Corals dying

[xyousefb]

Hello,

Recently my corals have been dying, bleaching, and not looking good at all. Before I inform you of the corals I'm keeping, here's a few info about my tank:

Alk = 9 dKH
Mg = 1440
Ca = 440
Temp = 25.7 degrees C
Salinity = 1.025
Ammonia = 0;

Filtration system includes 2 filter socks, activated carbon and a protein skimmer.

My tank has been running for 4 months and I recently started adding some "easy to keep" SPS corals such as an acan, lepto, cyphastrea and a leptastrea. My zoas are looking fantastic and are reproducing like rabbits, my goniopora looks healthy and is extending its polyps a lot these days, star polyps are growing and xenias are also growing really fast. My duncans stopped opening up fully today, cyphastria is peeling for some reason even though I moved it after it showed signs of stress due to light. My lepto is not doing well at all and I have no idea why.

I had some dinos a few months ago when my tank had 0 phosphates and 0 nitrates, so I started to really increase my phosphates and nitrates but I think my dry rock was consuming those. Now, there's brown algae everywhere (literally) but when I do a salifert test of the phosphates, it says that they are less than 0.1 ppm. The Alk, Mg, and Ca are super stable and do not fluctuate much at all. What has been fluctuating though are the levels of nitrates and phosphates. Could that be what's killing them?

Also, my nitrates are also less than 1 but more than 0. What do you recommend that I do? And what could be causing the issue? I really don't want these animals to die.

 

[fishski13]

What light are you using? What size tank? And just to understand, all of your softies and zoas are doing well and opening up and the only problems you have is with your lps?

If that is the case, its either probably due to light or coral chemical warfare with the softies aggressive towards the lps. How close are the softies to your lps?

 

[bnord]

best of luck, and also add some SPS corals in some tanks can do well in less than 6 month tanks particularly when maturity is aided by cultured - cultivated - live rock of some kind. Frankly, I had the same issues you had till 8ish months with first tank and SPS - so some tanks just have a hard time presenting the stability one needs (with issues you can't always test) til later in the first year
With subsequent builds, with live rock, I have been more successful with SPS earlier in the tanks' life.

so as above, lights, flow, nutrients, amino acid supplementation etc, could be added to the micro-instability of a 4 month old live rock started tank

Do not get too discouraged

 

[xyousefb]

What light are you using? What size tank? And just to understand, all of your softies and zoas are doing well and opening up and the only problems you have is with your lps?

If that is the case, its either probably due to light or coral chemical warfare with the softies aggressive towards the lps. How close are the softies to your lps?

Sorry for the late response. I am using Semigrow/Evergrow LED lights. They are great and they are provide about 600-700 par at the top of my rockwork and 200 on the sandbed. I obviously don't run it on those numbers, I have it down to 40% max at peak hour and it provides my corals with about 80-100 par on the sandbed.

Yes all of my zoas and mushrooms are doing well and are thriving actually. My Sunny D went from 2 polyps to 9 in 2-3 weeks. My mushroom coral is growing a smaller mushroom on the side, the rastas went from 1 polyp to 2, I have another zoa that went from 3 to 10 polyps. So it seems that they're doing well.

My tank is a 155 gallon tank with the sump. I doubt that it's chemical warfare because I have moved the stony corals several times over the past few weeks are it's going from bad to worse. Plus I have activated carbon running in a reactor in my sump. My alk, ca and mag are stable and don't deviate much at all. The temperature of the water is super stable too. Until now, however, I have not spotted any coralline algae growing anywhere in my tank, but the green diatoms are taking off a lot. I am only facing trouble with the stoney corals and I cannot think of what's causing it.

Here are a few photos of the affected corals, and the last photo is of some of my zoas:

 

[xyousefb]

best of luck, and also add some SPS corals in some tanks can do well in less than 6 month tanks particularly when maturity is aided by cultured - cultivated - live rock of some kind. Frankly, I had the same issues you had till 8ish months with first tank and SPS - so some tanks just have a hard time presenting the stability one needs (with issues you can't always test) til later in the first year
With subsequent builds, with live rock, I have been more successful with SPS earlier in the tanks' life.

so as above, lights, flow, nutrients, amino acid supplementation etc, could be added to the micro-instability of a 4 month old live rock started tank

Do not get too discouraged

I actually bought a very tiny birdsnest frag that I placed in my tank, and that one deteriorated super fast. It literally peeled off. I'm not sure what the issue is, but I'd love it if someone can give me possible ideas. Should I go for an ICP test?

