Dying Stonies

King-Kong

King-Kong

New member
I need help with figuring out why all stony corals in my tank are slowly dying (period of months, very slow recession.. talking a mm every week on some, after thriving, some for 2 years).

I have a few LPS which are also slowly receeding. Soft corals, clams, and fish are all fine and growing.

The recession starts off where the flow is strongest. It is NOT related to light, and it is not a base-up, or tip-down recession. It targets the part of the coral with the most flow.

Here are some early photos of it:

http://www.d3f.org/misc/fish/90g/stn/green-stag.jpg
http://www.d3f.org/misc/fish/90g/stn/big-mille.jpg
http://www.d3f.org/misc/fish/90g/stn/green-mille-base.jpg
http://www.d3f.org/misc/fish/90g/stn/green-mille-top.jpg

SPS corals exhibit great Polyp Extension while this is happening. Some of the time, the tissue will receed around a polyp. Eventually the polyp dies/dissapears.

As of late, it has become a bit more aggresive with my big green millepora, and the tissue has been sloughing off. I have video of this. You will see EXTENDED POLYPS attached to tissue, flapping against skeleton. Eventually these will detatch and float around the aquarium. The polyps stay extended while they free-float:
http://www.d3f.org/misc/fish/90g/stn/detatched_tissue_healthy_color_pe.mov (video is 7.5 megs quicktime .MOV)

Here is my water as tested by Aquarium Water Testing.com:

Ammonia(NH3-4)
Tested: 0.070 mg

Nitrite(NO2)
Tested:0.022 mg

Nitrate(NO3)
Tested: 7.50 mg/l

Phosphate(PO4)
Tested: 0.130 mg/l

Silica(Sio2-3)
Tested: 3.30 mg/l

Potassium(K)
Tested: 502 mg/l

Calcium (Ca)
Tested: 375 mg/l

Boron(B)
Tested: 2.30 mg/l

Molybdenum (Mo)
Tested: 0.20 mg/l

Strontium (Sr)
Tested: 8.760 mg/l

Magnesium(Mg)
Tested: 1155 mg/l

Iodine(I¯)
Tested: 0.050 mg/l

Copper (Cu++)
Tested: 0.030 mg/l

Alkalinity (meq/l)
Tested: 3.430 meq/l



I do not dose anything, and only use a kalk reactor for Ca and Alk. I have no idea why my Potassium is so high, and hope someone with Potassium knowledge, as it effects tissue recession, can chime in and maybe confirm that's what this is. I can only assume the Potassium is coming from my food (frozen mysis, cyclopeeze, and a home made blend).

I also dont know where those silicates are coming from.

I have gone ahead and installed a GFO to take care of the phosphates.

I am using Tropic Marin salt with a brand new set of RO/DI filters (which didnt fix anything). Water was 0ppm TDS before, and still is.
 
have you tested your salinity?

tip recesssion with algae growth may be from elevated phosphates.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10943472#post10943472 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by twon8
have you tested your salinity?

tip recesssion with algae growth may be from elevated phosphates.
Click to expand...

SG is 1.026 checked by refractometer.

The recession is not tip-based. It is everywhere. My phosphates are .130. Is this enough to kill LPS and SPS corals, because that's what is happening.
 
I wonder if your skimmer may be oversized for your system, especially given that it's bare bottom. You could be skimming out too many nutrients. :confused:


also, is stray voltage in the water a possibility? Or other contaminants?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10943392#post10943392 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Canarygirl
wow, that is the weirdest thing. What does you K+ level translate to in ppm? Is it over 400?
Click to expand...

It's 502ppm according to the aquarium water testing.com test.

As per the skimmer comment: with phosphates of .130 and nitrates of 7, I dont think my tank is "too clean".
 
Yeah, you're right about the water not being too clean. I spoke before reading carefully enough.

Your potassium is way too high though, it shouldn't be over 400, and it's in combination with magnesium that is too low (should be 1250-1350). I don't know what the repurcussions would be of K+ this high over an extended period of time. Anecdotally I've heard that too much K+ creates algae growth. I don't think there's as much research done on K+ levels in closed reef systems as there is on the other major elements.
 
