Complete SPS meltdown

[djryan2000]

I bought a bunch of beginner SPS frags a couple months ago. Everyone is STNing
Everything was good until the tank got neglected over the last 2 weeks or so - life got crazy from covid. I tested the water for the first time and the water parameters seemed Similar to my last test.
alk 8.6->8.0
PO4 0 -> .005ppm
Ca - spilled reagent so no test
Nitrate 10 -> 25ppm
Mg 1380 -> 1400 (I’m guessing user error here)
Salinity 1.026 -> 1.028
pH 8.15 -> 8.15

the last week or so it appears the ATO and the skimmer were turned off. I turned them back on two days ago. I changed out 10 gallons of water yesterday. The only change I’ve made recently are I added a yellow wrasse from my QT and have been adding live baby brine shrimp which is why I believe my phosphates are finally detectable.. at least until my algae scrubber catches up.

what can I do at this point for damage control? I’m going to retest my water as the tests two days ago were done hastily.. I will update if there’s a difference. Salinity is back to 1.026.
When the lights are off all the polyps retract like the photo shows. When they’re on, one of my stylos has a small spot that’s bleached with no extension while the rest looks fine. Both monti caps are bleached and have gray algae growing but I see polyps still. I see STN on the green digitadas, and the forest fire digits have spotty extension and some STN, and there’s some brown algae. The birdsnest looks okay, I see one branch is STNing which I cut off. Poscillopora looks okay. Hydnophora has STN as well. LPS and softies are all fine.

 

[SR Reefing]

What light are you running?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Appears to be swings that occurred along with nutrient export issue with skimmer off. Salinity a little high - you want 1.025 and mag 1300
Temp 77-79 and ph 7.1-8.3
What Test kit(s) are you using ?

Moderate light and water flow

 

[piranhaman00]

Tank is not mature enough for sps if you dont know exactly what you are doing.

 

[Doctorgori]

just looking at that rock it appears a lil new

 

[djryan2000]

What light are you running?

Reefbreeders. I modeled my schedule off BRS’s video on the lights, aiming for 250ish PAR As the corals came from a tank with 250.

 

[92Miata]

What are you using to test phosphates? .005 is a problem - that low kills things.


Are you running phosphate removal media or anything?

 

[T-J]

My guess is the lack of top-off water, no skimmer, significant nutrient and salinity swings and (what appears to be) a rather new tank all contributed to this.
Just the lack of top-off water for a week would be enough for me to expect issues.

 

[MnFish1]

I bought a bunch of beginner SPS frags a couple months ago. Everyone is STNing
Everything was good until the tank got neglected over the last 2 weeks or so - life got crazy from covid. I tested the water for the first time and the water parameters seemed Similar to my last test.
alk 8.6->8.0
PO4 0 -> .005ppm
Ca - spilled reagent so no test
Nitrate 10 -> 25ppm
Mg 1380 -> 1400 (I’m guessing user error here)
Salinity 1.026 -> 1.028
pH 8.15 -> 8.15

the last week or so it appears the ATO and the skimmer were turned off. I turned them back on two days ago. I changed out 10 gallons of water yesterday. The only change I’ve made recently are I added a yellow wrasse from my QT and have been adding live baby brine shrimp which is why I believe my phosphates are finally detectable.. at least until my algae scrubber catches up.

what can I do at this point for damage control? I’m going to retest my water as the tests two days ago were done hastily.. I will update if there’s a difference. Salinity is back to 1.026.
When the lights are off all the polyps retract like the photo shows. When they’re on, one of my stylos has a small spot that’s bleached with no extension while the rest looks fine. Both monti caps are bleached and have gray algae growing but I see polyps still. I see STN on the green digitadas, and the forest fire digits have spotty extension and some STN, and there’s some brown algae. The birdsnest looks okay, I see one branch is STNing which I cut off. Poscillopora looks okay. Hydnophora has STN as well. LPS and softies are all fine.

None of the changes you mention would seem to cause the magnitude of problems you're talking about. I.e. the parameters are not that much different - are you sure something else might not be happening - a toxin, a parasite, something else? Did anything else perhaps die - causing an ammonia issue? I mean perhaps the salinity change caused an issue - But this has happened in my tank with no problem. The alk change is well within acceptable though not perfect. Mg usually doesnt cause a problem (and its up because your SG is up). The only thing I would think 'likely' (just my opinion) - is that something died - causing an ammonia spike - and thus higher the now higher nitrate - which seems to be much higher than it 'should be' after only 2 weeks (except for perhaps the extra feedings) - I would:

1. Try to get your SG back to 1.025-6
2. Put back your skimmer
3. Do a couple water changes
4. Check your Ca (though doubt that would be a problem)
5. Once you have a system (i.e. your skimmer/ATO) try to avoid completely turning it off/.on - going forward.

Good luck - hope this helps some

 

[T-J]

What are you using to test phosphates? .005 is a problem - that low kills things.


Are you running phosphate removal media or anything?

I just noticed this. What test kits go that low?? My Hannah ULR only goes to two digits (ie: .05)

 

[gguertin145]

I would try a water change carbon and lights out for a day. Just guessing though.

 

[djryan2000]

I just noticed this. What test kits go that low?? My Hannah ULR only goes to two digits (ie: .05)

Typo. Meant .05ppm! I also use Hannah ULR and salifert for everything else.

 

[92Miata]

I just noticed this. What test kits go that low?? My Hannah ULR only goes to two digits (ie: .05)

I think the hanna phosphorus ULR will go that that low - and I think the salifert kit does - but none of them are anywhere near accurate enough for that reading to mean anything - its just "Probably zero" at that point.

