.5dhk. Ive also sent in ICP and NDOC tests that check for alk as well. It always seems fairly consistent in the 8.0-8.5 range.


As for the disgruntled partner... If this were any other situation I would consider it but she has put in about 50% of the time and money into this. So unless she has a fetish for wasting her own money, I dont think thats the case.

 

[Macdaddynick1]

UPDATE ON THIS OLD THREAD:
Its been quite a while since I posted here with info regarding this issue and I wanted to take some time to lay out what has happened in the ensuing 1.5 years.

Here we go:


I did restart the tank.

Pulled all the fish out and housed them in a 300g stock tank. I drained the whole system, filled it with tap water and added about 15 gallons of bleach. I turned all the pumps and powerheads on and let it run with the bleach for about 24hr and then I drained it. I rinsed the tank by dumping and filling with tap water several times and then I drained the whole system as best I could and let it sit with a fan on it for about a week to dry it all out as best I could.

I then restarted from scratch. I bought live rock straight from the ocean (about 70lb worth) shipped in water from Tampa Bay Saltwater and placed it in the sump. I also added about 50lb of the Caribsea Ocean Direct sand to the sump as well. I let the tank run and cycle and do its thing and then re added the fish. No deaths and the whole process went very smoothly. I tried to just care for the tank as normal and forget about the problems for weeks, letting things settle down a bit and mature. I brought a few coral frags from work and every thing seemed to be going well. Saw growth on the corals and things colored up very nice. I was thrilled.

Once I saw that corals were doing well I went in hard and bought like $1500 worth from a Jason Fox live sale. I added all the corals and everything was still great. Lots of growth and good coloration.

THEN ...very gradually at first ... and then more swiftly as time went on I started to see poor polyp extension and then color loss and eventually tissue recession on most of the corals. Bleh. It kind of ebbed and flowed for a bit where some things would look bad but then color back up (montis and cyphastrea specifically seemed to be affected most). It was very up and down. Things would be good and then slowly go bad and then turn good again. Never seen a tank act like this.

Now I am at the point where things are basically back where they were before I restarted. Very disheartening. I started up an experiment tank to test some ideas on by using rock that I have had sitting in a tank of saltwater for a few years now and placed a single frag of acropora (that was doing very poorly in the main tank) on a frag rack and watched. I did 100% water changes and used NOTHING but water from the main tank with all the issues trying to see if there is some mystery contaminant in the water. Lo and behold my frag colored up and started growing. Very strange and leads me back to the bacteria issue. It HAS to be something on the rocks (microbes or something) that is causing this issue. I am currently aggressively dosing bacteria from mirobacter 7 and dr tims eco balance as well as using STN-X and RTN-X from Triton to see if I can push this mystery issue out somehow. I figure at this point I dont have much to lose so maybe if I destabilize the entire microbiome in this tank I can somehow right this ship.

Other than that I am out of ideas again. There is clearly something going on on the surfaces in that tank making corals stressed and eventually die. It never happens fast, they just stop growing, lose all coloration, and then tissue recession sets in. I've sent in countless ICP tests and all that trying to find something wrong and I just cant figure it out. With this experiment tank doing so well with nothing but old water from the problem tank being used for water changes really has me confused.

Id love to for @AquaBiomics to chime in here if possible. This seems to be their area of expertise. I have tested my tank both before and after the bleaching event and will be sending in a test again soon to see if the aggressive bacteria dosing has had any impact on anything.


Also, thank you again to everyone who has contributed to this thread. Every idea thrown out here is helpful in someway. This is such an odd issue and I am certain now that it has to do with starting the tank with dry rock originally. Since true live rock is harder and harder to find these days, it would be nice to pin this issue down since dry rock tanks are basically the standard now

Reading your post it almost seems like you want it to be a bacterial issue. You’re using the same water from the tank in another tank and your corals color up. That would make me think stray voltage or something else. Perhaps you can start from scratch, give us some info on the current system, post up some photos, and if you have a more recent ICP would be great. Also what’s your par and flow like?

 

[HWDylan]

Reading your post it almost seems like you want it to be a bacterial issue. You’re using the same water from the tank in another tank and your corals color up. That would make me think stray voltage or something else. Perhaps you can start from scratch, give us some info on the current system, post up some photos, and if you have a more recent ICP would be great. Also what’s your par and flow like?

You're right I think. I DO want it to be a bacterial issue but I think that comes more from desperation and the desire to put a name on the issue.

