Euphyllia's struggling

[ReeferHunter]

Looking for help on my 2 torch's and 1 frogspawn. Normally at night I have been running my hydra 26 on Red Sea e max 170 on 1% violet to give the tank a little light at night. However this weekend I changed that to being completely dark during the night hours and only these 3 corals seem to be struggling now. oh and also my GSP has been hiding for about 4 days now. All other corals including Candy Cane, Ricordea, Xenia, and 2 Goniopora are looking great. The only other thing I can think of is the temp rising to 81. I do not have a chiller yet and in SoCal we are having a heat spell so I believe that is the cause of the small rise in temperature. Please help!! Going to start checking all water parameters now.

 

[mtraylor]

Waiting on the parms. That is first place to look.

 

[ReeferHunter]

Waiting on the parms. That is first place to look.

Calcium: 400ppm
Alkalinity: 2.95 Meq/l, 8.25 dkh
Salinity: 0.025 sg
Temperature: 80.6
Nitrate: 1ppm
Magnesium:1260 ppm
Phosphate:0 ppm
Ammonia: 0.25 ppm

 

[Zack K]

Nitrate: 1ppm
Phosphate:0 ppm
Ammonia: 0.25 ppm

Found your problem. Euphyillia, well most LPS, but Euphyillia in general_Have_to_have_ Both NO3 and PO4 in the water. If I were you I would raise those nitrates to 5ppm-10ppm and Phosphates to .1ppm-.25ppm.
The bigger problem is .25ppm ammonia. Ammonia should be 0 at all time. Any amount of ammonia in a reef tank is dangerous to inhabitants. How old is the tank? What are the Inhabitants?

-Zack

 

[ReeferHunter]

Found your problem. Euphyillia, well most LPS, but Euphyillia in general_Have_to_have_ Both NO3 and PO4 in the water. If I were you I would raise those nitrates to 5ppm-10ppm and Phosphates to .1ppm-.25ppm.
The bigger problem is .25ppm ammonia. Ammonia should be 0 at all time. Any amount of ammonia in a reef tank is dangerous to inhabitants. How old is the tank? What are the Inhabitants?

-Zack

First off thank you for the help, I have 2 clowns, 2 4 stripe damsel, 2 chromic, 1 cleaner skunk, 4 Scarlett hermits, and 5 astrea. The tank has been up for 4 months now so its still young but just 4 days ago everything was looking great for the Euphyillia. What cause the ammonia in the tank? I use ro/di water for ATO and water change with Red Sea Coral Pro.

 

[Zack K]

First off thank you for the help, I have 2 clowns, 2 4 stripe damsel, 2 chromic, 1 cleaner skunk, 4 Scarlett hermits, and 5 astrea. The tank has been up for 4 months now so its still young but just 4 days ago everything was looking great for the Euphyillia. What cause the ammonia in the tank? I use ro/di water for ATO and water change with Red Sea Coral Pro.

How big is the tank? What test kit are you using to test Ammonia?

 

[PghReef]

I think I found the real problem. You salinity is way to low at 0.025 you need to raise that to 1.025 slow and steady
What do you use to test ammonia? I only tewt ammonia during cycling since it shpupd never be there so used the cheap API kit and I've noticed their ammonia reading can be very hard to read, in all fairness I am colorblind though. Going with above we need to know what size tank. Also,is the tank 4 months old since set up or 4 months since the cycle completed? When did you add the fish and corals?

 

[Zack K]

I think I found the real problem. You salinity is way to low at 0.025 you need to raise that to 1.025 slow and steady
What do you use to test ammonia? I only tewt ammonia during cycling since it shpupd never be there so used the cheap API kit and I've noticed their ammonia reading can be very hard to read, in all fairness I am colorblind though. Going with above we need to know what size tank. Also,is the tank 4 months old since set up or 4 months since the cycle completed? When did you add the fish and corals?

I was assuming that’s a typo but good catch.

 

[mtraylor]

Calcium: 400ppm
Alkalinity: 2.95 Meq/l, 8.25 dkh
Salinity: 0.025 sg
Temperature: 80.6
Nitrate: 1ppm
Magnesium:1260 ppm
Phosphate:0 ppm
Ammonia: 0.25 ppm

Looking at the parms outside of the typo of salinity. There is allot of ammonia in your aquarium. This can cause allot stress on your corals and on your fish. I believe this is an issue and needs to be addressed. Your aquarium is fairly young, and you may have some die off from something such as real live rock, or a perished corals. A water changed is needed. I would do a 50% water change.

Everything else seems to be looking good. The temp of 80.6 is ok. There is no issue there. However huge temp swings can cause euphylia to not come out and resend in and weather away. What was tank temp before? Make sure that aquarium does not swing in be temp margins.

Perform water change and watch the corals. I don't believe the light change has any issue with what you are experiencing.

 

[ReeferHunter]

I think I found the real problem. You salinity is way to low at 0.025 you need to raise that to 1.025 slow and steady
What do you use to test ammonia? I only tewt ammonia during cycling since it shpupd never be there so used the cheap API kit and I've noticed their ammonia reading can be very hard to read, in all fairness I am colorblind though. Going with above we need to know what size tank. Also,is the tank 4 months old since set up or 4 months since the cycle completed? When did you add the fish and corals?

My mistake on the salinity, I meant to type 1.025. The tank has been running for a total of 4 months since initial set up. It is a Red Sea E-MAXX 170 which is a total of 47 gallons. I use all Red Sea products for testing except for the ammonia I do use the API ammonia test kit that you say isn't any good. Also when I came home today from work it appears that one of the torches is dead. I will attach photo. please help and thank you.

 

[ReeferHunter]

Looking at the parms outside of the typo of salinity. There is allot of ammonia in your aquarium. This can cause allot stress on your corals and on your fish. I believe this is an issue and needs to be addressed. Your aquarium is fairly young, and you may have some die off from something such as real live rock, or a perished corals. A water changed is needed. I would do a 50% water change.

Everything else seems to be looking good. The temp of 80.6 is ok. There is no issue there. However huge temp swings can cause euphylia to not come out and resend in and weather away. What was tank temp before? Make sure that aquarium does not swing in be temp margins.

Perform water change and watch the corals. I don't believe the light change has any issue with what you are experiencing.

it had been pegged at 78. as you'll see in the pic I just posted I believe that head is 100% gone.

 

[Zack K]

That looks like a case of Polyp Bailout. This is usually caused by fluctuating water chemistry. Especially Alkalinty, Calcium, Magnesium, and Salinity. Also changes to light and flow can trigger this.

 

[ReeferHunter]

That looks like a case of Polyp Bailout. This is usually caused by fluctuating water chemistry. Especially Alkalinty, Calcium, Magnesium, and Salinity. Also changes to light and flow can trigger this.

The only thing that has changed was that lighting I told you about. My Gsp is now open and looking better today. And the other torch looks slightly better but that one that has the polyp bailout, is that torch a lost cause or is there a possibility that a 50% water change and solid parameters can bring it back to health. I ask because if it is dead and will deteriorate more that will cause more ammonia and therefore I should remove it right

 

[Zack K]

The only thing that has changed was that lighting I told you about. My Gsp is now open and looking better today. And the other torch looks slightly better but that one that has the polyp bailout, is that torch a lost cause or is there a possibility that a 50% water change and solid parameters can bring it back to health. I ask because if it is dead and will deteriorate more that will cause more ammonia and therefore I should remove it right

Dying coral doesn’t add ammonia as a fish would. The amount will be so little it will be processed by the bacteria within a blink. The 1 head looks gone. Just the calcium structure left. But the other head looks okay. I would let it be.

 

[mtraylor]

The one head is toast. Its done. The other looks good. I would perform a nice water change. The one spike of temp from 78 to 81 is not an issue. As stated above, constant fluctuations of any parm is bad, but you would have to be testing allot to determine if that is happening. Perform a water change and you could dip the coral if you like, but the dead head will have to run its corse unless you have something to saw it off. Dremel with the blade works well.

 

[ReeferHunter]

Dying coral doesn’t add ammonia as a fish would. The amount will be so little it will be processed by the bacteria within a blink. The 1 head looks gone. Just the calcium structure left. But the other head looks okay. I would let it be.

thanks man, will do

 

[ReeferHunter]

The one head is toast. Its done. The other looks good. I would perform a nice water change. The one spike of temp from 78 to 81 is not an issue. As stated above, constant fluctuations of any parm is bad, but you would have to be testing allot to determine if that is happening. Perform a water change and you could dip the coral if you like, but the dead head will have to run its corse unless you have something to saw it off. Dremel with the blade works well.

thank you

 

[PghReef]

Ammonia might be a little high due to stocking. 6 fish in 4 months in a 47 gallon is a little quick IMO. My old 46 I started with 2 and added 1 a month until I got to 5 then just bought corals and no fish.

 

[Christopher Davis]

dkh needs to read 9-10 mag for me needs to be 1400-1500 salt 1.026ppm. I would shoot for 76-78 degrees. Do you have prime? I would add it fast to get that ammonia neutralized.

 

[ReeferHunter]

Ammonia might be a little high due to stocking. 6 fish in 4 months in a 47 gallon is a little quick IMO. My old 46 I started with 2 and added 1 a month until I got to 5 then just bought corals and no fish.

should I remove some?