Serious problem with all SPS Please Help!!!

[ReefJunkieOK]

All of my SPS's flesh is bubbling! It seems to be mainly at the tips but is affecting every colony in my tank. I have various acro's, monti's, etc. Also, it appears that all of the polyps are extended like I have never seen them before and appear to be swolen as well. I will try to take a pic soon. My params-
Cal-420
Alk-10
PH-8.3
Mag-? (waiting on my test kit)
Temp-82
Nitrites-0
Trates-0
Phosphate-0

Is this something that you guys have heard of?

Thanks,
John

[wentreefgirl]

Yes it is something we have seen. Theres a few that have had the same problem. Not sure what the reason was or if they found a reason. Im thinking alk was questioned. What test kit do you test with for alk?

[ReefJunkieOK]

API. Do you remember if it was because it was high? Was there a change? I just bumped mine up from 8 to 10 over the last few days. Do you remember how it turned out for them? I also just changed my bulbs from XM 10k to XM 15k about a week ago. Could that be an issue?

[James77]

You just cut your light intensity alot by switching to the XM 15k- they are a very weak bulb. Why the switch?

[ReefJunkieOK]

I cut the light intensity to try to get my superman and meteor shower cyphastrea to get some color. I thought I was blasting them a little too much. Do you think that this could be the cause?

[dots]

Let me guess, everything looks fine but bubbles and little filaments are comming from the tips, they are receeding ever so slowly from the top down. They appear to not necessarily be washed out or bleached but lack the luster in the skin coloration. All growth has stopped and your basicly wondering what is causing this as it seems to effect certain ones first, only to have it start in others later on?

[ReefJunkieOK]

Originally posted by dots
Let me guess, everything looks fine but bubbles and little filaments are comming from the tips, they are receeding ever so slowly from the top down. They appear to not necessarily be washed out or bleached but lack the luster in the skin coloration. All growth has stopped and your basicly wondering what is causing this as it seems to effect certain ones first, only to have it start in others later on?

It seems similar. But not exactly. Maybe I caught it early, maybe it is a different issue. What is the problem and solution that you are describing?

[ReefJunkieOK]

Can you point me to a thread where this has happened before?

[dots]

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...readid=1223641

[ReefJunkieOK]

This doesn't look like my problem. The tips just appear to be swolen with all of the polyps very swolen. There is not RTN or STN or patchy TN at all. At least not yet. I am wondering if I should throw my 10k's back on there. The 15's have been on for about 5-7 days. Do they have storms longer than this on the reefs? The swelling seems to have gone down just a touch over night.

[sailfish2]

I have a similar problem and I am testing and adding strontium and well see if this helps.

First what salt do you use I use tropic marin pro reef salt. thinking of switching.

How old is media in calc reactor. Mine looks ok but it is a little messy gen x media geo cal reactor 7or so months old

Some one suggested this be changed. Sounds a little far fetched and it is in another tank dosed with esv two part.

My ph goes from 7.9 to 8.2 it barely 8.2. What’s yours?


I posted problem on here before. Mine is less server now in some ways but have corals with tissue swollen in between limbs and or splotchy. Not all corals affected and growth not affected on all. Mine seemed to get better than worse again. It is more swollen areas now and then intestine filaments come out. One healed itself than it is swollen again. Color on infected corals is bad for some and great for others. I have growth on one in the tips with swollen tissue between it’s branches. I feel it has got to be bacteria, or lack of some obscure supplement, salt type, or water contamination making it threw the filter or getting in some how. Such as environment around tank or top off. I use baking soda and I bought a new batch two weeks ago.

My original post a while back. http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...readid=1223007


I stopped all use of carbon and gfo two weeks ago. Wanted to be sure I was not causing the problem or adding to it.

RO/DI brand new filters and membrane replaced in parts over the last 2 months and carbon change yesterday.

copper 0 salifert
Phos .02 hanna
dkh 10 lamotte
cal 400ish salifert
mag 1550 sailfert
iodide .03 to .06 sailfert
strontium .00 to .03 salifert adding this slowly over the past week.
Nitrates. Undetectable sailfert.
Potassium 250 will start adding this week.
Salinity 1.025
Temp 78- 80 now was 79 -81.9 but its cooler now.
I have a grounding probe.

Weekly water changes of about 15 gallion dosed to meet tank needs 80 to 90 gal total volume.

Replaced all macro algae and new is struggling so I will maybe adding an iron supplement if I can find my iron test. Old was dieing New is cheto and mangroves.


I only have two options left salt mix, and ph swing. I am not sure it is ph b/c I would not think I have that large of a PH swing in my other tank because I use two part. I do not have a meter on that tank so I will have to test in morning and night and see.

Any ideas would be great.

Not trying to hijack thread I hope this can help all of us that are experiencing this.


joe

[mysterybox]

here is a very brief summary that "solved" my issues.


1) I now only buy Aquacultured frags

2) I have random flow now
Tunze stream kit. (before that I had 2 nano streams, 6060, & a Hydor. That also worked for the time being. & before that was the ISSUE)

3) I bought a doser for my 2-part to have solid A/lk 24-7

4) I bought Salifert Nitrate test kit & Rowa (deltec) phosphate kit

5) I used AZ-NO3 to eliminate trates

6) I added more Caulpera/Chaeto & live rock

NO MORE DYING TIPS

I am guessing that it was 1. High trates & phosphates 2. Poor random flow and ,3 unforgiving corals (wild).

[mysterybox]

posted on Talking Reef

Most SPS keepers have Alk, Calcium, Magnesium, water changes, skimmer, refugiums, Lighting, & flow where they need to be, however, we need more info on lack of growth, recession, & achieving & maintaining colors. I'm not talking about red bugs, RTN, bleaching, etc. It's the slow recession that we second-guess all those above things. If it's tip recession, is it alk swings? Low magnesium? Low flow, light bulbs? From what I understand, most MH bulbs last about a year or more, so why does everyone on every forum ask when was the last time you changes your bulbs (if it's 6 months, what does it matter)? If your alk swings from 3.5 to 3.7 is that really going to cause recession(not likely)? If my flow is 50x versus 75x, does it matter? Most of these answers are no. I believe when people test nitrates with a kit like api, or phosphate with Salifert, & they test 0, they look elsewhere. I know I did, & I almost gave up the hobby because my SPS would not grow, and then slowly die when my phates were over 0.024 & my trates over .5 to 1.0. I spent endless hours, money, & stress trying to figure out why my wild caught $150.00 acro colony was loosing tissue after 3 to 4 months. Can some people keep stonies with nitrates above 10? I have heard that to be true, but mine will die. Why? I have only 3rd or 4th aqua cultured corals(now). They are doing really well now, but twice, I went through the same situation with tips receding & algae forming on the tips. Since I had just upgraded to Tunzes with controlers, I thought it was flow. Then I thouhjt it was microbubbles. Then maybe bugs, lights, Alk, Mag, and then I was right back to what happened before. Nitrates above 0.5 & phpsphates above 0.024! Also, What about getting the best colors. What about feeding fish? Will that supply too much nutrients to the tank? Is 80 degrees too high? One Coral breeder Guru suggests 82-84F, another 72-78F? Where is there more success?

Ralph

[mysterybox]

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