Acropora bleaching!!! PLEASE HELP!!!

[Tamberav]

The tank looks too young to me to have good success with Acros. Is the rock the fake painted rock? I do not see a speck of coralline growing on the pump or glass. The tank simply looks very immature for good success with acropora.

I think you jumped the gun in your excitement.

 

[sawdonkey]

I’m a little confused by the info you’ve given.

How long ago did you set up your main tank?

When you set up your QT tank, did you use rock or media that had been established in your main tank?

If you didn’t use mature rock or media in your QT, your QT is going to start cycling....creating ammonia....and killing your coral.

 

[Hincapiej4]

I agree! I let myself be mesmerized by the beauty and bit off a little more than I can chew. But gotta say this is the most unhelpful reply I receive. I thought I made it clear that I was new and the set up of the quarantine tank was done way too soon!! I am trying to fix the issue and was asking for some help. Thanks for the reminder that I am a new reefer. Almost forgot!

I was responding to a previous post. But if you'd like I can make more unhelpful responses? Or I can continue with my original posts direction and help? Awaiting your response in anticipation.

 

[XanderPR]

I’m a little confused by the info you’ve given.

How long ago did you set up your main tank?

When you set up your QT tank, did you use rock or media that had been established in your main tank?

If you didn’t use mature rock or media in your QT, your QT is going to start cycling....creating ammonia....and killing your coral.

I set up my main tank 7 months ago. I di have coraline growing on the rocks now but it was the colored rock I purchased. When I set up my QT tank I used a 20-30 gallon hang on filter with a cartrige I had in my sump (I was using the carbon in the cartridge). I also addeded about 20 bioballs from my main tank's sump amd used those in the filter and as "legs" for my egg crate. I used my AI Pri e 16 HD as lighting and my echotech pump (running on lowest speed as it was just a 10 gallon tank). I dipped in Revive all my frags (including the ones I had purchased at my LFS a month prior as I only have 1 light) and then added the frags in.

 

[XanderPR]

I was responding to a previous post. But if you'd like I can make more unhelpful responses? Or I can continue with my original posts direction and help? Awaiting your response in anticipation.

My apologies. Please continue!

 

[XanderPR]

Just in case this is important I scrub the glass every other day and clean overflow, powerhead, and return every 1 to 2 months.

 

[XanderPR]

So I am about to cut my bubblegum 1/2" above the last sign of RTN. I will the dip in REVIVE amd place back in the tank as I do not have a QT tank and this all started when I tried to set one up immediately. Is this an acceptabpe course of action to try and save these corals? I understand it is a new system, but I have to try something! I was under the impression that as long as you had a stable tank, which it is, I could add SPS to tge tank. Now I know I was wrong and that I should not have done it! Now that I am in the situation and can't go back and change the poor decisions I made I would like to move foward and try to save these animals. I did NOT buy them just to have them die on me. Any helpful suggestions to move foward? Is my plan ok (again considering I am already here and need to do something)? Any alternative methods I can use???

 

[sawdonkey]

Scrap the QT tank. Your main tank will be much more stable. I’d also stop the revive dipping. You’re just stressing things out more and I don’t think there is a reason to dip. Pests don’t make corals RTN. They just slowly kill them.

 

[XanderPR]

Scrap the QT tank. Your main tank will be much more stable. I’d also stop the revive dipping. You’re just stressing things out more and I don’t think there is a reason to dip. Pests don’t make corals RTN. They just slowly kill them.

So just frag and glue back on my reef? If it's a bacteria it could get transmitted to other coral. Won't REVIVE help? Just checking...

 

[XanderPR]

I'm planning on giving the whole rock to the left to my bubblegum and the center arch for my 2 remaining acros. I will spread the 3 birdsnest out on the right base of my arch, the left base and tge inside of the rock to the right. All my softies and LPS can go down near the bottom. They have all been acclimating to light for a week. That is enough right?

 

[XanderPR]

Heres a rough draft of my placement.

