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Death tank!!


John_Wik

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Hey all, I could use some insights. In 25+ years in the hobby I've never seen a tank do this and I can't even come up with ideas of what could be going on.  

Details...

  • 180g tank up for just over a year
  • Couple hundred lb live rock
  • Kessil AP720, Ca reactor, Pentair UV, Simplicity skimmer.
  • Water has been very stable, testing weekly or semi-weekly with Salifert kits. Typical parameters:
    • Ca: 435
    • Alk: 8.5 - 9.0
    • Mg: 1400
    • Sg: 1.025
    • NO3: 0-2ppm
    • PO4: 0.02
  • Just had an ICP done and all is confirmed. Only thing registering as not normal range is Molybdenum -- 0.001 above normal range (so basically high-normal).

So according to the  numbers and equipment this should be a textbook show tank. And indeed acans and most soft coral thrive. Acans look like somebody inflated them like beachballs.

But here's where it gets weird. Most SPS go STN within two weeks of going into the tank. This is a relatively new development, within the last 2-3 months. I had a monti that went from a chip the size of a quarter to a multi-layered dinner-plate in under a year. And then STNed within two weeks. A cyphastrea that took over an entire rock...same thing. Died from the top - down over the course of two weeks. New 'canary in the coalmine' SPS looked good for a couple days...then STNed. But I've got some random purple birds-nest kind of thing that isn't growing, but is as fuzzy and polyped out as ever.

I'd think lighting because the cyphastrea dying from the top-down. I'd think some kind of bacteria or pest because of how the monti started dying in patches that spread. But nothing had really changed with the tank in quite awhile, so I'm absolutely baffled. No fish changes, nothing in there predating on coral. Just at a loss. Any ideas of other things I can check or try??

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What kind of flow are you running? Have you tested the PAR/PUR that the Kessel is getting into the tank at different depths? 
 

That’s where I’d look next. I’ve been reading a lot of studies where SPS are more sensitive to flow than some other parameters in our aquariums. And the light output/spectrum is obviously very important as well. 

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Maxspect Gyres on either end running on the tidal cycle. Dual jebao gyres on the back wall facing forward full-blast. One 200gph powerhead low-back to wash across the back base of the tank behind the rockwork. Should be tons of flow in there. 

 

I haven't tested PAR readings in awhile, but stuff had been thriving for a long time. _Something_ has to have changed, but I'll be damned if I can figure out what.  😕

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Yeah, that should definitely be enough flow. I don't know a lot about the AP720, but being from Kessil I'm assuming it's a quality product and SHOULD be enough par to grow what you want. Strange that the ICP came back with everything in line since you are having issues, too. A head scratch-er for sure...

You haven't noticed flatworms, red bugs, or any other pests? You're right that something has to be going on, just need to narrow it down to what might possibly be.

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No pests that I've seen. Even when the monti started to die it was in quarter-sized bleached spots that spread...nothing visible in those patches, but that just screamed pest of some kind. But then the cyphastrea went from the top-down.  Just messed up.  😕 

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I’m in the same boat 180 gallon stn of all my sps. Acros, montis, anacropora, stylos, First comes color loss then stn from random spots on the colonies. I’ve checked everything I could.
 

My next move is going to be to add new bacteria/micro fauna by way of live rock or live sand. Hopefully the addition of diversity will reset any Imbalance that’s causing my heart ache.  
 

your not alone. 

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John, do you have any other rock besides real reef?  What about marine pure blocks?  Real reef rock is pretty dense and not as porous as natural rock like pukani and even synthetic Marco.  Perhaps the bacterial surface area for anaroebic bacteria is not sufficient?

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2 hours ago, ReefNewby82 said:

John, do you have any other rock besides real reef?  What about marine pure blocks?  Real reef rock is pretty dense and not as porous as natural rock like pukani and even synthetic Marco.  Perhaps the bacterial surface area for anaroebic bacteria is not sufficient?

Yep, of the ~200lb of rock in there, about 3/4 of it is realreef, the rest is long-established rock from my previous tank. Some of it had been wet for 10+ years. Also have a marine pure brick in the sump. 

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