Coral Deaths- Water Quality Issue?

[ctroms]

Here is the issue, I'm trying to get a handle on coral deaths, The tank is 125 gal and been up 15 months, no protein skimming, Eheim pro 3 1200 external filter, roughly 60 lbs. live rock, 1/2-1" of sand bed. Lighting is Reefbrite XHO's 2 (48") 1 Blue, 1 White, white is dimmed to 80%. The blue runs constant 10 hrs, the white runs about 4-5 hrs. Livestock is currently 10 fish, 5 Turbo snails, various Actinodiscus mushrooms, Kenya trees, Bubble Anemone, Rock Flower Anemone. These animals are all doing great. The deaths were/are Duncan's, Plating LPS (aquacultured and does great in tanks) sorry don't have a name, & Euphyllia.

Water Quality Parameters:
pH-8.2
temp-78
Sal-1.022 @ time of transfer and corrected to 1.025 over 24hrs
Cal-450
Alk-10
NH3-0 ppm
NO2-0 ppm
NO3-5 ppm

One other piece of background is that about 1yr ago on initial stocking of fish had a major ich outbreak. Cupramine was used to treat the livestock. After the Cupramine treatment water changes that exchanged 100% volume, 3 lbs of carbon run in front of inlet water for 2 months, complete tear down and clean filter (all media was removed before treatment and not replaced for 2 months while carbon ran). Plan now is to spend $ & send away water to be tested for metals.

So
1. Easy answer Salinity, but nothing in this hobby is ever the easy. The short answer doesn't explain losses after transfer.
2. Copper in water. Question with this is anemones, snails, and other corals are sensitive to copper. Wouldn't they be showing signs?
3. Lights Cooking them. 3 new dead/almost dead pieces were placed in the sand bed. The bubble tip anemone is in a rock in the middle about 4" off of sand bed. Mushrooms cover the highest to the lowest rocks in the tank. 1 coral came from led/mh, 1 kessil tank, 1 from a different led/mh tank.

Any ideas, something I haven't though of? Thanks

 

[Lakejoery]

I am new here, so take my advice lightly. I believe that you make have shocked them by rising .003 salinity in 24hrs. Did you get the coral shipped to you? If so it could have been from shipping.

 

[ctroms]

Thanks looking for anything. Coral was purchased in person. Transported in cooler 45 min and acclimated to tank.

 

[thegrun]

Did you just add the corals that died or were they in your tank for a long period of time? If they were recent additions I would suspect your alkalinity may have killed them. While corals can certainly be acclimated to an alkalinity of 10dKh, if they were coming from a tank where they were accustomed to 8.0 dKh that could be enough to kill them. Another possibility is chemical warfare between the corals, Kenya trees and leathers in particular can excrete enough poison to kill more sensitive corals. If you plan on keeping a mixed reef I would run carbon 24/7 in a reactor to minimize the toxins.

 

[reeftanker3295]

Did you run copper in the dt? If so, I bet this is the answer, it's nearly impossible to get copper out once it's been used on the tank.

 

[ctroms]

Thegrun - yes all coral deaths were new additions. Never really thought about chemical warfare between species, considered the sweepers but not chemical. Also never considered the 2 points in ALK, I am not a chemist but is 2 points in ALK really that drastic? Would the acclimation period not be enough?

reefkeeper - I have really been thinking copper as well. Would the copper not kill 2 different anemones, 5 snails, Kenya Tree and all the mushrooms but take out the new additions?

Thanks for the help, when I get the metals test back I will add an update the water quality.

 

[anbosu]

I would expect if there was copper it would have killed the BTA, if nothing else. My best guess is an alk swing as well.

 

[ctroms]

OK, ALK swing. Like I said I am far from a chemist but this would mean longer, slower acclimation.

Nobody thinks lights could be cooking them? This is kinda where I am at, but that was before ALK issue. Copper was my first guess but the anemones & snails doing great kind of cross this off the list.

Thanks for help

 

[ctroms]

Problem fixed and Just an update

Cooper Test Negative- water was sent to a lab for testing and came back clean of any metals.

Alk- Still same swing from LFS to Display. Acclimation was the same.

Lighting- Photoperiod the same. Whites dimmed to 20% lowest setting. 2 weeks and new coral still alive and duncan (from first batch) is starting to come back slowly.

Just wanted to give an update and say thanks for all the input.