Losing SPS pieces one at a time :/

[fredro]

I'm really baffled at what's going on in my tank. I have a year old, 80g DeepBlue Rimless w EcoTech Radion Pros over it. 30g Custom King Sump, plenty for VorTech flow and all my parameters are testing normal. For the last few months, I have been losing my SPS, one piece at a time. Corals that ice had for months, healthy, untouched, have just started to recede their polyps and the. A day or so later, they start to RTN from the base up and are gone within another day or 2. It has been mostly my Milleporas, although I have lost 2 other birdsnests. The rest of the tank looks great. It's just that like clockwork, they take a turn dying, one at a time and once one is gone, another will start. I have no Angels or other fish that pick.

Parameters:

Alk: 9dKH (Hanna and RedSea Pro)
Mag: 1350 (RedSea Pro)
Cal: 450 (Hanna and RedSea Pro)
PO4: 0.00 (Hanna)
NH3: 0.00-Barely Detectable (RedSea Pro)
K: 399 (Elos)
SG: 1.025 (Milwaukee Digital)

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated and this is really killing me to watch these beautiful pieces die off and watch the tank go to crap.

Thanks.

 

[DiscusHeckel]

The fact that PO4 and NH3 are zee could be the problem. Do you use activated carbon/or PO4 adsorbed media, such as Rowa Phos? If so, how much do you use and how much domyou replace at a time, and do you replace them at the same time? Do you dose organic carbon, such as vodka or vinegar? Have you altered you're alkalinity drastically in the last few weeks? Has there been a sudden swing in your salinity?

A sudden change in any of the above could stress your corals and trigger tissue necrosis? I have been there quite a few times, hence my questions.

 

[acesq]

In addition to all the usual suspects -- alk and salinity swings, low nutrients, too aggressive Po4 removal -- consider the quality of your make up water. If your municipal water supply uses chloramine and you haven't changed the carbon bock in your RO filter recently you might want to try that. Chloramines break through most carbon filter very quickly and can also damage ro membranes. I had similar symptoms that resolved after changing both carbon blocks and adding a third (my water has high chloramine).

 

[fredro]

I run 1.5 cups of activated carbon in a reactor plumbed off of the return manifold. I used to run 3/4 cup Phosban in another reactor for a while, but never really change it more than every few months and I eventually just took it offline a couple weeks ago as it seemed like it was unnecessary and it hasn't read over 0.02 every once in a blue moon, over the past year. I did recently start the ZEOvit system 2 weeks ago. I can assure you that this issue has been ongoing for months and isn't a result of the switch to ZEOvit.

With the switch to ZEOvit, I am slowly lowering the Alk to around 7dKH, but this is being don't very slowly (still happening) and before this, the Alk has usually been between 9.4-9.9dKH. Salinity is also been at a constant for the life of the tank.

Whatever this is, is moving from coral to coral. There is no overall negative issue with the tank, it is literally something that is taking out one coral at a time.

 

[bobssecrtsn]

You should post a picture up, it may help a bit.


With my tank, If I use to much carbon, my millies will start to receed and at that time I know i stripped the water to much,

 

[fredro]

 

[fredro]

You should post a picture up, it may help a bit.


With my tank, If I use to much carbon, my millies will start to receed and at that time I know i stripped the water to much,

Are you referring to activated carbon, or a dosed carbon source?

 

[bobssecrtsn]

Sorry activated carbon, Which form of po4 are you using? phosphorus or regular phosphate checker?

algae growing on the tips are a sign that you do have some n/p issues


also i see that there is a torch close to that millie, how close is it ? have you checked for any chemical warfare or tenacles touching sps?

do you have a FTS shot?

 

[fredro]

Sorry activated carbon, Which form of po4 are you using? phosphorus or regular phosphate checker?

algae growing on the tips are a sign that you do have some n/p issues


also i see that there is a torch close to that millie, how close is it ? have you checked for any chemical warfare or tenacles touching sps?

do you have a FTS shot?

The picture is deceiving. The candy cane and torch are 8" away. I'm using the PO4 Hanna Checker, not the phosphorous one. I have a a couple nitrate and phosphate test kits and NEVER have my nitrates tested above barely registering nor have the phosphates done much worse. There are no corals close or touching, especially to where the RTN began. The last Mille I lost was in the sand bed, 6"+ away from the nearest coral or even rock. When I started ZEOvit, I also removed all the macro from my fuge, but rest assured, this issue of corals receding and dying one at a time has been happening for months now.

It's just such a shame to see pieces that were so healthy and beautiful that so quickly die off.

 

[SnowManSnow]

Have you considered the possibility of pests?

 

[fredro]

Have you considered the possibility of pests?

Yes. I've been looking online and haven't really been able to match my exact symptoms to a specific pest though.

 

[fredro]

I ordered a bottle of Coral Rx to dip the corals, but this will prob not be here for another 3 days at the soonest and even then, is have the tedious task of dismounting each coral and individually dippin' 'em!

 

[SnowManSnow]

Do you have any wrasses?

 

[Tweaked]

That looks like a nutrient problem from my house. Specifically PO4

 

[fredro]

I have a fairy wrasse.

 

[fredro]

My PO4 continues to test at 0.00, along with a barely visible reading on Nitrates.

 

[Tweaked]

That's our point btw

 

[fredro]

That's our point btw

You're saying the water is too clean? I would agree, but if you look at the picture of the RTN Mille, it almost looks like there is algae on some spots. I was also told by someone that it may be a bacterial issue. Since I no longer have a refugium with macros (so there is nowhere for false negative PO4 reading to be coming from and there's nothing removing them that way) and no longer run GFO, what can I do to increase my PO4, within reason. Also, my WC schedule is only usually 5gal every 3-4 weeks, as I have never had a nutrient issue through the life of the tank. Is feeding more my best option?

 

[toothybugs]

A colleague/ friend of mine at Quality Marine recently told me that nutrients (from feeding) were the single most over-looked aspect of SPS keeping. Given the push for clean, stable water, it's hard to argue.

 

[markalot]

I would consider buying and dosing some Seachem Phosphorus. I've done it to a new tank and the only adverse effect has been a requirement to clean the glass more often for a few days. Get a measurable reading via dosing and then work on a more stable nutrient plan. IMO.