Stray voltage has been suggested a few times to me and I feel fairly confident in saying that is NOT the issue. I use a ground probe and also have tested and re-tested for voltage with a multimeter and found nothing but the usual readings of induced voltage from things like pumps. I was actually suspecting my return pump for a bit (not for voltage but for leaching something into the water). I ditched the Reeflo pump and got a nice BIG DC return pump (Red Dragon). No change in the tank though sadly.

Ill attach my most recent ICP (from ATI this time) here.

Par is in the 200-300 range (measured with a MQ-510) and the flow is pretty high. Its an 8 foot tank so I have 4 MP60s and 2 MP40s. I don't want to write off any suggestions or ideas here because I don't want to create a blind spot that I am over looking and I don't want to sound dismissive, but I feel pretty confident that the flow isn't the issue for a few reasons. Mainly that I have never changed the flow in this tank really and the corals did have a period after bleaching where they did fantastic. Good growth and coloration for about 2 months or so. I am not opposed to turning the flow down a bit just to see though.

I'll attach some recent pics tonight when I get off work

 

[KrisReef]

UPDATE ON THIS OLD THREAD:
Its been quite a while since I posted here with info regarding this issue and I wanted to take some time to lay out what has happened in the ensuing 1.5 years.

Here we go:


I did restart the tank.

Pulled all the fish out and housed them in a 300g stock tank. I drained the whole system, filled it with tap water and added about 15 gallons of bleach. I turned all the pumps and powerheads on and let it run with the bleach for about 24hr and then I drained it. I rinsed the tank by dumping and filling with tap water several times and then I drained the whole system as best I could and let it sit with a fan on it for about a week to dry it all out as best I could.

I then restarted from scratch. I bought live rock straight from the ocean (about 70lb worth) shipped in water from Tampa Bay Saltwater and placed it in the sump. I also added about 50lb of the Caribsea Ocean Direct sand to the sump as well. I let the tank run and cycle and do its thing and then re added the fish. No deaths and the whole process went very smoothly. I tried to just care for the tank as normal and forget about the problems for weeks, letting things settle down a bit and mature. I brought a few coral frags from work and every thing seemed to be going well. Saw growth on the corals and things colored up very nice. I was thrilled.

Once I saw that corals were doing well I went in hard and bought like $1500 worth from a Jason Fox live sale. I added all the corals and everything was still great. Lots of growth and good coloration.

THEN ...very gradually at first ... and then more swiftly as time went on I started to see poor polyp extension and then color loss and eventually tissue recession on most of the corals. Bleh. It kind of ebbed and flowed for a bit where some things would look bad but then color back up (montis and cyphastrea specifically seemed to be affected most). It was very up and down. Things would be good and then slowly go bad and then turn good again. Never seen a tank act like this.

Now I am at the point where things are basically back where they were before I restarted. Very disheartening. I started up an experiment tank to test some ideas on by using rock that I have had sitting in a tank of saltwater for a few years now and placed a single frag of acropora (that was doing very poorly in the main tank) on a frag rack and watched. I did 100% water changes and used NOTHING but water from the main tank with all the issues trying to see if there is some mystery contaminant in the water. Lo and behold my frag colored up and started growing. Very strange and leads me back to the bacteria issue. It HAS to be something on the rocks (microbes or something) that is causing this issue. I am currently aggressively dosing bacteria from mirobacter 7 and dr tims eco balance as well as using STN-X and RTN-X from Triton to see if I can push this mystery issue out somehow. I figure at this point I dont have much to lose so maybe if I destabilize the entire microbiome in this tank I can somehow right this ship.

Other than that I am out of ideas again. There is clearly something going on on the surfaces in that tank making corals stressed and eventually die. It never happens fast, they just stop growing, lose all coloration, and then tissue recession sets in. I've sent in countless ICP tests and all that trying to find something wrong and I just cant figure it out. With this experiment tank doing so well with nothing but old water from the problem tank being used for water changes really has me confused.

Id love to for @AquaBiomics to chime in here if possible. This seems to be their area of expertise. I have tested my tank both before and after the bleaching event and will be sending in a test again soon to see if the aggressive bacteria dosing has had any impact on anything.


Also, thank you again to everyone who has contributed to this thread. Every idea thrown out here is helpful in someway. This is such an odd issue and I am certain now that it has to do with starting the tank with dry rock originally. Since true live rock is harder and harder to find these days, it would be nice to pin this issue down since dry rock tanks are basically the standard now

Thanks for the update.
Only idea I have is that your microbes should be diverse now after restarting with live rock.
post #173 @MattW33 might be helpful- he was following your posting and identify with your results. Time and a few massive water changes is what he thought might have allowed his tank to turn around and grow coral. It’s a simple thing to try.
Thanks for the update. I’m sympathetic and still hoping we can figure out how to solve the mysterious situation