My experience so far with modern kits has been that SPS seem to be way more sensitive to super low/zero phosphates than most other things.

 

[djryan2000]

I bought a bunch of beginner SPS frags a couple months ago. Everyone is STNing
Everything was good until the tank got neglected over the last 2 weeks or so - life got crazy from covid. I tested the water for the first time and the water parameters seemed Similar to my last test.
alk 8.6->8.0
PO4 0 -> .005ppm
Ca - spilled reagent so no test
Nitrate 10 -> 25ppm
Mg 1380 -> 1400 (I’m guessing user error here)
Salinity 1.026 -> 1.028
pH 8.15 -> 8.15

the last week or so it appears the ATO and the skimmer were turned off. I turned them back on two days ago. I changed out 10 gallons of water yesterday. The only change I’ve made recently are I added a yellow wrasse from my QT and have been adding live baby brine shrimp which is why I believe my phosphates are finally detectable.. at least until my algae scrubber catches up.

what can I do at this point for damage control? I’m going to retest my water as the tests two days ago were done hastily.. I will update if there’s a difference. Salinity is back to 1.026.
When the lights are off all the polyps retract like the photo shows. When they’re on, one of my stylos has a small spot that’s bleached with no extension while the rest looks fine. Both monti caps are bleached and have gray algae growing but I see polyps still. I see STN on the green digitadas, and the forest fire digits have spotty extension and some STN, and there’s some brown algae. The birdsnest looks okay, I see one branch is STNing which I cut off. Poscillopora looks okay. Hydnophora has STN as well. LPS and softies are all fine.

Edit: The tank is not two months old. It is 6 months old, however many of the rocks were transferred from a tank that was a year old at the time.

 

[djryan2000]

What are you using to test phosphates? .005 is a problem - that low kills things.


Are you running phosphate removal media or anything?

An algae scrubber. Meant .05ppm via Hannah ULR. I have phosphate to dose and plan on start dosing to keep up with the scrubber while I slowly increase the number of fish. The tank has been running at 0 for a while I believe.

 

[djryan2000]

Appears to be swings that occurred along with nutrient export issue with skimmer off. Salinity a little high - you want 1.025 and mag 1300
Temp 77-79 and ph 7.1-8.3
What Test kit(s) are you using ?

Moderate light and water flow

Salifert test kits, Hannah ULR, and Milwaukee digiral refractometer. Light I believe is around 250 PAR, and I have around 100x DT turnover for flow so a little on the high end.

 

[djryan2000]

None of the changes you mention would seem to cause the magnitude of problems you're talking about. I.e. the parameters are not that much different - are you sure something else might not be happening - a toxin, a parasite, something else? Did anything else perhaps die - causing an ammonia issue? I mean perhaps the salinity change caused an issue - But this has happened in my tank with no problem. The alk change is well within acceptable though not perfect. Mg usually doesnt cause a problem (and its up because your SG is up). The only thing I would think 'likely' (just my opinion) - is that something died - causing an ammonia spike - and thus higher the now higher nitrate - which seems to be much higher than it 'should be' after only 2 weeks (except for perhaps the extra feedings) - I would:

1. Try to get your SG back to 1.025-6
2. Put back your skimmer
3. Do a couple water changes
4. Check your Ca (though doubt that would be a problem)
5. Once you have a system (i.e. your skimmer/ATO) try to avoid completely turning it off/.on - going forward.

Good luck - hope this helps some

Thank you. Only things that have died recently are snails, as a lot of my hermits have upgraded their shells and I saw my coral banded shrimp eating one yesterday. I'll test the water for ammonia and see if anything pops up. Do you think that could be it?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thank you. Only things that have died recently are snails, as a lot of my hermits have upgraded their shells and I saw my coral banded shrimp eating one yesterday. I'll test the water for ammonia and see if anything pops up. Do you think that could be it?

Ammonia if awfully high maybe, but then nitrates would be high as well

 

[MnFish1]

Thank you. Only things that have died recently are snails, as a lot of my hermits have upgraded their shells and I saw my coral banded shrimp eating one yesterday. I'll test the water for ammonia and see if anything pops up. Do you think that could be it?

Don't know - I just don't think it is because of turning off the skimmer - The phosphate (am I understanding it correctly - is 0.05 ppm - that is totally fine for a reef tank (and not low). The nitrate of 25 is high - but not 'that high' - The salinity has changed - but its not like it changed overnight - it changed slowly over a couple weeks. You started feeding more - and stopped your skimmer and ATO - and some crabs and snails died? (that was just a summary) but does that sound correct? IMHO none of these parameters (unless they changed suddenly) should cause a massive die off. It could be lower oxygen levels (without the skimmer) also (I guess) - did anything else change - lights, flow, etc? Honestly from your pics its hard to see which corals are having problems - and how bad the problems are?

 

[djryan2000]

Don't know - I just don't think it is because of turning off the skimmer - The phosphate (am I understanding it correctly - is 0.05 ppm - that is totally fine for a reef tank (and not low). The nitrate of 25 is high - but not 'that high' - The salinity has changed - but its not like it changed overnight - it changed slowly over a couple weeks. You started feeding more - and stopped your skimmer and ATO - and some crabs and snails died? (that was just a summary) but does that sound correct? IMHO none of these parameters (unless they changed suddenly) should cause a massive die off. It could be lower oxygen levels (without the skimmer) also (I guess) - did anything else change - lights, flow, etc? Honestly from your pics its hard to see which corals are having problems - and how bad the problems are?

thank you! Some snails have died, as hermit crabs killed them for the shells. I did increase the feeding. I also added a mesh lid (the kit BRS sells) when I added the wrasse. I didn’t change any settings on my lights or flow. Here is the lid and some better pics: