Killed some corals, how to know when to give up on them?

goldmaniac · 05/19/2009, 08:33 AM

my 1st Kill Off -

I switched filter socks Friday night, watched the tank, and went to bed.

The next morning, my sump and skimmer was overloaded with bubble bath-looking bubbles.

I have figured out that the last time I washed my filter socks in the washer, some liquid detergent from a new leaky bottle must have been in the washer - just enough not to notice, but enough to cause my first disaster.

ANYway, i'm getting into SPS, and I have (had) a nice 7-inch ORA Scripps Staghorn (I belive it was acropora microphthalma) that has turned white.

It bleached overnight. My Green Slimer is almost white, too. These are my only sps.

No bubbles in the DT, but i took all of sunday night changing water and pulling out bubbles with my skimmer. I turned the air line up 100% and pulled out about 25 gallons that way, through the skimmer line. Added carbon in the return line, too.

So the Staghorn is white, but still has *tiny* spots of purple in the holes where the polyps open. But brown algae is now starting to grow on the branches, high flow area.

Is my stag dead? Any chance of recovery? if not, what should I do to help it?

I turned down the time and brightness of the lighting. I'm asking for help on correct actions.

Thanks

unbreakable · 05/19/2009, 08:45 AM

what are your parameters? was there any kind of swings that day? temp swings or alk swings? did your alk drop low or did you add too much alk at one time?

how long had it been between the filter sock incident and the sps incident?

goldmaniac · 05/19/2009, 08:50 AM

Just the night before I checked all params -

Alk = 10.5
Ca = 500
Mg = 1305
pH = 8.25
s.g. = 1.024
temp = 79f
NO2 = 0

no fish in the tank. fishless for months to rid tank of ich.

As I said, I added filter socks saturday night, and Sunday morning I had 1) bubbles in the sump and 2) white corals.

No swings, didn't add anything recently except for a little Mg. The problem was the detergent in the filter socks. no doubt here.

rendogg · 05/19/2009, 10:22 AM

That sucks, I guess you won't be washing your filter sock in the washing machine anymore.

If there are signs of life, anything is possible.... it ain't over till it's over!

redfishsc · 05/19/2009, 11:46 AM

Check your phosphates, some detergents have phosphates in them. At least I think they still do, as conservation laws have restricted them.

I personally wouldn't remove the coral until it bleached totally white..... then turned totally brown, and then started getting coralline growing on it

goldmaniac · 05/19/2009, 12:35 PM

I'll check phosphates - good idea - thanks

anyone else? what should I do for tramatized corals? less light? keep feeding? change the flow? etc

TIA

rendogg · 05/19/2009, 12:55 PM

Leave them alone and hope for the best.

Cadu · 05/19/2009, 02:39 PM

look them at night with a flashlight and see if they have any polyp extension. if they have, they are alive and might recover. takes time though ...
if you don't see any polyp extension and algea starts growing on them, then they are probably dead...

goldmaniac · 05/20/2009, 07:49 AM

yeah, it's been 4 days and brown algae is growing on the branches, on the side where the flow is coming from.

str8clownr · 05/20/2009, 12:41 PM

id write that off to expirience

05/19/2009, 08:33 AM	#1
goldmaniac Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Yardley, PA Posts: 1,567	Killed some corals, how to know when to give up on them? my 1st Kill Off - I switched filter socks Friday night, watched the tank, and went to bed. The next morning, my sump and skimmer was overloaded with bubble bath-looking bubbles. I have figured out that the last time I washed my filter socks in the washer, some liquid detergent from a new leaky bottle must have been in the washer - just enough not to notice, but enough to cause my first disaster. ANYway, i'm getting into SPS, and I have (had) a nice 7-inch ORA Scripps Staghorn (I belive it was acropora microphthalma) that has turned white. It bleached overnight. My Green Slimer is almost white, too. These are my only sps. No bubbles in the DT, but i took all of sunday night changing water and pulling out bubbles with my skimmer. I turned the air line up 100% and pulled out about 25 gallons that way, through the skimmer line. Added carbon in the return line, too. So the Staghorn is white, but still has tiny spots of purple in the holes where the polyps open. But brown algae is now starting to grow on the branches, high flow area. Is my stag dead? Any chance of recovery? if not, what should I do to help it? I turned down the time and brightness of the lighting. I'm asking for help on correct actions. Thanks

05/19/2009, 08:45 AM	#2
unbreakable D: Join Date: May 2007 Location: ? Posts: 2,868	what are your parameters? was there any kind of swings that day? temp swings or alk swings? did your alk drop low or did you add too much alk at one time? how long had it been between the filter sock incident and the sps incident? __________________ INTERNET= Serious Business!

05/19/2009, 11:46 AM	#5
redfishsc Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Wake Forest, NC Posts: 3,696	Check your phosphates, some detergents have phosphates in them. At least I think they still do, as conservation laws have restricted them. I personally wouldn't remove the coral until it bleached totally white..... then turned totally brown, and then started getting coralline growing on it __________________ "The measure of a life is not its duration but its donation." Corrie Ten Boom “The tyrant dies and his rule is over, the martyr dies and his rule begins” -- Søren Kierkegaard Current Tank Info: ghetto grad school reef.....11g rimless tank, 36X9X9, lit by Cree and Rebels scobbled together. Stocked mostly with free stuff I got from panhandling my fellow reefers.

05/19/2009, 08:50 AM	#3
goldmaniac Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Yardley, PA Posts: 1,567	Just the night before I checked all params - Alk = 10.5 Ca = 500 Mg = 1305 pH = 8.25 s.g. = 1.024 temp = 79f NO2 = 0 no fish in the tank. fishless for months to rid tank of ich. As I said, I added filter socks saturday night, and Sunday morning I had 1) bubbles in the sump and 2) white corals. No swings, didn't add anything recently except for a little Mg. The problem was the detergent in the filter socks. no doubt here.

05/19/2009, 10:22 AM	#4
rendogg Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Abbotsford, B.C. Posts: 578	That sucks, I guess you won't be washing your filter sock in the washing machine anymore. If there are signs of life, anything is possible.... it ain't over till it's over!

05/19/2009, 12:35 PM	#6
goldmaniac Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Yardley, PA Posts: 1,567	I'll check phosphates - good idea - thanks anyone else? what should I do for tramatized corals? less light? keep feeding? change the flow? etc TIA

05/19/2009, 12:55 PM	#7
rendogg Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Abbotsford, B.C. Posts: 578	Leave them alone and hope for the best.

05/19/2009, 02:39 PM	#8
Cadu Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Lithia, FL Posts: 311	look them at night with a flashlight and see if they have any polyp extension. if they have, they are alive and might recover. takes time though ... if you don't see any polyp extension and algea starts growing on them, then they are probably dead...

05/20/2009, 07:49 AM	#9
goldmaniac Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Yardley, PA Posts: 1,567	yeah, it's been 4 days and brown algae is growing on the branches, on the side where the flow is coming from.

05/20/2009, 12:41 PM	#10
str8clownr Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: mia Posts: 619	id write that off to expirience