help with ID

[George03]

Hi everyone, I have watched these boney corals go from scary white to full on wookie fur. Could some one tell me if these are doing well, and what are their coral class, (name). Whites on for clarity but imagine the coloration is much richer under blues. Thank you.

 

[bluemon]

Can’t really tell because of the zoomed out pictures….

But they seem dead..? And covered with algae? At least 1 and 3? You said they went from boney to covered with fur. Was it white and now brown? Sounds like algae.

And 2 and 4 aren’t doing too well either as their polyps aren’t out

As for their names.

1: some sort of acro
2: Purple gorgonian
3: probably a stylophora?
4. Leather coral

 

[George03]

I was afraid of this. I have brand new babys and it looks like the stoney parts are getting the same thing. I am having parameters and biom/dna measured, no labs yet,

for the most part my studies are in check over a long term if some algea specifically goes after this I can't figure that out.

 

[George03]

This have since changed with a 20 percent water change and a dose of traces with this parameter study. The aquabiomics lab takes a few weeks. https://app.reef-labs.com/share/86db1c1a-e0ae-4e97-8dec-399e231e0d93

 

[bluemon]

Yup, all dead.

No need to do any fancy lab testing done or sent in.

Can you get some test kits to test yourself?

 

[bluemon]

This have since changed with a 20 percent water change and a dose of traces with this parameter study. The aquabiomics lab takes a few weeks. https://app.reef-labs.com/share/86db1c1a-e0ae-4e97-8dec-399e231e0d93

One thing that stands out is your really low salinity.

Do you do any tests yourself? Or just always send in for lab tests

 

[George03]

They quoted salinity as calculated. I use a calibrated refraction gauge all my tests run about 1.026. I do keep a detailed log of all my testing, redsea / hanna. Was reading on the types of algaes that have this behavior. I have a decent fugium that works as it should. It just seems like I am missing something. Why just the corals? I can't keep Acans either. Redsea foundations 4 dosers keep everything stable.

 

[George03]

took these to the woodshed, will see.... just needed a pause for thought and ideas before test decoding this predatory microorganism. Dosing Razor.

 

[bluemon]

The one on the rack seems alive at least.

What is your alkalinity?

What traces are you dosing? A good 50% wc should take care of the low trace elements

 

[bluemon]

took these to the woodshed, will see.... just needed a pause for thought and ideas before test decoding this predatory microorganism. Dosing Razor.

Are you using that Topfin algae remover?

That contains algaecide that can potentially not be reef safe and sometimes shown to kill SPS

 

[George03]

well- a brief summary, used all LFS water media, since this thing was born. They closed the local store and retreated back to the mothership 45 miles north. I just got my own RODI setup and producing. So parameters at least I have an recorded 'original baseline'. commitment isn't an issue I plenty of resources and years of FW to know what I am doing, though it is all new kind of. life long Aquarius.

 

[George03]

Are you using that Topfin algae remover?

That contains algaecide that can potentially not be reef safe and sometimes shown to kill SPS

Not worried, it says Algaecide pretty much right on the label. used it before and its fine. there is still too much confounding whether the die off in dinos is the toxin, or else. Considering pulling out the H2O2, but I wanted to work on first resorts first.

 

[George03]

I am switching from seadsea to aquaforest salt, there was a speed bump, alky.

 

[George03]

the female clown is releasing eggs, those are the white blips.

 

[bluemon]

well- a brief summary, used all LFS water media, since this thing was born. They closed the local store and retreated back to the mothership 45 miles north. I just got my own RODI setup and producing. So parameters at least I have an recorded 'original baseline'. commitment isn't an issue I plenty of resources and years of FW to know what I am doing, though it is all new kind of. life long Aquarius.

The parameters themselves aren’t too alarming but it seems there was a huge spike in nitrates on the 29th and on alk on the 31st both of those alone can lead to deaths in coral. Combined is worse

The numbers (10 alk, 20+ nitrate) aren’t themselves bad. It’s the unstable nature of it suddenly jumping up

 

[George03]

Params stds. are right off of BRS and they seem to accord to any livestock I have looked at., Nutrients have been in a downwards trend since March as I also noted. I also noticed as the refugium took root, and the nutrients fell, I have a suspect that the vacuum of the NO3 and NO4 to the display, was acting like a suction, so it is likely the display side was a lot different than the filter side, although I have a robust dual circulation system. But display algae should have retreated. By now, weeks have passed and growth and lighting has been routine. I do read you. but why brown algae on the stonies stalks only in the display.... unless another actor was involved. Color me not convinced.

 

[bluemon]

Params stds. are right off of BRS and they seem to accord to any livestock I have looked at., Nutrients have been in a downwards trend since March as I also noted. I also noticed as the refugium took root, and the nutrients fell, I have a suspect that the vacuum of the NO3 and NO4 to the display, was acting like a suction, so it is likely the display side was a lot different than the filter side, although I have a robust dual circulation system. But display algae should have retreated. By now, weeks have passed and growth and lighting has been routine. I do read you. but why brown algae on the stonies stalks only in the display.... unless another actor was involved. Color me not convinced.

Algae is only on your corals because there is no flesh there.

Think of it this way. Every surface on your tank is prime real estate. Your rocks, glass corals. Your rocks have gone through the the ugly phase and so algae have come and gone and now beneficial critters are the ones occupying the space.

Same with the coral skeleton. Usually it would be the coral itself.

But when that dies due to bad water parameters, it leaves an open real estate and algae are the first to get to it. Hence the algae you see popping up.

Not sure why you are not convinced.

Unless you have seen an actual coral pest eating away at it, all you’ve shown us are dead skeletons and bad water chemistry. If you had some photos of the decline in progress or a spotless water chemistry, you can be skeptical of this simple answer. But it isn’t that

 

[George03]

indeed there are a lot of dynamics at play. its only 6 months old, and a lot of moving parts right now. trying my best to dial it in over the long term. A few things are going right, algae control for one, looks like its working, inverts are thriving, zoas look ok so there's a spark. Going through a chemistry evolution right now, some of it not by choice. I know its a bumpy ride. Irony in the comment though, people here commonly say to move parameters and use other additives all the time, and I have a couple of self stabling metrics, and it's like a disaster.