Random Blasto's and acans dieing

[EnderG60]

So I had a month long fiasco trying to setup a calc reactor a few months ago and gave up and went back to 2 part dosing.

While that happened I lost a lot of corals. But its been a good 2 months since then and all my parameters are back to normal..

Temp - 79-80
Salinity - 1.025
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate -5 or less
Phos - 0
Calc - 410
Alk - 4 mg/l
mag - 1350

So right after the calc reactor problems I watched one of my prized blastos slowly close and die off. Nothing happened after that for a good 6 weeks.

Now Im starting to notice a few of my acans, and another of my blasto's are going down a similar path. they will slowly open less and less each day before the polyp finally dies, then another and so on.

I cant for the life of me figure out whats going on here.

 

[Jimmy Wright]

What kind of lighting? Have you tried a dip?

 

[EnderG60]

its a marineland DD 300g with 3x400w radiums on HQI ballasts and 4x39w T5 aquablue bulbs

Im gonna take the effected colonies out when I get home and dip them and move them to the frag tank tonight

 

[EnderG60]

Dipped them last night, so we'll see how they look tonight.

Ive never dipped a coral more then once every few days. Do you recommend dipping more often if the problem persists?

 

[impur]

I recommend an 8 hour dip in interceptor. Anytime this starts happening to my LPS, i now dip for a min of 8 hours in interceptor and they come around every time. I don't know why, but it works so i keep doing it when needed.

 

[Tahoe Reefer]

Your numbers look pretty good so maybe it has something to do with trace elements. At 4 meg/l you could bump ur Ca to 440-450, thats more of a guess than experience... good luck.

 

[EnderG60]

alrighty, I just happen to have some interceptor so Ill give that a try and ill bump up the calc.

I dipped them in iodide once and moved them to the frag tank(on the same system just under a old radium bulb) They seem to be doing better, not good but the mouths arnt gaping anymore.

 

[organism]

How are you testing your salinity, and when was the last time you calibrated it?

 

[EnderG60]

refractometer, calibrated with RODI water just to make sure for this last test.

 

[organism]

Then that's most likely your problem. I was calibrating the same way and it was off by like .004, tons of people have had the same issues too. Get some calibration fluid online asap.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1963296

 

[EnderG60]

Im thinking something is nipping/eating them now. As soon as I removed the two effected colonies, two more started showing similar signs. I just removed those two as well, so we'll see if any more start showing signs.

 

[EnderG60]

Welp Im still having the same problem. I have lost all my blasto's most of my acans, a bunch of my brains and a few plates.

I have no clue what is going on anymore. a coral will be fine and opening and then it just shrivels away and dies. I have ruled out fish pecking at them, all my parameters were double checked my fellow reefers and Im just at a loss....

the same issue seems to be effecting my monti's as well. They seem to just fade and die.

All other corals are doing just fine....

 

[Dave VG]

Could copper have been introduced by chance? Are your inverts ok? Was there anything new put in before the downward spiral? Did you find anyting on the bottom of whetever you dipped in? Do the people that double checked your SG check there refractometer the same way you do?

 

[EnderG60]

I have been constantly adding stuff since the tank was setup but I dip everything before it goes in. No copper has ever been anywhere near this tank. All my inverts are fine.

never found anything after dipping besides the occasional mini brittle star and pods.

and no clue how the others check their refractometers but they all have large fully stocked tanks like I do and they were all very close to the same number (1.024, 1.025, and 1.025)

 

[EnderG60]

Spoke with a local club member who had a similar problem and looks like it might be my sulphur denitrator needs a cleaning.

Fingers crossed that this is the problem because I cant think of anything else it could be...