losing acros, little help

[listen2bob]

So, I have been losing across over the last month or so and believe it may be a fish striping the polyps off. Fish are a foxface, hovens wrasse, long nose hawk, neon dottyback, mandarin, black and white striped damsel and a maroon clown.
Any of these more likely to be the culprit?
Or should I start looking at other causes.
Haven't added anything new for a long time and these are/were very mature colonies.

 

[Webmanny]

This is from a personal experience. Check all you magnets or any other metal that may be in your tank. I lost a few SPS corals due to a frag holder's magnet rusting and leaching hard metals into my tank.

May not be your case, but I would still check.

 

[listen2bob]

Yup, checked, pulled the veg mag clip out a couple weeks ago but it was fine

 

[bigzman]

Dave if you need anything feel free to ask. I have a 29 gallon tank running that I use for qt. Since you are dsb any chance its met its life line?

 

[listen2bob]

I suppose it's possible. Everything else is doing well. I may ask you to hold a special piece for me if you could. Gotta preserve some or a lineage

 

[CuzzA]

If not the suspect fish or dsb maybe the tank is lacking some trace elements that are just being depleted to rapidly. Perhaps a few large consecutive water changes would narrow it down. That's all I got. Good luck.

 

[CrazyEyes]

When they start dying, how long does it take? Is it slow or RTN? I'm assuming you've tested things like alk and ca. If you're mixing your own SW I'm sure you're using a refractometer, when was the last time you made sure it was calibrated correctly? Maybe if it's out of whack it's making everything swing around. Just a few ideas.

 

[listen2bob]

Slow, top down typically although some just have chunks taken off like my birdsnest. Calcium and alk, mg all checked out.have done a couple water changes. Everything else in the tank zoas, lps softies are doing fine. I will hunt down calibration solution for my refractometer

 

[CuzzA]

What's your Alk?

 

[bigzman]

Dave,

I can test SG with both a Tropic Marin ATM51002 Precision Hydrometer or Refractor if you want. I also have other test kits if you want to double check parameters. As for protecting lineage let me know when.

For the remaining SPS, is the coloration still the as vibrant? I remember your millies having amazing PE. Is that still the case? Good indicator to rule out high nutrient or low nutrient issues.

If color and PE are still the same it is possible something is nipping / eating it.

 

[listen2bob]

what's your alk?

8.2

 

[sirrealism]

Man I am so sorry to hear this Bob. Your system is about the nicest around IMO. I would start with your RODI unit. I had a TDS meter go bad and continue to show 0 when it was really 30. How old is your DSB. Damm if it is the DSB then that whole debate starts over again. As far as it being Cal,Alk, Mag if you have not seen Bobs tank, I am pretty sure its not that. Then again could some of your test kits be bad?
Bob have you looked for red bugs? If you end up having a fire sale I will be first in line. Sure hope you find the issue. I know you have been trying to get a couple fish out of there for some time

 

[listen2bob]

Dave,

I can test SG with both a Tropic Marin ATM51002 Precision Hydrometer or Refractor if you want. I also have other test kits if you want to double check parameters. As for protecting lineage let me know when.

For the remaining SPS, is the coloration still the as vibrant? I remember your millies having amazing PE. Is that still the case? Good indicator to rule out high nutrient or low nutrient issues.

If color and PE are still the same it is possible something is nipping / eating it.

Color on the sps is fine for the most part. My rainbow monti polyps are all red currently instead of green. A have always run elevated nutrients in my tank. Typically if nutrients are too high you lose color to Brown. Polyp extension has been low on the millies.

 

[anbosu]

I would guess the foxface out of those fish. I've never heard of any of the others eating corals.

 

[CuzzA]

8.2

Well that rules out Alk burn, unless the test is faulty. It sounds like you have a very mature system, maybe there's a pest (worm) that's finally reached a size to do some damage. Perhaps a night time stakeout should be scheduled.

Just throwing other ideas out there.

 

[listen2bob]

As mentioned, mature system. Sand bed is 6 years old or so. I have never had red bugs and it has been a long time since anything new has gone in. I did switch from salifert to red sea test kits a few months ago. May have to investigate the rodi system again.

 

[CREATIVE AQ TMP]

It is possible some of your "weaker" corals may have met their match. Your tank is full of awesome and thriving corals. Lots of Paly's and a leather. May be there is too much of chemical warfare going on for some of the weaker corals to handle. Our reef aquariums are microcosm's of natural reefs, and these "natural" die off episodes do occur. The stress are chemical warfare may also have led weaken immune on the montis.

 

[snake1]

Slow, top down typically although some just have chunks taken off like my birdsnest. Calcium and alk, mg all checked out.have done a couple water changes. Everything else in the tank zoas, lps softies are doing fine. I will hunt down calibration solution for my refractometer

You say chunks taken off some of your corals that sounds like you answered your first post in the thread its probably the fish .....In fact this week I just started to notice my fat sailfin tang munching on my acros and polyps the acros are damaged all the new growth is damaged and he keeps doing it after I feed the pig so that being said he will be up for sale very soon along with the foxface who I have watched nipping some polyps .sorry but I like corals way more then the fish....

 

[snake1]

I hope my tank looks like yours one day very impressive

 

[MJNTWise]

The problem is clear....You need to go bigger....looks like you need more room. lol.