My Leather Coral

[KB]

My Leather Coral has not opened up in about 2 weeks ,now it seems to be falling apart .I've checked the Phosphates ,Nitrates ect ,is there anything I can do to save it . Thanks for any help on this .I've had it for about 1 yr.

Ken

 

[randy holmes-farley]

You had it just fine for 1 year and all of a sudden it is dieing? Or it has slowly been dieing for a year?

DId you make any changes to the tank about the time that it started to die?

Is anything else in the tank dieing? Is anything else in the tank at all?

Can you say something more about the tank, like lighting, filtration, calcium, alkalinity and pH levels, etc.

 

[KB]

You mean thats not enough Info ! 8O ,just kidding ,Phosphates were off the chart ,Low range Nitrates were fine ,High range Nirates are a little too high ,calcium levels 450 ,ALK fine .Here's the scoop I have a 125 gallon reef I've had it up for about 2 years I do a 35 gallon water change every week of scripps ocean water ( which is from the UCSD Marine Biology site in La Jolla , San Diego ) I add Potasium Iodine (1/2 Teaspoon ) every week, B-Ionic everyday (no Calcium Reactor yet ) I have ( 15 ) fish ,Sohal,clown,yellow tangs,snowflake eel,damsels,mated pair of Percula clowns,and so on .Heavy load I know .I feed the fish NOW every other day ,but I give them (1) sheet of Nori everyday.i have a 30 gallon sump ,chiller,Protein skimmer,Lighting consist of (6) 96 watt power Compacts ,temp stays between 76-79 daily.

Here is what I found out at my LFS, about an hour ago .Tim at Aqautic Warehouse told me that the coral has an infection/or a disease.He also said to take the coral out ,cut off,or out the Infected portion in a bowl of lugals solution .Rinse in another bowl with (1) drop of the solution ,and wait for four days .He says that he has done this before and it will come out fine ,but looking abit ugly until it heals .Let me know what you think .
Thanks Ken P.S. I also have about 175LB's of live rock ,let me know if I've left something out .

 

[randy holmes-farley]

Low range Nitrates were fine ,High range Nirates are a little too high

I don't understand what that means. Did you get a number for nitrate?


Phosphates were off the chart

How high does the chart go?

I add Potasium Iodine (1/2 Teaspoon ) every week

Hopefully this is some kind of solution, and not solid KI?


the Infected portion in a bowl of lugals solution .

FWIW, I've never used Lugols to treat a coral, so I can't help you there.

 

[KB]

Med Nitrate = 0.6
PH = 8.3
High Range Phosphate = 0.8
ALK = 2.2 to 2.5
S/Gravity 1.021
Calcium = 410

These are the reading I took last nite .As for the Leather I did as Tim at the LFS said ,(except take a knife to it ) I took it out of the main tank I placed it in a tub with 2 gallons of reef water with (12) drops of Lugals (6) drops per Gallon.I took a old tooth brush and gentle scrubbed the leather .After he was all clean of the dead tissue I then placed it in (2) gallon of clean reef water with (10) drops of lugals and let it sit for (2) hours .At 8:00 last nite I took the leather out and placed it in my 30 gallon QT tank ,lights off.In the morning it looked the same as last nite but after the cleaning so things were stable .I'll give feed back after work .

Thanks ,Ken

 

[randy holmes-farley]

Assuming that the numbers are roughly right, then that phosphate level (at 0.8 ppm) is way too high. I don't know if it is hurting the leather or not, but a coral that calcified would have a hard time in that tank.

I'd also bring up the salinity and the alkalinity (to 2.5 to 4 meq/L).

Good luck with the treatments.

 

[KB]

Hey thanks alot Randy .I would really appreciate it if you would be able to give me a little advice. Seeing the readings that were provided, can you give me the Ideal readings for my reef tank .I know all reef tanks very in readings and I did see the reading for ALK that you recommended, but if you could give me the over all readings of a captive reef environment to achieve I would really work on Achieving those readings. It’s been great talking to you, and wonderful knowledge base .Oh ya if I've left out any readings could you please provide them for me. Thanks a Trillion,and have a great weekend .Ken

High Range Nitrate =
Med Range Nitrate =
PH =
ALK = 2.5 to 4
High Range Phosphate =
Low Range Phosphate =
S/Gravity = 1.022
Calcium =
Temp=

 

[randy holmes-farley]

The high and low ranges are just indications of where the kit is sensitive. You don't really need both. For example, if you top out the low range kit, use a higher range. If you bottom out a high range kit, use a low range version.

