Totally frustrated, corals dying

TimGentry

TimGentry

New member
As many of you know I have had my 125g setup for almost two years now. At first I was having a lot of luck with my corals and the LEDs among other things seemed to be doing the trick as I was getting good coral growth with old and new corals. I had a battle with ICK and lost some fish to that but finally won the war. About 8 or nine months ago though I began losing corals. Started with SPS and then went to LPS as it starting with Ricordia mushrooms. It seems to have systematically worked it way through every frogspawn, torch, star polyp etc that I have, EXCEPT Zoanthids, Palys and several green hairy mushrooms. Zoas and Palys do reat in my tank! My leathers are still alive but I almost never get much polyp extension on them. Fish for the most part are just fine. Even have a pair of clowns that have mated and have eggs about every three weeks.

My parameters are fine now, had a bit low alkalinity for a few days but I now have:

Nitrates 0-5
Phosphates 0
calcium 480
alk 8
mag 1500
nitrites 0
Ammonia 0

I had been running bio pellets but they have been out for two months. Only have protein skimmer and carbon running now.

Temp runs around 77-78

I just don't seem to be able to figure this out and it's got me so frustrated that at times I'm ready to call it quits. It's gotta be something in the water causing it, I just don't know what and I don't know what else to do.
 
Calcium and mag are a little high...I would lower them but I don't think that's your problem...have you checked for stray voltage? Also, what test kits are you using? Did the sps brown out or bleach? More info would help solve your issue...
 
Hmmm Tim. Well if it were me I'd first make sure my temp is really my temp. Second I would try acro power amino acids to feed the corals. And last I would see if your lights are the issue. Since they don't carry uv and different colors.
 
Pedro,

I'm running the AI Super Blue SOLs which gives you the full range of white, Blue, actinic etc so I don't think that is the problem. Looks like the Acro Power might help SPS but I'm losing LPS as well.
 
LED % power? could be too much light. Enough flow? bad stuff can accumulate on coral if water movement is not enough.
 
TimGentry said:
Pedro,

I'm running the AI Super Blue SOLs which gives you the full range of white, Blue, actinic etc so I don't think that is the problem. Looks like the Acro Power might help SPS but I'm losing LPS as well.
Click to expand...

Acro power is the name of it, but its not just for sps. Also i still dont believe its full spectrum lighting, and we dont know yet what range is lost after a few years use. if you have your t5s try putting it over one side of the tank, order acro power if you dont see a differenc ill buy the bottle off you.
 
Flow is good but I would try lowering the light intensity. I ran my LEDs at 38% and still losing chalices slowly to bleaching and melting, sps were fine though. You run yours at 90% and thats how far off of the surface? With too intense lights corals will be dying a slow death.

Other than that the only thing I can think of that will have an effect on your tank like that is coral targeting bacteria which will destroy a colony then move on to another. In that case theres not much u can do besides more frequent and larger WCs and hope your remaining corals will build the immunity to it.
 
Lights

Lights

Pedro,

Tried the T5s a long time a good. Didn't work(looked terrible too)

There has to be something IN the water causing it.
 
Spec grav 1.021 is pretty low. I keep mine with at 1.025-26. I still suggest using a refract to see if you are there. Thanks

Steffen Sparks
 
puffin04 said:
Spec grav 1.021 is pretty low. I keep mine with at 1.025-26. I still suggest using a refract to see if you are there. Thanks

Steffen Sparks
Click to expand...

oh didnt see that, yeah thats a huge difference, even if it doent seem like it even .oo1 difference is big in how corals take stuff in. im usually at 1.025 for sure min.
 
Corals

Corals

O.K. SG going up slowly to 1.025-6 range, LEDs down to 45%. Not so sure about bringing phosphate up to 0.03. first of all I don't know how and secondly even though my test kit says 0 I'm pretty sure there are some phosphates in there cause I'm not doing anything to take them out right now.

Just to make myself feel good I tested for copper. Results=0.
 
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