SPS Corals Dying, Please Help ???
- Thread starter trishy711
- Start date
- Location
- Union Square, NY
It means the coral tissue dies in a matter of days or hours.
This may have nothing to do with what is being discussed here, but since you guys are discussing PFO & Carbon I am going to add my .02.
I was faithfully using Phozar since the switch of my 155, and carbon shortly after in 2 seperate TLF Reactors. I switched to the "BulkReef" GFO when we did the group buy, and used that up until April, 2009.
During this period I tried my hand at SPS other then caps. Caps I had for a while with no issues, but when I tried introducing acroporas and other sticks they would end up dying. Or simply doing poorly. When I wasn't staying on top of changing the medias 1 or 2 of the sps seem to come back.
In April my heater blew, and took out 3/4 of my fish.;( At that point I had to take my tank apart in order to get all the dead fish out. When the tank got put back together I was to tired to reinstall the phos & carbon reactors. I got a little depressed, disgusted, and I just never put them back online. I also haven't done a water change for the longest. So long that I honestly cannot say when I last did a water change. I also stopped feeding every day like I used to.
Reason I gave all the above info is that my reef is doing the best I have ever seen it at.
And NO I have not been dosing either. The only thing I stayed up with has been top off.
I was faithfully using Phozar since the switch of my 155, and carbon shortly after in 2 seperate TLF Reactors. I switched to the "BulkReef" GFO when we did the group buy, and used that up until April, 2009.
During this period I tried my hand at SPS other then caps. Caps I had for a while with no issues, but when I tried introducing acroporas and other sticks they would end up dying. Or simply doing poorly. When I wasn't staying on top of changing the medias 1 or 2 of the sps seem to come back.
In April my heater blew, and took out 3/4 of my fish.;( At that point I had to take my tank apart in order to get all the dead fish out. When the tank got put back together I was to tired to reinstall the phos & carbon reactors. I got a little depressed, disgusted, and I just never put them back online. I also haven't done a water change for the longest. So long that I honestly cannot say when I last did a water change. I also stopped feeding every day like I used to.
Reason I gave all the above info is that my reef is doing the best I have ever seen it at.
And NO I have not been dosing either. The only thing I stayed up with has been top off.
Hi, The pictures i posted are with only the Actinics on and you can't see the dead corals in it. I just took a bunch of pictures with the Halides on and close ups of the dead coral colony and close ups of other colonies that are bleaching out. It's weird the way some of the colonies are dying. It's just Bleaching/Dying on some random parts of random corals. Someone told me that PFO makes corals Hypersensative to light and especially SPS Corals. All of my softies are doing perfectly fine and it's just a few of my SPS that are dying.
Why would only some colonies die and not all of them ?
How would i be able to look for red worms ?
Please tell what you think i can do to save these corals that are just starting to die ?
Heres the pictures from about 10 minutes ago. Sorry i don't have a good Camera yet so just bear with me and try and Diagnose these corals as best you can.
1st Picture---Mint Green Big Acropora Colony, Completely white and Dead. (Even the Hermits are cleaning up the Algae growing on it ! LOL)
2nd Picture---Pink Birdsnest Starting to Bleach out on the left side (Should i frag it now ?)
3rd Picture---Tan Acro colony, It's starting to come back to life but it's still badly bleached out.
4th Picture---Pagoda cup, Used to be Dark Green and it's also staring to shead it's skin off near some of the Polyps
5th Picture---Green Tipped Torch, It completely died off on the right branch and looks like it's heading over to the eft side now ?
6th Picture---Birds of Paridise Colony, It is just bleching out on random parts ofthe colony. Why ?
Rest of the picture are full tank shots for you to get a look at everything else that looks very healthy. I just don't understand what's going on in my tank right now ?
Thanks Everyone
Why would only some colonies die and not all of them ?
How would i be able to look for red worms ?
Please tell what you think i can do to save these corals that are just starting to die ?
Heres the pictures from about 10 minutes ago. Sorry i don't have a good Camera yet so just bear with me and try and Diagnose these corals as best you can.
