I'm a Chalice killer

[maccyg]

Really don't know what I can be doing wrong here.

Put a new Chalice coral into my tank yesterday after slowly acclimating it to my tank water.

In less than 24hrs it has gone from looking good to almost complete skeleton (see pics) and this has happened to every Chalice I've put in the tank and I can't work it out. I also struggle the same with Acans.

I have 2x Psammocora in the tank along with a Leptoseris and they are alive but not really growing much.

My light is an AI Prime which I have put on 50% acclimation mode. I also use a PAR meter and it registers 80 PAR where I put the chalice but in real terms it must be 40 because of the acclimation mode so I'm assuming it can't be high light that's the issue?

I moved it down onto the sanded anyway just in case.

Salinity is 1.025
Alk is 9
Magnesium is 1350ppm
Calcium is 420
Temp is 25.5 Celsius
Nitrates are between 5ppm to 10ppm
Zero ammonia and zero nitrite

Phosphates are very low as I use Rowaphos so could this be it?

Would really appreciate any help

 

[bday1335]

Do you have any comb tooth Blennys by any chance?? They can sometimes develop an appetite for them!

 

[maccyg]

No - I have a bicolour blenny though

 

[bday1335]

No - I have a bicolour blenny though

That may be your culprit. I had to remove a bicolour for this same reason. Not saying it is 100%, but keep an eye on him. See if he things its a new algae growth and tries to eat it. They can make quick work of those chalice frags

 

[ChiCity]

low po4 is never a good thing with lps, zoas and softies...
but to deteriorate so rapidly, hmmm, thats usually a parameters issue, or a culprit

 

[DWPhilli]

Nothing in your parameters or lighting look so off that it would cause that in a day. Phosphate may need to be raised, but again, it would not cause it that quick.

So probably something picking at it, or some unknown in your water.

 

[maccyg]

That may be your culprit. I had to remove a bicolour for this same reason. Not saying it is 100%, but keep an eye on him. See if he things its a new algae growth and tries to eat it. They can make quick work of those chalice frags

Right that's interesting - I haven't seen him have a go at any of my corals but maybe it could be him then

 

[bday1335]

Right that's interesting - I haven't seen him have a go at any of my corals but maybe it could be him then

Like I said, not 100%, but it has happened to me, so just watch him

 

[maccyg]

low po4 is never a good thing with lps, zoas and softies...
but to deteriorate so rapidly, hmmm, thats usually a parameters issue, or a culprit

Yeah I just assumed that it must be po4 as I can't see anything that would cause it - although maybe it is getting nipped at. I've pulled the Rowaphos out a couple of hours ago to see if it was that but now it sounds like low po4 wouldn't cause such a rapid deterioration.

 

[maccyg]

Nothing in your parameters or lighting look so off that it would cause that in a day. Phosphate may need to be raised, but again, it would not cause it that quick.

So probably something picking at it, or some unknown in your water.

Yeah I wasn't sure if water parameters would cause such a dramatic change but sounds like it wouldn't then. I may have to put this down to physical attacks from the fish, probably no way back for it then

 

[maccyg]

If the tank the chalice came from had reasonably high po4 and then went into my tank with very low po4 I am assuming it would go downhill a bit over time but then not THIS fast?

 

[zuri]

chalice's are a set and forget coral moving them before they have settled in is a nono. playing with the light is a nono set and forget if you want to raise the par do it every two weeks an small increment's. chalice is more likely to die the more you have spent in the future set your tank an than add the expensive one's inquire beforehand the light source an spectrum nothing burns faster than chalice. coral wont starve in 24 hours even being in a clean tank takes at least week before a healthy coral will RTN. chalice stress easy go easy

 

[jimc40]

I have fried a few chalice with light trying to find the spot in my tank that will work. I would be willing to bet high light is the culprit.

 

[maccyg]

Thanks everyone. Whatever it is its been a rapid death. This morning the chalice is nothing but a white skeleton, gone from the 1st pic to that in less than 48hrs. I think I'll wait a long while before I try and introduce a chalice coral into the tank again - if I ever do. Seems to be a very challenging coral that I'm probably not experienced enough to keep yet.