Large Acropora dying!

[garrett3423]

i have a teal acropora in my tank that has just up and decided to start dying. a decent amount of polyps are still in it but they stay retracted and some of the coloring has stripped off the skeleton in one spot. i've been testing the water and the quality is perfect though. it sits under a 250 watt 14k metal halide all day so it should be getting plenty of light. can it get too much flow? its situated between 2 powerheads that create flow in my tank, ones a 600gph and the other a 450? idk maybe not that much on the second, but the tank is a 30 gallon and its been cold so the only thing i can thing of is that the temp in the water has been shifting a degree or two over the course of night and day. is that enough to kill an acro? its a 2 degree shift at most and over like 15 hours. i keep the tank at 80 or 81 degrees, is that 2 high? idk what im doing wrong! >.< i supplement: trace elements, S&M magnesium, iodine, and occasional nutrient supplements for the corals/ filter feeders. all other corals in my tank are doing fine including a deep blue millipora. one last thing i have turbo and nerite snail, highly doubtful but could they be eating the polyps out of the skeleton?

 

[smtank]

Do you have any large toadstools or similar leathers in close proximity?

I do not think a temp of 82 or a 2 degree swing is much, as I run the same temp on my tank.

Next I guess I would look for bugs or AEFW, minimize any swings in alk, pH and SG.

Good Luck.

 

[garrett3423]

there are a few zoas growing on the rock under it but thats it, the polyps have been refusing to extend for the past few days, idk what the deal is with it. dkh is around 10, calc is around 450 ppm

 

[mike_cmu04]

If you are dosing what levels do those parameters test at? Also what are your nitrates, phosphates, cal, alk, and mag at?

 

[garrett3423]

nit under 5ppm. phos is 0ppm cal is 450, alk is 10 and i dont have a test kit for mag but i dose it according to instructions on the container.

 

[seashark]

i think u have to check your mag levels , high levels of mag can kill sps.

 

[BeanMachine]

nit under 5ppm. phos is 0ppm cal is 450, alk is 10 and i dont have a test kit for mag but i dose it according to instructions on the container.

You shouldn't dose something you aren't testing for. Thats a recipe for disaster.

 

[Mr. Right]

2 degree swing in 15 hrs wouldn’t kill sps. The flow is an unlikely culprit. Have you moved the piece lately? Added any new livestock? New corals? If your Ca & Dkh are constantly at the levels you mentioned it’s likely that your mag is inline. Redbugs or something of that nature is a possibility.

 

[coralreefhq]

The first thing I'd check is alk, as that can burn and cause some SPS's to STN.

 

[garrett3423]

did a 20% water change, alk is at about 9 or 10 and hoping that if i continue the water changes i can use the magnesium in the reef salt to keep it at a stable level till the test kit i ordered comes in, what do you keep your mag levels at?

 

[CleveYank]

Here's the best place to check on where your Mg levels should be at.
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php
"1250-1350 ppm is fine"

You should read that linked article over a couple times to bone up on suggested water parameters.

 

[garrett3423]

well a little update if anyones interested, acropora is doing ok now, its stopped dying thankfully. now if i can keep it alive maybe itll regrow!

 

[oscar.millan]

Glad to hear it's doing better. Hopefully it recovers and grows.