1st Picture---Mint Green Big Acropora Colony, Completely white and Dead. (Even the Hermits are cleaning up the Algae growing on it ! LOL)
2nd Picture---Pink Birdsnest Starting to Bleach out on the left side (Should i frag it now ?)
3rd Picture---Tan Acro colony, It's starting to come back to life but it's still badly bleached out.
4th Picture---Pagoda cup, Used to be Dark Green and it's also staring to shead it's skin off near some of the Polyps
5th Picture---Green Tipped Torch, It completely died off on the right branch and looks like it's heading over to the eft side now ?
6th Picture---Birds of Paridise Colony, It is just bleching out on random parts ofthe colony. Why ?
Rest of the picture are full tank shots for you to get a look at everything else that looks very healthy. I just don't understand what's going on in my tank right now ?
Thanks Everyone
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The first pic mint green acro u have one or two small crabs on it are they reef safe ? I bought a small acro colony at a LSF and it had two small crabs in it and after a week it started to turn white at the bottom i took a closer look at the crabs and it turned out that they were eating it .
Hi, Those crabs are just Blue Legged Hermits. I have never seen them on any of my corals except this one after it had turned white and died. Yesterday is was brown from algae growing on it and today now it's white. All those Hermits did was clean it up.
That colony was already completely white and then turned brown from algae and then the Hermits went on it.
What do you think is going on in my tank ? Is there any way for me to stop this ?
Thanks
That colony was already completely white and then turned brown from algae and then the Hermits went on it.
What do you think is going on in my tank ? Is there any way for me to stop this ?
Thanks
- Location
- Forest Hills
the 1st pic look like it wasnt cause by bleaching since it seems like some of the tips are not white. it looks more like rtn. the other pics r hard to tell due to the resolution.
the general rule is with bleaching, the tips will white out 1st then the rest. the flesh stay attach to the coral.
rtn/rtn imo r basically cause by the same issues, just how severe the conditions are. the beginning symptons start with flesh detaching from the coral and usually starts from the inner skeleton(i suspect this may be due areas with low water flow). since the skeleton is white, this can be confuse with bleaching.
i dont think high po4 is the issue here since that will only cause coral to turn brown.
sps r very prone to crap out with unstable par n some species r even finicky than others(usually the more $,the harder to keep).
i would keep an eye on ph n check the range. this is y ph monitor is a must when keeping sps. the ph and range can give us early indications of problems. its like running an ipconfig on windows.
the general rule is with bleaching, the tips will white out 1st then the rest. the flesh stay attach to the coral.
rtn/rtn imo r basically cause by the same issues, just how severe the conditions are. the beginning symptons start with flesh detaching from the coral and usually starts from the inner skeleton(i suspect this may be due areas with low water flow). since the skeleton is white, this can be confuse with bleaching.
i dont think high po4 is the issue here since that will only cause coral to turn brown.
sps r very prone to crap out with unstable par n some species r even finicky than others(usually the more $,the harder to keep).
i would keep an eye on ph n check the range. this is y ph monitor is a must when keeping sps. the ph and range can give us early indications of problems. its like running an ipconfig on windows.
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Hi, I see some of my corals starting to have there flesh detatch form the inside out and some with the tips bleaching. I have an RKE Elite Controller and the PH say's it's sometimes all the way down to 7.68, It only hits 8.2 when i dose the Alkalinity. I dont know how accurate the Probe it though. When i Calibrated it the RAW DATA never stabilized. It was a constant fluctuation even after i letf it in each solution for over an hour. I tested the PH the other day with an API test and it was like 8.0 and the Probe reading was like 7.74, Can Ph have this big of an effect on SPS enough to make them RTN ?
I also talked to somone with a low PH that was stressing his corals and he said i could dose Buffer or Kalkwasser ?
Someone told me that PFO make SPS corals hypersensative to light and this is probably why my stoneys are dying ?
Thanks
I also talked to somone with a low PH that was stressing his corals and he said i could dose Buffer or Kalkwasser ?
Someone told me that PFO make SPS corals hypersensative to light and this is probably why my stoneys are dying ?
