Help from the experts

[Lavey29]

Seem to have some SPS colonies in decline. I have had these for over 1.5 years with no issues and they started as small frags growing into colonies. I have had very stable parameters for 2 years now with the exception of slowly rising phosphate over the last 4 months. I used small doses of phosphate rx to bring it down over several months. It is currently testing .06 to .09. It was as high as .45.

My last water change last week of 18% showed 1.028 salinity and I'm usually 1.026. I took some cup fulls out of the tank and ATO back filled. It settled at 1.025.

My other numbers are stable at alk 8.4 cal 440, mag 1410 and nitrates 14. Since I have had 2 years of good stability I'm not sure what is causing this other then what it listed above. I have a few aptasia mixed in with all those colonies and dropped some nudibranch branch there last week so as you move those you suck up the LFS tank water too so not sure if I introduced something bad. Lights and flow have not changed.

All my LFS and softs are fine. Just STN on my SPS colonies so any suggestions other then fragging the good parts?

 

[blaxsun]

Not an expert by any stretch, but I'm thinking the slow increase of phosphates (primary) over a few months and salinity (minor, secondary may have played a roll.

 

[Pod_01]

I used small doses of phosphate rx to bring it down over several months. It is currently testing .06 to .09. It was as high as .45.

IMO, from your description I suspect P/PO4 is your main issue.
Not the increase but the drop. I have observed in my tank over the years decreasing/sinking PO4 is the end game for SPS.
Salinity might have been a minor nuisance.

Anyways here are some pictures of what some corals looked like when my PO4 went below 0.1.

Above 0.1 I have not seen the same sensitivity.

Here is a picture when the PO4 was increased, above 0.1:

Good luck,

 

[Lavey29]

Wonder why only a few SPS seem affected or is this bacterial that might eventually spread to others?

Should I completely remove infected colonies? I did frag off dead branches. My P04 never got below .06 so it wasn't bottomed out.

 

[Lavey29]

Not an expert by any stretch, but I'm thinking the slow increase of phosphates (primary) over a few months and salinity (minor, secondary may have played a roll.

But I've been dealing with phosphate fluctuations for months? I just had salinity second checked by my LFS ans it's 1.026 so really only a minor drop from water change.

I was thinking this is a bacteria infection possibly? Perhaps the things you mentioned stressed the corals and allowed the bacteria to get hold?

 

[blaxsun]

But I've been dealing with phosphate fluctuations for months? I just had salinity second checked by my LFS ans it's 1.026 so really only a minor drop from water change.

As @Pod_01 pointed out, it could be the phosphate drop - since it was a gradual increase over many months. Or it could simply be that you reached a threshold where the high phosphates finally started impacting the corals. More often than not, when you finally see a problem with a coral chances are it's been in the works for weeks already... It doesn't sound like the salinity was a contributing factor (mine has fluctuated by that at times).

 

[Pod_01]

I was thinking this is a bacteria infection possibly? Perhaps the things you mentioned stressed the corals and allowed the bacteria to get hold?

From my experience, fluctuating P/PO4 is not bad, I gone from 0.1 to 0.9 and back down with no visible issues (again my tank).
In the 0.02-0.1 range bad things happened to my SPS. The ones that show it most are the the so called easy to keep SPS like bird‘s nest, montipora etc…
The negative is quick as well, all seems good and like a fire gone.
As mentioned there is lag so this has been brewing for some time.

My suggestion, get PO4 above 0.1 and see over next 4 weeks if the tank turns around. Yes it might be close call for some pieces, based on the picture. Definitely trim the dead part, or algae will take over and kill the rest.
Anyways just my suggestion.

 

[Lavey29]

From my experience, fluctuating P/PO4 is not bad, I gone from 0.1 to 0.9 and back down with no visible issues (again my tank).
In the 0.02-0.1 range bad things happened to my SPS. The ones that show it most are the the so called easy to keep SPS like bird‘s nest, montipora etc…
The negative is quick as well, all seems good and like a fire gone.
As mentioned there is lag so this has been brewing for some time.

My suggestion, get PO4 above 0.1 and see over next 4 weeks if the tank turns around. Yes it might be close call for some pieces, based on the picture. Definitely trim the dead part, or algae will take over and kill the rest.
Anyways just my suggestion.

My P04 is .25 now. I cut back the digi but the purple stylo is going fast so will probably lose that whole piece. Oh well, guess it's just one of those hurdles in the hobby to start over.

Thought about dosing cipro if it's a bacteria infection?

 

[Lavey29]

As @Pod_01 pointed out, it could be the phosphate drop - since it was a gradual increase over many months. Or it could simply be that you reached a threshold where the high phosphates finally started impacting the corals. More often than not, when you finally see a problem with a coral chances are it's been in the works for weeks already... It doesn't sound like the salinity was a contributing factor (mine has fluctuated by that at times).

Yes, could be and yes corals can be struggling for extended periods but these 2 have big polyp extensions so it would have been easy to see something wrong with them. They both have solid polyp extensions now yet still dying.

