Need SPS Expert

[rwp1202]

I have a 105 Gal SPS dominated reef that has been established 6 years and has always been very healthy. About 6 weeks ago I started seeing STN on some of my colonies that I could not explain. Temps were a little high (83 in the evenings) so I cut down my light cycle to 6 hours of MH but kept the T5's at 8 hours, and added a fan to the sump. Temps have now been 78 - 80 for over a month.

Thinking I had some contaminate, I followed the normal protocol, I increased my water changes from every 2 weeks, to every week and have done 25% the last three weeks straight.

Some details:
105 Gallon reef, sump with fuge, skimmer producing normally, Red Sea Coral Pro salt X12 months, dosing BRS 2 part with automatic dosing pumps, Running Carbon and GFO in BRS 2 chamber reactor, 2X250 W MH, and 2 t5's for actinics. I haven't tested levels since last week, but they have been averaging 500 CA, 7 dKH ALK, 1300 MG, 0.06 Phos

The strange part about what I am seeing is that certain colonies are affected, while others look unbelievably healthy with full polyp extension and rapid growth. After nearly 10 years in the hobby, I've learned that water changes, and patience for weeks at a time usually fixes most problems. Unfortuantely, this time it isn't working. I've now lost 5 significant colonies :sad1: and it's time to waive a flag and ask for help. I am looking for an expert to put a fresh set of eyes on my system to see if we can figure out what is causing this unexplained decline.

Please send me a PM if you can help me figure this out.

Thanks in advance.
Randy

 

[laugh]

I'm no expert but my advice would be to frag anything you have that is showing signs of STN. Just make sure you frag off all the bad parts and get rid of them. The rest of the colony may still have a chance. Sometimes when bad things like this start it's the only way to stop it.

 

[SaltwaterAdict]

Looks like you're doing everything you can. I would take semi-large frags of the colony to see if you could save them. maybe the base of these corals aren't getting enough lighting and start dying off which causes a chain reaction? Best of luck.

 

[superchargeme]

Randy, I'm sorry to hear this, I would frag and dip the corals that are infected. after fragging dip them Place some in your frag tanks and some back in display. Sounds like you have been dilligent in trying to solve this problem.
No new aditions did you clean out your refugium or sump, stir anything up? po4 seems a little high fresh gfo or carbon? short circiut anything? just throwing some things at you, hope you get it figured out, Paul 3302891537 if you want to chat about it.

 

[rogerrgr]

I'm far from an expert, but PM sent! How are things coming along?

 

[SaltwaterAdict]

Randy, I'm sorry to hear this, I would frag and dip the corals that are infected. after fragging dip them Place some in your frag tanks and some back in display. Sounds like you have been dilligent in trying to solve this problem.
No new aditions did you clean out your refugium or sump, stir anything up? po4 seems a little high fresh gfo or carbon? short circiut anything? just throwing some things at you, hope you get it figured out, Paul 3302891537 if you want to chat about it.

No more frag tank from what I last heard. What do you recommend for your dips and how long?

Be sure to keep us updated Randy and let me know if you need any help.

 

[CarlitosReef]

I notice you didn't mentioned your light hours you provide to your tank. Could maybe too much light be the problem?

 

[rwp1202]

Lighting is back up to 8 hours now that temps are cooler.

RODI TDS is ZERO

I did a water change tonight and it seems like the decline has slowed, or dare I say, stopped in the last day or two.

Here is a pic from March, before the STN

Here is a pic from today. Notice that the sunset is descimated, while the Purple Cats Paw, Pink Lemonade, and the green acro on the left are really healthy. (Please look at the rest of the pics before you blame the chalice)

Happy corals right below the wreckage:

More wreckage: Note the puddling blue/green acro that is coloring up for the first time ever with great polyp extension.

All of my LPS at the bottom of the aquarium look fantastic. My prized wellso brains are looking great, and the wall hammer is growing like a weed. Once everything stabilizes I will have a bunch of frags for sale from the healthy colonies to finance the rebuilding of the losses.

