Help …. Corals loosing color and dying!!

[Jackooze]

Hello everyone. I am hoping someone can point me in the right directions. Tank is about 8 months old and I am having issue with my sps slowly losing color and then dying. My lps look alright but are not growing at all. At first my system had no nutrients so I slowly raised no3 and po4 but that didn’t help. I did an ATI ICP test which came back with high levels of TIN of 81.55 µg/l. Is this level really that lethal to cause my issues ?
I just added carbon and cuprisorb to try to reduce Tin while I investigate what is the cause.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Sounds like either a lack of light and/or water flow or parameters off.
SPS utilizes lighting to generate the energy needed for growth and color called zooxanthelle. Too much or too little light will cause issues as Will too much water flow.
Other contributors are:
Too high or low alk
Low ph
Low calcium
High mag
High salinity
High nitrates

Testing will be of value here. If you’re using API TEST KITS, you’re likely getting false readings which they’re notorious for

temperature 77-79
Salinity. 1.025
Ph 8.1-8.3
Mag 1300
Alk. 8-11
Ca. 440
Nitrate. < .5
Phosphate. < .04

 

[Righteous]

Elevated Tin can be a problem depending on the source and form. Organic tin for example is used in marine applications to prevent fouling since it is highly toxic to marine organisms, and some new PVC is thought to leach it.

I’m not saying it is definitely the Tin. Major element stability could definitely be an issue, especially with changes in alkalinity. Lack of a mature system at 8 months could also be an issue if the system was started with dry rock.

Running carbon and Purigen wouldn’t hurt though, and if there is an organic tin could help remove it. Just make sure to replace them on a regular basis.

 

[ChaosAquaculture]

What are your parameters? Could be lack of calcium or alkalinity as well as inadequate flow or lighting. - kali

 

[Jackooze]

Sounds like either a lack of light and/or water flow or parameters off.
SPS utilizes lighting to generate the energy needed for growth and color called zooxanthelle. Too much or too little light will cause issues as Will too much water flow.
Other contributors are:
Too high or low alk
Low ph
Low calcium
High mag
High salinity
High nitrates

Testing will be of value here. If you’re using API TEST KITS, you’re likely getting false readings which they’re notorious for

temperature 77-79
Salinity. 1.025
Ph 8.1-8.3
Mag 1300
Alk. 8-11
Ca. 440
Nitrate. < .5
Phosphate. < .04

My parameters have been
Alk 7.8-8.2
Cal 480-500
Mag 1400
Nitrates never went above 5ppm
Phosphates never went above 0.05

 

[Jackooze]

What are your parameters? Could be lack of calcium or alkalinity as well as inadequate flow or lighting. - kali

Cal 500
Alk 7.8-8.2
I misted rented a par meter to double check the readings.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Calcium high, mag a bit high, alk slightly low and what test kits are you using

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I don't see any particular problem, aside from possibly the tin. I'd suggesting reading threads on the types of plastic most commonly releasing tin and see if any apply.

IMO, iodine is not useful as a supplement, but it is easy to experiment with it since it is low and see if there's any benefit.

 

[rusgum]

My parameters have been
Alk 7.8-8.2
Cal 480-500
Mag 1400
Nitrates never went above 5ppm
Phosphates never went above 0.05

For me, the parameters look great, but I would not be more worried about the rise in phosphate, but the time when it went down to zero. And as for me, your system is young and there may be problems in it that cannot be measured.

 

[GoVols]

My parameters have been
Alk 7.8-8.2
Cal 480-500
Mag 1400
Nitrates never went above 5ppm
Phosphates never went above 0.05

Sorry for your issues.

Your phosphates and nitrates are looking great.

I'd rent a parameter from BRS to make sure that your SPS are not slowly fading away from the lack of high enough par.

Besides the tin.
The first thing that comes to mind is holding your alk staple day in and out regarding SPS / Acros

Corals get 85% of their food source from light, but they still need 15% more in others food options. It may be worth trying to dose (feeding) Red Sea Reef Energy.

 

[Righteous]

I'd rent a parameter from BRS to make sure that your SPS are not slowly fading away from the lack of high enough par.

PAR meter is definitely a great investment, with Acropora especially. One of the biggest benefits is getting an accurate measurement, so you don’t play with your lights again which is part of the stability. Both too much and too little light can effect sps health.

Here’s the rental link:

MQ-510 Full Spectrum Underwater LED PAR Meter (OPEN BOX)

Purchase a new Apogee MQ-510 PAR Meter and return it for a refund within 60 days, EVEN IF YOU HAVE USED IT! Measure your lights PAR with an Apogee MQ-510 PAR Meter. When you are done, return the meter back to us within 60 days from the purchase date for a refund, even if you have used it. If you...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

I actually bought this one. Although it’s calibrated for in-air measures, if you multiply the reading by 1.07 you’ll get the approximate correct par.



250-300 par at the top of the tank where you have Acropora would be a good starting intensity.

 

[Jackooze]

Thanks everyone for all the info. My parameters have been stable now for several weeks now and still all my coral are either not fully open or receding. I checked all my pumps and heaters for any rust and everything looks good. I received the pr meter from brs today so hopefully will check my pas sometime this week. As for flow I have two mp40s at 80% with a Nero 5 at 75%. Corals don’t look like there is to much flow. So It’s either light intensity or high levels of Tin. I still don’t understand what can be the cause of such high levels of Tin. What else can be the cause of high level of tin ? @Randy Holmes-Farley

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

So It’s either light intensity or high levels of Tin. I still don’t understand what can be the cause of such high levels of Tin. What else can be the cause of high level of tin ? @Randy Holmes-Farley

Tin seems to come from plastic tubing and other parts, including PVC. It is a material added to improve the thermal stability of plastic.

It may also come from the aquarium glass itself.

 

[Jackooze]

Tin seems to come from plastic tubing and other parts, including PVC. It is a material added to improve the thermal stability of plastic.

It may also come from the aquarium glass itself.

The tank is 8 months old. I am currently running cupisorb to try to help reduce any metals. Would you happen to know how long pvc or glass can leach tin ?

 

[Righteous]

In my experience, my first tank had tin when it was new. I ran activated carbon and purigen for about 3-4 months before it disappeared, replaced them every 2 weeks. Whether it was organic tin or not, I don’t know. Could have also just disappeared with water changes. During that period I also had very low nitrate and phosphate probably also causing issues.