Sps experts please help.
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WetWhistle
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I would run a heave metal remover media as a precaution. You might have dropped a razor blade into the tank (if you use them to clean the glass) or you could have old pipes in the house that release heavy metals. Also try getting your phosphates up a little as corals need at least a little. Do you run carbon? I ask because I notice you have a leather coral in the tank. They will release toxins into the water that SPS can be sensitive to. I have a big leather and I have to run carbon to take out the leached toxins or it will start to build up. No coral close enough to be sending out sweeper tentacles? Do you have a frog spawn coral or something similar? My frog spawn releases little pieces of tissue into the water that sting my SPS corals. I later found out my clown was diving into the frog spawn if it was being chased and was defending itself and kicking up pieces of tissue off to sting the attacker. I would also look at getting a different bucket of salt. I had a bad batch years ago that caused similar issues till I got a new batch.
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renato120
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All my sps's are on top far away from any ither corals. I do run chemipure blue carbon. Im fonna buy a metal remover media. I just bought a new bucket of salt. Nothing changed
VirusAcro
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Wow..!!!..that was a long time.!!!.Id have a similar situation like yours,what i did,i water changed 20-25 percent every 3-4 days for couple weeks and see if its stop.it works for me bro..hope that helps
WetWhistle
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Lets see what happens when you get the heavy metal remover. Till then keep ruling out things that are not causing the issue to narrow down the pool of suspects. Do you supplemental feed your shrimp? Some shrimp that are not getting enough food will attempt to eat the slime on sps and this will irritate the tissue causing STN. Is that a file fish I see near the red monti cap in your original thread? Those can pick at coral stressing them out and could cause issues as well.
McMullen
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You may have answered but how have you achieved phosphate 0?
I doubt very much this is fish!
I've had sps pest several times. Coral often will not display signs of infestation for months, then hit some critical mass where the colony is greatly stressed and the pest reveal themselves. I've seen this with AEFW and MENB. However, what you have going on does not look like pest.
Leather can shed or release toxins into water column, coral need not be side by side. It's in the water column....
I see either an unknown toxin or phosphate as the culprit. A triton test would be interesting, testing for far more than your three lfs. I think your best move today is a water change, followed by small weekly changes for three or four weeks. But still curious about phosphate!
I doubt very much this is fish!
I've had sps pest several times. Coral often will not display signs of infestation for months, then hit some critical mass where the colony is greatly stressed and the pest reveal themselves. I've seen this with AEFW and MENB. However, what you have going on does not look like pest.
Leather can shed or release toxins into water column, coral need not be side by side. It's in the water column....
I see either an unknown toxin or phosphate as the culprit. A triton test would be interesting, testing for far more than your three lfs. I think your best move today is a water change, followed by small weekly changes for three or four weeks. But still curious about phosphate!
McMullen
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I completely understand your frustration, but with an ongoing problem of 6mo I really think you would have noticed your file fish nipping. I have a file fish and he devours xenia, star polyps, and even some zoas. He does it within minuets of me placing them in the tank. I feed heavily, two three times a day most days and even with a full belly he goes right for em. He's never touched any of my sps. Now, don't get me wrong, just cause mine doesn't have a taste for the stoney's doesn't mean yours or someone else's may not, but you would witness this behavior. He's not waiting until your not looking and doing it……
Now your making me beg……..how do you achieve phosphate level of 0?
Now your making me beg……..how do you achieve phosphate level of 0?
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renato120
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File fish was in my refugium for over 7 months. He was taking care of some flatworms in there. He was in the DT for a little over a month. This problem its been going on for over 6 months. Honestly I dont know how I have 0 phosphate. I already took water to other stores too. Always 0I completely understand your frustration, but with an ongoing problem of 6mo I really think you would have noticed your file fish nipping. I have a file fish and he devours xenia, star polyps, and even some zoas. He does it within minuets of me placing them in the tank. I feed heavily, two three times a day most days and even with a full belly he goes right for em. He's never touched any of my sps. Now, don't get me wrong, just cause mine doesn't have a taste for the stoney's doesn't mean yours or someone else's may not, but you would witness this behavior. He's not waiting until your not looking and doing it……
Now your making me beg……..how do you achieve phosphate level of 0?
