LPS slowly dieing through out the tank.

[skyjacker07]

Looks like you're trying too hard, your water is a little clean for lps , they should be ok, won't grow very fast but ok, I'd definitely stabilize everything maybe they'll bounce back, too many changes and the lps can't stabilize themselves could be causing it.

 

[Lowefx]

Just did 30g wc. More casualties.

 

[CodyRVA]

Plenty of reefers out there keeping LPS in ULNS. IME your water isn't "too clean," your chemistry isn't stable. Until you can stabilize your chemistry, there's no point in chasing other solutions. It's not uncommon to run "dirty" high nutrient systems, but IME you can't double your PO4 in a weeks time and expect good things. Manually dosing ALK is problematic unless you are diligent and have a routine schedule dosing multiple times a day. Dosing 70ml of ALK once per day is not ideal.

That being said, it seems as though you've offset your ALK and nutrient balance, this is a delicate thing. I strongly recommend reading this thread on coral health as it relates to the balance between ALK stability and levels as they relate to NO3/PO4, nutrient, levels. Simply put, the theory claims that promoting tissue growth via high nutrients while demoting skeletal growth (low ALK) or visa versa; promoting skeletal growth with high ALK while demoting tissue growth with low nutrients... in layman's terms throws the coral out of whack and causes STN. Lighting and flow are other variables that come into play; this may or may not be your problem, but as stated, get your chemistry stable first and go from there.

Regardless of why you decided to raise your nutrients, this can and has been done successfully, but based on your tests IMO it was too much too fast.

 

[Lowefx]

CodyRVA, I agree with you. I'm not sure how to balance out the tank chemistry from where it's at now. Or do I just play the waiting game and try to keep things as stable as possible?

 

[CodyRVA]

CodyRVA, I agree with you. I'm not sure how to balance out the tank chemistry from where it's at now. Or do I just play the waiting game and try to keep things as stable as possible?

If you're dosing ALK once a day, try at the very least to spread it over to 2-3 times a day. You can run some kind of media like GFO to reduce the PO4, but proceed with caution... Allowing the PO4 to rise to that extent and stripping it back down to too low of levels is equally bad. Stability works both ways; for example, if you have low ALK you don't want to raise it too fast and if you have high ALK you don't want to drop it too fast either. If I were you, I would keep a very close eye on your coral, if you see any sign of STN/RTN you may want to frag and re-home them until your chemistry is back on point.

 

[Lowefx]

If you're dosing ALK once a day, try at the very least to spread it over to 2-3 times a day. You can run some kind of media like GFO to reduce the PO4, but proceed with caution... Allowing the PO4 to rise to that extent and stripping it back down to too low of levels is equally bad. Stability works both ways; for example, if you have low ALK you don't want to raise it too fast and if you have high ALK you don't want to drop it too fast either. If I were you, I would keep a very close eye on your coral, if you see any sign of STN/RTN you may want to frag and re-home them until your chemistry is back on point.

I'll wait to lower po4. I don't think I should use GFO since I'm using zeovit, that may strip it very fast. I'll try to do 3 water changes in a week, then retest. I'd rather lower no3. Only the LPS is stn/rtn but sps is fine, but with medium polyp extension.

 

[instareefer]

I was chasing a problem for months with bacterial infections taking out different coral. I have multiples of each type but not all were affected. I even bought a uv sterilizer. I have an apex and finally realized my salinity probe had not been calibrated for 2 years, when it's recommended to every 6 months to 1 year. My salinity was 1.020. Calibrated refractometer and confirmed. I've been raising it slowly and things are improving, growing and gaining color again. STN and RTN from infections can occur when salinity is off.

 

[Lowefx]

I was chasing a problem for months with bacterial infections taking out different coral. I have multiples of each type but not all were affected. I even bought a uv sterilizer. I have an apex and finally realized my salinity probe had not been calibrated for 2 years, when it's recommended to every 6 months to 1 year. My salinity was 1.020. Calibrated refractometer and confirmed. I've been raising it slowly and things are improving, growing and gaining color again. STN and RTN from infections can occur when salinity is off.

I will double check AGAIN, but salinity is 1.025. I calibrate every month.

 

[Lowefx]

Yes it is calibrated correctly. And I've just read the zeovit reactor with zeolites are suppose to be 3hrs on, 3hrs off. How critical is that?

 

[Lowefx]

Last test from other day.
I started dosing regular amount of zeostart (.5ml 2x daily) next to my zeolite reactor. Also went back to shaking the reactor 2x daily. I have noticed my rainbow monti color, from the center, is coming back. But I doubt it's going to help my LPS. Galaxia is 80% dead now, and my bubble gum is about 35% gone. Any advise will be considered. Thanks

 

[Rick.45cal]

I don't think your phosphate level is the cause of this. Something else is going on here. I agree with others dosing the 70ml of alk all at once isn't ideal.

How rapidly is the mortality and damage occuring? Infection seems like a likely culprit especially if you've been dilligent about looking for potential pests (which it sounds like you have).

 

[Lowefx]

I don't think your phosphate level is the cause of this. Something else is going on here. I agree with others dosing the 70ml of alk all at once isn't ideal.

How rapidly is the mortality and damage occuring? Infection seems like a likely culprit especially if you've been dilligent about looking for potential pests (which it sounds like you have).

