Major Coral Die-off (lots to talk about)

pcsimon · 02/28/2006, 11:08 PM

I have recently experienced my first massive wipe out. I am still struggling to find answers as well as cope with the loss of so much time and money. I had a sebae anemone that was struggling, and the day before the wipeout, it perished and was removed. I have heard conflicting reports that this could have caused the wipe out. This seems unlikely in my mind since my ammonia spike was minimal (<1) and the anemone was very small in comparison to my 75 gal. tank. Other than the ammonia spike, there was only a slite drop in pH, down to 8.0, but no other tests returned anything abnormal. Other ideas are possible airborne contamination from an open window, or unintended contamination by myself. This has all been very strange given that the wipe out has only effected the corals and inverts, but the fish have suffered no ill effects what-so-ever. If there was something powerful enough to kill every coral in a matter of hours, wouldn't the fish feel it just a little? Also, as of yet, there has been no major coralline alge or live rock dieoff, and hardly anything has been collecting in my skimmer. My questions then are these:

1. How do I know when my corals are dead and should be removed? We are talking LPS and softies.

2. What do I do now? How long till things return to normal? Does the tank need to be cycled again? I have done two water changes in the first two days after the wipeout, comprising a total change of 50 gallons. (75gal tank). Should I do more? I have been running Chemipure and extra cabon, as well as a few airstones for extra aireation. How long do I need to leave these additions in place?

3. Was it the anemone or not? I have noticed a somewhat odd smell permeating from the tank. It reminded me faintly of a red tide I experinced in Florida. I realize that the smell is most likely my dead or dying corals, but it got me thinking about the possibility of an algal or bacteria bloom in the water column (obviously not actually red tide). Is this possible in a more or less closed system, or was it really just some fluke or accidental contamination on my part?

Any other thoughts, sympathies, tips, or donations would be more than helpful. Thanks a lot.

mbbuna · 02/28/2006, 11:17 PM

how long has the tank been up?

what makes you think that you did something inadvertently to cause the die off?

IMO Anemone's are very sensitive to toxins and impurities so the fact that the anemone was the first to get sick leads me to believe it was some thing in the water.

do you have any copper or brass in the plumbing?

Nabber86 · 03/01/2006, 10:10 AM

When you say die-off are you sure that they are really dead, or did the soft corals just shrink and closed up for awhile?

Either way, start running a lot of carbon to remove toxins, do some water changes, and see if things dont improve.

I can lend some frags to re-start you tank. Where are you at in OP?

02/28/2006, 11:08 PM	#1
pcsimon Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Overland Park, Kansas Posts: 47	Major Coral Die-off (lots to talk about) I have recently experienced my first massive wipe out. I am still struggling to find answers as well as cope with the loss of so much time and money. I had a sebae anemone that was struggling, and the day before the wipeout, it perished and was removed. I have heard conflicting reports that this could have caused the wipe out. This seems unlikely in my mind since my ammonia spike was minimal (<1) and the anemone was very small in comparison to my 75 gal. tank. Other than the ammonia spike, there was only a slite drop in pH, down to 8.0, but no other tests returned anything abnormal. Other ideas are possible airborne contamination from an open window, or unintended contamination by myself. This has all been very strange given that the wipe out has only effected the corals and inverts, but the fish have suffered no ill effects what-so-ever. If there was something powerful enough to kill every coral in a matter of hours, wouldn't the fish feel it just a little? Also, as of yet, there has been no major coralline alge or live rock dieoff, and hardly anything has been collecting in my skimmer. My questions then are these: 1. How do I know when my corals are dead and should be removed? We are talking LPS and softies. 2. What do I do now? How long till things return to normal? Does the tank need to be cycled again? I have done two water changes in the first two days after the wipeout, comprising a total change of 50 gallons. (75gal tank). Should I do more? I have been running Chemipure and extra cabon, as well as a few airstones for extra aireation. How long do I need to leave these additions in place? 3. Was it the anemone or not? I have noticed a somewhat odd smell permeating from the tank. It reminded me faintly of a red tide I experinced in Florida. I realize that the smell is most likely my dead or dying corals, but it got me thinking about the possibility of an algal or bacteria bloom in the water column (obviously not actually red tide). Is this possible in a more or less closed system, or was it really just some fluke or accidental contamination on my part? Any other thoughts, sympathies, tips, or donations would be more than helpful. Thanks a lot.

02/28/2006, 11:17 PM	#2
mbbuna Moved On Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 6,847	how long has the tank been up? what makes you think that you did something inadvertently to cause the die off? IMO Anemone's are very sensitive to toxins and impurities so the fact that the anemone was the first to get sick leads me to believe it was some thing in the water. do you have any copper or brass in the plumbing?

03/01/2006, 10:10 AM	#3
Nabber86 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Stalewater Kansas Posts: 408	When you say die-off are you sure that they are really dead, or did the soft corals just shrink and closed up for awhile? Either way, start running a lot of carbon to remove toxins, do some water changes, and see if things dont improve. I can lend some frags to re-start you tank. Where are you at in OP?