Losing SPS & LPS

Minkota · 07/11/2017, 04:44 AM

I have a 150g tank that has been up and running for about 3 years. It has been doing very well up until about a month ago when I started losing SPS and LPS corals. All soft corals are still doing great.

I have done several water tests and even taken sample into LFS to confirm my readings. (Pic of store results attached)

Water parameters seem fine.
I have checked for stray voltage

The only other symptom of anything wrong is a small amount of cyno on sandbed (no other algae is apparent).

Any other suggestions would be great.

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mcgyvr · 07/11/2017, 05:01 AM

We are gonna need more information than that..
How are these corals dying? fast dramatic tissue loss? slow?
pictures of issues?
how stable have your parameters been?
What type of lighting?
and more..

The only way to a good answer is extensive details from your side...

Minkota · 07/11/2017, 05:19 AM

Corals seem to die kinda slow although some have gone from appearing healthy to dead overnight.

Parameters are very stable

Temp is controlled via apex and set between 76-77 degrees

Lighting is LED

I will post some pics later tonight when I get home.

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danrobberg · 07/11/2017, 06:30 AM

I had some touble keeping so with nitrates and phosphates at 0

mcgyvr · 07/11/2017, 06:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Minkota

Corals seem to die kinda slow although some have gone from appearing healthy to dead overnight.

browning? bleaching? tissue loss?

Are you dosing?
What are your daily/weekly alk swings between water changes?
What is your water change schedule?

Minkota · 07/11/2017, 07:28 AM

For the most part it is tissue loss.

No I am not dosing anything my weekly water changes seem to be able to keep up for the time being.

Water changes are 30 gallons a week
(I mix my own water using coral pro salt and my own RODI water with zero TDS)

I forgot to mention, I run a BRS Dual Reactor with GFO in one side and Carbon in the other.

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Rich1Reef · 07/11/2017, 09:03 AM

Get a Triton test.

SouthFla · 07/11/2017, 09:37 AM

Did I miss something? Testing error? Why is there ammonia in the tank???

ReeferNoob4ever · 07/11/2017, 11:23 AM

Ammonia and low pH makes me think something is decaying in there other than the corals.

DivingTheWorld · 07/11/2017, 12:48 PM

Ammonia is bad obviously. You need at least trace levels of Nitrate/Phosphate. It would be better if you had a little more accurate test such as with a Hanna Phosphorous meter.

What kind of LEDs? Perhaps not enough light? IME LED's work, but more difficult sps (acros) need about double manufacturers recommendations.

Also, I think your temp is a little low. I personally run my sps tank at 79.5-80.

Minkota · 07/11/2017, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SouthFla

Did I miss something? Testing error? Why is there ammonia in the tank???

I have tested it several times with two different kits as well as a friend came over and used his kit and I went to LFS and all tests came back pretty much the same with the exception of the one shown which is the only one to indicate and ammonia.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ReeferNoob4ever

Ammonia and low pH makes me think something is decaying in there other than the corals.

No fish losses in over 18 months and there are only 9 fish in the 150 gallon system.

2 chromis (small)
1 powder Blue (med)
1 yellow Tang (small)
1 kole tang (med)
1 watchman goby (small)
1 clown (small)
1 melanurus wrasse (small)
1 fire fish (small)

I feed a very small amount of pellets once a day.

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ktownhero · 07/11/2017, 12:55 PM

The ammonia is a red flag -- no tank should have a trace of ammonia beyond the initial cycle.

Minkota · 07/11/2017, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DivingTheWorld

Ammonia is bad obviously. You need at least trace levels of Nitrate/Phosphate. It would be better if you had a little more accurate test such as with a Hanna Phosphorous meter.

What kind of LEDs? Perhaps not enough light? IME LED's work, but more difficult sps (acros) need about double manufacturers recommendations.

Also, I think your temp is a little low. I personally run my sps tank at 79.5-80.

