Coraline algea and acros dying

[danrobberg]

No palys. I think I may run some carbon and maybe poly filter. I'm just afraid of stripping the water to much.

 

[Bagabaga]

Any soft corals? The way you describe it makes no sense. All parameters in check, stable and in range. Tds is 0, new membranes. Plenty of flow and no pests. Any vermitids?

Last time bulbs were changed?

 

[danrobberg]

Bulbs are 6 months old. No soft corals. Only corals in the tank are acro frags.

 

[danrobberg]

A few vermitid snails. Are they harmful?

I am sending a sample of water to triton labs tomorrow.

 

[basser1]

Since water params seem to be fine, I'm throwing this out there:

Check for possible stray current in the tank

http://reefcentral.com/forums//showthread.php?t=2182599&page=2

 

[SeargentSlice]

Mabe you had a mini cycle when you added the rock and got Amonia spike...

 

[danrobberg]

The rock was added several months prior to this happening.

 

[acro-ed]

Some observations here...

The stump remover is a non-issue.

There hasn't been any info (that I saw) on the type of acros and their origin. Are we talking fully tank grown from frags? Maricultured? Wild colonies? Has the death been species specific or a variety of different acros?

RTN from the tips is odd IMO. Typically I would say alk burn on a sensitive specimen (either weak coral, mari/wild coral, etc.) which led to peeling. Generally I've seen true RTN/peeling from the base or body first.

RTN (where the tissue truly "sloughs" off) has a triggering effect. If you had one weak specimen; let's say it was alk burn on a wild coral that couldn't tolerate a mild swing, it may have led to RTN. If that necrotic tissue laid against another acro it would likely RTN as well. You may have lost several specimens because of a lesser number actually affected by whatever the initial trigger was.

Depending on timeline, etc. I am guessing you ended up with a secondary ammonia spike due to the initial death of several specimens, which then caused a secondary die-off.

I don't think it was rock or phantom heavy metals or something in the water. If they were growing previously it is best explained by a parameter change being poorly received by a weak specimen, followed by an unfortunate snow-balling which put you where you are.

Are more actively dying or has it leveled off?


Best of luck,
Ed

 

[stef83]

Hello,

Have the same problem here in France.

Second time i have this.

Symptom : Montipora plate green turn light brown with green spot... diyng slowly + some random acropora lost their color ( like millepora green) and start to loose tissu on branch. (one the other side some acro have very solid color like acropora nana purple or tricolor...)

First time i don't find the solution... But during a week end i lost all the fish, 100% acropora and 80% other sps due to electricity break.

I just restart the tank with big water change, finger cross and time... Montipora green plate who survive become to his most beautiful day intense green and purple on the top.
Introduction of new acropora everything is fine...

Second time actually... lost the montipora, some little spot are alive but brown dying slowly... acropora millepora green turn white little bye little ( the body turn light brown but polyp keep his color). I change some water without any happy ending... i think to send water to triton...

I'll waiting your results to have more informations.

Finger cross

Stef

 

[danrobberg]

All acros in tank are aquacultured frags. The ones that were initially affected are the only ones dying. All corals were growing. Some just encrusting and basing our but growing. The few left that showed symptoms are still dying. The 7-8 that never showed any symptoms are still doing fine. I was finally able to get some decent pictures but unfortunately they will be thumbnails.

 

[danrobberg]

I hate thumbnails

 

[thepotoo]

What temperature? If the tank is on the hot side and you're not running UV, there could be a bacterial thing going on.

Also, is it possible your RO container is leaching something?

I assume you've ruled out AEFW and red bugs?

 

[Bagabaga]

You can post full photos from photobucket. I had stray current mess with my corals six months ago. Could be that.

 

[danrobberg]

My top off tank is a glass tank. No aefw or bugs that I can tell.

 

[Piper27]

Any recently add palys?

I've discovered the hard way that some shallow water palys (the ugly green ones with no color reef stores can't give away) can kill all the SPS in a tank in a short time. In a larger tank the effect takes longer as per slow poisoning.

How does that work? I know about palytoxin but I haven't heard of it being released into a tank to kill sps.

 

[danrobberg]

Forgot to add. My skimmer is still running 24/7. With no fish in the system should I turn it off?

 

[NaturalReef]

Talked to a rep from aquatic life at the Chicago aquatic experience the other day and I did not know this, but when you change RO filters that the first couple of gallons(forgot the #) need to be discarded because of the preservatives used for the membrane. This preservative is not good for your reef system is what I was told. I thought the carbon would have removed this. Not saying this is your issue, just something I will pay attention to from now on.

 

[StarF]

Forgot to add. My skimmer is still running 24/7. With no fish in the system should I turn it off?

if you have no fish, how do you add nutrience for your corals?

 

[danrobberg]

I was adding amino acids and feeding oyster feast.

 

[markalot]

I'm going to go back and question this:

I don't dose any alk or cal because biweekly water changes keep it steady.

I highly doubt this, I think you might have a bad Alk test kit.