Need help identifying a cause of tissue recession

[epsteino]

Can anyone guide me in identifying a potential problem in my tank? Please? I will post what I know is going on but would love to answer any questions to help me fight this.

Pics attached

2.5 year old tank. mixed Reef with quite a few SPS.
have been battling AEFW for over 6 months. recently fragged most of the SPS and placed on frag plugs/racks around the side of the tank.
dipped in bayer 3 times since fragging - one every 2-3 weeks. last time was 3 weeks ago.
have noticed off and on recession at the bases of some corals.
Occasionally RTN of a colony
some corals did not do well with the dipping and others did not even skip a beat (I expected that)
I have nightmares burnt into my brain of what AEFW looks like with the bite marks, tissue loss and slow death.
This looks different to me.
It has been happening on and off and does not really correlate with dipping or anything I can put my finger on.
I have several frags of each coral on different plugs on different racks and this does not happen to every frag of the same coral.
Overall, the health of the tank is good and I see encrusting and growth. polyp extension is good.

120 gallon tank (maybe 70 - 80 gallons water with rock and coral?)
0.5-1 inch sand layer
no sump
RODI through auto top off
1 canister filter
1 57 watt UV light
I have 4 3000 gph wave makers going at intermittent times
probably 500-600 gph from the return pumps (canister and a fluval sp2)
2 g4 xr15pro, 1 G3 xr30pro, 4 54 watt T5 fluorescents on 10 hour light cycle
PAR meter measures about 160-200 at the frag racks. 250-350 in the middle of the tank (where I removed these frags from)
HOB skimmer that is doing its job well enough
running a carbon reactor
I do not run GFO
I dose Phos rx once a month or so when the phosphate gets to 1.0
Dosing alk (soda ash) at 170ml daily
CaCl 190 ml daily
Mag at 17 ml daily
feed fish twice a day
dose Red Sea A and B 10 ml each by target feeding daily
water changes are not on any regular basis but probably about 20 gallons (maybe 25% volume) once a month. never gravel vac

SG 1.026
Temp between 77-78 F
pH swings from 8.05 to 8.45 daily

Alk - 8.0
Ca - 420-430
Mg - 1380-1420
PO3 - rises from 0.03 - 0.09 over 3-4 weeks
NO3 - 5-10

 

[stephj03]

Have you run an ICP test lately?

I know you run carbon but there's a lot of lps and zoas in the tank. Maybe some
chemical warfare going on?

Hate to say it but it could just be that they were all too affected by the AEFW and dips.

STN/RTN has a bacterial component, IMO once the population of STN/RTN associated bacteria gets up, RTN/STN likes to spread sometimes until the micro-fauna go back into balance.

 

[epsteino]

Have you run an ICP test lately?

I know you run carbon but there's a lot of lps and zoas in the tank. Maybe some
chemical warfare going on?

Hate to say it but it could just be that they were all too affected by the AEFW and dips.

STN/RTN has a bacterial component, IMO once the population of STN/RTN associated bacteria gets up, RTN/STN likes to spread sometimes until the micro-fauna go back into balance.

Interesting. No, I have not run an ICP test in the last 6 months. I can certainly send one.

As for chemical warfare, that is certainly a possibility. (don't know how to test for that do you?). Those green palys are notorious for palytoxin I believe. And yes, I have seen plenty of fighting in this tank. In fact, that is exactly why I started the carbon. Because I was afraid of certain organisms releasing toxins, including my sea cucumber that I thought I had lost in the pumps (but proved to stay alive). started the carbon and kept it going though.

I am afraid of that statement that things are just too far gone due to stress and disease that I am fighting an uphill battle. Ugh.

 

[epsteino]

Sorry for the long post. Maybe I should post again with a shorter dialogue?

 

[Barks]

Soda ash will raise alk and ph...
bicarbonate of soda will raise alk.
if you want to dose and raise alk use food grade sodium hydrogen carbonate NaHCO3