Issues with birdnest and montis only

[PghReef]

This is actually very similar to what happened to me - after the lemon-peel

Did it every self correct? Were you able to keep healthy montis and birds again?

I tried so hard not to overreact and dump chemicals in the tank. I tried thwt with an algae problem in an old tank with fluconazole, vibrant, hydrogen peroxide, etc and it was a never ending battle. The more I did the worse it got and it became a lost battle where coral just couldn't survive no matter what I did.

When I noticed issues I chalked it up to the pesky lemonpeel. Since before her introduction things were great i didn't make changes or do anything different. My numbers were all stable and where they had always been. I tried to just maintain stability and let things work itself out, nothing great comes fast. After 5 months though and no improvement I had enough and started trace elements. Also picked up my waterchanges from 5 gallons a week to 15 to try and flush whatever in out quicker. Finally I looked at my log and noticed before the decline I ramped up my kessils in my t5/led hybrid. I turned them back down to lower levels. I also had a lot of sponge growth in my sump and have heard of issues with sponges and toxins, cleaned and scrubbed the sump and refilled.

After starting all that a few months ago things did improve and as mentioned my stylophora regrew its skin, green slimer starting growing again, lps looked puffier. I've continued on this path for months now and although a lot better things still don't seem to be quite right. Just trying to figure out this last peg and not overdo anything.

 

[PghReef]

Your frogspawn looks absolutely delicious! I love how puffy and healthy it looks!

Thanks its one of my favorites. Bought it about 3 heads and it's now about 14 a year later, a few not fully split yet. I lost a head on the bottom back not sure if thats due to shading or what but the rest of the colony seems healthy!

 

[Neil Cohen]

I have had the same issue. Never thought it had to do with the leathers. I had a Hollywood stunner and red plating monti that died soon after combining tanks. The new tank has three leathers, two that are huge.

Every monti and birds nest I’ve added has died. The birds nest usually do great for a month or two and suddenly bleach.

Though it was monti eat nudi, stability, nitrates, etc. have all that under control and added a couple of “donated” monti’s and same thing.

i run a bunch of carbon, maybe I need more. Or may just get rid of the leathers. Take up too much real estate .

 

[MnFish1]

Did it every self correct? Were you able to keep healthy montis and birds again?

I tried so hard not to overreact and dump chemicals in the tank. I tried thwt with an algae problem in an old tank with fluconazole, vibrant, hydrogen peroxide, etc and it was a never ending battle. The more I did the worse it got and it became a lost battle where coral just couldn't survive no matter what I did.

When I noticed issues I chalked it up to the pesky lemonpeel. Since before her introduction things were great i didn't make changes or do anything different. My numbers were all stable and where they had always been. I tried to just maintain stability and let things work itself out, nothing great comes fast. After 5 months though and no improvement I had enough and started trace elements. Also picked up my waterchanges from 5 gallons a week to 15 to try and flush whatever in out quicker. Finally I looked at my log and noticed before the decline I ramped up my kessils in my t5/led hybrid. I turned them back down to lower levels. I also had a lot of sponge growth in my sump and have heard of issues with sponges and toxins, cleaned and scrubbed the sump and refilled.

After starting all that a few months ago things did improve and as mentioned my stylophora regrew its skin, green slimer starting growing again, lps looked puffier. I've continued on this path for months now and although a lot better things still don't seem to be quite right. Just trying to figure out this last peg and not overdo anything.

Yes - There is a reason why people have anecdotally said its much more difficult to keep a mixed reef as compared to only leather corals only LPS - or only SPS. The funny thing is that the place where I cut the leather off (and scraped it outside the tank) - after 2 years - re-grew. It is now about 8 inches tall.

 

[Neil Cohen]

My devil's hand is currently in a fallow period (don't know what else to call it but it happens periodically). Think I will remove both when it returns to normal.