SPS losing color.

[Chronicj7]

My water params are pretty screwy as I was out of town. They are the following:

Nitrate: 0
Nitrite: 0
Ammonia: 0
pH: 8.8
Alkalinity: 12 DkH
Calcium: 440
Phosphate: 0

I just did a 2g water change to help alleviate some stress. All BUT some random green hairy sps frag I got are losing color from the middle of their stalks. It started slowly on 2 frags that I received and I thought it may have been from me touching them with my bare hands or squeezing them a little to hard but its happening to all of them now, even the ones I haven't touched in a long time.

 

[daveonbass]

Sadly that looks like stn/rtn to me. I don't know what to tell you if it is. I lost a blue echinata to rtn. Sucks.

 

[blakers82]

Agreed. That doesn't look good at all. I would frag whatever looks alive (while you can) and hope for the best. Another water change couldn't hurt. If there's by chance some other contaminate then it may be too late, but you never know. Good luck.

 

[gon08]

Alkalinity is a bit high and your Ph is too. The key is stability though. I would test alkalinty at the same time for several days and see how it shifts. What are you using to maintain your alkalinity and calcium?

 

[Chronicj7]

What is stn/rtn and how does it start? I have it on all of my sps now. I use 3 part seachem complete, plus and carbonate.

 

[gon08]

There is quite a bit of algae in your pic also for a tank with 0 PO4 and 0 NO3. Are you sure your tests are accurate? I would take some water to an LFS and have it tested.

STN= Slow Tissue Necrosis and RTN= Rapid Tissue Necrosis. Your coral isn't losing color it's losing tissue. The most common cause in SPS is fluctuations in Alkalinity.

 

[Chronicj7]

Yeah I have had severe swings in alk. Will it go away after stabilizing the kH? I just had the LFS test my water as I suspected my tests were incorrect as well. The only thing that was different from my test was the sG. I havent been able to defeat the hair algae.

I do weekly water changes.

 

[gon08]

What were the LFS results?
If you could stabilized your alkalinity most corals that are not too severely affect can recover. You may want to check the amounts of the 2 part you are dosing and maybe dial them back a bit. As for the one in your pic I would kiss that one good bye due to how much tissue it has lost.

If your NO3 and PO4 are 0 then I would pull as much algae as possible and blast those areas with a baster to remove any accumulated detritus that can be high in nutrients that feed the algae. Also you may want to increase your flow in the tank to prevent the detritus from settling in those areas. Last I would introduce algae eating animals like snails, hermit crabs, and fish.

 

[Chronicj7]

The LFS had the same results as mine but the sg was 1.025 instead of 1.021 which is what I had. I did a 2 gallon water change, fragged my corals to rid the RTN and tested my water. I got these readings.

Nitrate: 0
Nitrite: 0
Ammonia: 0
pH: 7.1 ( lights had been off for about 4 hours)
Alkalinity: 11 DkH
Calcium: 360
Phosphate: 0

I have an mp10 in the biocube at about 60% on reef crest mode and my return pump is a maxi jet 900. There should be enough flow. I also have a phos reactor running. I just can't beat the algae. I've siphoned it and scrubbed the rocks with a toothbrush and it comes back.

 

[karsseboom]

Ph is very low even at night. Corals rtn all the time, it just happens. The best thing to do is try and drag what's still alive and keeping plugging away. From here on out though don't leave you tank without some way to keep thing stable. Cut your losses and keep thing stable.

 

[Alex T.]

With a ph of 7.1 I'd be checking for dead snails and other decaying livestock you may have forgotten about. JMHO

 

[Chronicj7]

It was in between 7.1-7.5 at night. Just checked it again with the lights being on for about 2 hours and its at 8.0 even. Looks like everything is stabilizing again. I just can't wait to have my 40g setup so I don't have so many swings.

 

[Mock]

You need to really take a look at balancing your Mag, Alk and Calcium.... DONT chase a PH number... It will come when you have the other three balanced.

 

[Mock]

And the PH buffer that the LFS might sell you is an ALK buffer... It will make your Alk go off the charts and go all over the place which will in turn nuke your SPS....

Might want to do some research on Randy Holmes-Farley's articles.. there is a whole TON of stuff that will educate you on how to keep the numbers stable.