Corals Closing/Look bad

[jd22]

So beginning last Monday, I noticed two of my corals started to look closed up or kind of shrinking, I did a water change and they looked somewhat better. Well I went out of town over the weekend and once I returned almost all of the corals look either closed up or shriveled. They all still have their color but just are closed or not very extended.

Tank Background:
40 gallon breeder set up for 7 months, HOB filter, purigen, Chemiclean. Stocklist; coral beauty, two filefish, melanarous wrasse and goby

Tank params confirmed with LFS:
1.026
PH 8.2
Alk 9.6
Calc 460
Mag 1290
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate ~0
Temp has been steady at 77.9
no light changes since corals were thriving.

Any thoughts? Here are my possible suspects currently
-There was a small salinity swing while I was out of town but this doesn't explain them starting to look dreary prior to me leaving
-Fish nipping-I've never seen the angel nip and it's pretty much all of them
-contaminant - I keep the tank covered with a glass top but am running a poly filter now
-Water too clean? - They seem to perk up more when feeding but this seems typical
-Some other water quality issue? I have been battling what I think is Cyano but could be Dino's but all inverts are healthy

 

[jd22]

Should be firefish, not file fish

 

[michael grady]

Tell us about your lighting. Have you added anything to the tank in ways of chemicals / treatments ? Say more about the salinity swing you mentioned.

 

[jd22]

Lighting is Mars Aqua led which I've had for about 2 months. All corals had been acclimated and doing fine for a month or more. No chemicals just the Purigen and chemiclean. My friend forgot to add top off while I was gone. I did not measure the swing but would estimate I added approximately .25 gallons. I didn't measure but I wish I would have. It really kind of came out of nowhere, is the algae a possibility? It only really forms in the highest lit areas and is mostly on the sand bed


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jd22]

I kee saying chemiclean but I mean chemipure*** I've been thinking of running clean for the algae


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ricky5415]

I kind of doubt with that nitrate level since u took a vacation. What is your phosphate? What test kit u use?

 

[aquaworld75]

What kind of corals are you having trouble with?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jd22]

Phosphates were .075, I think they used Red Sea. Duncan, torch Zias and some like clove looking polyps. I also have a bta which has stayed put for some time and has moved twice in t he last week. Something is up just can't figure out what. Struggling on whether I should do a large water change or try and stabilize


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[xilez]

.075 is high for phosphates...should be in the .03 range. Large water change to try and get that down.

Are you running a protein skimmer?

Could it be stray voltage?

 

[jd22]

You're right, that is a little high. I was thinking .3 not .03. Maybe this is the issue. I've got 20 gallons ready to change. Probably should change out my media as well.

 

[xilez]

jd22;1103161 wrote: You're right, that is a little high. I was thinking .3 not .03. Maybe this is the issue. I've got 20 gallons ready to change. Probably should change out my media as well.

If you have been using the same Chemipure for 7 months, its probably no longer that effective and may be storing a lot of the phosphate. Certainly couldn't hurt.

 

[jd22]

Yeah, it hasn't been that long but it is probably closer to time than not. It just feels like this kind of came out of nowhere but things aren't just up and dying they just look bad so maybe a large change could get everything back and running well. I'm going to see if I see any improvement tonight and if not really, do about a 50% change. I typically do smaller changes once a week and that had been working well for the last 7 months so probably couldn't hurt.

 

[michael grady]

That sounds like a good plan. Take some before and after photos.

 

[xilez]

Saw you were in Brookhaven, what area? I live behind Kaleidoscope

 

[jd22]

Ha! Yeah I was actually at kaleidoscope last night. We live over off briarwood in a townhouse. What kind of tank do you have? I want to upgrade at some point and could use some tips for setting up larger tanks but I'm getting married in 2017 so may wait


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[xilez]

My thread is here: http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=106394">http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=106394</a> ( I should probably update it, maybe I'll do that tonight )

I live in Post Brookhaven with my girlfriend so I prefer the smaller setup.. I was at Kaleidoscope last night too... the Poutine is amazing

 

[jd22]

alt="" />

alt="" />

alt="" />


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[xilez]

Def cyano. Probably a result of the high phosphate.

I can tell by the frag plug you go to the The Fish Store on chamblee tucker?

Whats your methods for water? Are you using their RO and Salt water or do you make your own? (thats what I use and phosphates are low for me)

You could try using Chemipure Blue on the next go around, it contains purigen and it will help remove the waste creating phosphates (but wont remove it from the water currently. this can only be done by a significant water change). Or you could try something like PhosGuard to help remove it.

Going to have to do your best to siphon as much of the cyano out as you can.

What is your feeding schedule? Could be a result from overfeeding.

 

[jd22]

Yes, I go there and Atlanta Aquarium 50/50 for water, most of the livestock comes from Atlanta Aquarium actually, there is one piece from The Fish Store. I feed mysis once a day generally, I have recently started adding pellets to the regime but only like 5 pellets a feeding to see if it would take. The cyano started when I changed lights, it is pretty heavy directly under the light on the sand bed but the rocks are almost free of it and outside the spectrum. I'm going to do the large change and change the media. Maybe cut back the photo period, is that a big risk you think given the corals state at the moment?

 

[xilez]

I don't think so. Unless they are high end acros, the corals shouldn't be too dramatically effected by a water change/media changing.

I would focus on making sure each piece of mysis or pellet gets eaten to ensure none sit on the bottom of the tank. Maybe feed every other day for a bit.

You could try cutting the lighting period (try dialing back intensity as well if possible), should help... but as long as phosphate is present the cyano will still feed. How is your flow? Typically it can develop in areas of lower flow.