Help, corals not doing well

[ivang]

I have a 60 gallon cube with a 250 watt MH, 14000K bulb 12 inches above the tank. All was going well until I introduced a leather in the upper right of the first picture. My big finger leather closed up and today I noticed deteriation as seen in the second picture. My polyp cloves in the lower part of the first picture was doing well until now. All water parameters appear normal.

SG 1.026, temp 78F, no nitrates of phosphates detected. No ammonia. The two fish are fine and I have seen any snails or crabs dying off. Could the shedding of the new coral be killing my other ones? I have GAC and phosban in the sump. The protein skimmer isn't doing any more than usual.

Any ideas. should I yank the new coral?

Ivan

 

[ivang]

I think my heater is stuck on. temp went from 79F to 83F. Heater is set to 78 and is still on I checked the sump temp. It is the same. (Just in case the MH was increasing the temp). Would this increase be enough to cause the corals to start dying?

 

[clockman]

Leathers sometimes close up for a long period and sometimes will shed to remove surface algae. My leather shriveled up for about 2 weeks after changing my lighting system. It's just opening now. 83 degrees is a little high. Try to get the temp down and just wait.

 

[ivang]

Leathers sometimes close up for a long period and sometimes will shed to remove surface algae. My leather shriveled up for about 2 weeks after changing my lighting system. It's just opening now. 83 degrees is a little high. Try to get the temp down and just wait.

Did you see the white area on the left of the leather coral. It looks like it is disintegrating. Would the higher temperature do that?

Ivan

 

[gflat65]

If it got irritated enough, it could have. Keep an eye on that. Hopefully, it won't spread and heals over. I've got some Nephthea that shows something similar around the base where a hairy mushroom is constantly in contact, but it doesn't look like anything could be irritating it where it is. If it's been a while, you might change out carbon. Anything new happening/being added, etc?

 

[ivang]

If it got irritated enough, it could have. Keep an eye on that. Hopefully, it won't spread and heals over. I've got some Nephthea that shows something similar around the base where a hairy mushroom is constantly in contact, but it doesn't look like anything could be irritating it where it is. If it's been a while, you might change out carbon. Anything new happening/being added, etc?

I changed the carbon today. I am slowly letting the temperature drop back to 78. Nothing else has changed except adding a new leather coral that promptly started shedding.

Ivan

 

[sedor]

That small of a temp increase is unlikely to cause problems. The snails and crabs dying off is what concerns me. Nitrate levels could be really high, maybe look into that.

 

[ivang]

That small of a temp increase is unlikely to cause problems. The snails and crabs dying off is what concerns me. Nitrate levels could be really high, maybe look into that.

I mistyped. The snails and crabs are not dying off. Only the corals appear to be having issues. I am seeing an explosion in sponges. They are starting to grow everywhere.

Ivan

 

[ivang]

I installed a new heater. The previous one would not shut off. Temperature is down to 78. I replaced the carbon. Today the clove polyps have opened up. The leathers are still closed but I expect them to stay that way for a while. The new devils hand is still shedding. It's been doing this for a week. I guess I'll replace the carbon on a weekly basis while the leather is shedding.

Ivan

 

[gflat65]

What are the chances your heater was adding stray current into the tank?

 

[ivang]

What are the chances your heater was adding stray current into the tank?

It may have been possible. When I pulled the old heater out, it did appear there was a little water under the glass. The inside was not filled. There may have been a path. Things did get better the next day with the new heater installed.

My big leather is starting to shed a mucus layer so that gives me some hope all will get well. in fact one finger was expanded with the polyps partially extended for a little while. There does look like some deterioration. I'm watching to see if it spreads any.

Ivan

 

[ivang]

My new coral appears to be recovering. It is definitely looking like a devils hand leather. It looks much different than at the LFS. In fact, it looks larger. I only have a 14000K MH hanging over with no supplimental actinics so I don't see the green that I did at the store. I am starting to see a few polyps. My other leather appears to be opening a bit. Hopefully it will heal up and continue to expand. I can post pictures later if there is interest.

 

[jdthomas24]

i got a small leather the other day and it appears to be larger than ti did at the LFS. i didnt understand this. Is this because we are both using MH's and maybe the LFS was not? im not sure to be honest but bigger is better.. i guess, leather do shead mucus coats form time to time. its to keeo algae from setting on the surface of there membrane. its a normal process. heaters and ppowrheads are notorious for putting voltage in a tank. Issue is because they are in contact with water 24/7 and when they spring a leak the current moves to the water and if its nto on a GFI then it will not trip.

 

[ivang]

Is the waxy stuff the devil's hand leather shed toxic or irritating enough to cause most of my other corals to close up? The only ones that don't seem affected are the red mushrooms. Every other critter appears to be fine and eating well. I only have a big finger leather and a clove colony and they appear to be the only ones affected. I checked water parameters and no change.

It seems the devils hand is a bit finicky on being moved. Where I had it placed, the currents apparently shifted it after it expanded and it shrank up and started shedding again. My big finger leather was starting to open up again. The cloves were the first to open up. I'm almost to the point of wanting to unload the devils hand since all this started with its introduction.

Ivan