Slow Continuous Coral Death

[reefman]

this looks more like low or unstable alk problem. but this would affect all sps, not just a few. i agree with tosiek. re-correcting the system can take much longer than u think. i would move all your non affected sps to a clean system until the problem is solved.

 

[fernandokng]

any updates?

 

[Domboski]

Check with Lissa (ellebelle). She had a similar problem. I'm not sure she ever figured out what the cause was but she can tell you what she finally did to reverse the die off.

 

[Wes]

no updates really. Death has slowed but no signs of improvement.

 

[NYreefNoob]

Wes My Ph Since Vodka Dosing Has Stayed Around 7.9-8.09 But My Alk Is Really Up There 14 Havent Had Any Problems With Anything Other Then My Clam Kicked The Bucket And A Purple Cap Ive Never Been Able To Keep Anyways, I Still Think Ya Got Something In System Shouldnt Have

 

[QUESTIONMARC]

I have the same problems on my Hawkins Echinata, Turaki, Purple NaNa, Assuie Milli, My Unknowns, and my Purple Monster. JUST THE TIPS turn white. JUST LIKE YOUR PHOTOS.. I have yet to figure it out.. but i have come up with a few good ideas..

Everytime i seem to lose a fish and dont catch it when it passes away.. or i have a small amonia spike or mess with the sandbed.. this seems to go on.. So that is suspect #1.. amonia.. nitrites.. nitrates.. and then the newly formed/growing tips burn off.. becasue the ammonia eats them aways.. and they turn white.. BUT once i fix my water.. for some reason.. they grow with dark brown algea.. then the tips regrow over each other.. and are back to normal.. I actaully freaked out when i saw this thread becasue i have been tryign to seach for the reason now for a while.. i didnt see ANYONE with this problem.. BUT I DO HAVE THEM GROWING AND HEALING

Might be a phospahte thing.. SUSPECT #2.. whenever my phosphates have been getting a little too high.. too many fish... once again.. water change.. and phosban.. and a pinch of sugar (water change only).. gets it right back on track..

I also noticed that my alk drops from time to time.. SUSPECT #3 think i have my Calcium reactor setup wrong somehow.. i dont know.. ONCE AGAIN.. a water change.. levels back in check.. and poof.. eveyrone gets their color back and regrows their tips..

LAST .. but not least.. one night i saw one of these little White starfish.. (SUSPECT #4) sitting right on the tips of the coral.. muching away.. when the lights come on.. pure white.. BUT.. ive noticed.. the ONLY time they are on any coral.. is when they KNOW it is dying.. they clean the dying flesh off.. other than that.. they have not been back.. when they coral regrows and is doign good!

so.. SOMETHING in the water is off.. its not the electric.. not the calcium, no bacteria.. if any of those were the case it would still be happenning.. its not mag or ph..

i think i have it nailed somewhere between Phosphate, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and alk.. it is either a combination of a few bothering the newly formed tips and then maybe it is the white stars coming in to clean up?? I notice for the most part they eat off the glass. . but then i find them on the corals that sting each other and die off.. or the tips.. they like to clean up..

i dont know.. like i said.. my levels are pretty on target..

anyways.. sorry about your death.. i know it is frustrating.. if you would like someone to hold them and try to get them back.. i can help out or give it a shot.. ive held sps for a few people and brought them back.. up to you.. i know you dont know me.. but you can ask anyone i guess who knows me.. 10465 in the bronx, 347.614.1814

I can try anyways.. if you are interested.. BUT.. i have had the same problem.. same EXACT problem. and i came back from it.. so you can too!

just for info.. my levels when all that goes on are around

ph 8.2
alk 6.7-7.5
cal 430
mag 1300
amm .02
nitrite .05
nitrate .05
phos .003

when they start to heal and it doesnt happen anymore..

ph 8.2
amm 0
trate 0
trite 0
phos .001
alk 8-8.5
mag 1500
cal 500

im a pretty busy dude during the year.. so i dont have time to sit on the tank.. but i notice it happening and i know something is off.. but i normally get them to turn around.. and then they have they funny bumps where they start to grow over the dead part and the slime.. anyways.. i dont know if this helps at all.. hope it does.. but i get them to turn around..

but i would do what rick says.. maybe move the colonies and see what happens.. that way you know for sure what it is.. and that you start with process of elimination.. becasue this was making me bang my head up against the wall.. i also blast the tank with a water cahnge.. i dont do 10% i do close to 40-50% when i see it happen.. then i wait.. 3 or 4 days.. let the tank do its thing.. and hit it again with a 30% change.. and normally within a week or two.. everyone is back on track. good luck.. and if you need a place to try to get them back on track.. someone with the same issue.. give me a shout. thanks. marc 347.614.1814

marc

 

[QUESTIONMARC]

the more i look at the photos.. the more i have the same problem..

it is STRICTLY a few that are affected..

the sunset digitata
the pruple nana
the superman montie.. Blue turns white.. poyps retract
the unknown
the purple monster
the aussie digi

SAME exact effects.. it has to be something with your phos, nitrate, trite, amm.. noone ever thinks to check them.. but EVERY time that happens to me.. its one of those three acting up.

