needing help with sick corals???

scarpenter · #1 10/29/2006, 09:46 PM

We have had our 110 up for several months and everything was doing great. Last week the blue, purple, and the orange mushrooms took a dive as well as my long tentacle plate. The mushrooms are now just a tiny blip on the rock. All water parameters are ideal. All other corals ( torch, bubbles, hamnmers, leather, etc) are all doing well. The plate really disturbs me as it was my favorite. It has a small area of recession but seems to be imrpoving a little. What could possibly be wrong?????

scarpenter · #2 10/30/2006, 07:34 AM

THis morning when I got out I was relieved to see that my plate is starting to expand, but just a little. There is still no change in the mushrooms.....please help!!!!!!

dqualls · #3 10/30/2006, 07:57 AM

Can you give us a run down on parameters, equipment and lighting schedule. When was your last water change? Anything new just prior to this problem?

scarpenter · #4 10/30/2006, 09:19 AM

ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate at 0, calcium around 400-410, magnesium runs around 1200, ph 8.2... we have 250w mh lighting....lights are on fro 9-7....we do weekly water changes.

Everything else is doing wonderful. Frilly mushrooms have doubled with new ones opening every week or so. The torch has doubled in size, the hammer has many new branches starting, the green bubble has tripled in size. Once our tank went through another unexpected cycle...when water parameters were bad they flourished...now that all is well again they look horrible????

These were one of my favorite things in the tank. The orange ones were probably 2-3 inches around and covered the rock they were on. NOw they are the size of a dime (if that) and lots of bare spots. The purple ones can barely even be seen. I did notice a bunch of what looked to be little tiny white worms near them one day. Could that be the problem?

RGV · #5 10/30/2006, 09:28 AM

What's your Alk at? If it's high or low, this could be causing the problem.

scarpenter · #6 10/30/2006, 09:37 AM

I haven't had any luck finding an reliable alk test kit. All I can find are the multi test strips ( which aren't that accurate) According to it alk is ideal around 280 or so.

j0tca · #7 10/30/2006, 10:52 AM

My suggestion is a Salifert Alk kit, Marine Depot sells them mail order and most other local suppliers stock them. However there are many other reliable tests as long as it involves titration and a liguid indicator. If you are remote, you can actually just do an acid titration yourself by measuring pH while adding vinegar or Hydrochlric Acid (Sold as Muriatic Acid). In the chemistry forum, Randy has provided a proper acid titration graph which will tell you your alkalinity very accuratley.

Will

scarpenter · #8 10/30/2006, 05:00 PM

Anyone else have any ideas?

thatguy · #9 10/30/2006, 05:37 PM

Do you have a pic? How close are all of these things to each other?

My thinking is that somethings got a little too close and they started fighting.... just a guess.

Mariner · #10 10/30/2006, 05:50 PM

Mag is a little low, and you do need to be able to measure alk accurately... but I doubt that either of those params being off a little would cause the problem with the mushrooms, especially since pH seems to be in line.
If lighting hasn't been changed any recently, my best guess is that something living in your tank is responsible -- either the corals are at chemical warfare with each other, or you have a fish/worm/parasite that's bothering them.
FWIW,
Mariner

scarpenter · #11 10/30/2006, 06:37 PM

I have tried to take a pic, but the shrooms are now soooo small it doesn't show in a pic...it looks like a small dark lump on the rock. They are all very well spaced apart. The plate sits on the sand a good distance from anything. The mushrooms are on a side by themself and also nothing else is close enough. I feed PhytoPlankton and Zooplex as well as brine shrimp. mysis shrimp, and krill. We did change lighting last week...but they were already in this state. I thought the lighting would help. We had a 260 watt Corallife light we acquired second hand cheap and it wasn't enough light but we made due. the tank is a 110 tall at 27 1/2 inches tall and 18 deep. The plate seems to be perking up. I have been taking it out to feed it to make sure it is getting enough to eat and is seems to be responding. The mushrooms still have me puzzled.

scarpenter · #12 10/30/2006, 06:38 PM

I keep finding very, very tine white worms near them....but did not affect them before.

scarpenter · #13 10/31/2006, 07:26 AM

Could the shrooms suddenly be getting too much light?