All coral dies or loses color

[Hudzon]

wow that is a lot of light for that size tank, I know you gave par readings but I would try to go to a store or another reefer near you and try to get a comparison par level with your meter as it's calibration could be very different.

I could see running your lights at those levels causing lots of issues with bleaching and even STN

 

[Spyderturbo007]

spam quote removed~dc

wow that is a lot of light for that size tank, I know you gave par readings but I would try to go to a store or another reefer near you and try to get a comparison par level with your meter as it's calibration could be very different.

I could see running your lights at those levels causing lots of issues with bleaching and even STN

The PAR meter has been calibrated per the manufacturers' instructions and shows a 3% deviation, which is within their acceptable error.

The lights aren't running at 100%, but the channels are set at 100%. The "global" setting is 62% and then there are individual channel settings that fall under that global setting. So the Red channel is running at 60% of the 62% maximum.

 

[Hudzon]

OK Spyder I just got done a very long reading session about your lights, I think to have any success you are going to need to supplement them.
sorry about that I know they are high priced lights but just seems like they need help.

I think you need to lower the settings on them and then supplement as they over saturate some spectrum needs and miss on others.

If it were me I would try two T5HOs @ 10k and get the blue from the leds. lower or turn off the red and amber leds and cut the green and cyan leds in half.

 

[E36328i]

LEDs based on your PAR readings need to be around 60-70%, get rid of ROX carbon as it takes too much from the water, and test alkalinity twice a day for a couple weeks. Rapid tissue necrosis on SPS is largely caused from alkalinity swings and also bacterial infections.

I think your issue is compounded on the fact that your water is super clean and you were running ROX. Are you still running ROX?

 

[Spyderturbo007]

OK Spyder I just got done a very long reading session about your lights, I think to have any success you are going to need to supplement them.
sorry about that I know they are high priced lights but just seems like they need help.

I think you need to lower the settings on them and then supplement as they over saturate some spectrum needs and miss on others.

If it were me I would try two T5HOs @ 10k and get the blue from the leds. lower or turn off the red and amber leds and cut the green and cyan leds in half.

Maybe I should just throw my T5s back on and toss these things in the dumpster. :uhoh3:

LEDs based on your PAR readings need to be around 60-70%, get rid of ROX carbon as it takes too much from the water, and test alkalinity twice a day for a couple weeks. Rapid tissue necrosis on SPS is largely caused from alkalinity swings and also bacterial infections.

I think your issue is compounded on the fact that your water is super clean and you were running ROX. Are you still running ROX?

The reactor has been offline for about 3 or 4 weeks. I don't think it was an Alkalinity swing as my Alk was always floating between 7.5 - 8.0dKh. It is on the rise now that I have switched salt from Red Sea to Instant Ocean 4 water changes ago.

Any way I can determine if it is a bacterial infection? In my reading, I've come across bacterial infections being listed as a possible cause, but never found a resolution or a way to confirm the infection.

 

[Spar]

I had issues with LED's for the first couple years. Switched to MH and made a huge difference. Electricity was higher, and needed a chiller, but color and health started booming.

 

[Fallling]

One of my lfs, that's specialty is sps and pretty well regarded, had a bacterial infection. The first time I went there (6 months ago), everything looked like crap, and the gentleman working there seemed to be just filling in and not knowledgeable at all (he wasn't even familiar with salt brands). A few weeks later, I stop by on my way home from work (needed salt) and all the tanks were empty.

This time, one of the main employees was there. He told me they had gotten some sort of bacterial infection. Brought in a vet or marine biologist (something along those lines) and other than saying it was a bacterial infection, they couldn't figure it out. Ended up scrapping and disinfecting everything. I was in there a few weeks ago, and the tanks were just about done cycling.

So, if you ruled everything else out, then maybe start looking at something like that? I would even call / email that store to see if they'll what they went through... see if it sounds anything like what you're going through. You can pm if you'd like to the know the name of the store.

As others have asked (maybe I missed your answer), how does it go with softies, zoas, mushrooms, etc? I have the same pac sun light and all my softies have been doing well. I also have numerous hitchhiker brains at various levels in the tank, from the very bottom to the very top, that have also been doing well. Only recently have I added sps, so I can't comment on that.