Thanks
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- Location
- Forest Hills
if your ph monitor is accurate, 7.68 is very low. anything under 7.9 is dangerously low. the prefer ph range is 8.0-8.4 . whats more important is the hi-low swing(alk). ph can certainly affect sps greatly. this is also an idication that the water chemistry is unbalance.
i think your friend mean gfo, not pfo. i dont think using gfo is killing your sps, but it may lower your ph. my suggestion is to raise your ph and shorten the swing.
i think your friend mean gfo, not pfo. i dont think using gfo is killing your sps, but it may lower your ph. my suggestion is to raise your ph and shorten the swing.
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I don't think my PH Probe reading is correct at all because if it were 7.68 i think i would have a lot more problems than just a few of my colonies dying. Wouldn't that crash my whole tank ?
I am not sure how to raise my ph in my tank. I used to add some buffer when i had my Fish Only tank but i don't know how to do it with a Reef.
I always hear people raising there PH with Kalkwasser ? I have no idea how to use Kalkwasser and i'm not even sure if i am right about it raising your PH.
I tested my waters PH again wth my API test kit and it did look low. It's hard to tell how low though on those kits. The difference in color from 8.2-7.8 on the color chart is so small that it could be any of them. I will say though that it definately wasn't 8.2 or 7.4, My PH is somewhere between like 8.0 and 7.6, Is there any other way for me to test my PH to get a more accurate number ?
I did mean PFO though. It is Pellet Ferric Oxide, at bulk reef supply they have 3 different size pieces of FO. They have Granular, Pellet and High Capacity (Which is like small pebble size FO). I purchased the Pellet size because that's what a friend of mine uses and he said it's better in the reactor because theres less dust particles.
I really need to get this PH up though. I want to do it in a safe way and i don't want to go start adding stuff to my tank and shocking the whole system again.
Thanks
I am not sure how to raise my ph in my tank. I used to add some buffer when i had my Fish Only tank but i don't know how to do it with a Reef.
I always hear people raising there PH with Kalkwasser ? I have no idea how to use Kalkwasser and i'm not even sure if i am right about it raising your PH.
I tested my waters PH again wth my API test kit and it did look low. It's hard to tell how low though on those kits. The difference in color from 8.2-7.8 on the color chart is so small that it could be any of them. I will say though that it definately wasn't 8.2 or 7.4, My PH is somewhere between like 8.0 and 7.6, Is there any other way for me to test my PH to get a more accurate number ?
I did mean PFO though. It is Pellet Ferric Oxide, at bulk reef supply they have 3 different size pieces of FO. They have Granular, Pellet and High Capacity (Which is like small pebble size FO). I purchased the Pellet size because that's what a friend of mine uses and he said it's better in the reactor because theres less dust particles.
I really need to get this PH up though. I want to do it in a safe way and i don't want to go start adding stuff to my tank and shocking the whole system again.
Thanks
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Ok So i just had a friend come over and he knows a lot about Fish Only tanks but he knows some stuff about Reef Tanks too. I showed him my RKE Probe reading and it was 7.61 and he was like "OMG you better hope that Probe is broken or reading incorrectly". He actually had a Pocket Sized PH Meter with him that he got off of ebay for like $15. He stuck it in my water and it read 7.7, I started to think OMG that's pretty close to my RKE Probe's reading. So i had him double check it and stick it in some brand new packets of PH Calibration Solution and there it was, 7.0 and 10.0 on the dot. He said "As cheap As it was it's pretty accurate". So i then triple checked it again and now that i am taking a closer look at the API color chart my PH color is a little lighter than the 7.8 color. I was like OMG what do i do ?
I have Seachem PH buffer in my house but he told me not to add it until i talk to someone who knows more about Reef Tank's because he said he thinks buffer will mess up my CA,ALK and MAG. My CA,Alk and Magnesium are all where they're supposed to be, Calcium 430, Alkalinity 8.6 and Magnesium 1400.
