HELP!! RTN and other coral issues.

CamDAX · 04/14/2016, 05:52 PM

A month ago (3/18/16) I got some new corals from a LFS and within two weeks the blue acro I bought started to RTN I've never dealt with this before so I just thought it was just too stressed out. I knew the LFS had just gotten the corals in so they were probably stressed out from that transport and then on top of that acclimation to my tank. A couple weeks later they all started to loose color. The coral I already have has lost color over the years (I have pic examples) and I've been trying to figure that out. I recently (March 28th) bought a Refractometer, I had been using a swing arm since the beginning (1/31/14) and found out my SG was at 1.030 so I started bringing it down 2 gal FW change every day until I got to 1.025.

I just noticed my main Jedi Mind trick monti frag (It never grew bigger than the plug since I got it 9/30/15) is starting to RTN. I have a piece in another location of the tank, but none of my corals have been growing.

Feb 29th I setup a refugium and started trying to grow cheato. It was turning white for a while and then I got it to grow but then it stopped but stayed green. I have a bit of green slime algea growing inside the tank. I did a 5 gal. water change the day before last and yesterday I cleaned all the green slime algea out of my refugium and filled it back up with freshly mixed saltwater water ~10 Gallons.

I feed my one purple dottyback every other day. Before I setup my refugium I was feeding once a week. I figured the cheato could keep up with the exes nutriuents and thought maybe my fish would like food more often, but now I think I should cut back since I'm worried about my coral.

My star fish that I've had since 9/30/15 just died as well.

Please Help I'm worried I'm going to loose all my corals.

I am getting the Tank levels now

CamDAX · 04/14/2016, 06:46 PM

ok here are the levels

Nitrate 0

Ca 390
Alk 160
Mg 1410

I have a frag rack I just made out of lighting grid and I put it in my tank on 3/18/16 and it has coraline algea all over it all ready.

I am dipping all my frags in a Iodine coral dip for 15mins right now.

theatrus · 04/14/2016, 07:12 PM

Lights and flow?

CamDAX · 04/14/2016, 07:28 PM

Lights: 2x 165W Full Spectrum LED Whites at 50% blues 60% 5" off the surface of the water. They are supported by 2x4s and they block some of the light.

Flow: Hydor Koralia 750/850, and two 530GPH power heads at opposite ends of the tank. I could make a video showing the tank and flow if that helps.

Polyp exstention is good on my Stylophora and other montiporas but not my red acro, Purple Haze monti, & Superman Monti.

The Superman Monti has lost a ton of color you almost think its dead but you can still see a few orange polyps.

My Duncans open all night and sometimes during the day

Purple tipped frog spawn and Green hammer coral open during the day not sure how to say how much but they are open.

CamDAX · 04/15/2016, 11:48 AM

The first two photos are my stylophora in Oct of 2014 and then now obviously its grown since but lost lots of color the tips of the polyps aren't blue anymore. Most of that growing was done up until Nov 2015 I haven't noticed much growth since.

The next two are the birdsnest I just got on 03/18/16. Photo taken on 3/20/16 the second photo of it was taken today 4/15/16

Lastly my purple tipped frogspawn got it on 3/18/16 first photo is on 3/19/16 next post photo is on 3/29/16.

CamDAX · 04/15/2016, 11:49 AM

Frogspawn 3/29/16

Zukari · 04/15/2016, 12:02 PM

I would try to lower the alk a bit, something more like 7.8 or so. When I had 0 nitrates and 0 p04 and ALK around 8.5 I was having similar issues. Your DKH is something like 8.9 now.

When I got my alk to 7.8 I started seeing growth almost immediately. My colors also stuck around instead of turning brown. This change only started happening 3 weeks ago. I lowered alk by doing water changes with salt that advertised alk in the 7-8 area vs 10-12.

My .02

CamDAX · 04/16/2016, 12:09 PM

I was always dosing for maintaining 200 ppm 11.181 dKH 3.993 meq/L
The day before yesterday I dosed to get the alk to 195ppm in three days it usually drops back so I'll wait 2 days and see where I'm at. 8 Days I should be back on track. I would do water changes but I only have Red Sea coral pro salt which is a dKH of 12.3

I will try to maintain 7-8 dKH from now on and see what happens.

Thanks!

CamDAX · 04/20/2016, 12:41 PM

Well I lost another coral, it bleached. My Alk is down to 161 yesterday or the day before, I have some algae growing so I need to do some water changes. I feel like I'm loosing it all ;.(

CamDAX · 04/20/2016, 09:00 PM

I changed 5gal yesterday and 10 today. How do I get my corals color back and get them to start growing? I'm really worried.

Alk is now at 157ppm (8.792 dKH - 3.141meq/l)

Hopefully the algea goes away but my cheato doesn't want to grow.

