Corals dying...

[Millsaps2378]

Hello everyone, so I was looking at the tank today and noticed i have a few corals that look like they're dying/bleaching out. First i have an acro that is bleaching out and not sure why. This is my first time trying acros in the tank so i kind of just thought it could be my inexperience but It is placed next to another acro that has been doing fine. They have both been in the tank and in the same spot for about a month and been doing great and i noticed the one starting to bleach out yesterday and today it is almost completely bleached.

I also have a chalice coral that is next to the acros that also isnt looking too hot. It has been in the tank for about 2 months. When it was shipped in i noticed a small spot that was starting to bleach but i figured it would be ok once i got it into the tank but unfortunately it looks to have taken a turn for the worse.

Last but not least i have 3 plate corals that have been in the tank for almost 3 months and were doing fantastic until i noticed this week they had some flesh starting to recede in some places.

Everything else in the tank seems to be doing great and water parameters have been stable.
Temp:76-77F
Salinity: 1.026
calcium:8.6
Alk:460
Unfortunately these are the only tests that i have at the moment and are the parameters that my tank has always ran with. It just seems odd that these corals have all been doing great and all of a sudden they seem to be declining. I did not want to start chasing numbers because everything else in the tank is doing fine but didn't know if anyone could give me any ideas of what could be happening. Thanks for any advice in advance.

 

[Lavey29]

How old is the tank? Nitrates and phosphate parameters are critical to know. Unless you have abundant coralline growth trying acro frags probably will not survive unless you are a very experienced reefer.

 

[Millsaps2378]

How old is the tank? Nitrates and phosphate parameters are critical to know. Unless you have abundant coralline growth trying acro frags probably will not survive unless you are a very experienced reefer.

Tank is almost 2 years old now and there is lots of coralline in the tank

 

[Lavey29]

Tank is almost 2 years old now and there is lots of coralline in the tank

Ok good, so need to know nitrates and phosphate levels? What lights and flow are you running? Plate corals are strange. They can be healthy for long while then decline fast. Most likely some bacteria attacks them. Acros are just difficult unless parameters are perfect and stable.

 

[Millsaps2378]

Ok good, so need to know nitrates and phosphate levels? What lights and flow are you running? Plate corals are strange. They can be healthy for long while then decline fast. Most likely some bacteria attacks them. Acros are just difficult unless parameters are perfect and stable.

Ill have to get more tests but i have never tested for them before and its just strange that they would all of a sudden change. I started using Sea Lab No. 28 tablets about a month ago because i have added a bunch of corals in the past few months and have heard great reviews about them also 2 days ago i added a hygger powerhead to get some extra flow because i had a few dead spots in the tank

 

[Hemmdog]

It is nothing like it claims. All it does is slowly dissolve and release stuff, whether your tank needs it or not.

Ditch the old school garbage Sea Lab. There’s your problem. Go back to dosing alk, cal, Mag, trace elements.
I also didn’t see a mag figure in your tests which is critical to hard corals.

I would do a some water changes and get your trace element levels back to where they should be. I imagine they are highly elevated from those blocks with dying corals not absorbing them.

 

[Millsaps2378]

Ditch the old school garbage Sea Lab. There’s your problem. Go back to dosing alk, cal, Mag, trace elements.
I also didn’t see a mag figure in your tests which is critical to hard corals.

I would do a some water changes and get your trace element levels back to where they should be. I imagine they are highly elevated from those blocks with dying corals not absorbing them.

yeah unfortunately i only have the tests that i mentioned. I will try to remove tablet and do a 20% water change and take my water to LFS this weekend to be tested.

 

[Millsaps2378]

@Hemmdog do you think i should remove carbon from the tank and add a fresh bag?

 

[Hemmdog]

@Hemmdog do you think i should remove carbon from the tank and add a fresh bag?

Not without knowing your nutrient levels, could be risky.

 

[Millsaps2378]

Not without knowing your nutrient levels, could be risky.

Alright, Thanks for the feedback

 

[Millsaps2378]

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[Millsaps2378]

@Hemmdog finally got water tested today and everything was alright but I have very elevated nitrates at 80+…. I don’t know how this could’ve all of a sudden happened unless the tablets could’ve let off nitrates. I had a few snails die but that was about it. I feed every other day and the tank has been set up so long I was doing water changes every 3-4 weeks… I was told small water changes every couple of weeks and less feeding but I feel like every other day is already pretty light…

 

[Millsaps2378]

@Hemmdog finally got water tested today and everything was alright but I have very elevated nitrates at 80+…. I don’t know how this could’ve all of a sudden happened unless the tablets could’ve let off nitrates. I had a few snails die but that was about it. I feed every other day and the tank has been set up so long I was doing water changes every 3-4 weeks… I was told small water changes every couple of weeks and less feeding but I feel like every other day is already pretty light…

Days*

 

[Hemmdog]

@Hemmdog finally got water tested today and everything was alright but I have very elevated nitrates at 80+…. I don’t know how this could’ve all of a sudden happened unless the tablets could’ve let off nitrates. I had a few snails die but that was about it. I feed every other day and the tank has been set up so long I was doing water changes every 3-4 weeks… I was told small water changes every couple of weeks and less feeding but I feel like every other day is already pretty light…

Are you running a skimmer or any form of nutrient export?

 

[Millsaps2378]

Are you running a skimmer or any form of nutrient export?

Yes I’m running the aquamaxx HOB

 

[Millsaps2378]

Are you running a skimmer or any form of nutrient export?

I was talking with my LFS and they also think that it could’ve been the fact that my tanks flow was only the return water coming from my pump and last weekend I added a new powerhead and it has stirred up a bunch of stuff that settled in the rocks. I think I will just continue small water changes and take it slow with NOPOX when it arrives this week

 

[Screwgunner]

The skimmer will slow nitrate down alittle but they climb from feeding and dead matter like your snails. That is why water changes are so important. A biopellet reactor would keep you nitrates down.