SPS problem..

[DSpate]

I have a 110g with a big custom sump, an odyssea fixture, vertex in180, two uf-20s, an mp40 on the side wall of my display running the length of the tank.

My problem has been after 3-4 months after adding a few SPS frags that were doing great before my tank, and during their time in my tank had somewhat grown, or shown some growth extensions and branches, are fading out in colour, and dying off. The latest victim was a nice and promising looking dark green mili that I had a lot of hope for.. After a few weeks of being in my tank turned super light green, hardly see any polyp extension on any SPS, and it just whited out.

Water parameters are all within the normal range during the light cycle hours...

DkH - 8
Mg - 1,450
Ca - 430

The tank has been running about 6 months now, about 40 lbs of the rock was also running in a 33g for over a year with fish only. I added dry marko rock. I had a profilux 4 pump doser running straight water as an ATO cause there's barely anything I need to dose for. Lights are as follows.. moonlights 24/7, actinics run about 7-8 hours, MH's run 4-5 hours. Seeing as I have no algae growth I'm thinking about running them about an hour longer each.

I have 6-7 healthy fish. And just noticed coralline for the first time a couple days ago on my overflow box. I have little to no algae growth at all. And a ton of rock in my sump.

I have a large snail and a hermit crab right now as my only clean up crew, I did have an emerald crab and a cleaner shrimp, along with 3 other hermits for about a year with the older system which had cycled rock, and in this new system until they passed on while I was away on vacation... Which leads me to believe there has been no copper introduced to any of the rock that I had bought and let cycle in my old system over 2 years ago..

I can't figure out the problem for the life of me. :headwally:

I do know I have 2-3 frags still alive, and growing slowly. But I have this piece that's encrusting and suppose to have a white base and pink polyps, it has dull pink polyps and hardly any white on the base, it looks almost like a clear pink color. Maybe there's some underlying thing I haven't checked.... I have a furry mushroom that use to be dark brown and green, it's been alive for over a year but is a brown white with light green tips, like it's quite fading out also. I have a couple groups of Zoanthids that are doing fine.. Open up everyday.

There are stray volts in the tank, I have felt them in a few places in the sump and when I touch the overflow box. (I'm in the middle of finding some grounding probes.)

I haven't used RO in this tank before and I don't know what my local TDS is.. But I do let my WC water sit for 3-4 days in a bucket with a powerhead mixing.

I've added a couple pictures of my setup as of right now which hopefully will clear up any questions.. Any advice you can throw my way I would gladly look into... I'm tired of my rock looking greenish with no colour except for the fish.

 

[Felixc395]

Seems like fading is a prevalent theme in your tank. Fading seems like either lack of nutrients or too much light. How high are your corals that are fading? Do you feed anything for your corals?

 

[DSpate]

I don't feed the corals regularly.. I only put in aqua vitro fuel once a month when I remember.

The corals are all mainly high, but only 1/2 way to the top of the tank. The one that is suppose to be white and is clear pink looking is sitting on the bottom. Then there was a dark green acro that was below it, and it faded right out. The mushroom is on the bottom of the tank as well. A patch of the Zoa's are as high as the highest green mili frag was.

I'm using the 48" Odyssea 250W fixture, and stock bulbs. I think they are 15k's?

I made a picture showing where the frags were. Red means they faded, blue meals they're alive (but faded).

I have plenty of room to lift the light upward, it sits about 6" above the glass.

 

[DSpate]

I do run my skimmer 24/7. Maybe there are no nutrients, how often and what should I be using to feed?

I also have mix for dosing calc, alk and mag, but I haven't had the chance or need to mix it yet, and I don't know how much of what to add to the bottles either.

I'm feeding my fish with mysis/plankton..

 

[pimp2daizzo]

what the rest of you levels?

 

[DSpate]

pH is 8 during a light cycle, Nitrates/Nitrites are both 0, Ammonia is a hair off coloured from 0. So lets say 0.1.

 

[dzhuo]

My problem has been after 3-4 months after adding a few SPS frags that were doing great before my tank ...

The tank has been running about 6 months now, about 40 lbs of the rock was also running in a 33g for over a year with fish only.

And just noticed coralline for the first time a couple days ago on my overflow box.

That's because your tank is new.

 

[DSpate]

I know it's a newer tank, but I basically skipped the entire cycle process by adding my fish, live rock, and livestock the first night I put anything ''live'' in the tank. All my levels went back to normal after a week and I had 0 losses during the switch over. I waited 3 months to add anything new, and when I put in a few frags, they took 3-4 months to die.

Also on that note, I had the Zoa's and mushroom in my previous tank before the switch over and they are still alive.