04/14/2016, 05:52 PM	#1
CamDAX Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Grass Valley, CA Area Posts: 261	HELP!! RTN and other coral issues. A month ago (3/18/16) I got some new corals from a LFS and within two weeks the blue acro I bought started to RTN I've never dealt with this before so I just thought it was just too stressed out. I knew the LFS had just gotten the corals in so they were probably stressed out from that transport and then on top of that acclimation to my tank. A couple weeks later they all started to loose color. The coral I already have has lost color over the years (I have pic examples) and I've been trying to figure that out. I recently (March 28th) bought a Refractometer, I had been using a swing arm since the beginning (1/31/14) and found out my SG was at 1.030 so I started bringing it down 2 gal FW change every day until I got to 1.025. I just noticed my main Jedi Mind trick monti frag (It never grew bigger than the plug since I got it 9/30/15) is starting to RTN. I have a piece in another location of the tank, but none of my corals have been growing. Feb 29th I setup a refugium and started trying to grow cheato. It was turning white for a while and then I got it to grow but then it stopped but stayed green. I have a bit of green slime algea growing inside the tank. I did a 5 gal. water change the day before last and yesterday I cleaned all the green slime algea out of my refugium and filled it back up with freshly mixed saltwater water ~10 Gallons. I feed my one purple dottyback every other day. Before I setup my refugium I was feeding once a week. I figured the cheato could keep up with the exes nutriuents and thought maybe my fish would like food more often, but now I think I should cut back since I'm worried about my coral. My star fish that I've had since 9/30/15 just died as well. Please Help I'm worried I'm going to loose all my corals. I am getting the Tank levels now __________________ CamDAX Current Tank Info: 55 gal., 10gal. sump, DIY 1/2" PVC overflow, 2x Hydor Koralia 750/850, 2x 165W Black Box, SCA-303 (150gal) Skimmer, with 40 lb LR, 40 LS, with a purple dottyback.

04/14/2016, 06:46 PM	#2
CamDAX Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Grass Valley, CA Area Posts: 261	ok here are the levels Nitrate 0 Ca 390 Alk 160 Mg 1410 I have a frag rack I just made out of lighting grid and I put it in my tank on 3/18/16 and it has coraline algea all over it all ready. I am dipping all my frags in a Iodine coral dip for 15mins right now. __________________ CamDAX Current Tank Info: 55 gal., 10gal. sump, DIY 1/2" PVC overflow, 2x Hydor Koralia 750/850, 2x 165W Black Box, SCA-303 (150gal) Skimmer, with 40 lb LR, 40 LS, with a purple dottyback.

04/14/2016, 07:12 PM	#3
theatrus 100-mile-commuter Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: almost nevada Posts: 4,721	Lights and flow? __________________ Custom electronics purveyor. blueAcro.com Current Tank Info: 90g SPS+mixed reef (10 yrs): LEDBrick LEDs, 40g custom sump, Ca reactor, chiller, Vortech, lots of custom electronics

04/16/2016, 12:09 PM	#8
CamDAX Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Grass Valley, CA Area Posts: 261	I was always dosing for maintaining 200 ppm 11.181 dKH 3.993 meq/L The day before yesterday I dosed to get the alk to 195ppm in three days it usually drops back so I'll wait 2 days and see where I'm at. 8 Days I should be back on track. I would do water changes but I only have Red Sea coral pro salt which is a dKH of 12.3 I will try to maintain 7-8 dKH from now on and see what happens. Thanks! __________________ CamDAX Current Tank Info: 55 gal., 10gal. sump, DIY 1/2" PVC overflow, 2x Hydor Koralia 750/850, 2x 165W Black Box, SCA-303 (150gal) Skimmer, with 40 lb LR, 40 LS, with a purple dottyback.

04/20/2016, 12:41 PM	#9
CamDAX Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Grass Valley, CA Area Posts: 261	Well I lost another coral, it bleached. My Alk is down to 161 yesterday or the day before, I have some algae growing so I need to do some water changes. I feel like I'm loosing it all ;.( __________________ CamDAX Current Tank Info: 55 gal., 10gal. sump, DIY 1/2" PVC overflow, 2x Hydor Koralia 750/850, 2x 165W Black Box, SCA-303 (150gal) Skimmer, with 40 lb LR, 40 LS, with a purple dottyback.

04/15/2016, 12:02 PM	#7
Zukari Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 108	I would try to lower the alk a bit, something more like 7.8 or so. When I had 0 nitrates and 0 p04 and ALK around 8.5 I was having similar issues. Your DKH is something like 8.9 now. When I got my alk to 7.8 I started seeing growth almost immediately. My colors also stuck around instead of turning brown. This change only started happening 3 weeks ago. I lowered alk by doing water changes with salt that advertised alk in the 7-8 area vs 10-12. My .02

04/20/2016, 09:00 PM	#10
CamDAX Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Grass Valley, CA Area Posts: 261	I changed 5gal yesterday and 10 today. How do I get my corals color back and get them to start growing? I'm really worried. Alk is now at 157ppm (8.792 dKH - 3.141meq/l) Hopefully the algea goes away but my cheato doesn't want to grow. __________________ CamDAX Current Tank Info: 55 gal., 10gal. sump, DIY 1/2" PVC overflow, 2x Hydor Koralia 750/850, 2x 165W Black Box, SCA-303 (150gal) Skimmer, with 40 lb LR, 40 LS, with a purple dottyback.