Losing SPS! Help!

[AaronRetka]

Hello! I have a roughly eight-month-old mixed tank that's experiencing a pretty massive SPS die-off. Until a month or so ago, everything was doing great, growing well, showing great colors, etc. Now nearly every piece of SPS in the tank, regardless of species or placement, is just crapping out on me—they will generally begin by hiding polyps, will then lose color, then tissue, and then algae growth starts in. It really is affecting everything from acros to stylos to encrusting monti to caps and setosa. All LPS and softies are doing great (although growth seems to have slowed down a bit there, too—which may admittedly just be my imagination).

Parameters are fine and have stayed that way for some time:

dKH: 8.3
pH: 8.2
Salinity: 1.025
Ca: 420 ppm
No3: 4 ppm
PO4: 0.02 ppm
Mg: 1400
Temp: 78.0
Two MP10s
Kessil AP700

Had my water ICP-tested a few weeks ago, and everything showed up fine, except for slightly low bromine. I've been running through my mental list of things that could've gone wrong here, but everything has been relatively stable for some time, and both my LFS and I are stymied. Lights and flow haven't changed. Temp hasn't changed. Nutrients have see-sawed a little bit, but nothing crazy: reduced PO4 from 0.1 to 0.2 over the course of six weeks or so via GFO, and dosed NO3 to nudge that up a bit. I even checked for stray voltage, and there's nothing there either. Performed a few big (30%) water changes over a course of a few days.

So what am I not thinking of? I continue to lose corals on a daily basis and could really use a fresh point of view here, and searching similar threads on R2R isn't helping. Thoughts?

Thanks much!

 

[Hitman]

#reefsquad!!!
Your parameters look good to me. I called the pros for you.
Welcome to R2R! We will get you through this.

 

[Crabs McJones]

When was the last time anything was introduced into the tank? Possibly an sps eating hitchhiker made it's way in somehow? Only other thing would be to double check everywhere and every piece of equipment for rusting parts.

 

[TheHarold]

Water changes and another ICP test

 

[Flippers4pups]

Hello! I have a roughly eight-month-old mixed tank that's experiencing a pretty massive SPS die-off. Until a month or so ago, everything was doing great, growing well, showing great colors, etc. Now nearly every piece of SPS in the tank, regardless of species or placement, is just crapping out on me—they will generally begin by hiding polyps, will then lose color, then tissue, and then algae growth starts in. It really is affecting everything from acros to stylos to encrusting monti to caps and setosa. All LPS and softies are doing great (although growth seems to have slowed down a bit there, too—which may admittedly just be my imagination).

Parameters are fine and have stayed that way for some time:

dKH: 8.3
pH: 8.2
Salinity: 1.025
Ca: 420 ppm
No3: 4 ppm
PO4: 0.02 ppm
Mg: 1400
Temp: 78.0
Two MP10s
Kessil AP700

Had my water ICP-tested a few weeks ago, and everything showed up fine, except for slightly low bromine. I've been running through my mental list of things that could've gone wrong here, but everything has been relatively stable for some time, and both my LFS and I are stymied. Lights and flow haven't changed. Temp hasn't changed. Nutrients have see-sawed a little bit, but nothing crazy: reduced PO4 from 0.1 to 0.2 over the course of six weeks or so via GFO, and dosed NO3 to nudge that up a bit. I even checked for stray voltage, and there's nothing there either. Performed a few big (30%) water changes over a course of a few days.

So what am I not thinking of? I continue to lose corals on a daily basis and could really use a fresh point of view here, and searching similar threads on R2R isn't helping. Thoughts?

Thanks much!

Can you post a picture of your tank?

Lighting, what type and your photo period?

We can help you.

 

[AaronRetka]

When was the last time anything was introduced into the tank? Possibly an sps eating hitchhiker made it's way in somehow? Only other thing would be to double check everywhere and every piece of equipment for rusting parts.