Corals have been thriving and growing pretty fast up until about a month ago. So I'm not so sure it could be the lighting but I guess anything is possible.

The temp was at 78-79 and everyone said it was too high so I turned it down to 77 for the last 2 weeks with no change.

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DivingTheWorld · 07/11/2017, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Minkota

Corals have been thriving and growing pretty fast up until about a month ago. So I'm not so sure it could be the lighting but I guess anything is possible.

The temp was at 78-79 and everyone said it was too high so I turned it down to 77 for the last 2 weeks with no change.

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If the corals were thriving then I would agree that the lighting must be fine. I'd do a couple things in order of relevance:

1. Raise the temp back up to what you were running at.
2. Deal with the Ammonia. Replace your Carbon or add a Polyfilter. Polyfilter will also help if you have some random chemicals in the water. Look for dead fish or snails and remove them. Also check your pumps for damage, rusting, etc.
3. Get some good test kits for Nitrate and Phosphate. For Nitrate, I like the Nyos kit. For Phosphate, I like the Hanna Phosphorous tester.
4. Increase nutrients. Add more fish, feed more, or dose some coral food like ReefRoids. You want something showing for both Nitrate and Phosphate.

sdbc · 07/11/2017, 02:22 PM

I would try to confirm the ammonia, since only one test out of three indicated it. Could something in your sand bed be decaying?

mcgyvr · 07/11/2017, 03:17 PM

some of the test kits are notorious for showing ammonia when its not an issue..

What powerheads in the tank? Have you checked powerheads/magnet cleaners for broken casings exposing/corroding the magnets in the tank?

A polyfilter would be a good start.. See if you get a color change..

Minkota · 07/12/2017, 04:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcgyvr

A polyfilter would be a good start.. See if you get a color change..

I put one in last night, we shall see what happens in a day or so. I'm already running carbon so I'm not sure if it will change color but worth a try. I turned the carbon off for the time being.

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ReeferNoob4ever · 07/12/2017, 01:01 PM

I keep my tank at 74-76F and there is no issue there - I have birds nest and monti that are growing fast. Although ammonia alone wouldn't be a red flag, the fact that your pH is lower tells me the dissolved o2 levels are lower which in turn leads me to believe that something (possibly decay) is raising your co2 levels...

BigJohnny · 07/13/2017, 09:35 PM

It's also possible your params are swinging if your alk is 7 and you do 30% wc with coral pro and don't dose. I'd agree that the ammonia and low pH and no nutrients are not ideal as well

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07/11/2017, 04:44 AM	#1
Minkota Registered Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: South Florida Posts: 147	Losing SPS & LPS I have a 150g tank that has been up and running for about 3 years. It has been doing very well up until about a month ago when I started losing SPS and LPS corals. All soft corals are still doing great. I have done several water tests and even taken sample into LFS to confirm my readings. (Pic of store results attached) Water parameters seem fine. I have checked for stray voltage The only other symptom of anything wrong is a small amount of cyno on sandbed (no other algae is apparent). Any other suggestions would be great. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

07/11/2017, 05:01 AM	#2
mcgyvr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 20,050	We are gonna need more information than that.. How are these corals dying? fast dramatic tissue loss? slow? pictures of issues? how stable have your parameters been? What type of lighting? and more.. The only way to a good answer is extensive details from your side... __________________ Who me?

07/11/2017, 07:28 AM	#6
Minkota Registered Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: South Florida Posts: 147	Losing SPS & LPS For the most part it is tissue loss. No I am not dosing anything my weekly water changes seem to be able to keep up for the time being. Water changes are 30 gallons a week (I mix my own water using coral pro salt and my own RODI water with zero TDS) I forgot to mention, I run a BRS Dual Reactor with GFO in one side and Carbon in the other. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro Last edited by Minkota; 07/11/2017 at 07:42 AM.