 

[blaxsun]

Yes, could be and yes corals can be struggling for extended periods but these 2 have big polyp extensions so it would have been easy to see something wrong with them. They both have solid polyp extensions now yet still dying.

I had a calendar event to check my DI resin and it was totally brown and the TDS was reading well over 40 (oops). After replacing my sediment, carbon and resin cartridges I'm now back down to 0-1 TDS. Bad summer for city water I guess...

The net end result is that my phosphates have really spiked (I've been neglecting my testing since it was so consistent) and they're up to 1.0! (probably due in part to the high TDS from the RODI water) I'm in the process of cutting my feeding back along with some generous use of NOPOX - so we'll see what happens. The weird thing is that all my corals are doing incredibly well (especially the SPS - and particularly my large chip's acro) despite my typical (higher) nitrates and phosphates. Bizarre...

 

[Lavey29]

I had a calendar event to check my DI resin and it was totally brown and the TDS was reading well over 40 (oops). After replacing my sediment, carbon and resin cartridges I'm now back down to 0-1 TDS. Bad summer for city water I guess...

The net end result is that my phosphates have really spiked (I've been neglecting my testing since it was so consistent) and they're up to 1.0! (probably due in part to the high TDS from the RODI water) I'm in the process of cutting my feeding back along with some generous use of NOPOX - so we'll see what happens. The weird thing is that all my corals are doing incredibly well (especially the SPS - and particularly my large chip's acro) despite my typical (higher) nitrates and phosphates. Bizarre...

So if you are seeing positive results why not just let it roll?

 

[blaxsun]

So if you are seeing positive results why not just let it roll?

My "normal" phosphate levels are 0.10-0.15, so it's a tad high for my liking. So a gradual reduction over the next month or so is probably in order (nothing drastic). It could also be testing error, so I'll check it again tomorrow. I think the increase is mainly from the RO system, but this is best guess at this point.

My tank kind of runs contrary to most reefs, which I'm often very much at a loss to explain. I wish I could (then I could market this strategy! lol)

 

[Lavey29]

My "normal" phosphate levels are 0.10-0.15, so it's a tad high for my liking. So a gradual reduction over the next month or so is probably in order (nothing drastic). It could also be testing error, so I'll check it again tomorrow. I think the increase is mainly from the RO system, but this is best guess at this point.

My tank kind of runs contrary to most reefs, which I'm often very much at a loss to explain. I wish I could (then I could market this strategy! lol)

Mine was on autopilot last 2 years with beautiful growth and color now the past week some of that is gone. Oh well, such is life. Once I get this back in line I may try some more difficult pieces with more color variations. I was having great success until this past week with SPS. I hope the remaining pieces stay ok.

 

[Pod_01]

Thought about dosing cipro if it's a bacteria infection?

This I am not a fan. In my little head antibiotics and corals just don’t seem to work.
The whole idea behind corals is that they do require bacteria. So if we kill/impact the bacteria there will be impacts on corals.

I am not expert but I would use it as a last resort, one before quitting. Just my opinion.

 

[Lavey29]

This I am not a fan. In my little head antibiotics and corals just don’t seem to work.
The whole idea behind corals is that they do require bacteria. So if we kill/impact the bacteria there will be impacts on corals.

I am not expert but I would use it as a last resort, one before quitting. Just my opinion.

I used it successfully early on when my LPS got BJD with no negative effects to the tank but now at almost 2.5 years, I think I have a well established biome with biodiversity and microfauna so I'm very hesitant to go the cipro route unless all the pieces start STN.

 

[Syntax1235]

You could send out for an aquabiomics test to help confirm or eliminate pathogenic bacteria. Just a thought.

 

[billyocean]

The p04 could be the issue and as mentioned...always drop it very slowly. From the pics I'm guessing an alternative shot in thr dark could be flow. Is it possible that growth of other coral has created somewhat of a "dead zone" of flow and has affected those areas? It's kind of a stab in thr dark but looking at the pics it's in the same general area so thought I would throw that out there.

 

[billyocean]

My tank kind of runs contrary to most reefs, which I'm often very much at a loss to explain. I wish I could (then I could market this strategy! lol)

Couldn't agree more! My advice always comes with the "this is what works for me" caveat and it's not conventional in some respects.

 

[Troylee]

I’d say flow or chemical warfare myself from that picture… do you run any carbon?

 

[Lavey29]

The p04 could be the issue and as mentioned...always drop it very slowly. From the pics I'm guessing an alternative shot in thr dark could be flow. Is it possible that growth of other coral has created somewhat of a "dead zone" of flow and has affected those areas? It's kind of a stab in thr dark but looking at the pics it's in the same general area so thought I would throw that out there.

The green slimer was the first to go and it was RTN. First think I thought was it got crowded out and just gave up. Then my big digi and stylo started declining but is was STN this time. I cut back the digi to try and save it and ended up removing the stylo. I figured if it was bacteria related I wanted to stop the spread. Here are before and after pics.

Luckily today everything seems stable with my SPS.