Last SPS I added was a strawberry shortcake acro, after this stuff first began. But wouldn't I have to run the gamut of hitchhikers for it to affect so many different species? Red bugs, nudis, etc, are generally species-specific, aren't they?

 

[Flippers4pups]

Last SPS I added was a strawberry shortcake acro, after this stuff first began. But wouldn't I have to run the gamut of hitchhikers for it to affect so many different species? Red bugs, nudis, etc, are generally species-specific, aren't they?

No not necessarily. Do you dip your corals?

 

[AaronRetka]

Can you post a picture of your tank?

Lighting, what type and your photo period?

We can help you.

Thanks so much for the reply. Running a Kessil AP700 on a 4-foot tank (about 14 or inches above surface). Photo period is 12 hours total, 7 at peak intensity.

 

[AaronRetka]

No not necessarily. Do you dip your corals?

Yep, everything gets Coral Rx-ed before it hits the tank.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Yep, everything gets Coral Rx-ed before it hits the tank.

Can you explain how the SPS declines?

Sorry just read that.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Can you post a picture?

 

[Crabs McJones]

How are you supplementing all and calcium for your sps corals?

 

[AaronRetka]

How are you supplementing all and calcium for your sps corals?

Doing Triton stuff with a Jebao doser.

 

[AaronRetka]

Can you post a picture?

Few closeups of some of the carnage, and the full tank.

 

[reeferfoxx]

What are you using to test nutrients and when was the last time you tested them? What are you running for filtration as of right now?

 

[Flippers4pups]

Generally speaking, when a SPS coral loses color and pales is do to these possibilities:

1. Pest.

2. Lack of nutrients.

3. Lighting intensity is to great.

4. Alkalinity is too high and or In conjunction with lack of nutrients.

5. Temperature too high or low.

6. Water contamination, heavy metals, toxic air borne contamination....etc.

7. Voltage leak.

8. Water pramameter swings.

 

[AaronRetka]

What are you using to test nutrients and when was the last time you tested them? What are you running for filtration as of right now?

Using a Red Sea kit for PO4/NO3 that came in roughly in line with what ICP turned up. Tested yesterday. No mechanical filtration except a little filter pad before my return, which gets cleaned weekly—no filter socks, etc. Large-ish fuge with a ton of chaeto.

 

[MnFish1]

So - when I have seen this - its - one thing dies - releases 'chemicals' - or ammonia. damages another thing - which releases chemicals and or ammonia, etc etc etc etc. Get rid of all of the dying things - frag them - re-glue them. There is a lot to say for chemical warfare in a tank. Do you run carbon? Have you checked ammonia. My rule (hard learned) once things start dying - cut off the dying parts and take them out - hope for. the best for the frags. Keeping things in there slowly dying seems not to be a good idea...

 

[MnFish1]

Generally speaking, when a SPS coral loses color and pales is do to these possibilities:

1. Pest.

2. Lack of nutrients.

3. Lighting intensity is to great.

4. Alkalinity is too high and or In conjunction with lack of nutrients.

5. Temperature too high or low.

6. Water contamination, heavy metals, toxic air borne contamination....etc.

7. Voltage leak.

8. Water pramameter swings.

like all of these - though I think voltage leak is a low low likelihood..... Damage from allelopathy is a real thing as well. If you take one at a time - pests don't kill every coral the same. Lack of nutrients is unlikely to be sudden, Light intensity is unlikely to be a factor unless changed quickly, Alkalinity and nutrients didn't change (according to the OP), Same with temperature. 6 is also likely - but usually there is a known exposure.... IMHO

 

[MnFish1]

PO4 from 0.1 to 0.2 over the course of six weeks or so via GFO, and dosed NO3 to nudge that up a bit. I

As the above poster said - nutrients can be an issue - from what did you lower your PO4 with GFO? Where were you're nitrates - and why did you use to dose them? Have you checked your RODI water