07/11/2017, 09:03 AM	#7
Rich1Reef Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Delaware Posts: 34	Get a Triton test. __________________ We the willing led by the unknowing. Current Tank Info: 90 gal wide. Building 150 wide.

07/11/2017, 09:37 AM	#8
SouthFla Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Miami, Florida USA Posts: 256	Did I miss something? Testing error? Why is there ammonia in the tank??? __________________ 125g mixed reef, Apex controlled, 30g sump, RO 150sss skimmer, Eheim 1262 return, NextReef MR1 reactor w/Rox C, (2) EcoDrift 8.0 1K-2K GPH, (2) Jebao PP8 1K-2K GPH, (5) 80W ATI T5s Current Tank Info: 125G reef, Alk ~8.1, Ca 410, Mg 1350, 1.025SG

07/11/2017, 05:19 AM	#3
Minkota Registered Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: South Florida Posts: 147	Corals seem to die kinda slow although some have gone from appearing healthy to dead overnight. Parameters are very stable Temp is controlled via apex and set between 76-77 degrees Lighting is LED I will post some pics later tonight when I get home. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

07/11/2017, 06:30 AM	#4
danrobberg Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Buffalo NY Posts: 962	I had some touble keeping so with nitrates and phosphates at 0

07/11/2017, 11:23 AM	#9
ReeferNoob4ever Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2017 Location: NM Posts: 523	Ammonia and low pH makes me think something is decaying in there other than the corals. __________________ Get a life! Current Tank Info: 20gL mixed reef, 10g mixed reef w/nem & clown, 5g NPS & harlequin

07/11/2017, 12:48 PM	#10
DivingTheWorld Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: San Ramon, CA Posts: 1,963	Ammonia is bad obviously. You need at least trace levels of Nitrate/Phosphate. It would be better if you had a little more accurate test such as with a Hanna Phosphorous meter. What kind of LEDs? Perhaps not enough light? IME LED's work, but more difficult sps (acros) need about double manufacturers recommendations. Also, I think your temp is a little low. I personally run my sps tank at 79.5-80. __________________ Current Tank Info: LeeMar Rimless (40x24x22), ATI 8x39 Dimmable w/Reefbrite XHO, 2x Vortech MP40w QD w/ Battery Backup, Apex Gold, Trigger Systems Ruby30S, Reef Octopus POV-DC1 w/Auto Waste Collector

07/11/2017, 12:55 PM	#12
ktownhero Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 1,426	The ammonia is a red flag -- no tank should have a trace of ammonia beyond the initial cycle.

07/11/2017, 02:22 PM	#15
sdbc Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: San Diego Posts: 94	I would try to confirm the ammonia, since only one test out of three indicated it. Could something in your sand bed be decaying? __________________ Bob - San Diego Current Tank Info: 125g mixed reef, 20g F/W planted

07/11/2017, 03:17 PM	#16
mcgyvr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 20,050	some of the test kits are notorious for showing ammonia when its not an issue.. What powerheads in the tank? Have you checked powerheads/magnet cleaners for broken casings exposing/corroding the magnets in the tank? A polyfilter would be a good start.. See if you get a color change.. __________________ Who me?

07/12/2017, 01:01 PM	#18
ReeferNoob4ever Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2017 Location: NM Posts: 523	I keep my tank at 74-76F and there is no issue there - I have birds nest and monti that are growing fast. Although ammonia alone wouldn't be a red flag, the fact that your pH is lower tells me the dissolved o2 levels are lower which in turn leads me to believe that something (possibly decay) is raising your co2 levels... __________________ Get a life! Current Tank Info: 20gL mixed reef, 10g mixed reef w/nem & clown, 5g NPS & harlequin

07/13/2017, 09:35 PM	#19
BigJohnny Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 1,642	It's also possible your params are swinging if your alk is 7 and you do 30% wc with coral pro and don't dose. I'd agree that the ammonia and low pH and no nutrients are not ideal as well Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk