LPS and SPS dying...I'm lost..

[Octoberfest]

A friend of mine has a tank and for whatever reason she can no keep LPS or SPS alive. The SPS I can understand but LPS I don't get.

Here are the specs on the tank:

190 gallon acrylic
3 AI SOL's
Reeflo Dart Pump
Oceans Motions 4 way
MP40 for additional Flow
Mag 12 Return Pump
Bubble Magus 220A Skimmer
Biopellets Reactor
40 Breeder Sump
JBJ ATO

The tank has a foot print of 66X33 and is 20" tall. There is a coast to coast overflow.

Parameters are as follows:

Salinity 1.025
Mag 1350
Calcium 400
Alk 9 DKH
PH 8.1
Nirates (not registering)
Phosphates .025 or less

The only fish that would possibly be nipping on them would be a flame angel but she said she's been watching and hasn't see it do this.

She has 2 RBTA's in there that are fine. Corals including palys, finer leathers, mushrooms, and toadstools all look great. As far as LPS I've tried hammer, frogspawn, chalice, favia, lobos, acans, and duncans...all croak. As far as SPS I've tried acros, birdsnest, milles, and montis.

It takes LPS anywhere from 1 month to 3 months to die. It's not a fast death, always slow.

I thought maybe she didn't have enough light but that's not the cause. There are LPS that are directly under the AI SOL's and they suffer the same fate.

The "deaths" started happening well before the biopellets were ever introduced.

Any ideas on this one? Everyone I've talked to said they have no idea.

 

[andyrm66]

I had the same thing. Long story short, my Rick from a previous tank had some kind of chemical contamination. New rock and sand and things seen to be doing better. I'll find my thread for you.

 

[andyrm66]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2211011

 

[reeftivo]

perams look fine

could be light shock . LEDs have been known to do that.

could also be flow.

too strong and many LPS hate it/SPS like it
too mild and LPS love it/sps hate it.

I'd lean toward light shock though if the SOLs were recently installed

 

[Octoberfest]

The LED's have been over the tank since it was setup. A lot of the corals came out of a tank where they were under LED's for a long period of time prior to that.

 

[reeftivo]

Hmmm?

the fish are fine huh?

water may be stripped of nutrients. How often does your friend feed and how much?

Also, has he checked for stray voltage in the tank. If it's mild voltage the fish wont be affected much but the corals would.

You may want to PM Randy to see if he has any suggestions

 

[reeftivo]

Hmmm?

the fish are fine huh?

water may be stripped of nutrients. Pellets can do that! How often does your friend feed and how much?

Also, has he checked for stray voltage in the tank. If it's mild voltage the fish wont be affected much but the corals would.

You may want to PM Randy to see if he has any suggestions

 

[reeftivo]

is necrosis apparent on the corals (flesh eaten away) or are they just closed/shrinking and withering away?

 

[grcforce327]

Not a big deal,but I would personally run a bigger return pump on that size tank.I'm running a Sicce 5.0 on a 120g.

As for the die off,if those parameters are correct,there may be some kind of metal or contaminent in the tank.Voltage?

 

[crypteria]

"Corals including palys, finer leathers, mushrooms, and toadstools..."

Could it be chemical warfare from these guys?

 

[Octoberfest]

Hmmm?

the fish are fine huh?

water may be stripped of nutrients. How often does your friend feed and how much?

Also, has he checked for stray voltage in the tank. If it's mild voltage the fish wont be affected much but the corals would.

You may want to PM Randy to see if he has any suggestions

Yeah the fish are doing great. She feeds at least once a day, not too heavy and not too light.

Have no checked for stray voltage however I will. I don't think that's it because the anemones are fine and the softies look great (polyps are all out all the time).

 

[kissman]

can you take some pics? Might be the same problem I am having with corals starving because of low nutrients

 

[Octoberfest]

is necrosis apparent on the corals (flesh eaten away) or are they just closed/shrinking and withering away?

It's a somewhat slow process. More like they start to shrink and wither away.


As far as the return pump, I made a mistake, it's a mag 18.

I haven't been able to check the voltage on it yet but I will. Still dont' think this is it because the anemones are fine and the softies all have great polyp extension.

As far as chemical warfare goes I don't see that only because the softies that are in there are few and far between. The tank looks bare.

 

[Octoberfest]

is necrosis apparent on the corals (flesh eaten away) or are they just closed/shrinking and withering away?

It's a somewhat slow process. More like they start to shrink and wither away.


As far as the return pump, I made a mistake, it's a mag 18.

I haven't been able to check the voltage on it yet but I will. Still dont' think this is it because the anemones are fine and the softies all have great polyp extension.

As far as chemical warfare goes I don't see that only because the softies that are in there are few and far between. The tank looks bare.

 

[h2hiero]

Get a Par meter a lot of people are giving their coral to much light.