Unexplained coral issues?

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Ever had a serious coral problem that was never explained?

Not death of a new coral, but something that was thriving, then for unknown reasons stopped thriving and possibly died?

I come across lots of folks looking for chemical explanations when none seem apparent. I’m wondering how often folks just never know.

 

[EricR]

Zoas -- multiple frags grew like crazy for 1 year -- now in close to 2 year downward spiral.
Tried pretty much everything I read about on here but just gave up.
All other corals seem to be having fun so,,, uhh,,, whatever.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

Definitely yes. Every now and then I'll get an entire colony that begins to slowly die off.

Nothing could explain it except that it was time.

I'm sure that it could be explained chemically or biologically but at that point it's anyone's guess.

 

[randomfishdude]

Yea. Blue tsa torch, newest of all corals, but still in there for 4 months. 2 weeks ago randomly got bjd and died. No ex. Also literally every acro I've tried. They just randomly give up.

 

[Liam's tank]

Ever had a serious coral problem that was never explained?

Not death of a new coral, but something that was thriving, then for unknown reasons stopped thriving and possibly died?

I come across lots of folks looking for chemical explanations when none seem apparent. I’m wondering how often folks just never know.

YES! As we speak! All my numbers are good, and are consistent, I have all sorts of corals that are doing great, but my hammer has been barely hanging on for a good three months now. Also if I add a new coral to the tank, no matter what it is, it dies. I have in the tank now, and ALL thriving and growing like crazy, a lobo, blasto, duncan. torch, candy cane, several zoa colonies, GSP, frogspawn, & a oculina robusta sps that hitchhiked in on my live rock & is supposed to be difficult to keep. It too is doing great.

 

[Lavey29]

Not since yesterday

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

Yes…yes…and more yes! Amazingly, all over the last 5-6 years. Not that I didn’t lose a piece or two over the years (that would be a flat out lie) but I’ve never lost pieces like I have in recent years. I’d like to say that I have some grip on what I’m doing….but just because I’ve been doing it for years, doesn’t mean I’ve been doing it right! Ha

Oh, and edit for shame…..I never figured out why but after a healthy Cipro treatment I haven’t been playing whack-a-mole with stn (please no jinxies!)

 

[Miami Reef]

Yes. I had so many beautiful Goniopora, and about a year later most are dead or dying. I have 3-4 that are doing well, but it makes me feel like something is wrong.

Things don’t die for no reason. I did ICP, dose trace elements, have detectable nutrients. I dosed phyto. Dosed 3 different powdered foods. Nothing helped. I tried adjusting my lighting. Temporarily stopped ozone. Carbon dosed vinegar or vodka to feed filter feeders/bacteria. It doesn’t make sense.

One Goniopora was growing so well. I got it as a pastel, receding, tiny frag that filled out and grew. Now it’s bleached, lost 90% if it’s tissue, and basically dead after about a year of being so happy and having physical growth.

I have clones of a species of Goniopora scattered around the tank that all have the same receding symptoms. It’s crazy. It’s only certain types that get affected.

@Big E I think it’s time for me to add some of your aquaculture Goniopora. I think you may have been right this whole time.

 

[Oregon Grown Reef]

Yes. I had to leave the hobby this last year. Couldn't afford to buy corals or do meticulous testing/maintenance only to have them died.

 

[Jakejtown]

YES! As we speak! All my numbers are good, and are consistent, I have all sorts of corals that are doing great, but my hammer has been barely hanging on for a good three months now. Also if I add a new coral to the tank, no matter what it is, it dies. I have in the tank now, and ALL thriving and growing like crazy, a lobo, blasto, duncan. torch, candy cane, several zoa colonies, GSP, frogspawn, & a oculina robusta sps that hitchhiked in on my live rock & is supposed to be difficult to keep. It too is doing great.

