Losing some sps. Need help

[Biglurr54]

I'm losing some sps. I don't know why.

All my corals have been looking poor and losing color for a couple weeks now and I don't know why.

First my skimmer died. I ordered a new pump and am still waiting it to come in the mail. Then we had a cold snap and the kids left a window open near the tank. The temp dropped to 72. It is controlled at 78. I threw a spare heater in and the temp went to 81. It is now regulated back to 78 and has been there for a week.

I changed my halide bulb out. It was a pulse rite 14k with 7 months of use.

I have changed carbon and removed 1/2 the chaeto to combat nitrates a s phosphates.

Params are
78
1.025
0 nitrate
0 phosphate
8.23 dkh
430 cl
1230 mag


Why are my sps slowly dying? My torch isn't opening and everything else looks fine.

Here are the dying spot.

 

[happyhourhero]

From what you posted IMO these are the effects of the changes you outlined. Sometimes the effects take a while to manifest. Running 0 Nitrates and 0 phosphates is risky business. I would try to raise both of those and then try and keep everything as stable as you can and ride it out. Although the presence of algae in the pics makes me doubt you are riding 0, 0.

 

[Biglurr54]

According to my api test kits and my Hanna Checker I'm at 0 0. My fuge is large and grows like mad.

What is most likely the culprit? Would the temp change be the biggest suspect or the skimmer? My skimmer never pulled much out but it aerated the water.

 

[happyhourhero]

It really could be one of those or a combo and even changing the bulb could have caused some.

 

[tdileo]

Do you feed your corals? 0 NO3 and PO4 seem like the culprit from what I’m seeing. I would add more fish, increase feeding, or start feeding something like Reef Roids and Amino Acids (or a combo of all 3 but not heavily so you spike nutrients)

 

[Biglurr54]

The tank is over stocked as it is. I feed 1 cube a day and live black worms daily. I doubt it's 0 nitrate 0 phosphate. It's a high nutrient system but the algae in tank and in sump consume the nitrates before they become detectable. The tank is almost 2 years old. Nothing has changed in the last year. Everything was doing great and then when the temp changed everything went down hill.

I tried feeding coral frenzy a few times and I get Cyano every time I add it. It goes away as soon as I stop feeding it.

Here's the tank when the skimmer pump quit


I will admit I have been neglecting the tank as I'm in the process of building a 175 cube with a basement sump to replace this tank. I need to do a water change and hopefully that will help as well.

 

[mtraylor]

I agree with what everyone has said. The corals are in pretty good shape considering what they went through. I would hang tight, not change a thing and double check my alk. Keep the tank stable.

 

[Scorpius]

You did several changes in a short period of time. It can take a long time to see the effects of change on a reef tank. That's why I log everything so when stuff goes south I can go back a month or two and see where I screwed up.

 

[Biglurr54]

Yea. I didn't chose to do any changes other than the light which was due for a change.

 

[Biglurr54]

So of my nutrients are too low, how could I raise them. For filtration I typically run a skimmer 24 hours a day. Current I'm on hold because my pump went. New pump should be here any day. Should I add an air pump for aeration? I have a 8 gallon fuge lit by a mars hydro 300w for 12 hours a day. I run brs rox carbon in a filter bag floating in high flow.

That's it for filtration.

Should I start feeding coral frenzy until I get Cyano? Should I increase feed the fish to two cubes a day?