SAME EXACT EFFECTS.. the problem is you are just further down the line..

i thought i was slick and was like Oohhh i didnt need water changes.. now i do 40% on the 1st of every month. small fish.. got big.. lol.

i know you can come back.. i am POSITIVE i went through the same thing..

check those other levels if you havent already.. everyone things.. ohhh they are fine.. but it might be somethign as small as a dead fish or something spiking the amm.. and setting the nitrites in action..

anyway.. once again.. just went back and read for a second time.. and confirmed.. SAME corals.. SAME Effects.. SAME everything.. but i didnt see readings for trate trite and amm. phos might be a pinch too high..

but think it has to do with the trate, trite, amm mostley

starts with the thin newly formed flesh and then the stars come in and much.. and everytime it trys to grow new.. it progresses further down.. OH yea.. i dont cut them.. i leave them.. i can see where you cutting them promotes new growth.. with new growth comes MORE thin skin.. which might force it down the base faster.. ???

i dont know... im not scientist.. this is only what i expierence and what i have gone through and what works for me.. maybe something in my rambling can help??? marc

 

[Chongpark27]

Sorry to eat about ur loss wes but i just went through the similar problem with some of my corals. Now i cant say for sure but from what i have read and researched mine was caused by a bacterial infection from a coral i got from australia. For awhile i couldnt figure out what was wrong with my corals. I tested and tested my water over and over again but all my water parameters were fine. Slowly a few corals would start to die and one after another while other corals around them would be healthy. I couldnt figure out the mysterious deaths.

Course of action

After reading a few threads on Reef cental i decided to try an interceptor treatment to fight bacterial infection. 2 months now and it looks like it stopped. All remaining corals are doing great and infected corals stopped dying. A few i was too late to save :-( Not sure if ur going through the exact same problem but hopefully this will help u solve urs.

 

[Wes]

thanks for the tips everyone. i have some interceptor lying around. maybe i'll try that next

 

[ThuGGY]

try and try until you succeed

 

[Chongpark27]

here is the thread from ReefCentral. Good luck with wes.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1400291&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

 

[Bob 1000]

I just watched my blenny take bites out of my purple and blue milli, like he was an angel.. Left bite marks there last week that I now know where they came from..
Has anyone else had a problem with a blenny like this??

 

[marrone]

I have a black blenny that eats sps. In one night he ate a large Cat Paw coral. He took big bites out of it, right down to the white skeleton.

 

[JHOV2324]

wow this sucks dude.....hope it works out

 

[Bob 1000]

I have a black blenny that eats sps. In one night he ate a large Cat Paw coral. He took big bites out of it, right down to the white skeleton.

Yep that's the same blenny... I just took my tank apart to get a acan eating regal out... Damn this sucks..

 

[marrone]

I don't have too many sps and the ones that I do have the Blenny doesn't bother. It does pick on my lps and softies every so often but doesn't do much damage. It also like to bite my hand when I place it in the tank.

On the bright side it usually pretty easy to get a Blenny out of the tank, as they like to hide in things, making catching them in a trap or rock pretty easy.

 

[Bob 1000]

Thanks Michael.. I will look into what he destroy's..

 

[NYreefNoob]

I Had A Black Blenny Munching On My Caps Also

 

[rgun2515]

Maybe I missed where someone said this, but I would think temperature fluctuations... They sell a cool thing at riteaid that can record 24hsr worth of tempture for like 20$. UV is good to have so I would get that up and running too.

Hope things work out for you.

 

[pecan2phat]

I went through some rough patches myself. I was losing colonies from rtn'ing base up and after several months of trying different things and testing new additions, nothing was solved.
The last and current thing that I am trying is Lugols. I've been able to sustain new additions and save others that where not too far gone.
I'm sure this would be opposed to most opinions about iodide overdosing and not testing prior to dosing, but I didn't really have much more to lose.