 

[Nate Chalk]

How much corraline does your tank have?

 

[xyousefb]

How much corraline does your tank have?

Just the ones on the shells of the snails that I bought and the frag plugs from my LFS. I started with dry rocks so there’s nothing on them.

Here’s a photo of my tank in white light only

A lot of diatoms and some patches of red cyano.

 

[Nate Chalk]

Ehh i wouldve waited for the corraline to grow before coral. Unless you’re really experienced. And then im in no place to give advice

 

[xyousefb]

Ehh i wouldve waited for the corraline to grow before coral. Unless you’re really experienced. And then im in no place to give advice

What's the reason for that?

 

[polyppal]

yeah likely too fresh for corals if you have diatom outbreaks. ca/mg/alk aren't going to move around much until corals start consuming them.

from the looks of the FTS id say this tank isn't ready for corals yet. and I'm assuming your using 0TDS RODI?

 

[Lavey29]

At 4 months your tank lacks biodiversity to sustain SPS corals effectively. Unless you start with live ocean rock. Even LPS do not do well long term at 4 months. If you have no nitrates and phosphate then your corals are starving. You still have a variety of ugly phases to experience as your tank matures. I would dose phytoplankton and PNS probio to add biodiversity to the tank and do what you need to so your nitrates are 10 and phosphate around .07.

 

[dvgyfresh]

Are you Using rodi filters? If so may need to check TDS

 

[xyousefb]

yeah likely to fresh for corals if you have diatom outbreaks. ca/mg/alk aren't going to move around much until corals start consuming them.

from the looks of the FTS id say this tank isn't ready for corals yet. and I'm assuming your using 0TDS RODI?

Are you Using rodi filters? If so may need to check TDS

What is FTS? and yes, I am using RO/DI. The TDS is always less than 5.

 

[xyousefb]

At 4 months your tank lacks biodiversity to sustain SPS corals effectively. Unless you start with live ocean rock. Even LPS do not do well long term at 4 months. If you have no nitrates and phosphate then your corals are starving. You still have a variety of ugly phases to experience as your tank matures. I would dose phytoplankton and PNS probio to add biodiversity to the tank and do what you need to so your nitrates are 10 and phosphate around .07.

What am I to expect after the green diatoms outbreak? The brown diatoms already appeared and then disappeared. Also, by dosing phyto, do you mean live? or dead bottled ones as food for corals?

 

[Lavey29]

What is FTS? and yes, I am using RO/DI. The TDS is always less than 5.

TDS should always be 0

 

[xyousefb]

TDS should always be 0

Could that be the reason of their deterioration?

 

[Lavey29]

What am I to expect after the green diatoms outbreak? The brown diatoms already appeared and then disappeared. Also, by dosing phyto, do you mean live? or dead bottled ones as food for corals?

Typically GHA and or cyano will start next next unless your nutrients are bottomed out then you can expect dinos. Phytoplankton feeds the microfauna in your tank and also corals. If you dose copepods to help establish microfauna then Phytoplankton will feed them.

 

[Lavey29]

Could that be the reason of their deterioration?

Depends on what's in the water but yes and also it creates nuisance algae if your RODI is not 0 TDS.

 

[vetteguy53081]

First issue I see is location. Chalice and couple others irritated by sad should some get on them and also an area of weak flow.
On the bottom also will be lowest PAR
These require moderate light and water flow and also assure that Phos-Nitrate-Ph-salinity and alk is NOT elevated or that calcium is low.
What test kits are you using?
What is water temperature ?
Mag is slightly elevated *aim for 1350 range)

 

[Lavey29]

If your RODI has silicate in it that will cause diatoms after every water change. You can increase flow to affected areas and decrease lights. I also see cyano and GHA starting which is common around 4 months as ugly phases for the tank.