All LPS die in my tank

tencwhiskey

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Ok I'm at a loss, I have tried multiple different pieces of LPS coral that have died. I have had hammer,frogspawn and torch all die. So I quit even trying. Most recently yesterday I bought a small piece of candy cane coral, came home today and it's all skeleton.
I have had yet to have success at all with an LPS. I do currently have a low alk and I'm bringing it back up, but I have had LPS coral in there and die with great parameters. Is there something in the tank that could kill them? This has been on going for 6 months or more. Any help please.
 

Oscaror

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What is the quality of your LFS? Some LFS's have unhealthy corals and I've noticed that with LPS it seems hard to kill infections. Maybe you have a pest in your tank.
 
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tencwhiskey

tencwhiskey

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I have actually purchased from multiple stores as well. That's what I'm thinking, some sort of pest. Does anyone know how I would get rid of such pest?
 

Oscaror

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Kill it with fire.jpg


Foolproof method!
 
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tencwhiskey

tencwhiskey

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Lighting is maxspect razor led.
Water parameters have been different over the different times that I have placed LPS in the tank.
This is not a one time placement it's been multiple times. That's the mystery to me.

Currently my alk is a tiny bit low.
Alk 7.0
Mag 1320
Calcium 420
Ph 8.0
Nitrates 5
Nitrites 0
Ammonia 0
 

FishGuyTy

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What fish do you have in your tank? What do you have for flow as far as return pump and wave makers?
 
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tencwhiskey

tencwhiskey

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72 gallon tank I have two clowns, and angel, two gobies and a lawnmower blenny.

Running two hydor koralia 850.

I don't recall the size of the return pump I would have to go find the the box to remember for sure.

I am running brs dual reactor with carbon/gfo.
I do 10% water change weekly. I run auto top off with limewater.

I have a maxima clam doing great, some Zoas, leathers, Duncan, simple stuff.

Not sure what else I can say.
I use Red Sea kit for my alk, mag and phosphate and calcium.
Have a cheap api kit for the other ammonia, ph etc.
 
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tencwhiskey

tencwhiskey

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My first LPS was a torch, had it about a week and it just closes up and eventually died.
Then I had a hammer with three heads that did good for about a two weeks maybe and closed up, I left it in the tank and about two months later it came out of nowhere. Then died a couple weeks later.
I had a frogspawn two heads on it. One head jumped ship, I forget what they call it and the second died several days later. Now this candy cane. I tried different flow, lighting schedules nothing works. I'm completely lost. My water has not always been perfect I'm sure but it remained relatively stable except for this most recent drop in alk, which I think is cause I under dosed the limewater slightly.
 

FishGuyTy

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I do not consider any angel reef safe. What species? It's odd that a coral would be a nipping choice over a nice maxima clam, but it is completely plausible. Have your corals been beat up too much by the current? Or not flowing or dancing enough? I have had great success with LPS. Have you tried species like Acan Lords or Lobos?
 

FishGuyTy

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To me your problems sound more like a fish/pest than your tank parameters. I can be very neglectful to my tank and my branching hammer and Duncan seem to double in size.
 
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tencwhiskey

tencwhiskey

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That's my understanding as well. I think there is a pest of some sort that may be causing the problem. I have tried to find an answer as to what kind of pest and how I could get rid of it. Most of the fish except the clowns have been added after this problem also. So I don't believe it's a fish.
 

ritter6788

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I would go back to basics,

No GFO, no limewater. Go back to a basic setup. With softies and a few LPS you may not have to dose much or at all. Your alk at 7 is fine, if you want it higher slowly raise it with baking soda.

Once everything stabilizes try another LPS and see how it does. Test often for alk and keep it stable. Make sure to use zero TDS water also.
 

FishGuyTy

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Have your clowns tried to host them at all? Clowns regularly try hosting LPS corals, frogspawn and hammer in particular in my experience. Clowns can be aggressive towards these guys and their stony base often causes damage to the tentacles when the clowns root around in them. What other corals do you keep? Any chance something like a chalice or other aggressive coral has been too close and caused the damage?
 
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tencwhiskey

tencwhiskey

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No chance of anything getting too close, the candy cane I put in the tank yesterday, I dipped it, I dropped acclimated it and started it on the bottom of the tank and it's all skeleton today.

I have a flowerpot coral that I would think the clowns would try to host, but I have never seen them nip at the coral, not saying they haven't though. They nip at my hands the jerks. I figured it was a euphyhllia problem until the candy cane died today. Frustrating
 
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tencwhiskey

tencwhiskey

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And I'm not trying to contradict everything u say, I truly appreciate all the help. Its a mystery to me is all. I'll keep trying to rule things out. Thanks
 

nazzman

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Find out what the alk is in tank that the coral u buy is coming from my experience is that SPS are ok with alk under 8 but my LPS expand more and look healthier with alk above 9
 

ninjabeaver

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that is very strange...I recently had a situation where my alk had slowly dipped down to 5.0 and everything in my tank survived, I have a 40b mixed reef that is sps dominate, with a 40 gal sump, omega 130 skimmer, running small amount of GFO and carbon.\

Its strange that your candy cane would die so quickly...
 
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tencwhiskey

tencwhiskey

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Overnight literally. I checked all my parameters last night and today. No dramatic changes at all.
 
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