Tank problem, unhappy coral

C

Cichlid-Man

MFT Staff
#1
Jul 9, 2003
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#1
Well it was bound to happen sometime.

Heres my readings and params as of right now for reference.

pH - 7.9 - 8
Nirates/Nitrites - 0
Ammonia - 0 or very very close to it
SG - 1.026
Temp - about 80F
Lighting cycle is 8hrs per day
Calcium and Alk i havn't tested for (ran out of test kits and no one seems to sell them anymore around here) and are probably my problem.

Anyway, the problem is basically my SPS bleaching and dying off....i assume bleaching is dying. My LPS are showing a little skeleton too. My corals were fine about 2 days ago and the only things i have changed withen that time is added 2 pieces of new LR from my LFS's show tank. Now i have 2 theories.

1. Could the rock be causing a cycle in my tank because of die off or what not and this pissing off/killing the coral?
2. Chemical warfare between the coral in my tank?

Everything else seems to be doing fairly good. Zoas look fine, Mushrooms are good, Rics are a little pissed but look ok, its just the SPS and LPS...thats why i was kinda thinking Calcium since they use that for their skeletons. I even have a hermit and shrimp in there and they are fine so i know its nothing like poison in the tank.

I must say that i did wake up the other day and find my temp close to the 90s, faulty heater. Could this have done something?

Once a coral is bleached is that it? Dead gone no chance to come back? Any ideas as to whats going on in my tank or where i can find a Calcium/Alk test kit fast?
 

Joe Fish

Joe Fish

Superstar Fish
#2
Apr 21, 2006
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#2
As long as the coral isn't totally bleached it should start to regenerate. You have 3 possibilities that could be the problem or all together could be it. A heat spike might make them a little upset, but I think your PH should be raised and be very sure you have 0 ammonia. Little pieces of LR that have already been in a tank shouldn't cause a large cycle. Warfare could be the issue if they are close to each other.
 

C

Cichlid-Man

MFT Staff
#3
Jul 9, 2003
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#3
The LPS and SPS are on opposite sides of the tank for the most part, could the flow be blowing the chem warfare around the tank?

The SPS are pretty freakin bleached, i don't hold much if any hope for them right now. And the pieces of LR i added are quite large in comparison to my other pieces. I think the heat spike started whatever is going on right now, i just don't know what is keeping it going on.

This could be the perfect kick in the rear i need to get a new tank setup from scratch and start over.
 

Lotus

Lotus

Ultimate Fish
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#6
Aug 26, 2003
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#6
It's also possible the new live rock introduced some kind of heavy metal (copper, iron) or other contaminant into the tank. Run some carbon, if you're not already.

For sure get tests for alk and cal. A water change might help in the meantime.

Also, did you light acclimate the corals?
 

C

Cichlid-Man

MFT Staff
#7
Jul 9, 2003
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#7
Thanks I changed the water once already, might do it again.

The corals have been acclimated to the same light since my 2.5gal. They were doing great in the 10gal then boom all of a sudden something is wrong.

If the rock had something in/on it wouldn't it have effected the LFS tanks?
 

Lotus

Lotus

Ultimate Fish
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#8
Aug 26, 2003
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#8
If there is something on the rock, it would depend on the LFS tank size and what corals they had in there, I guess. Remember that some LFS do lots of large water changes, so that could mean they never saw any problems. It's just a guess.

Temps over 84 can definitely bleach your corals, by the way.
 

Lorna

Lorna

Elite Fish
#9
Mar 3, 2005
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#9
a very short spike in temps will stress your corals and could even promote a bacterial infection called rtn or rapid tissue necrosis....I have seen sps completely bleach and die in less than 24hrs from rtn. This could also have been introduced by any new coral that you added that wasn't quarantined.....red bugs and some flat worms also. These may have been inhabiting the rock you added. It is a real shame as you had some beatiful pieces.....hopefully all is not lost. If you have any with any viable parts you could try and frag off the unaffected parts and place them in another tank after an iodine dip and see if they make it. Also, if you haven't been testing for alk/ca this could also be adding stress. I know I lost a huge colony of m.digitata and all my bali slimer due to a magnesium crash a year ago......even if one small part of the equation is out of whack you can stress sps into rtn. I don't believe you have any chemical warfare or aleopathy going on as it is usually seen between leathers/softies with sinularia and sarcophytons and if you have these you could possibly reduce the amount of toxins by running carbon and skimming heavily.....
 

C

Cichlid-Man

MFT Staff
#10
Jul 9, 2003
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#10
Thanks for the reply.

It looks like i might be able to salvage at the very least the Tri-Color acro....at least i am hoping. It still has some color left in it and looks more alive then the others at this point.

I think the temp spike caused my problems and the rtn did its work in that short time overnight.. It hurts but it is a learning experience. At least i havn't lost the whole system yet *knock on wood*.

75gal here i come....no expenses spared.


In other news, my zoas are looking really good as do my rics. And my water is crystal clear this morning. Looks like the damage is already done to all of my SPS though.
 

TRe

TRe

Elite Fish
#12
Feb 20, 2005
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ft. lauderdale
#12
i had this problem the first 2 times i attempted sps... not sure exactly what the problem was but my theory is it was a combination of things... first thing i did was started dosing b-ionic to get both my calcium and alkilinty in check, next i added a phos reactor to get my p04 in check, another one of my problems was nitrates (i kno u said yours is at zero) i bought the best skimmer i could afford which is a must when keeping sps
have u tested your phos? if your nitrates are at zero theres a good chance your phos isnt far but u should still check... sps needs all params to remain pretty stable at all times ie. temp, salinity ect... LR from a display shouldnt really be a problem but u still want 0 ammonia ... u really need to get your cal/alk in check so whether u use b-ionic or what ever make sure u do it! softies and most lps are alot more forgiving than sps so that explains why they wernt affected as much
 

Last edited:
TRe

TRe

Elite Fish
#13
Feb 20, 2005
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ft. lauderdale
#13
btw dont get discouraged like i said it took me a few trys before i got it.... id wait till u have the new tank up for starters to add any sps, test cal/alk and make sure all params are stable, also start with some of the easier to keep sps ie. monti's, pocillipora and theres a few others ;)
 

C

Cichlid-Man

MFT Staff
#14
Jul 9, 2003
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#14
TRe said:
btw dont get discouraged like i said it took me a few trys before i got it.... id wait till u have the new tank up for starters to add any sps, test cal/alk and make sure all params are stable, also start with some of the easier to keep sps ie. monti's, pocillipora and theres a few others ;)
Click to expand...
Its acctually motivating lol. I'm ready to get this new setup perfect.
 

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