What did I do wrong?

[livinlifeinBKK]

Hey guys, so I got my first tenuis a few weeks ago and noticed STN slowly set in after having it for about a week. The necrosis has spread halfway up the frag now but I really want to keep corals like this and have a little experience so I'll probably get a similar coral soon. Does anyone have any pointers for me regarding what may have gone wrong? I'd like to avoid repeating this...

 

[Duffer]

pics and parameters would help us help you...

 

[SilvermistInc]

pics and parameters would help us help you...

Inb4 "parameters normal"

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Parameters were all where they should be for SPS when the tenuis began bleaching...All was a little high at between 9 and 10 but stable...I think my salinity was slightly low (a few ppt because my refractometer was off) but I slowly corrected that...what can cause STN like this? I was thinking possibly I didn't acclimate it right after buying it...can that cause STN or is it very likely to?

 

[Duffer]

ok so i'll give this a shot..
alk swings?
calcium?
mag?
phosphates? phosphate swing?
Nitrates?

see where i'm going with this...we need a little bit more info...temp swings can play a part..

Is the tank new or established?

 

[SilvermistInc]

Parameters were all where they should be for SPS when the tenuis began bleaching...All was a little high at between 9 and 10 but stable...I think my salinity was slightly low (a few ppt because my refractometer was off) but I slowly corrected that...what can cause STN like this? I was thinking possibly I didn't acclimate it right after buying it...can that cause STN or is it very likely to?

Called it!

 

[((FORDTECH))]

Parameters were all where they should be for SPS when the tenuis began bleaching...All was a little high at between 9 and 10 but stable...I think my salinity was slightly low (a few ppt because my refractometer was off) but I slowly corrected that...what can cause STN like this? I was thinking possibly I didn't acclimate it right after buying it...can that cause STN or is it very likely to?

I just read you say your alkalinity was stable nine and 10 that’s a whole point of swing if you’re talking stability how about getting it between nine and 9.2 and then let’s talk stability

 

[((FORDTECH))]

Likely the swings in alkalinity is what is going to do your corals in

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

ok so i'll give this a shot..
alk swings?
calcium?
mag?
phosphates? phosphate swing?
Nitrates?

see where i'm going with this...we need a little bit more info...temp swings can play a part..

Is the tank new or established?

Alk-9.2
Calcium-420
Mag-1400
Phosphates-~.05
Nitrates~5
Definitely no swing in phosphates or nitrates...maybe a 1Dkh swing in Alk

Tank is about 6 months old but I've been nursing it like a baby to help it mature by adding a variety of bacterias regularly and tediously checking my pameters to make sure they're stable

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

I just read you say your alkalinity was stable nine and 10 that’s a whole point of swing if you’re talking stability how about getting it between nine and 9.2 and then let’s talk stability

I just said between 9 and 10 because I had to check my notebook.... It was 9.2...it wouldn't fluctuate more than about half a Dkh

 

[((FORDTECH))]

My alk swings .2 max

 

[Duffer]

ok...sometimes it will take a tank a bit of time to mature...sometimes going full in with corals is not a way to go...i would start out with easy growing corals and find corals that are easy to care for

but alk swing is a definite cause

 

[((FORDTECH))]

I just said between 9 and 10 because I had to check my notebook.... It was 9.2...it wouldn't fluctuate more than about half a Dkh

Daily swings of .5 is still too much for SPS to stay happy at least in my opinion I have not had good luck with that got until I got it down to .1-.2

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

My alk swings .2 max

I know that maximum stability is very important but do you think this is what caused it?

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

ok...sometimes it will take a tank a bit of time to mature...sometimes going full in with corals is not a way to go...i would start out with easy growing corals and find corals that are easy to care for

but alk swing is a definite cause

Ok...like I said, all my other corals are easier. I just wanted to try one more difficult coral

 

[((FORDTECH))]

I know that maximum stability is very important but do you think this is what caused it?

Yes I would say any daily swing over .5 will be the issue. If it happens once or twice the Corals may suffer a little butt day after day this is nothing but stress

 

[((FORDTECH))]

Ok...like I said, all my other corals are easier. I just wanted to try one more difficult coral

I would venture to say but I very well could be wrong that most people who are successful with SPS Corals run dosers and test daily At least for the first year or two until very established system allows them to test maybe once or twice a week then but still using dosers for alkalinity in calcium at least

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

I would venture to say but I very well could be wrong that most people who are successful with SPS Corals run dosers and test daily

I don't run a doser since it's a nano tank but I do test daily or at least every other day...thanks for the insight!

 

[damsels are not mean]

It's entirely possible you did nothing wrong and the coral simply wanted to reclaim some energy from part of the colony to do something with it. The answer to almost all situations like this is no different than what you should always be doing. Keep parameters stable and keep hands out of the tank as much as possible.

 

[ScottB]

Alk-9.2
Calcium-420
Mag-1400
Phosphates-~.05
Nitrates~5
Definitely no swing in phosphates or nitrates...maybe a 1Dkh swing in Alk

Tank is about 6 months old but I've been nursing it like a baby to help it mature by adding a variety of bacterias regularly and tediously checking my pameters to make sure they're stable

As you probably know, these values are suitable for acropora. All except for tank age IMO.

Feel like I asked you this before but cannot recall the reply. Live or dead rock start? Or a hybrid start was it?

I'd say you are not "doing" anything wrong per se, other than having perhaps overly optimistic assumptions about how fast our little biomes can fully develop a stable mix of microorganisms. It is still a microscopic battleground in there at 6 months. Maybe 12 or even 18 months for dead rock starts and limited introduced microbial diversity.