This went to that in 3 months. I'd try to direct feed, but polyps would NEVER extend once it stared rnt.

 

[ReefFreak@]

FLOW FLOW FLOW! If your sps are all doing fine I'm assuming your alkalinity is stable. A problem I ran into a few years back was I had a tank full of lps then got the sps bug and filled my glass box with more sticks and bumped up the flow. All my sps were dying. I checked everything. Then one day after a water change I forgot to turn my mp''s back on and boom! All my remaining lps were out as they once were. If your water parameters are stable and you have to test at least once a week more if you make dosing changes, it's most likely to much flow

 

[Lowefx]

FLOW FLOW FLOW! If your sps are all doing fine I'm assuming your alkalinity is stable. A problem I ran into a few years back was I had a tank full of lps then got the sps bug and filled my glass box with more sticks and bumped up the flow. All my sps were dying. I checked everything. Then one day after a water change I forgot to turn my mp''s back on and boom! All my remaining lps were out as they once were. If your water parameters are stable and you have to test at least once a week more if you make dosing changes, it's most likely to much flow

Negative. This happens anywhere in the tank and my mp40's never go over 60% on random (yellow) mode.
This bubble gum is in the back corner of my tank and look at what's happening over 3 months. Also my Galaxia is 80% dead. what the heck!

 

[ReefFreak@]

@Lowefx if it's not flow, then let's discuss your alkalinity. How often do you check it? Is it consistent or does it swing? Also something else to think about is light intensity. Most lps usually only need around 70 par

 

[Lowefx]

@Lowefx if it's not flow, then let's discuss your alkalinity. How often do you check it? Is it consistent or does it swing? Also something else to think about is light intensity. Most lps usually only need around 70 par

@reeffreak Alk I try to keep around 8dkh. I dose about 70-80ml daily into a powerhead. Typically 40ml in the am, and 40ml when I get home from work. I pour in front of powerhead. I use salifert test 2x week.
I've had these lights for 6 years and always had success with a mixed reef.
Last week I started to go back to recommended dosing of zeostart (.5ml 2x daily) and shaking the zeolites 2x daily. Before last week I didn't really dose any zeostart because I am fighting a dino bloom and they feed on the carbon source. This may have something to do with it.
Today I am hooking up my 57w Aqua UV inline to my return line. Hopefully this helps also.

 

[Rick.45cal]

My LPS are in very high flow, and in bright lights (380-400+ PAR) and I don't have these issues. This is something else.

Just out of curiosity what is your daily pH swing. Does your tank run a chronically low pH? Is your home a newer home that is pretty energy efficient? Do you run an airline from outside to your skimmer? Have you tried a CO2 scrubber for the skimmer? I've seen this type of recession in a tank where there was high dissolved CO2 levels. (Here's the big "but"). But, SPS were also affected. Since that isn't happening in your tank it seems less likely. Which makes me lean even heavier on the idea that it is a type of infection.

 

[ReefFreak@]

@Lowefx everything sounds ok only problem I could see there is if the undiluted carbonate solution you are using is damagin there tissue but that would be a wide spread problem not specifically lps. I've never used zeostart so I can't give a definite but if it's like other carbon dosing perhaps you lowered your nutrients to fast and your water is actually to clean? How is your skimmer running? The bacteria you are feeding may be giving off a toxion. Again this is just spectaculation.

 

[Lowefx]

My LPS are in very high flow, and in bright lights (380-400+ PAR) and I don't have these issues. This is something else.

Just out of curiosity what is your daily pH swing. Does your tank run a chronically low pH? Is your home a newer home that is pretty energy efficient? Do you run an airline from outside to your skimmer? Have you tried a CO2 scrubber for the skimmer? I've seen this type of recession in a tank where there was high dissolved CO2 levels. (Here's the big "but"). But, SPS were also affected. Since that isn't happening in your tank it seems less likely. Which makes me lean even heavier on the idea that it is a type of infection.

I am not sure what my daily swing is. I will monitor it today and tomorrow.
I just moved into this house in June. It is a Newer house, built in 2009. I do believe it is energy efficient, but how much....i have no clue. A/C has been on all summer (VA).
I do run a CO2 scrubber as pictured below. That was installed early July. And I exchange co2 every 2 weeks.
SPS is not affected at all. Hose is routed to the back side of my stand.
What I did notice is once I started back the regular Zeo dosing, my rainbow monti color is coming back. Before I thought it was dieing from th center out. But it came back in the last week.
Bonus picture of my ugly sumps set up.

 

[ReefFreak@]

My LPS are in very high flow, and in bright lights (380-400+ PAR) and I don't have these issues. This is something else.

Just out of curiosity what is your daily pH swing. Does your tank run a chronically low pH? Is your home a newer home that is pretty energy efficient? Do you run an airline from outside to your skimmer? Have you tried a CO2 scrubber for the skimmer? I've seen this type of recession in a tank where there was high dissolved CO2 levels. (Here's the big "but"). But, SPS were also affected. Since that isn't happening in your tank it seems less likely. Which makes me lean even heavier on the idea that it is a type of infection.

It's very possible to keep lps in high par situations ,and may give them better colors, but it will not make them grow faster. It can actually slow and stop photosynthesis. It's been shown that lps grow and thrive with around 70 par. That's another topic we could talk about in another thread I was suggesting that to the op because he may of turned up his lights ,got new bulbs etc.. and "burnt the corals"