skydancer
New member
For the past 2-3 months I've been battling this KILLER that has wiped out most of my SPS colonies. Can you help me eliminate it in my 300Gal reef?
Background:
My reef has been up since 2004. I ventured into SPS a year and a half ago when I set up my Deltec skimmer. Had great success for the past year until 3 months ago.
My parameters.
SAL-1.025(refractometer), Cal=430(salifert), ALK=9DKH(ELOS), MAG=1420(salifert), NIT=0.5 to 1ppm(salifert), PHosphates=0.12 (Hanna photometer)
No light bulb, flow, salt mix changes.
Treatments so far:
Interceptor, red slime, running poly pad, and carbon 24/7 & change every 15 days, GFO 24/7 (change as needed).
So what's happening. As soon as the SPS polyp grows, a brown looking like thing (maybe brown jelly) tries to cover the polyp. Some get killed and then green hair line algae grows on it and doesn't let it go.
This is a blue tenius frag. The polyps are attacked.
From a different angle, many of them are eaten up.
The back of the coral (that sees no light) has healthy tissue.
This is my acropora nanna. Many polyps are covered by brown (maybe bacteria) stuff, others with green algae. This coral was/is growing so fast and yet new polyps get covered up quickly.
This is my ORA turquise stag, and in front of it my blue long hair mili. Both attacked but the mili is much worse.
Here is my chasterfield densis. The worst of all.
Here are some of my observations that may give you some clues:
1) Softies (leathers, GSP, candy, etc, and caps are doing fine. I have a salad plate size rose cap, and another green cap, a fireball LE, and Geng-Sy LE (sp?) all doing great, exept a monti indigo LE frag. As an example here is the rose cap.
2) I can not keep a frogspawn, or hammer alive for nothing. I just put another frag in 2 weeks ago and it already started seperating from the skeleton. (maybe brown jelly - but I see no brown jelly)
3) My milis never get good polyp extension.
4) I have a cleaner wrasse that seems like it picks on SPS polyps, but that's strange because that fish only is supposed to eat bugs. I also have a flame and coral beauty angels, purple tang, powder blue, naso, clown tang, etc.)
4) At night my SPS colonies in question seem to be "covered" by tiny/baby brittle stars (maybe irritating the coral), but are supposed to only eat diatoms.
5) I have seen some astirinas but I don't think there are enough to do this much damage.
6) My clams are doing great. Scumosa pictured.
7) I used to dose papone, but I stopped 4 months ago due to Phosphates.
8) I did the 1 day lights out with no noticable change,
9) Then I did the 2 day lights out and I noticed that the green hair line algae subsided a bit from the polyps. Within 2-3 days with normal lights it came back.
10) I do water changes twice or 3 times a week (30gal at a time). As soon as I make more water, I do a water change.
11) Equipment; DELTEC 702 skimmer, CA reactor, XL Denitrifier (no fuge), DELTEC XL phosphate reactor. Dosing KALK at night.
12) During the light period some small bubbles appear around and on the top of the green algae that covers the polyps.
If I forgot anything I'll add it as I go.
THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR ALL YOUR OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS.
Background:
My reef has been up since 2004. I ventured into SPS a year and a half ago when I set up my Deltec skimmer. Had great success for the past year until 3 months ago.
My parameters.
SAL-1.025(refractometer), Cal=430(salifert), ALK=9DKH(ELOS), MAG=1420(salifert), NIT=0.5 to 1ppm(salifert), PHosphates=0.12 (Hanna photometer)
No light bulb, flow, salt mix changes.
Treatments so far:
Interceptor, red slime, running poly pad, and carbon 24/7 & change every 15 days, GFO 24/7 (change as needed).
So what's happening. As soon as the SPS polyp grows, a brown looking like thing (maybe brown jelly) tries to cover the polyp. Some get killed and then green hair line algae grows on it and doesn't let it go.
This is a blue tenius frag. The polyps are attacked.
From a different angle, many of them are eaten up.
The back of the coral (that sees no light) has healthy tissue.
This is my acropora nanna. Many polyps are covered by brown (maybe bacteria) stuff, others with green algae. This coral was/is growing so fast and yet new polyps get covered up quickly.
This is my ORA turquise stag, and in front of it my blue long hair mili. Both attacked but the mili is much worse.
Here is my chasterfield densis. The worst of all.
Here are some of my observations that may give you some clues:
1) Softies (leathers, GSP, candy, etc, and caps are doing fine. I have a salad plate size rose cap, and another green cap, a fireball LE, and Geng-Sy LE (sp?) all doing great, exept a monti indigo LE frag. As an example here is the rose cap.
2) I can not keep a frogspawn, or hammer alive for nothing. I just put another frag in 2 weeks ago and it already started seperating from the skeleton. (maybe brown jelly - but I see no brown jelly)
3) My milis never get good polyp extension.
4) I have a cleaner wrasse that seems like it picks on SPS polyps, but that's strange because that fish only is supposed to eat bugs. I also have a flame and coral beauty angels, purple tang, powder blue, naso, clown tang, etc.)
4) At night my SPS colonies in question seem to be "covered" by tiny/baby brittle stars (maybe irritating the coral), but are supposed to only eat diatoms.
5) I have seen some astirinas but I don't think there are enough to do this much damage.
6) My clams are doing great. Scumosa pictured.
7) I used to dose papone, but I stopped 4 months ago due to Phosphates.
8) I did the 1 day lights out with no noticable change,
9) Then I did the 2 day lights out and I noticed that the green hair line algae subsided a bit from the polyps. Within 2-3 days with normal lights it came back.
10) I do water changes twice or 3 times a week (30gal at a time). As soon as I make more water, I do a water change.
11) Equipment; DELTEC 702 skimmer, CA reactor, XL Denitrifier (no fuge), DELTEC XL phosphate reactor. Dosing KALK at night.
12) During the light period some small bubbles appear around and on the top of the green algae that covers the polyps.
If I forgot anything I'll add it as I go.
THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR ALL YOUR OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS.
