Can't seem to keep larger pieces of SPS

[keithrett]

Well its as simple as it sounds. Every time I get a larger piece of SPS (mini colony) they seem to die within a week. I can't explain it and can't figure out why they die. All my parameters are in check and the other SPS in the tank are doing great. There is plenty of flow in the tank (2x MP10w ES) and the lighting it intense (Aqua Illumination SOL blue) Its a 24 gallon nano cube thats been set up for almost 10 months. I skimmer 24/7 with a remora and use GFO in a phosban reactor. I preform bi-weekly 3 gallon water changes but will switch to weekly 3 gallon changes soon.

Last time I checked the parameters are
Ca: 460
Alk: 7.7
Mg:1250
pH: 8.1
Temp: 75F
SG: 1.024
All basic parameters 0 (ammonia, nitrate, phosphate...)

Let me know what you guys think, this is really starting to **** me off. The last piece I lost was a 7" piece of ORA hawkins echinata. (seems to have developed STN)

Thanks,
Keith

 

[adamfajge]

Well its as simple as it sounds. Every time I get a larger piece of SPS (mini colony) they seem to die within a week. I can't explain it and can't figure out why they die. All my parameters are in check and the other SPS in the tank are doing great. There is plenty of flow in the tank (2x MP10w ES) and the lighting it intense (Aqua Illumination SOL blue) Its a 24 gallon nano cube thats been set up for almost 10 months. I skimmer 24/7 with a remora and use GFO in a phosban reactor. I preform bi-weekly 3 gallon water changes but will switch to weekly 3 gallon changes soon.

Last time I checked the parameters are
Ca: 460
Alk: 7.7
Mg:1250
pH: 8.1
Temp: 75F
SG: 1.024
All basic parameters 0 (ammonia, nitrate, phosphate...)

Let me know what you guys think, this is really starting to **** me off. The last piece I lost was a 7" piece of ORA hawkins echinata. (seems to have developed STN)

Thanks,
Keith

Besides raising your alk a little and raising the tanks temp to 78-79 I can't think of anything else. Do you have any inverts that could cause this.

 

[MrKite24]

How are you acclimating them to the tank?

 

[keithrett]

No livestock in the tank would harm the corals and I'm 100% sure I don't have any bad critters (flatworms...) I know the temp is a little low but I've been meaning to bring it up a few degrees, just haven't gotten around to it. I know the Alk is a little low but its still within the accepted range, so that couldn't be the problem, could it? I acclimate all my corals by temp acclimating them for 20 minutes then dipping them in either CoralRX or Revive. After the dip I rinse them off and put them in the tank. Is there a problem with my method?

Thanks for the help so far guys,
Keith

 

[BeanMachine]

No livestock in the tank would harm the corals and I'm 100% sure I don't have any bad critters (flatworms...) I know the temp is a little low but I've been meaning to bring it up a few degrees, just haven't gotten around to it. I know the Alk is a little low but its still within the accepted range, so that couldn't be the problem, could it? I acclimate all my corals by temp acclimating them for 20 minutes then dipping them in either CoralRX or Revive. After the dip I rinse them off and put them in the tank. Is there a problem with my method?

Thanks for the help so far guys,
Keith

People keep their alk that low all the time with no problems. The key with that is consistency and stability so I don't think there is hard evidence that a certain alk is better than another, which is why 7-11 dkh is recommended.

I've tried SPS in a nano tank, which is not the easiest and most stable environment as opposed to a larger tank with a larger water volume.

Do you have the AI light turned up to 100%. You may be roasting those corals.

How are you topping off the tank? An ATO is a must on a SPS tank in my opinion. Salinity swings are no good... which I guarantee you are having if you are topping off only once a day or two.

Do you actually dose the tank or do you rely on strictly water changes?

 

[keithrett]

The AI replaced a 150 watt sun pod so it is only running at 25% white and 25% blue (I plan on slowly increasing this a few % a week to avoid burning anything) I do actually have a JBJ ATO hooked up to this tank to minimized salinity changes. And finally I do test and dose additives accordingly. I have been using the AquaVitro line to maintain levels.

Keith

 

[Bigmike]

What corals are you trying to add and what is your dipping procedure? Isnt Hawkins echinata kind of touchy when it comes to dipping? Maybe youre dipping too long/aggressively?

Just a thought

 

[Guy340]

I feel for you man. For the life of me, I can't keep birdsnest, but I can keep pretty much everything else, it's pretty annoying.

 

[keithrett]

What corals are you trying to add and what is your dipping procedure? Isnt Hawkins echinata kind of touchy when it comes to dipping? Maybe youre dipping too long/aggressively?

Just a thought

I'm mainly trying to get some nice pieces of acro and my dipping procedure is the recommend dose in 1 gallon of water for about 6 minutes (which is on the lower end of the recommended time) Yea I've heard the Hawkins can be pretty touchy too, but I've had a smaller frag of it for a while in the same tank and its doing great. (got it from the same guy and everything) Its just larger pieces for me. It is possible that the dip stressed the coral out but its not like I'm increasing the concentration or time.

I feel for you man. For the life of me, I can't keep birdsnest, but I can keep pretty much everything else, it's pretty annoying.

It does suck, especially when you lose a really nice piece for unexplained reasons. Hope you never lost anything too nice. I might try one more larger piece and if it dies then thats it on trying. lol I don't have enough money to keep this up, that echinata wasn't the cheapest of things. But maybe larger pieces just aren't my thing.

 

[Bigmike]

I'm mainly trying to get some nice pieces of acro and my dipping procedure is the recommend dose in 1 gallon of water for about 6 minutes (which is on the lower end of the recommended time) Yea I've heard the Hawkins can be pretty touchy too, but I've had a smaller frag of it for a while in the same tank and its doing great. (got it from the same guy and everything) Its just larger pieces for me. It is possible that the dip stressed the coral out but its not like I'm increasing the concentration or time.

It does suck, especially when you lose a really nice piece for unexplained reasons. Hope you never lost anything too nice. I might try one more larger piece and if it dies then thats it on trying. lol I don't have enough money to keep this up, that echinata wasn't the cheapest of things. But maybe larger pieces just aren't my thing.

Well, not to waste your money or try to kill coral, next time you buy a large colony, why not try buying a smaller frag of the same colony at the same time... then you could test your theory If the frag makes it and the large piece doesnt, then it is definitely the size thats mattering. But if both die or live, then you know its your tanks specifics.

 

[keithrett]

Well, not to waste your money or try to kill coral, next time you buy a large colony, why not try buying a smaller frag of the same colony at the same time... then you could test your theory If the frag makes it and the large piece doesnt, then it is definitely the size thats mattering. But if both die or live, then you know its your tanks specifics.

Thats very true and a good idea. I will have to try it out the next time I get a larger colony.

 

[Dizzle63]

Most of the time, large coral pieces don't do well when switched to a new tank. Most of the time, it is true when bringing in wild pieces, but I know that when SPS get acclimated to certain conditions, large pieces prefer to stay in similar conditions. Frags, for whatever reason, just seem to do better. May be that they go into "survival mode" when they are fragged.

 

[noobtothereef]

thats a reason i dont like buying large colonies since most are wild caughts, i bought a large colony a few months back and it rtn'd the second day i had it, even after a 2 hour accimation. Tried to frag it but it as too late, only way i would buy a large colony would be a tank raised colony from somebody local

 

[keithrett]

The latest victim was a really nice aqua cultured echinata. It was taken from a colony grown from a frag in a guys tank that lives 2 hours away from me. It wasn't a wild collected piece, but I hear what you are saying about wild pieces.