big issue with lps tissue recession HELP

[Reefdelomar]

ive never had this problem with my euphyllias, im currently running 72 galllon bowfront with 17 gallon sump , lights are 2 t5hos blue and pink, 2 50/50 leds , and 1 all blue led. it has been setup for only 3 months and is fully stocked, now i was thinking it could just be because it is a new tank and i overstuffed it to fast and some corals have to pay the price for others to live. most of my torches frog spawns and hammers are doing good but some are just dieing. ill post pictures of the overall tank then witch ones are dying. im currently not dosing and doing everything manually. suggestions on what i should do or get for my tank would be really appreciated.

my params are:
ph: 7.8 with api test kit, need some advice on ph
ammonia: 0-.25ppm - hard to tell with api test
nitrates: 0ppm
nitrite:0ppm
calcium : 480-500ppm
kh/alk : 9
temp: 80-82

these suffered already

had this guy since i first started the tank was doing awesome untill 2 week ago.

 

[Tab28]

It is a new tank and not dosing are you feeding? Magnesium is another important long term perimeter if not balanced with alk and calcium. Corals can not get calcium. With a stocked tank that full they may be survival of the fittest.

 

[fishroomlady]

one thing to keep in mind is not all LPS play nice with each other. You can keep like species together (hammers with hammers, etc.) you may run into one type stinging another type which causes recession. I had a large bubble coral stinging a nearby torch before I realized what was happening, the torch bleached out and then died ....you don't always see this stinging either because some of the long feeder tentacles can come out at night. Just something to think about along with other variables (such as mentioned above).

 

[Reefdelomar]

Mag is at 1400 sorry i forgot to mention that, and no im not doising (yet) i really didnt think it was necessary because i have been good about testing and manually dosing. Also i am target feeding Once a week

 

[Reefdelomar]

Fishlady i have seen that occur in my tank but only once and i corrected it before anything serious happened, it really throws me off because these specimens were healthy as can be all month but now is when i seem to be having problems, could ph be a problem? I cant get it to stay over 7.8 (api testkit)

 

[Tab28]

They may not be getting enough food. Dosing manually is ok as long as your numbers are in check. The main 3 alk, cal, mag appear to be ok. So dosing may not be your issue. Nitrates for LPS should be around 10. With feeding once a week it may not be enough. No nitrates in water column means nothing for them to eat.

The previous poster also has a good point about coral compatibility. The picture of frogspawn with a red highlight area is only sponge. Harmless.

 

[Tab28]

Ph should be 8.0-8.3. It will almost always be at its lowest reading before tank lights are on. 7.8 is low but ok it depends on the swing. Measure it first thing in morning and at mid day when lights have been on for about 6 hours. You should invest in a better test. With the expensive of corals don't skimp on the important tests.

 

[Reefdelomar]

I wasn't clear enough i apologize , the frogspawn in the picture has been in my tank for 2 month and the arrow pointing at the sponge was where the tissue was a week ago. Concerning because since ive noticed that the other 3 hammers have fell from their skeleton and loosing tissue

 

[Reefdelomar]

What ph tester do you suggest

 

[Tom@HaslettMI]

What is your salinity? How do you test it (hydrometer or refractometer)? I had an LPS tissue recession problem in the past and believe it was due to an uncalibrated refractometer.

Tom

 

[Reefdelomar]

A hydrometer i keep it at 1.025

 

[Tab28]

Hydrometers can be iffy. But if no air and same reading a few times they get the trick done. Your salinity is fine as well.

As for tests there are a number of good ones. Salifert, elos and red sea are popular. Read reviews on them. This will give you an idea on ease of use and accuracy. I prefer elos on some tests and salifert for others.

If you are getting a ph swing this will cause stress. A swing of 0.2 is normal.

 

[Reefdelomar]

Awesome thanks for the advice im definitely picking up a refractometer and a salifert ph test kit, those will help forsure but nothing really is explaining why my corals started to die, im going to make these adjustments and see how everything reacts , hoping for the best, what should i do to get nitrates to 10?

 

[Tab28]

You just might have a really good skimmer. And your tank is new and not established. If you are using filter socks try removing them a few days a week. When you feed turn off all pumps and let the corals have time to eat longer. Feed a few times a week. Just watch your perimeters. Be careful when your tank becomes established nitrates and phosphates will rise.

 

[jt17]

Beautiful tank. As mentioned above it sounds like they could be hungry. 0 nitrates is too low for LPS. You can feed the corals more or feed your fish more or dose aminos to raise the nitrate a little.

 

[cvysochin]

I don't think anyone has mention it but I've notice euphyllia typically doesn't like higher temps. Maybe take that into consideration too. Hope it all works out and you can save your babies.

 

[Reefdelomar]

Thanks jt i will be trying to feed my corals at-least 2-3 times a week since work does affect my tank time sadly lol, but as for temp cvysochin i totally agree with that being said my tank was a stable 78 and my corals did substantially better (no deaths) but since summer came arround it never goes below 80 and higher then 82. I really want to invest in a chiller any recommendations?

 

[Tab28]

Corals reefs are only found in tropical waters. Water temps range from 79-82. Like ph a temp swing will cause stress. But i also live in FL. But unlike your tank mine would get to 86 without a chiller. I have MH as well as adding up all pumps and powerheads raise temp of water. I keep my tank an average of 80. If you do decide on a chiller. Get a good brand and if in budget do not get one that is maxed out by your tank size. Smaller chillers run longer. And do not just go by chillers claim of tank size. Look at BTU output.

 

[miyags]

Watch your tangs for nipping. I have a powder brown tang that destroyed my 12 in. frog spawn. I moved the coral to a different tank and its making a come back.

 

[mainereefer]

looks like bacterial infection... "white plague" maybe