Coral SPS dying

[Donewiththisplace]

So I've had this Monipora in my tank now for over 9 months and its been doing great. Started as a little chip and has grown to the size of about a 1/2 dollar.

About 4 days ago I noticed it, along with another Acropora frag, were not looking so good. I also noticed the hermits were oddly attracted to them and spending slot of time crawling over them..

The Acropora has had great polyp extension although the color wasn't perfect, it was looking healthy and branching up and out as well as spreading over the top of the rock. The Monti was looking good color wise and was almost 10 times its original size.

3 days ago I noticed a few white spots on the edges of the Monti...today it is completely deteriorated. All the flesh seems to be gone and it is nothing but a white skeleton.

Pics I can't attach their too large.

Any ideas?

Water test to follow, but as far as the tank nothing has changed. Lights, filtration, feeding all status quo. Only thing that has changed is my maintenance was usual a water change every month, but im about 4 weeks overdue.

 

[Spartanwarrior]

You may have answered your own question. Any change, even slight like lazy water changes, can affect delicate corals like sps.

I'd recommend maybe doing a slew of tests for alk and cal... Are you dosing? Bc alk and cal can be quickly used up without water changes in a medium to high stocked tank.

Have you closed your windows in the house with colder weather? PH may have been affected

Maybe order an icp test to check for heavy metals or contaminants. I recommend ATI

 

[Donewiththisplace]

I dose kalk in my top off water. Been doing that since about last November.

Windows were always closed but the last week with the cooler weather, the AC has been off as well. Severly limiting the turnover of air exchange in the house...so I guess thats a possibility.

Water test and a series of water changes I guess...we'll see what happens.

 

[ducati335i]

My tank fluctuates in temp often but over time and no ill affects w sps(slow changes) I’m going to assume phosphates spiked and caused this.
but can’t know until u test

 

[reefer4eva]

Whatever happened to the water testing? I religiously test weekly to know my parameters are all stable

 

[geldof]

Definitely start by testing your ALK. If the SPS coral were growing, then they were taking up Alk / Calcium and Magnesium. If they ran those levels too low, you need to know. Once you slowly increase those levels (testing every 3 days) it will be important to maintain them with regular dosing.

 

[piranhapat]

Check your phoshate.

 

[Donewiththisplace]

Ran a full test, only flag was the PH. What was always steady at 7.9 was now reading at 7.4 and that was after two 20% water changes.

So my money is going on a PH drop. That week had mild weather and there was no kind of air exchange in the house with the a/c being off and the windows closed. I'm sure being behind on a water change didn't help but im not convinced it was totally responsible.

Gonna monitor it and start dosing some buffer see what happens. The acro is showing some signs of life so it may not be a total loss...the Monti has 1 small part of flesh still left on it, but im not holding my breath.

 

[whispers]

Ph .5 swing Deff won’t kill corals

 

[ducati335i]

I have never tested for ph in my life... def not ph..

 

[Mattl22]

Only thing I monitor every day (if things look off ) is alk sps don’t like alk swings at all all those other things u mentioned I wouldn’t think to be issue


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