My reef tank is crashing and I can't figure out why

[Reagan2646]

my reef tank looks like it has started to crash a lot of the euphillia and some of the other corals like my Duncan and acan along with some zoas have started to recede and some have started to lose flesh. My numbers seem fine maybe a little high but if you have any ideas please help me. I can send pictures if you need to look at anything specifically.
My numbers are:
Nitrate: 8.2
Phosphate: 0.05
Calcium: 500
Alk/Dkh: 8.2
Mag: 1600
Salinity: 1.025
Temperature: 78.8

 

[VinnyBoy]

How new is your tank? Tank size? Pictures? Anything else to help. Any changes recently? If so, what?

 

[Rappa]

Have you changed your lighting intensity or duration recently?

 

[FUNGI]

Calcium and Mag a little high, but shouldn't be causing a rapid decline.....

 

[Reagan2646]

How new is your tank? Tank size? Pictures? Anything else to help. Any changes recently? If so, what?

The tank is 100 gallons total sump and tank and the only change I have made was to lighting after my lfs recommended a light setting and I went to try it and the corals were fine for about a two weeks after the change before they started receding. I haven’t made any drastic changes to water chemistry. I have also done two water changes 5 days apart. One was a 20 gallon water change and the other a 25 gallon change.

 

[vetteguy53081]

The tank is 100 gallons total sump and tank and the only change I have made was to lighting after my lfs recommended a light setting and I went to try it and the corals were fine for about a two weeks after the change before they started receding. I haven’t made any drastic changes to water chemistry. I have also done two water changes 5 days apart. One was a 20 gallon water change and the other a 25 gallon change.

Corals do not looks terrible. How are you testing the water and what light and light schedule are you utilizing?

 

[Reagan2646]

For water tests I use Hannah testers on phos nitrate alk and salinity I use salifert for mag and calcium. I have two at primes I have been using for around a year and a half now. The tank is also a year and a half I forgot to mention that earlier.

 

[maroun.c]

Corals look OK on pics but u can judge better. Did u switch lights directly or did u acclimated slowly to new setting and was it a drastic difference?
if ureally think corals are looking bad i would send an icp sample, do couple water changes change carbon and check all equipment magnets...

 

[Jmcdaniel0]

If you just swapped over to the new lights with out an acclimation period, that’s likely your issue.


Just to be on the safe side, I would go ahead and get a water change done, and if you have a reactor, I would toss some carbon in to get anything that’s in the water itself out.

Honestly, it down look to be to awfully bad, but pictures can be deceiving.


I saw your test numbers earlier, have you tested for ammonia, nitrites or nitrates? The die off may be starting a new cycle, but I don’t know for sure. I’m just tossing out ideas.

 

[tbaum101]

my reef tank looks like it has started to crash a lot of the euphillia and some of the other corals like my Duncan and acan along with some zoas have started to recede and some have started to lose flesh. My numbers seem fine maybe a little high but if you have any ideas please help me. I can send pictures if you need to look at anything specifically.
My numbers are:
Nitrate: 8.2
Phosphate: 0.05
Calcium: 500
Alk/Dkh: 8.2
Mag: 1600
Salinity: 1.025
Temperature: 78.8

You may have contamination. I'd try to lower your nitrates and increase your Alk as well. Maybe increase your skimmer as well. There are media packs for heavy metals you can try the reason I say all this is because I was having the same problem and did all the above and now I'm stable. I've got a newer tank though so, you know...new tank swings.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

You might want to try an icp test. That will give you a full overview of your water chemistry. To me, the coral doesn’t look that bad.

 

[Rappa]

I think its lighting. 2 weeks is right about the time where recession will start to show skeletal issues. For example... my candy-cane for instance, I changed lighting and things started looking "off". 2 weeks later I could see the skeleton through the heads. Torches were not fully extending. Some Chalices receded and never came back. SPS turned brown. I'm pretty sure I had lights too high without acclimating over a period of time. I just willy-nilly boosted intensity. I went back to original schedule and Candy-cane healed up. Not so lucky with other stuff. I think I had other things maybe going on as well, but I feel that the lighting set things off.