What type of fish do you have, some of those look like bite marks, also check your tank at night, to see if you have an predators. It appears that you might have AEFW’s. “Acro Eating Flat Worms”, Im not a professional, just appears as you do, you can always take a section of the coral, one that has bite marks or loss of tissue, and do a dip with Tropic Marine Pro Coral Cure, to see if anything falls off. Make sure you use your tank water, and put it in a bowl, and treat as directed. I am not sure if this is actually AEFW’, but it definitely looks predatory. I may be wrong, but it just my opinion from your pictures. Also the algae growing on the dead spots are from your phosphates and nitrates. There are plenty experts on here who will be able to diagnose this for you. I look forward to there responses. Good Luck to you.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10943717#post10943717 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SENSIREEF
What type of fish do you have, some of those look like bite marks, also check your tank at night, to see if you have an predators. It appears that you might have AEFW’s. “Acro Eating Flat Worms”, Im not a professional, just appears as you do, you can always take a section of the coral, one that has bite marks or loss of tissue, and do a dip with Tropic Marine Pro Coral Cure, to see if anything falls off. Make sure you use your tank water, and put it in a bowl, and treat as directed. I am not sure if this is actually AEFW’, but it definitely looks predatory. I may be wrong, but it just my opinion from your pictures. Also the algae growing on the dead spots are from your phosphates and nitrates. There are plenty experts on here who will be able to diagnose this for you. I look forward to there responses. Good Luck to you.
Click to expand...

1 Purple tang
1 juvenile Lineatus Wrasse
6 Dispar/Ignitus Anthias
2 Blue/Green Chromis

I took one of the corals and dipped it in TMPCC some time ago. I used extra strength, and a longer period. I also used a turkey baster but nothing came off. I found no flat worms, and I have not seen any eggs.
 
You might want to check your tank at night, for predatory snails, or crabs, I have I haven’t seen tissue loss like that before, unless it was predatory, but I guess there is a first for everything. RTN or STN usually starts from one side, and works its way across the coral. Also Alkalinity burn is from the base up, so it doesn’t seem to be the issue. I really think it’s a predator. What you can do is a 25% water change, and monitor your tank and corals 2-3 hours after lights out looking for any signs of predators, with weekly water changes at 10-15% with the alkalinity, salinity, and temperature matched. As long as your parameters are in check, "raise the magnesium" as that is low with a mag buffer, but mainly keeping your water premium. I really hope it works out for you, let me know how things go, I'll be more than happy to get you some new frags, once you know and treat your cause, and get it worked out.

Also even if you dipped before, you may still have them especially if you didn’t dip each coral before introduction “ Always Dip and quarantine your new specimens” , drop and pray method is risky. You may want to take a couple specimens and try it anyways, your corals are already deteriorating at this point, it can hurt, if don’t properly.
 
Looks like maybe your parameters are swinging, how old is this system? My stonies did something very similar and i belived it to be a mixture of lack of lighting and parameters not stable.
 
Kong,
Sorry to hear about the declining stony's, your tank and ideas have helped me to obtain such great results. I know you were dealing with some of these issues awhile back, but no luck yet? Do you think you corals may be getting blasted with too much direct flow? Some pics look like the tissue is being blasted off. Hope you get things fixed....
Perry
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10944005#post10944005 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by plyle02
Kong,
Sorry to hear about the declining stony's, your tank and ideas have helped me to obtain such great results. I know you were dealing with some of these issues awhile back, but no luck yet? Do you think you corals may be getting blasted with too much direct flow? Some pics look like the tissue is being blasted off. Hope you get things fixed....
Perry
Click to expand...

I reduced flow for a bit, but nothing changed. Before, these corals were thriving with as much, or MORE flow.. something else is causing the shutdown.
 
i read an article about a similar situation and after months of testing for everything they finally checked the pump and found the housing was cracked and contaminating the water with heavy metals.
 
Cutegecko: any links? What kind of heavy metals? What kind of testing did they do? Once they removed the pump everything started thriving again?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

B
Green Margaritaville loosing tissue..??
2
Replies
22
Views
2K
JCOLE
JCOLE
K
Carbon Dosing causes STN/RTN?
Replies
13
Views
3K
Timfish
Timfish
D
Custom 250 rimless reef tank for sell
Replies
0
Views
988
derrell
D
Reef Kinetics
ReefBot Lab: The Newest All-In-One Automated Water Tester from Reef Kinetics!
Replies
1
Views
2K
Reef Kinetics
Reef Kinetics
AGWL
Devastated and have to start over
2
Replies
22
Views
3K
Reefing102
Reefing102
Back
Top