Like I said before, I had 40 lbs or so of live rock, cycled in my previous system where I never kept SPS only zoa's and mushrooms, for over a year and a half.

Being that the tank has been going for 8 months or so now, with no cycle process.. 8 months of maturing, and no progress. There is something else causing a problem.

 

[dzhuo]

A matured tank is different than a cycled tank.

I waited 3 months to add anything new, and when I put in a few frags, they took 3-4 months to die.

Sounds similar to what I have gone through earlier when my tank is not ready.

Start with this:

and then:

finally:

It took about 3 months for the coral to die. This was about 6 months ago (when my tank was about 5 months old) and basically every coral I put there die in about 4 months. Now the tank has matured enough, every corals I put there grow very well and color up nicely. I haven't change a thing since then; just time and let the tank mature.

It's not impossible to grow SPS with a ~6 months tank (lots of people report to have success) but it's easier if you give the tank more time to mature.

 

[DSpate]

I've been thinking about buying some kent purple up, and help the coralline take hold on the rock... Just pump it in a couple times a day with the doser.. Would that speed up the process do you think?

I've already scraped a lot of coralline off the covered rocks and crushed it well and put in the display in the flow and it really spread out.

 

[dzhuo]

I've been thinking about buying some kent purple up, and help the coralline take hold on the rock... Just pump it in a couple times a day with the doser.. Would that speed up the process do you think

No. Purple Up is basically very fine (carbonate) sand which pretty much does nothing and won't dissolve easily in sea water. If I were you, I would just wait a couple more months until your tank mature (better coralline coverage, pods, bio-diversity and algae) more. You will need lots of patient when it comes to SPS anyway.

 

[curlykid]

the stuff you're putting in there doesn't sound like much. there's a whole bunch of trace elements that sps coral need in order to thrive. things like: iodine, boron, strontium, potassium and so on. many brands make these additives, and they will most likely solve your problem. As said above, you should also let your tank mature, as it matures, it will become more stable and more like the ocean. just be patient.

 

[curlykid]

A matured tank is different than a cycled tank.



Sounds similar to what I have gone through earlier when my tank is not ready.

Start with this:

and then:

finally:

It took about 3 months for the coral to die. This was about 6 months ago (when my tank was about 5 months old) and basically every coral I put there die in about 4 months. Now the tank has matured enough, every corals I put there grow very well and color up nicely. I haven't change a thing since then; just time and let the tank mature.

It's not impossible to grow SPS with a ~6 months tank (lots of people report to have success) but it's easier if you give the tank more time to mature.

also, that coral isn't dead in the last photo. you can see polyps and tissue still intact. it looked perfectly healthy.

 

[DSpate]

Okay. I'm not going to add anything more for a couple months other than fish and some hermits. I'm going to try and see how well the coralline will be doing by then, thats my main focus, as I know it means stable and good water quality.

I'm also debating on purchasing an RO/DI unit as I do not know the TDS in my area and I feel it would just benefit overall.

 

[allsps40]

Tap water is a big no no. A RODI is a must when running a reef tank. Tap water quality can be really back in most area. Where I live the tap TDS is over 500ppm. Check for po4, does not look like thats your problem but your rock came from a FOWLR tank so there may be some po4 trapped in it. If po4 is low then try feeding a bit more or adding fish.

 

[dzhuo]

things like: iodine, boron, strontium, potassium and so on. many brands make these additives, and they will most likely solve your problem.

It will probably mess up his tank more. If you do regular water change, you are more than likely have enough trace elements. Boron, for example, is 4x NSW in SeaChem Reef Salt. Iodine, potassium, etc are even worse.

 

[dzhuo]

also, that coral isn't dead in the last photo. you can see polyps and tissue still intact. it looked perfectly healthy.

Unless your definition of perfectly healthy is heavy bleached and it died in 2 weeks. Otherwise, no this coral is not healthy at all.

 

[dzhuo]

Okay. I'm not going to add anything more for a couple months other than fish and some hermits. I'm going to try and see how well the coralline will be doing by then, thats my main focus, as I know it means stable and good water quality.

The biggest secret for SPS is really just stability and time. Think of a nice mature SPS tank as a 3 years project (first year for tank maturation and stocking, second year for grow out and by the 3rd year, you should have a tank full of acro colonies). What's a couple of months in a 3 years? Give the tank time to settle on its own.

 

[RParker]

Tagging along, I'm having the same problem with my tank and it's been running 18 months.

 

[curlykid]

It will probably mess up his tank more. If you do regular water change, you are more than likely have enough trace elements. Boron, for example, is 4x NSW in SeaChem Reef Salt. Iodine, potassium, etc are even worse.

there have been numerous studies done showing the importance of these elements. whether he does water changes often he probably will want to use additives.