 

[Spyderturbo007]

Would you mind sending me their information? I would be more than happy to pay someone to definitively tell me if it is a bacterial infection, although I'm not even sure who would be the right person to ask.

Zoas and LPS seem to do alright, although their color always fades. The do grow, but not very fast. All SPS dies within a few weeks. Color is typically lost within about 7 days.

 

[coralsnaked]

There are only 4 things which affect coral
Food
Light
Water
Contminates
Did you buy that tank new ir uses? Used could equal contaminates
The light switch seems normal and there would be some bleaching when switching to LED but things should be coloring up. Polyp extension looks good on SPS so I may go with shading a couple for a few weeks and see if they color up. LED intensity will bleach coral.
Feed the coral, your PO4 and NO3 do seem fine so don't be afraid to feed.
If light, water params and food is all good then it has to be contaminates.

 

[Spyderturbo007]

Around the time they start to go pale, I lose PE. Then shortly there after, the flesh falls off and the remaining skeleton is taken over by algae. SPS doesn't last more than a few weeks before it is totally dead.

Everything was purchased brand new, except for the live rock, which I later found out had to have been used. By that I mean I found reef epoxy on the rock, so someone used it for something.;

 

[Spyderturbo007]

I'm still fighting with this if anyone has any suggestions?

Things are definitely getting better, but nowhere near where I would like them to be. The LPS is growing again, but the SPS (what's left of it) is just "existing". I've turned up my LEDs to around 62% from where they were before and switched salt a few months ago to IO. Alkalinity is stable with the addition of 1/4tsp Kalk per 1g RO/DI in my ATO.

I feed Oyster Feast and Phyto Feast every other day and have been feeding my LPS LRF every few days. They are definitely growing, but not coloring up to the extent they were when I bought them. Better than before, but not like I want them to. I had nitrates and phosphates for a little while, which definitely made things look "fluffier", but an immediate bacterial bloom that sucked up all the nutrients.

My tank has never really grown coralline algae like I see in others. Although about 18 months ago when my tank looked the best if ever has, I was finding small spots growing on the glass. I do get some on my power heads but that's about it. It's almost like there is something in my tank that is inhibiting calcification. Even my Scully looks different than others that I see. Typically they are button shaped and seem to have a skeleton that is the same size as the flesh. The flesh of mine far exceeds the skeleton and hangs over the edge significantly.

Other than high phosphates, what can inhibit calcification in a reef tank?

 

[calistyle]

Going through pretty much same thing. Corals came over from Radion PRO LEDs and were thriving and colors were amazing.

After 5 months under PacSun lights nearly all SPS is dead and what has hung around is a single color usually a dark pinkish, w/ zero polyp extension.

Water parameters were matched to old tank and husbandry is exactly the same. The only difference in setups are 1) tank maturity and 2) lights

I've done the 30% intensity up to 50%, lowered the red and amber, blah blah blah. Bottom line is the corals are not getting something they need from these lights.

 

[bfin3]

Do you guys use Pandora bulbs or ati bulbs in these fixtures?

 

[henric nystrom]

I've done the 30% intensity up to 50%, lowered the red and amber, blah blah blah. Bottom line is the corals are not getting something they need from these lights.

Or they get a LOT of light, but nothing else. Check out what's floating in the sea at night...

 

[bigswordy]

im having similar frustrations not to your extent though... although i did transplant my old 75 which i lost about 90% of my sps... i'm investing in a uv here shortly and have you thought about this? i have a 120 and im putting a aqua uv 57w and going to run about 250gph through it. just a thought and would help with water born bacteria which could cause those infections. check you iodine levels... from what i read ill have to find the post but pretty sure that the iodine is necessary for calcification and photosynthesis.

 

[Reefocd]

Or they get a LOT of light, but nothing else. Check out what's floating in the sea at night...

Beer cans, plastic bags, Jimmy Hoffa ? Care to elaborate ....

 

[Spyderturbo007]

Going through pretty much same thing. Corals came over from Radion PRO LEDs and were thriving and colors were amazing.