 

[SamMule]

Every time you move, cut, dip, or change anything for that matter is a stress to the coral. Every stress event increases the risk of killing it.
From the sounds of it, something in your tank is off.
Setting up a QT tank with bio media and water from an "established" tank that can't support SPS in the first place, probably isn't doing you any good.
IMO, find someone with a healthy tank to try and nurse your SPS back to health while you figure out what is wrong with yours.

 

[IslandLifeReef]

The more you dip, cut, and move your SPS, the more stressed they will get. What they need is stability and a chance to recover. I would just leave them in your main tank and see what happens unless you can identify a pest on the coral. Good luck.

@SamMule beat me to it.

 

[fachatga]

Take tbis for what it was. A great learning experience. Yes you’re new. Doesn’t mean it wasn’t going to work. But look how diligently you’re seeking advise and research on how to take care of corals now. You would never get this far and know so much tbis fast if you didn’t make a mistake. I think it’s better to go fast and make mistakes than watch easy corals grow for a year before you try something hard. You’re doing great even though something died. Just keep with it

 

[XanderPR]

Take tbis for what it was. A great learning experience. Yes you’re new. Doesn’t mean it wasn’t going to work. But look how diligently you’re seeking advise and research on how to take care of corals now. You would never get this far and know so much tbis fast if you didn’t make a mistake. I think it’s better to go fast and make mistakes than watch easy corals grow for a year before you try something hard. You’re doing great even though something died. Just keep with it

Thank you!! I appreciate that! I plan to continue in the hobby and understand that sometimes we bite off more than we can chew. I thought the tank was ready, and if I dedicated enogh time and focused on stability I could do it! Tried to do too much too soon!! I will never do it again, but plan to try to hqve my surviving SPS thrive somehow!!

 

[XanderPR]

The more you dip, cut, and move your SPS, the more stressed they will get. What they need is stability and a chance to recover. I would just leave them in your main tank and see what happens unless you can identify a pest on the coral. Good luck.

@SamMule beat me to it.

Understood and I agree. Was watching some YouTube videos and those were the suggestions they had. I am afraid to wake up to another white coral tomorrow as I see a spot of exposed skeleton near the base and did not wabt it to spread. Here is a pic. K tried to make the best I could.

 

[XanderPR]

Sorry, the tags on the pics cover the white spot. Please click on image to view.

 

[XanderPR]

Every time you move, cut, dip, or change anything for that matter is a stress to the coral. Every stress event increases the risk of killing it.
From the sounds of it, something in your tank is off.
Setting up a QT tank with bio media and water from an "established" tank that can't support SPS in the first place, probably isn't doing you any good.
IMO, find someone with a healthy tank to try and nurse your SPS back to health while you figure out what is wrong with yours.

Thank you for the reponse! I answerd on Island's post and your response was very similar. Please view response if you would like to continue helping! Thanx again!!!

 

[XanderPR]

Wondering what could be wrobg in my main tank. I use an API test kit (slowly changing to salifert) and yest after every water change (10 gallons weekly). Here are the parameters again.
pH= 8.0
salinity 1.025
Calcium= 480ppm
dKH= 9
phosphate= 0 ppm
Nitrite=0 ppm
Nitrate= 20 ppm
Ammonia=.25 ppm
Temp. 78°F [had an issue last weekend with the air conditioner in the house and tank temp was at 82°F. Aimed a couple of 16" fans at the top of tank and went back down to 80°F. Air has been fixed, but tank spent 3 days under those conditions].

After all this happened have started feeding reef roids and I am waiting to receive coral amino from brightwell to dose as well.

I am using 2 part to maintain alkalinity and calcium, but am still waiting for my salifert magnesium kit so I can dose as well (frequent water changes on the tank are being done)

If you need more info please ask! Thank you all for your commebts and help!!

 

[Tamberav]

Unfortunately we can only test for a very small array of things (alk/mg/alk, no3, po4, etc). There is actually a huge amount we don’t test for biologically that your tank is going through right now and why SPS can struggle in a new tank.

The problem is likely related to a young tank started with dry rock. It needs time… for some it is 6 months and others two years before SPS do really well after a dry rock start.