Help Acro's dying!

jimidalock

New member
Can't figure it out. All water parameters great. Treated the tank with interceptor 2 months ago and still losing Acro's from the bottom up. Anybody have experiance with Acro's turning white from the base out to the tips.
The only odd thing in the tank is what looks like spider webs.
 
This has been going on for 6 months. I've been trying everything from interceptor, to massive water change. I stopped running GFO. PO4 is still.003
 
Interceptor isn't going to cause the acro to bleach the coral and neither will red bugs. My guess is that there is some other reason why you are seeing tissue necrosis.
 
The spiderwebs you describe is probably the acropora producing slime and it is sticking to the webs of vermetid snails. The slime is also drifting to neighboring acroporas and is what can spread pathogens.
 
I hate to say it but if it is something like RTN WBD or something else, it won't be an easy fix and you will need to quarantine your corals.
It is hard if not impossible to diagnose exactly what your acros have for sure.


You can just stop trying anything and see if it will stop on it's own.
I don't think it is spreading too fast because it has been happening for a while now.
I have had this happen to me and just let it run it's course and I did loose a few nice acroporas.
It stopped at one inch from the tips of a few colonies and I fraged these. All the acroporas I have grew from these tips.
The worst that will happen is you will loose all of them.
 
Last edited:
The spiderwebs are coming out of what look like small tubes growing on my rock work away from the Acro's.
Here are some pic's I just took of the corals in question.
 

Attachments

  • I phone 018.jpg
    I phone 018.jpg
    70.6 KB · Views: 11
  • I phone 017.jpg
    I phone 017.jpg
    102.8 KB · Views: 7
  • I phone 019.jpg
    I phone 019.jpg
    83.6 KB · Views: 6
  • I phone 020.jpg
    I phone 020.jpg
    84.6 KB · Views: 10
Wooa Wooa Woooa. Lets slow down here.. Vermetid snails passing pathogens. There is a TON of things that should be ruled out first before we go looking for the most complex and unique reason for problems with an sps tank.

99% of the time w/reef tanks the simplest answers is the solution.

When something like this happens you need to go down a check list.

1) How long as my tank been setup? Was it ready for acros?
2) How long have these corals been in my tank?
3) Have I added anything recently?
4) Do I have some sort of Pest? AEFW, Red Bugs?
5) What other changes have I noticed in the tank? (increased algae, decreased algae, change in algae type, dying fish?)
5) Did I change anything recently? Salt boxes, brands, media, new bulbs?
6) If you have been doing water changes, have things been getting better or worse? If worse test batch of new saltwater.
7) Is my RO/DI working correct low TDS?
8) Are all my parameters are the proper levels?
9) Have my parameters been swinging or at all (even if they are at the proper levels now?)
10) Are all my test kits current and correctly calibrated (I don't know how many times, I've replaced a test kit with a new one and had different results when testing back to back. Refractos need re-calibration, and those swing arms are often junk)
11) Has my routine changed recently? More water changes, less water changes? More time with hands in the tank (Maybe moved a frag that fell over after doing an oil change without thinking, or with soap on your hands?)
12) Is all my equipment in good working order? No cracks in my heaters, no sketchy old rio pump leaking volts, no temp probe leaking copper, or mag that I left in my tank when I should remove it after use rusting, no sponges clogged? Lights aren't old?, UV shield on bulbs isn't cracked leaking or broken?
13) Do I have kids? If so.. can they have tossed anything in the tank?
14) Have any elements around my house changed? Fumigation, painting, recent power failures, increased c02 due to closing up your house for the winter, etc.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head, there are so many other little things that are easy to overlook or forget to check. I notice you don't have your salinity listed as a parmater, you'd be surprised at how quickly things can die if that gets out of sorts. We often take it for granted to, but refractometers are easily uncalibrated, and swing arms are often inaccurate.

The last thing I would do is rip apart your tank and start over, adding stress to a stressed out system his how we loose entire tanks. Start out simple, don't over react, and when it doubt do a water change.
 
Back
Top