 

[rwp1202]

No more frag tank from what I last heard. What do you recommend for your dips and how long?

Be sure to keep us updated Randy and let me know if you need any help.

I guess I picked a bad time to take a break from the frag tank....:headwallblue:

 

[Frick-n-Frags]

do you have a DSB in there? if so, those dont last forever before they crash.

if you're BB, then i got nothing.

 

[hollback]

What is your ca and alk at?

i would say that it's an alk issue but the browning of corals seems to point elsewhere. I had a heater stick back in 2006 and the aftermath, which lasted several months, looked almost identical. Corals browned out and receded, some from the base, some from the tips. I'd lean toward the heat issue and than water chemistry second.

 

[rwp1202]

do you have a DSB in there? if so, those dont last forever before they crash.

if you're BB, then i got nothing.

No DSB, but I have about 1 1/2" of aragonite on the bottom. I keep up with siphoning the exposed areas and let my three conchs and Nassarius Snails turn over the rest of it.

 

[rwp1202]

What is your ca and alk at?

i would say that it's an alk issue but the browning of corals seems to point elsewhere. I had a heater stick back in 2006 and the aftermath, which lasted several months, looked almost identical. Corals browned out and receded, some from the base, some from the tips. I'd lean toward the heat issue and than water chemistry second.

Hollback, I think you may be on the mark with Alk. After my WC last week, I just let everything go on auto pilot to see what happened. Many of the distressed corals are recovering; new polyps, and larger polyp extension.

Today things looked a little less healthy so I retested my parameters to see what was drifting:
MG - 1330
CA - 530
ALK - 4.8 (Yikes!)

It seems unusual to have CA and ALK at complete opposite ends of the spectrum. This is the first time I've had an SPS load this heavy, is it normal to strip ALK faster than CA in high demand systems, or could there be something else in play? Should I be dripping kalkwasser AND running my two part dosing pumps? I am considering diluting my CA jug and increasing my dosing time to bring up ALK.

(I am considering having this thread moved to SPS keepers forum)

 

[laugh]

(I am considering having this thread moved to SPS keepers forum)

I would. Way bigger audience there.

 

[hollback]

Your temps might have been the initial cause and the low Alk is just the icing on the cake.

Alk and Ca are inversely proportional so your tests appear to be the a normal scenario. I a system where hard corals are consuming alk, ca, mag mostly to create skeletons, Alk is the element that fluctuates the most. Keep an eye on it. I tend to test my Alk every other week just to make sure it isn't sliding. I test Ca about once a month. I'd suggest VERY SLOWLY adding the Alk component of the 2(3) part recipe to bump up your Alk which should naturally bring down the Ca. The worst thing you could do is try to bring it up quickly.

 

[Dino]

(I am considering having this thread moved to SPS keepers forum)

If you want it moved just report it when you're ready and say so. Not a problem .

 

[rwp1202]

Dino - I'm not sure how to reoprt a thread, but I think I would like to move this to the SPS Keepers forum

Hollback - I am dosing BRS 2 part, recipie 1. Should I stop dosing the CA for a few days and dose only the ALK? Will that have the desired effect, or will I end up with both numbers sliding?

 

[Dino]

Dino - I'm not sure how to reoprt a thread, but I think I would like to move this to the SPS Keepers forum

All you have to do is click this little icon

that is in the area below everybody's avatar. Then simply give us some kind of information on why you're reporting it.

However you don't need to do that now since I've already seen your post here. I'll move this now.

 

[Dino]

This thread has been moved to the current forum.

 

[joker295]

Dino - I'm not sure how to reoprt a thread, but I think I would like to move this to the SPS Keepers forum

Hollback - I am dosing BRS 2 part, recipie 1. Should I stop dosing the CA for a few days and dose only the ALK? Will that have the desired effect, or will I end up with both numbers sliding?

i would lower the ca dosage and start upping the alk dosage slowly.. are you manually dosing or dosing pump? .. i had the same problem before and now am testing alk and ca every week to be on the safe side..