Perplexed

[Doglips56]

We recently moved our rock work around a bit, not the main structure but small rocks and added a large rock. I have no idea if that has anything to do with anything and I’m not even certain of the timing but now my leather and clovers won’t open (leather will partially put out some polyps but not big and full like normal)
I also have 2 Acans. One with 2-3 heads and the other with 6+ and they won’t extend at all and look like they’re trying to die yet I have a gorgeous large Blasto that is way puffed out and happy. Lastly I have a Duncan whisker that was always open and flowing in the breeze but has been closed tight for maybe a week now?
Internet sources give really inconsistent and paradoxical advice so I’m really not sure what to do. Everything else (SPS, shrooms, zoas,yellow tipped orange plate, bubble, hammer, frogspawn) all happy as could be. Did a water change yesterday, Nitrates 5-10, PO4 .005, t-78, specific gravity 1.025, alk 8.3. Haven’t seen any fish bother them. Have a couple fire shrimp, a reef lobster I never see except his exoskeletons when he sheets, maybe 12 snails, 6-10 hermits and 3 pincushion/tuxedo urchins

Any ideas as to why these specific corals may be unhappy?

Tank is 125g with 45 gal sump, mesh socks, octopus skimmer, refugium with small amount of cheato
72”x18”x23” with 3 Noopsyche lights that ramp up to peak then back down and a 2 bulb 48” T5 that is on for 4 hours a day coral plus and blue plus. 2 gyre type water movers on either end of tank.
Thanks,
Nancy and Dave

In this bottom pic are the closed clovers on plug at top of pic. They are on the front of the eggcrate, the zoa on the other side is open and happy. The remaining pictures I’m adding are of all my “happy” things. The Blasto is on a rock directly behind the Acan.

 

[Doglips56]

Bump...please

 

[Tundra Cuttle]

If you moved rocks around you probably kicked up some anaerobic bacteria. My Duncan didn't like it either. Also where did the new rock come from? How large of a water change?

 

[PTXReef]

Same questions as @Tundra Cuttle.

I recently moved a rock structure (to retrieve a mushroom that my pistol shrimp used as a cave door ) and that ticked off my large finger leather (hasn't opened for two days). I'm also guessing that kicked up some bacteria, but expect it to be open again soon. My initial thought for the leather would be it's routine shedding. Was it moved to a different location or did the flow change/was it lowered if you added another structure? That usually annoys my toadstool for a few days but it comes right back out with higher flow.

Did you feed any differently? I noticed that my acans were more fluffy when I fed the tank heavier (I don't target feed them). I had multiple different acans (2 were fluffy but 1 was retracted for 2-3 weeks). Once I fed more heavily (just mysis soaked in selcon, spirulina brine, and seaweed to my fish), it became even fluffier than the others. No idea if that's correlation or causation but that's the only thing I changed during the time that my acans were not extending.

Hope that helps!

 

[Doglips56]

I think it may have been a phosphate spike because though we had cycled the new rock for about 5-6 weeks it is still quite new and was dead dry rock to start with. The victims have not gotten any bett so I’m pretty sad: a gorgeous (and expensive) yellow tipped orange fungi a plate, Duncan whisker and 2 Acans. Don’t think I’m going to get them back :-(

 

[Tundra Cuttle]

If you had a phosphate spike I would think you would have a corresponding algae outbreak also other corals would probably be affected as well. Have you tried a large volume water change like is suggested?

 

[Doglips56]

Yes we did one the other day. It is quite odd, I called the lfs where I purchased the fungia plate and he doesn’t think it was the phosphates either, in fact I didn’t even run a 2nd test to double check that high number which I usually do. I really wish I could afford a nice monitoring system so I could look at historical graphs of parameters. Literally all of my other corals are fine. All my SPS are looking good, softies, zoas (except those clovers) look amazing and are growing. Was thinking of doing another water change but we are also planning on changing our sump around this weekend.
currently it is: mesh filter socks -> skimmer section where UV pump is also located -> refugium->baffle -> return pump

going to swap the refugium section with the skimmer section.

