Suddenly;raised yellow spots on leather and other coral problems

[wvdaisy]

Just since yesterday my mature Devil's hand leather has developed raised yellow spots on it and is not extending polyps, the giant anthelia looks really bad and is shedding pieces, xenia doesn't look happy and other leathers don't look very good but no spots. Bubble Tip Anemone, Zoas, Galaxea, Hydnophora, Montipora digi's, Bubble coral, mushrooms, GSP, inverts and fish all look fine. This is a 40 gal tank with a 20 gal sump/refugium that has been set up here for about 3 months though all the sand was from a very established tank and has a few pieces of established LR along with reef bones which have been in the tank since I set it up, probably 70lbs or so total. The fish load is a Maroon clown, small yellow tang, neon goby, scooter blenny. The fuge has lots of Chaeto, some Gracilaria's and small amounts of others...lights on 24/7. Sand is full of pods, stars and worms of all kinds.We did some changes on the tank yesterday but nothing I would think would effect these corals. We added a different skimmer, added a VERY small whisper filter with one charcoal filter cartridge in it to the fuge and did a 5 gal water change which matched in temp and salinity. Fed BTA and inverts last night which I do every few days. We also anchored some frags and rocks with putty which is known reef safe. Water parameters this morning are; salinity with refractometer .026 Ammonia between .25 and 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 0, PH is a little low at 7.8 which I've been fighting to keep up and add 2 teaspoons of baking soda in water every day. I moved the mother colony of anthelia into a diff tank and could probably move xenia and Devil's hand if needed. See pics of Devil's hand below. Would appreciate any thoughts or advice on this problem. Thanks!!!

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/575/61765Sany0079.jpg
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/575/61765Sany0076.jpg

[Shoestring Reefer]

Baking soda drops pH, it contains CO2. CO2 + water = carbonic acid, it's not poisinous or anything like that but it drops your pH.

-Add an airstone or two for pH.
-Did you check your alkalinity, it might be through the roof
-Do a water change

[dhoch]

Check your alk and calcium levels...

I would bet like shoestring that your alk may be high (via adding to much baking soda).

The baking soda is actually lowering your Ph as Mike said.

To get Ph up aerate the water is the easiest way (do you have enough turbulance on the surface for air exchange?) and an airstone is probably the best way to accomplish that.

If you are adding the baking soda for alk suplimentation you might try washing soda as it will raise the Ph rather than lowering it.

Also don't know what you are doing for a calcium addative, but dripping kalk might also help raise your Ph.

Dave

[wvdaisy]

I get plenty of air into the water via the skimmer/sump/fuge. Did a 5 gal water change yesterday and one a couple days before that.
Thanks

[wvdaisy]

don't have an alk test kit. I guess I shouldn't have said I put the soda in every day because I usually forget so only add some every few days to once a week though I have added some the past couple days but I've also done a water change twice since Friday too.

[Caesar777]

Just don't use baking soda--use pickling lime, at least.

[wvdaisy]

Well, the Devil's hand seems like it will recover, it fought off the disease very slowly and now has no yellow spots. All the xenia was lost but just today saw a teeny tiny polyp of Red Sea Xenia umbellata coming back, YEAH! Don't want this to happen again whatever it is.

Lana