Need Help with SPSs

[cbabcock]

Folks,
I could use some expert advise. I have a 300 gallon sps tank that I have added a good number of acros to over the last 3 months. Several of the acros have started getting white streaks around the base. The efforvescnet has gotten a white streak as well as in the last day developed a spot in the center. Many of the acros are doing great and as you can see my cap continues to grow like a week.

My water parameters are all good. Nitrates, Nitrites, Phosphates all 0, ph 8.1, Alkalinity good, Calcium a bit low at 350. Lighting is a bit strong at 4 250 watt 10k and 8 3 foot vhos (total around 6 watts per gallon). Of course I cut back the lights when the new colonies were introduced.

All are wild caught collonies from Dr. Foster Smith Live Aquaria Divers Den. Any suggestions:

Acropora efflorescens


Unknown Acro


Dark Green Acropora


Green and Purple Acropora
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/66886Image4.jpg

Seriatopora hystrix


Healthy Monti Cap


Thanks In Advance!

[rekn]

looks like a pest imo. get a magnifying glass and start hunting

[RichConley]

looks like either low alk, or lack of flow to me.

[redbug1]

I have had the same thing happen with DFS wild acros. I then tried there maricultured and aquacultured frags which were out of this world. There aquaculture have full polyp extention within minutes of placing them and grow like weeds. Try the indo purple stag and chips acro they grow like weeds.

[cbabcock]

RedBug1 thanks for the tip. I spent a good time looking for pests and have not seen anything. Have not tried with a mag glass yet.

[Craig Lambert]

cbabcock,

In your gallery there is a recent full tank shot. (Beautiful tank by the way). I'm wondering if that huge toadstool is the source of your problem. From what I've read they along with other soft corals (like spaghetti leathers) give off toxins. That one is so big that it might be effecting your sps corals. I know that some people keep sps and softies together, but they usually run carbon 24/7. If your sps corals are wild stock they may be more sensitive to soft coral toxins that aquacultured corals. Just a thought. Hope you get to the bottom of the problem.

[Frankysreef]

increase your calcium and your flow. Have your lights on for a minimum of 8 hours.

Search for pests...

Add a productive refugium to introduce live foods.

I keep sps and softies, and have for years wo any problems, and I do run carbon 24/7

[Jay4Robin]

Raise the calcium. What is your Salinity?? Temp swing???
Are your using a calcium reactor?
I hate wild caught corals. Always tough to get adjusted to the tank. Do you have good polyp extension? If not I bet you have some bugs on those colonys also.

[SDguy]

I had the same effect from low flow. Also, I've had very bad luck housing SPS in the presence of a heavy softie load (which I'd consider a toadstool that size a heavy softie load ).

[cbabcock]

Thanks everyone for the info. I added carbon yesterday and increased the flow over the reef face by moving a few powerheads around. I do have a calcium reactor but just brought it online mid week last week (After all the problems started) and it is still working on raising the calcuim levels. At last test the levels were still below 400. I would hate to have to get rid of the 2 large toadstools since I rasied them from 3-4" size pieces 4 years ago. Temp is a prety stable 76 degrees with maybe a 2 degree swing each day with the lights.
I will give everyone an update next week. I did lose another Purple Gem over the weekend. Once again no sign of pest. Just checked one morning and a branch was starting to slough tissue and next day half the coral was doing the same thing. Following day completely gone.

[Jay4Robin]

76 is kind of low. 78 to 80 is good for sps. I do not think thats causing the problems though.