Phosphate should be less than 0.1 ppm, preferably lower. This is a biggie, IMO.

Nitrate should be less than 1 ppm, but it is not unusual for it to be higher, in some case, much higher (like 50 ppm).

pH, I'd say that 7.8 to 8.5 was OK, and that 8.0 to 8.4 was more optimal.

Calcium, say 390 ppm to about 450 ppm.

SG of about 1.026 to represent natural seawater salinity of S=35.


Temp is a debateable, but I'd not like to see it over about 84 or under 75 deg F. I keep mine at about 80 deg F.

 

[KB]

Here are my readings from last in the 125 reef .

Low Range Phosphates = 1.0
PH= 8.2 - 8.4
ALK =2.2
Nitrate 10
Calcium=425

The Leather has shrunken 3 times it's size since the last week, but now it is starting to look better .As I said it went from 15 inches tall to about 5 inches, and it was as thick as my arm, and now about the size of a small carrot. But never the less I think it will be saved .I know one day it will recover, all it takes is dedication, and patents. Two days before it would lean slummed over like it had a hang over, after cleaning it (taking off the dead tissue) a couple of time a day, and placing it under a 20 watt florescent bulb for 24 hours for the last 2 days it's now beginning to sit up right towards the light. Looking good so far .KB

 

[randy holmes-farley]

Again, if the phosphate reading of 1 ppm is right, it really needs to be lowered a lot.

Here's an article on phosphorus:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/ ... 2/chem.htm

 

[KB]

I'm really trying to lower my Phosphate, I know that the water I'm getting from Scripts has Phosphate, and it's filtered for use in the public Aquarium .As I said before I have a 125 gallon tank, and I have 15 fish that are contributing allot, I guess I have a choose to make. (1) Cut the fish population in half. (2) Go with a fish only tank, or (3) go with all reef tank 1 or 2 fish maybe .Any suggestions on keeping what I already have, or should I just make a very hard .

(1)Shoal Tang
(1)Yellow tang (1)Clown tang
(1)snowflake Eel 20” long
(1)six line wrasse
(1)Scutter Blenny
(1)strawberry goby
(2)Percula Clown (Mated Pair)
(1)golden damsel
(1)copperband
(1)Flame angel and 3 others I can’t remember right now .Thanks again

 

[AF Founder]

I'm really trying to lower my Phosphate, I know that the water I'm getting from Scripts has Phosphate, and it's filtered for use in the public Aquarium .As I said before I have a 125 gallon tank, and I have 15 fish that are contributing allot, I guess I have a choose to make. (1) Cut the fish population in half. (2) Go with a fish only tank, or (3) go with all reef tank 1 or 2 fish maybe .Any suggestions on keeping what I already have, or should I just make a very hard .

(1)Shoal Tang
(1)Yellow tang (1)Clown tang
(1)snowflake Eel 20” long
(1)six line wrasse
(1)Scutter Blenny
(1)strawberry goby
(2)Percula Clown (Mated Pair)
(1)golden damsel
(1)copperband
(1)Flame angel and 3 others I can’t remember right now .Thanks again

Before you give up fish or invertes, cut down on feeding (fish need less food then you may think), use a phosphate removing material, and if possible, set up a macro-algae refugium.

 

[KB]

He's the deal I change out 35 gallons a week to lower Phosphate's ,I also use a phosguard pad in my sump .How many time s a week do you recommend feeding the fish .I'm trying to feed them every other day ,but if I go longer my Flame starts to pick at my Xenia’s also have a small refigium in the sump with some calurpa let me know what you think .Thanks Ken

 

[AF Founder]

He's the deal I change out 35 gallons a week to lower Phosphate's ,I also use a phosguard pad in my sump .How many time s a week do you recommend feeding the fish .I'm trying to feed them every other day ,but if I go longer my Flame starts to pick at my Xenia’s also have a small refigium in the sump with some calurpa let me know what you think .Thanks Ken

]

Before we go any further with this, how are you measuring PO4, and have you measured for PO4 in your top off water?

 

[L.Foley]

Ken,
I'd get that salinity/density up to 1.025 g/ml. I have some leathers in my shop that will not extend their polyps when the salinity gets below 1.023-1.024g/ml. I keep my tanks at 1.025 g/ml, but the salinity can drop due to removing water when we sell fish, and then adding fresh top off water to the sump, so we have to monitor it closely.

Leland Foley
Mainstream Aquatics