Help- Soft corals dying!

[jp_75]

Phosphates 0
Nitrates 0
feed more!!!!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Pics

Pull all that hair algae out by hand. That cottony affect tells me there are water quality issues.

 

[Scud]

Pull all that hair algae out by hand. That cottony affect tells me there are water quality issues.

I agree but Literally tested everything last night. Using Salifert test kits. Not showing any bad stuff- but yes there is an issue somewhere. I will pull out the red stuff tonight when I get home from work. Not sure what white cottony stuff you see- the green algae looks washed out in the photos. In reality it’s a mix of green with brown/red.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I agree but Literally tested everything last night. Using Salifert test kits. Not showing any bad stuff- but yes there is an issue somewhere. I will pull out the red stuff tonight when I get home from work

For a piece of mind, take a water sample to a trusted LFS and have them test for you to confirm the readings and compare with yours

 

[ADAM]

You can dose Neophos (sp?) if you’re sure that zero phosphate and nitrates are the culprit. Also the frozen cube foods sold at petsmart and petco normally have a pretty good amount of phosphate in the mix (that’s why it is recommended to thaw completely before adding to the tank)
Another thing to mention is when the levels, Phos and Nitrate, get that low you could have Diatoms instead of Dinoflagellates. Most forms of dinos will develop very noticeable air bubbles when the lights are ON, where as diatoms will usually get more long and stringy with out visible appearance of air bubbles in the slime.
I had a very similar sounding issue to yours a while back and indeed the water was “too clean” and the Dr Tim’s recipe for Dino/ Diatoms worked well. It took a while, as it should, and it consisted of their Refresh and Waste-Away. The regimen can be found searching google pretty easy. In a newer tank it will probably help establish a good bacteria base as well. Not to mention if you’re pH is consistently low it may well be from decaying organics.
From the info you’ve given and my previous very similar situation, I truly feel the Dr Tim’s method mentioned earlier would be one of the best things to do.

 

[jeffchapok]

I will give the low light, peroxide a shot. Was worried this was a Dino outbreak, and wondered if low nutrients was the reason.

I'd be leery of dosing peroxide while they are already stressed. While healthy corals will typically tolerate it, it's certainly not going to make them any happier in the short term.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I'd be leery of dosing peroxide while they are already stressed. While healthy corals will typically tolerate it, it's certainly not going to make them any happier in the short term.

I continue to dose daily at .5ml per 10 gals with NO effects and extremely happy corals and fish

 

[Reefadict64]

Hi there, the last 2 weeks my soft corals are all acting ****** off. Not opening up, and shrinking. GSP which was vibrant and spreading fast is now receding. Made no crazy changes that I can think of. Tank is fairly new, about 4 months old now. All fish and inverts seem totally happy.

Tank Specs-
40 gallon Breeder
Seachem Tidal 110 HOB filter
5 gallon refugium (Chaeto/rubble)
2 koralia PH on opposite sides of tank

Lighting
2 165w Viparspectra reef lights
55% blue, 15% white
Blues are on 7 hours- whites are on for 4 hours of that 7.

Livestock
4 fish (bicolor Blenny, Kupang damsel, Firefish, scooter dragonet)
5 hermit crabs
8 snails
Several frags of Zoas, paly, mushrooms, Gsp.

Water Parameters
RODI from store
Salinity 1.027 (using Tropic Marin Salt according to lfs where I get water from)
Temp 76-79
Ammonia 0
Phosphates 0
Nitrates 0
Alk 8.0
PH 7
Don’t test for Mag/calcium
I do a 20% WC every 7-10 days.

wondering if low phosphates and nitrates could be the issue. I have over fed frozen mysis/ brine mix the last several days without any increase in phosphates, ammonia, or nitrates. Thought about dosing fertilizer for planted tanks.

I also having some what either looks like stringy Cyano or Dinos. Reddish in colors- comes and goes. Gets bad during the light cycles and seems to diminish at night- not completely- but to some extent. I have lots of amphipods, isopods, and what look like tiny copepods. I’ve examined the corals for parasites, I don’t see anything. Occasionally I’ll see an amphipod scurrying around the Gsp at night.


Any advice from experienced hobbyists would be greatly appreciated.

If your nitrate and phosphate is 0 then that’s definitely a problem especially for soft corals which like more nutrient rich water. You probably need to higher your nutrients which for me is a very good excuse to get new fish but if that isn’t an option I would just add more nutrients to the tank manually, hope this helps

 

[BeejReef]

I ask how long they were in and happy to help rule out issues like lighting and flow.
Easiest way to get N and P up is to stop taking them out.
Can't say 100% that's the issue, but I see the same everyone else mentions.. with 0 phosphate, especially zoas shrivel right up.

Ripping out a lot of that algae should help. It won't be there to eat nitrate and phosphate any more. Looks like chemi-pure elite also has some gfo in it. Might pull that.

 

[MarkLoveday]

All in all seems to me that the tank isn't completely cycled.
I'd pull out those filters and do weekly water changes until you see improvements.
What's your CUC?
Astrea snails will have a feast on that hair algae
Throw about 20 in and keep up with the water changes.

Patience is virtue

 

[Scud]

Pull all that hair algae out by hand. That cottony affect tells me there are water quality issues.

Also, not

You can dose Neophos (sp?) if you’re sure that zero phosphate and nitrates are the culprit. Also the frozen cube foods sold at petsmart and petco normally have a pretty good amount of phosphate in the mix (that’s why it is recommended to thaw completely before adding to the tank)
Another thing to mention is when the levels, Phos and Nitrate, get that low you could have Diatoms instead of Dinoflagellates. Most forms of dinos will develop very noticeable air bubbles when the lights are ON, where as diatoms will usually get more long and stringy with out visible appearance of air bubbles in the slime.
I had a very similar sounding issue to yours a while back and indeed the water was “too clean” and the Dr Tim’s recipe for Dino/ Diatoms worked well. It took a while, as it should, and it consisted of their Refresh and Waste-Away. The regimen can be found searching google pretty easy. In a newer tank it will probably help establish a good bacteria base as well. Not to mention if you’re pH is consistently low it may well be from decaying organics.
From the info you’ve given and my previous very similar situation, I truly feel the Dr Tim’s method mentioned earlier would be one of the best things to do.

I May give that a try- thank you

 

[Scud]

All in all seems to me that the tank isn't completely cycled.
I'd pull out those filters and do weekly water changes until you see improvements.
What's your CUC?
Astrea snails will have a feast on that hair algae
Throw about 20 in and keep up with the water changes.

Patience is virtue

CUC-
2 dwarf zebra hermits
1 dwarf blue leg hermit
1 Cortez hermit
1 red legged hermit

2 astrea snails
4 banded trochus snails
1 blotched nassarius
2 nerites

 

[vetteguy53081]

CUC-
2 dwarf zebra hermits
1 dwarf blue leg hermit
1 Cortez hermit
1 red legged hermit

2 astrea snails
4 banded trochus snails
1 blotched nassarius
2 nerites

Ud doubl

id double the amount of CUC you have in hand

 

[MarkLoveday]

CUC-
2 dwarf zebra hermits
1 dwarf blue leg hermit
1 Cortez hermit
1 red legged hermit

2 astrea snails
4 banded trochus snails
1 blotched nassarius
2 nerites

I've got about 20 something astrea

Ud doubl

id double the amount of CUC you have in hand

I 2nd this

 

[Saltyreef]

Slow and steady wins the race. Its great you have 0 nutrients after your cycle. It just means your tank is nice and clean from the start. Always easier to add than remove.