Weird SPS Problem...please HELP

[C-21 USAF]

Alright, I have a 150 SPS that has been happy and healthy for about a year w/o any real problems. Suddenly one morning I noticed a few of my colonies completely closed but shrugged it off thinking a shrimp had harassed them or something. A couple days of this and I knew something was up so I tested the following parameters and found everything was okay:
Ca: 480
DKH 9.0
PH 8.4
Nitrates <1 ppm
Nitrites undetectable
Phosphates undetectable
Magnesium 1350

The only thing I've changed recently was adding some frags...and I'm a coral dipping machine. I use TMPCC for all sps and lugols for lps/softies. I think since I added 20 frags all at once that I might have an accidental iodine overdose but after skimming wet and performing two 15% water changes about two days apart things have improved as all colonies are open but PE is not close to what it was and colors are bad. Greens are yellowish, purples are sky blue and so on. The tissue on my small Frogspawn is seriously receding almost up to the heads now. All SPS are just hangin in there right now, not thriving.

Equipment: I run a H&S A-200, Litermeter for two part that supplements my PM Kalk reactor connected to a Tunze Osmolator and have radiums and ATI T-5s. I run two Koralia 7s on a Red sea Wavemaster. I also have been running bio pellets in-line with my skimmer since June.

Weird event: I just had to replace my osmolator pump, so the last week I've been adding kalk every few days and water everyday for top-off. Yesterday I took 1 1/2 TBSP of Kalk and dissolved it in two cups of water and poured in my sump (had already done this a couple times w/no problem) and when I did the Kalk turned clumpy/snow flaky and settled in my sump and is still there. I don't mean it simply was not dissolved...it took on a different appearance when I poured it in the sump. Looked almost like Sodium Bicarbonate when it reaches the saturation point, like snow flakes. I thought this might be clue to a water problem....

Any thoughts what might be making my SPS so unhappy???

 

[WhiteLightsaber]

How often do you do water changes? And how old and what brand test kits? BTW, your not pouring the entire kalk mix, are you? the junk that settles on the bottom are impurities and should be filtered out. Do you feed at all for your corals? I've also seen issues with ULNS with loss of color, etc, because the corals were starving with absolutely no nutrients.

 

[k.tran]

Whens the last time you changed your lights?

 

[C-21 USAF]

I do monthly 15% water changes...been doing that way for a year.

Yes, I was just pouring the kalk in, not the best idea, I know....it was temporary and new osmolator pump is installed now.

My bulbs are relatively new.

I use Salifert test kits.

I feed my corals on the rare occasion....my concern is this "change" occurred almost overnight.

 

[Photo_John]

do you have any small kids around that could have thrown in their own additives?

 

[Gilby]

Red bugs maybe? I know when I had them, all of my SPSs polyps closed up and lightened in color. I would look closely to see if there are any red bugs. I know you said you dipped your new frags in TMPCC but red bugs usually aren't affected by that, only interceptor dip works.

 

[WhiteLightsaber]

Check your heater for any cracks. I lost a whole tank overnight due to a heater crack.

 

[C-21 USAF]

Heater looks good.

Don't think the kids put anything in there.

Been staring at my tank for hours what seems like everyday....I really haven't seen a pest of any kind.

Gonna try another water change and fresh carbon.....

 

[C-21 USAF]

Update: three water changes and two changes of carbon did it. Corals that were dying are recovering and almost all have regained the color they had prior to the event.

 

[smtank]

Sounds like a swing in Alk and or ph caused by the addition of the kalk. The appearence of the kalk immediately after introduction seems like a huge clue to me. Kalk needs to be on a slow drip regardless of the volumn of water IMO.