Reasons why your coral might be dying...

revhtree · Dec 23, 2016

Image via ReefBum

Let's work together and create a list of why people have corals that are dying. There are so many reasons as to why your coral could die quickly or slowly fade away. Try to give some details about your suggestions!

Just post ONE reason per post! You can post more reasons after someone else posts.

1. Too Much Lighting - Corals can adapt to many different lighting types and techniques but sometimes certain corals and even all corals could be getting too much light. Corals can be placed to close to lighting or the intensity of your chosen light method could be too high.

Let's keep this going!

reefwiser · Dec 23, 2016

2. Not the right Spectrum of light- With today's LED's we can adjust the spectrum of our lights to the point that colors pop but the spectrum doesn't give the corals the light spectrum they need to grow.

twilliard · Dec 23, 2016

3. Chemistry - Making quick reactions to change. Far too many will make sudden changes to chemistry when something is off.

bios · Dec 23, 2016

Hi rev
When you place a coral in your tank first 2 months are the time where coral readapt its metabolism to your tank thats a critical period where you have to be a very good reefer and uderstand your coral

revhtree · Dec 23, 2016

Keep them coming!

Joey waid · Dec 23, 2016

Silicone, Chemicals and huge temp swings.

revhtree · Dec 23, 2016

Joey waid said:
Silicone, Chemicals and huge temp swings.

One per post and get more detailed as to how these effect corals!

Joey waid · Dec 23, 2016

revhtree said:
One per post and get more detailed as to how these effect corals!

Sorry I did not know there was rules..

revhtree · Dec 23, 2016

Joey waid said:
Sorry I did not know there was rules..

HA! No worries just want to separate them out and get more details to help others! Thanks for playing along!

ReeferMaddness843 · Dec 23, 2016

Metals leeching:
Using metal bandclamps, even though stainless generally don't have a stainless screw and can lead to rust/iron leaching into tank. Also, using any brass or copper fittings can cause said metals to leech. It can also be as simple as an exposed magnet in a frag rack or powerhead mount.

pelphrey · Dec 23, 2016

Stray voltage within the system from equipment.

ReeferMadness80G · Dec 23, 2016

4. Hitchikers/pests: Sometimes pests are very easy to spot, flatworms, aptasia etc. but sometimes they can be right in front of you! Nudibanchs, crabs,shrimp,even a territorial clownfish! It helps to monitor your tank throughout the day(as if we don't already) and sometimes you just gotta go nocturnal! I've learned there's no such thing as "reef safe"!

Joey waid · Dec 23, 2016

Let me restart. Chemicals.. silicone being one. I built a unconventional sump I siliconed it all in and let it sit in the sun for three days. Well I knew I used too much, but I took a chance and risked putting it into the system, well the next day all was dead and dying. Luckily it was a coral only tank. And only a few frags. We had limited space so I made a sump out of totes instead of buying a ten gallon tank, which would hang out the back of my daughters stand. What's crazy is the day after I killed her tank I found a complete ten gallon system at a dumpster, it had everything but a heater. So I ended up with a ten gallon tank after all. Back to chemicals. Anything airborne that smells good will harm corals. When people clean the glass they may use windex type cleaners, which is no good either. Copper and fish meds that say not reef safe and some that say they are.

Griff · Dec 23, 2016

reefwiser said:
2. Not the right Spectrum of light- With today's LED's we can adjust the spectrum of our lights to the point that colors pop but the spectrum doesn't give the corals the light spectrum they need to grow.

How do you tell the spectrum though.

fragit · Dec 23, 2016

Nutrient Deficiency: Many of us attempt to keep "ultra low nutrient systems", this can be detrimental to coral health. Corals and zooxanthelle need a source of energy other than the light we give them. By having our tank water void of all phosphate and nitrates corals can fade in color and slowly die from starvation.

reefwiser · Dec 23, 2016

Griff said:
How do you tell the spectrum though.

Some manufacturers give you schedules to help some. Others leave it up to you to figure it out. An still others like the new Philips led set the spectrum and let you control the intensity.
Our human eyes are horrible at seeing the spectrum of light corals need. That is why we see so many people chucking lights all the time or changing each time a new model led is released.

Empress · Dec 23, 2016

Did anybody mention Temperature?

Jizu Puentes · Dec 23, 2016

Heater malfunctions:
Do your research before buying a heater and dont buy the cheapest one you can find. If your water changes expose your heater to the air make sure you unplug them beforehand and then make sure they are fully submerged before plugging them back in. Also try to get two undersized heaters so if one gets stuck on it wont cook the tank.

Jizu Puentes · Dec 23, 2016

Inadequate Flow:
Like many things in life, too much or too little can be a bad thing. If you notice corals failing check the flow they are getting by making a little sand storm. Sps do well with a lot of flow but some other types of corals dont, especially if the flow is direct and constant. Try to make the flow as varied as possible

Tyreef2016 · Dec 23, 2016

Salinity: Sometimes many forget the obvious. Salinity is the amount of Salt in are water. Between water changes and Top offs sometimes salinty will begin to change. If not checked occasionally it can raise or lower.