My corals are starting to die need advise!

[stlouisguy]

Two year old tank, all params are normal. Nothing new added to take for the last 3-4 months, in the last three days have noticed three of the corals started going white at the base, now it has traveled all the way up the stalks pics below is the worst one. All I run is calcium reactor and skimmer

Just did a 40 gallon water change put carbon in. Only thing that has changed lately is I went to all 14k phoenix bulbs (3x250de and 2x150de) about three month ago.

Any ideas?

<img src=http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/73723MVC-022F.JPG>

[acroconut]

How's your water circulation/flow? Sometimes when sps grow out they block flow to other sps colonies and stn will start. Also have you kept tabs on your magnesium?

[damienkee]

any parameter swing?

[Dizzyswimmer]

I have lost all most all of my SPS recently, I had tissue loss from the base up and tips down. I never found the problem in my 210. I moved all the survivors into another tank , lost some more.
Looks like I might save a few. Sadly very few. I will have to pertty much start over. I hope you have much better luck finding the problem than I did.

[stlouisguy]

Water circ seems to be fine duel 6100's on a wavemaker. mag is in line along with all other params.

Im at a loss.

[Dizzyswimmer]

My Circulation was good . Much better in the new tank. Good luck

[MiddletonMark]

Can you list all your water parameters?

What's your filtration?
What salt do you use, how often do you normally change it?
[just did 45g on a 175g system?]

[airwaybill]

I'm having a similar problem. Thought I had it figured with a toxin that got in. But it's been about two months and with water changes and carbon changes, no change. Still losing things. I'm thinking bacterial infection from a new frag I got. I dipped it in freshwater but that may not have gotten it.

I'm also at a loss because I've checked and double checked everything.

Salinity: 1.024
ph:8.3
alk:2.8-3.2meq/l
n, nitrite and amm all 0
phos: undetectable
mag: about 1185 (I know could be higher)
temp stays at 78 to 80
salt is instant ocean
no change in bulbs recently.

All seems normal. I can't figure it out either.

[MiddletonMark]

You freshwater dip your corals? Buffered pH to 8.2 or ?

Personally, I avoid dipping as IME it stresses the coral often more than it helps. That said, for Acroporids I've only dipped in an iodine bath ...

[jackson6745]

Check for copper and electrical current. Sometimes pumps malfunction, it happened twice to me.

[duec22]

How are you checking your salinity. I was just recently reminded of how out of wack hydrometers can get...was reading 1.025 when it was actually more like 1.030...refractometer here I come... I didn't notice anything wrong with the tank untill one of my digi's started to STN.

[AcanLord]

Hello
If all parameters are fine and only acro are dying, check for acro eating flat worms. Good luck.
DW

[Dizzyswimmer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6747801#post6747801 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by AcanLord
Hello
If all parameters are fine and only acro are dying, check for acro eating flat worms. Good luck.
DW

I checked all mine and they were clean ,no redbugs or
acro eating flat worms. I think it may have been bacterial. ( in my case anyway ).

[Pmesyngier]

airwaybill
I'm having a similar problem. Thought I had it figured with a toxin that got in. But it's been about two months and with water changes and carbon changes, no change. Still losing things. I'm thinking bacterial infection from a new frag I got. I dipped it in freshwater but that may not have gotten it.


I had the same problems with acrops and not only affected these corals but also pumping xenias. I recovered a few with the adition of Iron (2+) and Lugol everyday. The rest of corals(LPS) looks to be fine.

[simon.007]

Check your magnesium.

Simon

[mikeguerrero]

Check your ORP and look for a drop !!!

MG

[TA]

Frag while you can and try to save at least some of them. Been experiencing the exact same thing (alot of threads exactly like this lately...hmmmmm).

good luck; keep us posted.

[airwaybill]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6747052#post6747052 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MiddletonMark
You freshwater dip your corals? Buffered pH to 8.2 or ?

Personally, I avoid dipping as IME it stresses the coral often more than it helps. That said, for Acroporids I've only dipped in an iodine bath ...

I adjust the ph but that's it. It's only about a 10 second dip to get rid of flatworms and such. It doesn't seem to stress them too much.

I checked for copper and no trace. No electrical that I can tell. Only a couple of pumps in the tank. They are all in good working order.

I haven't seen any of the flatworms either, but I did have red bugs. Except the colonies with the infections aren't the ones dying.

I don't have an orp monitor otherwise I would check it. Not sure how it would drop though. I'll have to research that.

As for the Iron and Lugols, I never thought of those. I do really frequent water changes so I didn't think it could be that. But I have noticed a difference in colors. Maybe something is sucking up those two?!?!