Yes, just make a post about a recent add of a torch and it died after 2 days. Everything else is doing well and parameters are all in the correct levels

 

[Reefer Matt Verified Media Partner]

This happens to me occasionally. When it does, I do a large (at least 50%) water change. I usually don’t need to know the why, just the what. Because by the time the issue gets figured out, more damage may be done. Usually that fixes the issue in my case, but not always.

 

[steveschuerger]

Oh yes. Recently, about a month ago I lost the majority of my torches. Weirdly, only from one vendor, even ones that had been fine for several months. The only 2cleft were from separate vendors. Never figured the cause.

 

[exnisstech]

As I'm typing I started remembering how often this has happened and decided I don't feel like typing the list. Worst money wise was the $500 acanthophyllia I tossed yesterday after it doing fine for over 2 and a half years.
Does this not happen to most people? I thought it was just part of the hobby.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

As I'm typing I started remembering how often this has happened and decided I don't feel like typing the list. Worst money wise was the $500 acanthophyllia I tossed yesterday after it doing fine for over 2 and a half years.
Does this not happen to most people? I thought it was just part of the hobby.

I hate it, crazy how a coral that is doing so well that you spent good money on will sometimes just die for no reason.

 

[JayM]

Yep. And oddly enough, it’s been with coral that has the reputation of being able to live in a toilet. I had a softball size chunk of GSP for about 6 months and it melted to nothing about a month ago at about the same time a good sized piece of Xenia did the same thing. No significant changes in water chemistry (alk, ca, mag, salinity, ph and temp) and everything else is fine. I added another chunk of GSP from a local reefer about a week ago, and it isn’t looking great.

Totally clueless.

 

[Dburr1014]

Hammer, birdsnest, I blame it on flow. They get big, hinder the flow, start on the decline.
Got to keep them pruned.

 

[Acroguy]

Tricolor acropora nana, just randomly starts to die off in the middle.I have like 20 frags of it and some of them just start stn from the middle of the frag. I have like 50-60 different acro species and none of them has issues like this.So this one nana is very finicky for me and I dont know yet what the cause is. ICP is fine except for low Iodine, iron, Fluoride, and Zinc. Instarted dosing these according to ICP and it has not changed the issue. Also doing regular waterchanges. I am thinking it is maybe a specific bacterial infection that only attacks this species? Maybe.

 

[Uncle99]

This Long Tenticle Plate.
Always 5-7 months happy, then retract overnight, gone in a week.
Every time I get this coral.

 

[FernBluffReef]

Yes.

Few months back lost a couple torches and hammers for unknown reasons other than Largely blame on newer tank. Cipro cleared and the torches that remain are thriving since - some torches doubling in size as more extended now - not sure if more heads. But really some stressor making those that passed more sensitive to naturally occurring bacteria IMO then just generically calling BJD.

More recently. I suddenly lost a Duncan that had been in the tank for 6 months and gone from a couple heads to probably 10 and more coming, along with a Goni that had also been in for about the same time and seemed fine but maybe not thriving like the Duncan. They both started to get covered in a white fuz and deteriorated rapidly. Took the Duncan out. Dipped it and blew off a ton only to be covered the next day. The only thing I can blame is as the tanks matured I’ve just started to dose NoPox at ~1/2 dose as finally my nitrates and phosphate levels are increasing NO3 in the 12-15 (not bad) and Phosphate (.2) so no longer having to dose NeoPhos. All I can figure is the NoPox fed some bacteria on the two corals but not sure why as other corals seem to be liking it and at this point levels have barely changed as just started and low dose. Wife thinks i should dose cipro again as preventative. I disagree and have not.

Said another way there’s always something that seems might contribute but remains largely unexplained speculation which seems to be often the case Lots of antidotal in this hobby vs real evidence just too niche

 

[killer2001]

Every time I buy a torch, it does well for about 3 months, then one day it starts looking bad and then in about 2-3 days time it'll be completely melted and dead. I've done this with 4 different torches from 4 different vendors and placed in 4 different locations in my tank, same outcome. Keeping all water parameters as stable as possible of course.