 

[Tundra Cuttle]

Are you using a bacteria to control algae like Vibrant or Brightwell Razor?

 

[Doglips56]

Are you using a bacteria to control algae like Vibrant or Brightwell Razor?

No I’m not.

 

[Tundra Cuttle]

Ok. Wracking my brain on this one. Seems like it has to be a pest for having targeted these corals so specifically. Trying to think of what a blasto, acan, and duncan have in common that might lead to an irritant. Do you have any other duncans, acans, or blastos in the same tank?

 

[Doglips56]

I have 1 Duncan with 2 heads that is almost dead and 2 multi head Acans that are dead or close to it. The we’re fine then they weren’t. It was fast. I do have a large Blasto but it is completely unaffected. I’d had a vermited snail on one of the Acans but once we removed it coral was extended and happy again. Don’t see anything on them. The Acans were on the same rock with only them on there and the Blasto has its own rock too. The Duncan was on the opposite side of the tank, about 5 feet away.
Im thinking it is/was some water parameter variant that for whatever reason only affected them. Everything else is fine. Now you know why I titled the thread “perplexed”!!

 

[Doglips56]

The fungia plate is recovering YAY! That one cost me a small fortune. The others were not and though I don’t like to lose anything I’d rather lose an Acan and Duncan than that plate!

 

[Tundra Cuttle]

I'm glad to hear that! I am convinced there has got to be some common thread that we are missing when it comes to some LPS. I don't know if the issue comes from different nutrient requirements of certain corals we are trying to keep together. Some corals may need different approaches than others, my LPS seem to love a skimmer-less tank approach with only a HOB filter and a heap of macro algae for nutrient control as well as a large dose of aminos and trace minerals. It seems some other corals don't respond the same way. Also it seems corals may look fine for a while but it is just that they are very slowly receding. I don't have the answers but I'm trying to figure it out, I need repeatable techniques to have success with euphillya before I go spreading a bunch of information that might not even be helpful

 

[Tundra Cuttle]

These are our duncans

 

[jRatanak]

I had recent issues where only a handful of corals were unhappy, even though the tank parameters seemed fine. Realized it was possibly a water contaminant, and decided to change out my RODI filters and did some water changes while running carbon temporarily. After a couple of weeks, things bounced back really well. Maybe something similar could've happened with you?

 

[Doglips56]

Those are beautiful! I have a 125 mixed Reef with many different types of corals. My friend told me I don’t need to supplement with a 2 part unless I have a bunch of high end sps. Well I don’t have any high end SPS but I do have plenty of SPS and zoas and stony anemone softies you name it. I have the ATI 2 part and my husband and I were just discussing adding it at a low daily dose with our dosing pumps and seeing how it goes. Our nutrients aren’t the lowest but they aren’t out of control either. May help and I don’t think it could hurt?

 

[Doglips56]

I had recent issues where only a handful of corals were unhappy, even though the tank parameters seemed fine. Realized it was possibly a water contaminant, and decided to change out my RODI filters and did some water changes while running carbon temporarily. After a couple of weeks, things bounced back really well. Maybe something similar could've happened with you?

Even though the TDS is reading zero our filters are over 6 months old and probably should be changed. I’ll order some from BRS, even if it’s not the problem it’s not going to hurt and need to do it anyway. Thanks!!

 

[Tundra Cuttle]

Those are beautiful! I have a 125 mixed Reef with many different types of corals. My friend told me I don’t need to supplement with a 2 part unless I have a bunch of high end sps. Well I don’t have any high end SPS but I do have plenty of SPS and zoas and stony anemone softies you name it. I have the ATI 2 part and my husband and I were just discussing adding it at a low daily dose with our dosing pumps and seeing how it goes. Our nutrients aren’t the lowest but they aren’t out of control either. May help and I don’t think it could hurt?

Well you need to supplement if your corals tell you so. Are your calcium, mag, and alk levels consistently the correct level? If so then you probably don't need to. But on the other hand if you start dosing 2 part I would increase your water change frequency, whatever by-products of the 2 part will have to come out.