I have been thinking my PH Probe reading has been completely wrong because i figured that i would have crashed my tank with a constant PH this low but i guess it's been pretty accurate. It's only off by .09, This means my PH has been dropping down to 7.48-7.68 at night for like 3-4 weeks now. For the past few day's i have been noticing that the highest it goes even after the lights have been on all day is 7.74-7.86
I can't even believe i have been blaming this GFO and it had nothing to do with killing my Corals. It's been my PH the whole time.
If anyone know's how to get this PH up in a safe way to not shock my corals again, pleasssssssseeeeeeeee let me know right away. If i have to dose Kalkwasser please tell me how to and how much to put in etc... etc...
Thank You Everyone For all Your Help
I have Seachem PH buffer in my house but he told me not to add it until i talk to someone who knows more about Reef Tank's because he said he thinks buffer will mess up my CA,ALK and MAG. My CA,Alk and Magnesium are all where they're supposed to be, Calcium 430, Alkalinity 8.6 and Magnesium 1400.
I have been thinking my PH Probe reading has been completely wrong because i figured that i would have crashed my tank with a constant PH this low but i guess it's been pretty accurate. It's only off by .09, This means my PH has been dropping down to 7.48-7.68 at night for like 3-4 weeks now. For the past few day's i have been noticing that the highest it goes even after the lights have been on all day is 7.74-7.86
I can't even believe i have been blaming this GFO and it had nothing to do with killing my Corals. It's been my PH the whole time.
If anyone know's how to get this PH up in a safe way to not shock my corals again, pleasssssssseeeeeeeee let me know right away. If i have to dose Kalkwasser please tell me how to and how much to put in etc... etc...
Thank You Everyone For all Your Help
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the safe way would be water changes but in a few posts back you said you have done water changes. i would check the parameters of the salt and your R/O unit. if you have another system set up, i would frag as much of the sps as you can and transfer them until you stabilize your tank.
that low of a ph means you have excess C02 in your tank, if you are using a cal reactor, C02 is being released from the reactor into your tank and not getting a chance to blow off. i would use kalk yet because it will just cause another ph swing.
that low of a ph means you have excess C02 in your tank, if you are using a cal reactor, C02 is being released from the reactor into your tank and not getting a chance to blow off. i would use kalk yet because it will just cause another ph swing.
I don not run a calcium Reactor. I do a 30 gallon water change every week and that's about 30%. I actually just did one like 12 hours ago and it did nothing to my PH swing. I still have the same readings as before. I check my RO/DI unit everytime before i use it and flush it out for 15-20 minutes until i get a reading of 0 on my TDS Meter. Unfortunately i don't have another tank set up to house corals in. I tested my new Fresh Salt Water the other day just out of curiousity but i didnt check the PH, My Calcium was 440, Alkalinity was 9.8, Magnesium was 1440. I really don't know what to do right now but this is a very very low PH and i have to fix this ASAP.
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- Location
- north jersey
did you aerate the salt water mix? dropping an airstone in the mixing container help bring up the ph. i've read somewhere, i think on rc, that if the tank is in an area without adequate circulation/outside fresh air, the co2 accumulation can drop the ph. i had a low ph 7.8x-7.9x during the night time and 8.0x-.8.1x during the day so i tried using one of the a/c on vent mode to draw in out side air and that seems to help.... bumping up one to two tenth to 8.0x-8.1x night and 8.1x-8.2x day. i don't know if it'll help much in your case but doesn't hurt to try.
Somone just told me to run my air inlet tubing from my skimmer to pull air in from outside. I just ran to Home Depot and picked up 20' of airline tubing and did that. I don't know how much outside air i need in my house but i have my Air conditioning running almost 24/7 and i have a 22' Standing Fan blowing air around the room my tank is in all day.
- Location
- north jersey
a/c in general doesn't bring in the outside air unless you open the vent or put it in vent mode. i was told the same thing about the skimmer inlet but i decide to try the a/c first and that seems to work. the fan will circulate whatever is inside (as far as co2 is concerned), fresh/outside air is what you want. keep us posted whether the skimmer inlet method works.
summer season and winter season share the same thing...we shut our windows and never really exchange the air in our homes leaving an excess C02 build up. increase aeration in the tank and if you can increase your flow to maximize gas exchange
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