A friend of mine just returned a filefish that was eating his acropora.
Something to rule out would be direct, linear, flow. Although that is usually only one coral or one area that is affected. Watched half of a large acro die because a koralia was pointed right at it an there was no counter flow against it. I doubt this is your problem though.
Something to rule out would be direct, linear, flow. Although that is usually only one coral or one area that is affected. Watched half of a large acro die because a koralia was pointed right at it an there was no counter flow against it. I doubt this is your problem though.
McMullen
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So…….it's not the FF.
Phosphate seems to be important to skeleton growth……the biochemistry is beyond me, but there are some here that could elaborate. Most of us have to battle to achieve low Phos, I was curious how you do it, thus you may want to stop doing it so well.
There have been some recent post on nitrates and phosphates and adding for SPS health. Worth looking them up!
Phosphate seems to be important to skeleton growth……the biochemistry is beyond me, but there are some here that could elaborate. Most of us have to battle to achieve low Phos, I was curious how you do it, thus you may want to stop doing it so well.
There have been some recent post on nitrates and phosphates and adding for SPS health. Worth looking them up!
McMullen
Valuable Member
@JonnyB707 , see there, I knew someone would have that experience. This clearly isn't the problem in this tank though!
This clearly isn't the problem in this tank though!
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renato120
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Well before like 6 month ago, I still had 0 po4, and I thought it was the gha that I had that was consuming it. Now Im algae free! I have no algae in this tank and still 0. I feed heavy twice a day. I have 10 fishes. I should have some po4
WetWhistle
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You can't assume you will see the bad behavior going on and just because one fish doesn't pick does not mean others will not. I have a buddy with a file fish and if you are in the room he is more interested in if you will feed him. When you are out of the room it goes back to normal and starts picking at his SPS. He had the same symptoms as the OP does and he only noticed because he made the room dark and he snuck back in or he would have never seen it going on. This is not the first time I have seen fish or shrimp for that matter be sneaky this way. Keep in mind if a fish or shrimp nips a coral the damaged tissue can let in bacteria and protozoa even if the fish or shrimp is not actually eating the tissue but picking at the slime. Both bacteria and protozoa can spread to other corals and cause STN\RTN. Regardless the OP said the file fish was sold anyway so in this case it is not likely the cause if it is still going on.
McMullen
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@WetWhistle, +1, I agree. I guess the assumption I made was with the fish observation. You absolutely have to be sneaky as behavior certainly changes.
In this case the time frame is way wrong for this to be the FF
I wish someone would elaborate more on the phosphate
@renato120, Do you have a sump with macro's? Your not running GFO correct? Could it be possible your coral are soaking up an using the available phos for growth resulting in a 0 test?
This is all speculation of course…..I go back to something in the water that you cannot detect…..need water changes or possible phosphate issue.
In this case the time frame is way wrong for this to be the FF
I wish someone would elaborate more on the phosphate
@renato120, Do you have a sump with macro's? Your not running GFO correct? Could it be possible your coral are soaking up an using the available phos for growth resulting in a 0 test?
This is all speculation of course…..I go back to something in the water that you cannot detect…..need water changes or possible phosphate issue.
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OP
renato120
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I do have a sump and a refugium. No gfo. My fuge is half cheato and the other half just some frags.(20g long) No sps's in there. In my sump there is only the skimmer.
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Even little traces of rust wont do this and like smite said this is necrosis, for the longest time ive had acros burn tips and base to what i thought was alk but i also tested 2/3 times a day for almost 3 months and microdosed with the apex dos system to the point i had 1ppm of an alk swing between dosing and it wasnt that, it came down to either bacteria or pests. If it was bacteria every sps in ur tank will fall apart in 3 days, so i decided to break off 2 year old colonys and dipped. I seen nothing AT FIRST ,the coloneys i dipped an clipped would up taking off so then again i started to dip the rest and bam aefw and some type of planaria, im telling you they are so small i could barely see them with a magglass or at the bottom of a bayer dip. Dip a burnt looking coral and take a closer look its your best bet if everything checks out