I'll have to check it out.

Thanks for the advice. It's been driving me crazy!!!:mad2:

[drock59]

what kind of salt? Maybe you got a bad batch or something has been building up or being deprived via the salt over time.

[DocReefer]

Certainly looks like what I've experienced with redbugs. When was the last time you added something foreign into your tank?

[TA]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6756036#post6756036 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DocReefer
Certainly looks like what I've experienced with redbugs.
Did you interceptor your tank and if so, did your corals recover after treatment?

[DocReefer]

Yes, I have used interceptor on 3 different occasions now. I think my source for corals has a potential red bug issue. The redbugs are usually toast by the 6th hour but often the corals, once they start to develop signs of infection need to be cut back to healthy tissue or fragged.

[airwaybill]

I also used interceptor but the bugs did come back on one colony. The others I've looked at very closely and no bugs.

The colonies that are receding are stylophora and my monti's. So it can't be the bugs. Unless they have switched their host of choice.

My case seems to be chemical. I use instant ocean salt. It's a pretty new bucket so I don't think there are problems with it. It has to be some nutrient deficiency.

[airwaybill]

Well, I've finally given in and treated with the full dose of interceptor. All bugs are gone. Next weekend is treatment #2.

I was starting to lose my green mille and that can't happen. I did find bugs on it finally. I think there has just been too much change with my tank in the past 6 months and it has done too much damage.

Going to let things settle after the bug treatment and see what happens. I just wish I hadn't lost so many colonies. I'm going to be extremely picky about what goes in the tank from now on.

I do still believe something else is wrong but just going to continue to keep up on water quality. Hopefully it all straightens out.

[waterfalls]

I experienced loss of tissue twice before.

Once it was related to high tank temperatures. The temp had shot to 30C plus.

Second time and more recently I never found out why but dosing it weekly with Lugols iodine has cured it. After the third day I started to see the improvement.

HTH

Edit:

This is my fourth week of dozing. I shal stop after a few weeks.

[DocReefer]

Maybe your corals were just iodine starved :P

[Dan Fagan]

Check your pumps and powerheads in addition to your water params....I had unexplained issues lately until I checked all my pumps and powerheads. In turned out that the smaill powerhead I used to increase flow into my Ca reactor had frozen up and the stainless shaft had rusted! Within a few days of removal, the corals began to color up again and tissue is beginning to grow on the dead spots.

I would have never thoought to check but I read something here regarding rusty screws on Mag pumps that led me to check all the pumps and powerheads...

[jackson6745]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6793685#post6793685 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Dan ***an
Check your pumps and powerheads in addition to your water params....I had unexplained issues lately until I checked all my pumps and powerheads. In turned out that the smaill powerhead I used to increase flow into my Ca reactor had frozen up and the stainless shaft had rusted! Within a few days of removal, the corals began to color up again and tissue is beginning to grow on the dead spots.

I would have never thoought to check but I read something here regarding rusty screws on Mag pumps that led me to check all the pumps and powerheads...

Same thing happened to me

[airwaybill]

Things are looking better since I treated for the red bugs. Colors are getting richer and the polyps are extending much more. Should've done it a long time ago but I was affraid of losing things I've had a long time(shrimp, crabs etc.).

So far so good. I do treatment two today.

[BigReefing]

What was the treatment that you used. How did it affect everything. I am getting ready to get into the sps world so I would like to know. I only have one beginner brown sps right now.

[airwaybill]

It was the treatment for the Red bugs. Interceptor. Search interceptor and you will see what it is for.

[fishdoc11]

I have had the Fe problem related to pumps mentioned and also recession that was stopped by iodine addition or water changes, either one would stop it for a week or two and then it would come back. That one was really weird and went away after a few months and only the tips were effected. Then there is the old phosphate remover problems I had a while back when those came out. Other than those three IME a sudden change in alk or temp are two very likely causes. It can basically be anything that stresses the coral. The Montipora issue sounds like it could be nudis and Red bugs and acro eating flatworms are also very real possibilities in the cases of the acros.
good luck, Chris

[raddogz]

I had a dumb a** moment and used a quarentine tank's water (did recent water change a week prior - no copper just used skimmer for water movement and filtration) as replacement water when I did a water change in my tank.

The water change change was in combination with me moving rocks around in my tank and siphoning up detritus (bare bottom tank).

What was the result........

Other than the sps were stressed from being a bit banged up (you try hanging onto a rock covered with little tube worm tubes poking into your fingers) the copperband developed ich - ich free at the time.

After doing a few water changes things are getting better in the tank. I have a green birdsnest that is starting to stn from the base and a tort that is annoyed at the moment.