After 5 months under PacSun lights nearly all SPS is dead and what has hung around is a single color usually a dark pinkish, w/ zero polyp extension.

Water parameters were matched to old tank and husbandry is exactly the same. The only difference in setups are 1) tank maturity and 2) lights

I've done the 30% intensity up to 50%, lowered the red and amber, blah blah blah. Bottom line is the corals are not getting something they need from these lights.

Sounds like my experience with the Pacific Sun fixture. If you really search around, you won't find any pictures of colorful corals under their LED only fixture. Well, except for the ones posted by the manufacturer. :hmm5:

I really need to just throw in the towel with these stupid things and go back to my T5s.

 

[Spar]

Sounds like my experience with the Pacific Sun fixture. If you really search around, you won't find any pictures of colorful corals under their LED only fixture. Well, except for the ones posted by the manufacturer. :hmm5:

I really need to just throw in the towel with these stupid things and go back to my T5s.

i give my tank a lot of credit from having ditched LED's and went back to MH/T5/VHO combo. i'm going to give LED's another 3-5 years to mature before considering again.

 

[calistyle]

My birdsnest and valdi are doing great and have been in tank since April/May. Once I felt I had stuff dialed in, I added a green slimer and he was doing fine and my purple monti cap was thriving. However, most SPS had your exact issue. Looked good, then lost color, then polyps weren't coming out, then base went white and worked it's way up, until game over. SOME didn't die, just no polyp extension or growth.

I've also some two scoly's (Slowly dying off), my gold torch of 3 years, head by head starting to go, fragged the final 4 heads, they went too. My acans grow great and look great, my lepto (jack-o-lantern) fine. all zoa's fine and growing like crazy. I do have a new hammer than is fine.

I REALLY want to go MH + T5 combo w/ Hamilton Cebu fixture, but my wife thinks it's ugly and I can't run a chiller (no room in stand, peninsula tank in middle of living room).

That said, This light will grow colors and keep them colorful, I've had my vivid purple monti cap thrive (dark purple), now not so much. I since I've seen this coral happy and mad under these lights, so I must focus in another direction.

Quick background:
120G tank, 30G sump. Water comes down passing through 2 filter socks, then hits skimmer and heats. Drops into fuge w/ rock, sand, chaeto, then into probes, and return pump. I have 2 MP40s handling flow (one 8 inches from water line) other 8 inches from sand. One on each side of overflow (peninsula tank) shooting 4 ft to other side of tank. I ran biopellets, but those have been offline since this summer.

The first thing I changed and noticed a positive result, was changing T5 tubes to ATI and more "white." PacSun thinks we need only "blue" bulbs, but my colors got MUCH better when using more white. LEDS offered plenty of blue. I also went from 4 hrs w/ T5s to 6. This seemed to help, but also caused cyno breakout. I'm down to 5 hours now.

I too ran ROX, recommended dosage. I STOPPED a few weeks ago. I now run 2 small bags of chemipure elite in my sump, and a small bag of purigen. This change hasn't helped anything (yet), but I needed something in place of the ROX.

GFO I went back to ROWA (last week) and very, very small amount. I only change this when my phosphates get over .04.

WC, I do 5G weekly. I'll be doubling that, 5G twice a week.

Adding more top flow (SPS area). I'll run my MP40's @ about 50% RC mode and a gyre 130 towards the very top to ensure every area has proper flow.

Adding UV sterlizer - why not?

Once all changes are in place, the tank will sit for a month to monitor progress.

 

[Quiet_Ivy]

Around the time they start to go pale, I lose PE. Then shortly there after, the flesh falls off and the remaining skeleton is taken over by algae. SPS doesn't last more than a few weeks before it is totally dead.

Everything was purchased brand new, except for the live rock, which I later found out had to have been used. By that I mean I found reef epoxy on the rock, so someone used it for something.;

Wow, what a nightmare!
Have you tried a huge wad of poly filter? I know you said you ran carbon, but I wonder if there's a toxin involved. What're they spraying for in your house? Surely 2 weeks is too fast for lighting issues to kill an sps? Are your clean up crew ok?

ivy