Looking for assistance...

[Altoid8]

So like many of the threads here, I am not really sure what happened. Roughly a month ago we went to a frag swap. Nearly everything in the tank was looking very good up until that point. Since the frag swap, I suddenly started losing all SPS and one mushroom. I have no idea what's happening or how to stop it! The mushroom literally just melted away. I had 2 stylos that have lost all coloration on the skeleton and no polyp extension, 2 millis, 4 acros and 3 montis. I have checked the tank multiple times per night and have not seen anything that looks like a pest in the tank. The only known issues with the tank are small amounts of bubblealgae (which I got from the swap, i assume...never had it before). My alk has slowly crept up due to the lack of SPS consuming it. (it has increased from a stable 8.4 to a 9.1 in about 4 weeks). I will be able to post my parameters in about an hour after I get off fun-filled work calls. Right at the same time, my toadstool started to self-frag. My initial thought is maybe chemical warfare? I didn't think it would be alk swing since my math has it increasing less than .1 dkh per day? I am open to any ideas... Thanks in advance!

Corals impacted thus far:
Sunset Monti, Bubblegum monti
3 unnammed acros, garf bonsai acro
Rainbow Stylo, milka stylo
Green Poccilopora
Mushroom - looked like an interstellar mushroom, but was blue and red instead of a black and orange

Un-impacted inhabitants:
Zoas, Euphyllia (torches, hammer and frogspawn)
3 leathers
2 gorgonians

Filtration
Canister filter
I always have had chemipureblue in the system
I recently added cuprisorb after finding that a clip holding dosing cables started to rust. Replaced the holder to something that wouldn't rust. the cuprisorb did not change color, but it has not been removed yet (only been present in the system about 2 weeks)
HOB protein skimmer

Flow:
2 - icecap 1k

Tank - 55 gallon

 

[Sosuke]

What lights do you have on the tank? Possibly they were not acclimated correctly and could have gotten too lit up. The alkalinity swing may or may not be the problem since you said it happened in about 4 weeks. Any fish that could be bothering them? And what are your tank params besides alk?

 

[Uncle99]

Is that chemipure bottoming out your phosphate?
whats PO4?
NO3 should be in the 2-10ppm range and PO4 should be in the 0.03 to 0.15 range.

 

[Wc_aquariums]

maybe try feeding a bit more seems like all the corals that are going good are once that use the light so maybe try feeding a bit more and use amino acids.

 

[Altoid8]

Just got back from running my chemistry:

ALK has skyrocketed since I ran this on Sunday (assuming due to the die off). @Uncle99

 

[Katrina71]

What are your nitrates at? Canister filters run high usually.

 

[Altoid8]

Just got back from running my chemistry:

ALK has skyrocketed since I ran this on Sunday (assuming due to the die off). @Uncle99

Helps if I do everything I intend to write.

Alk is up to 10 .
calc 400
mag 1425
phos .01
nitrate .1
sg - 1.026

Lighting is a LED zeal (Chinese company). They've been over the tank ~1 year. I used to have them too bright resulting in bleaching, but those were decreased about 2 months ago and all corals colored up beautifully. I have not seen any fish picking at any corals other than clowns which host in a silo-ed rock of Xenia.

 

[Sosuke]

Your mag could be a bit lower, but your nitrates should be a bit higher for SPS IME

 

[Altoid8]

Your mag could be a bit lower, but your nitrates should be a bit higher for SPS IME

I have never dosed mag other than 1 time about 8 months ago. (seems odd to me...). I use RPM blue box

 

[Altoid8]

Update - shut off the alk pump and will check levels a couple times a day until it gets back to my standard of 8.2-8.5. I also verified the cuprisorb is not present. I noticed today that I have some red slime when I have not had that since setting up the tank. Do I dare add red slime remover? I have water heating up to perform a 20% water change tonight as well. Should I remove chemipure blue? I'm reluctant to spike the system the other direction...

 

[Shufflepig]

So like many of the threads here, I am not really sure what happened. Roughly a month ago we went to a frag swap. Nearly everything in the tank was looking very good up until that point. Since the frag swap, I suddenly started losing all SPS and one mushroom. I have no idea what's happening or how to stop it! The mushroom literally just melted away. I had 2 stylos that have lost all coloration on the skeleton and no polyp extension, 2 millis, 4 acros and 3 montis. I have checked the tank multiple times per night and have not seen anything that looks like a pest in the tank. The only known issues with the tank are small amounts of bubblealgae (which I got from the swap, i assume...never had it before). My alk has slowly crept up due to the lack of SPS consuming it. (it has increased from a stable 8.4 to a 9.1 in about 4 weeks). I will be able to post my parameters in about an hour after I get off fun-filled work calls. Right at the same time, my toadstool started to self-frag. My initial thought is maybe chemical warfare? I didn't think it would be alk swing since my math has it increasing less than .1 dkh per day? I am open to any ideas... Thanks in advance!

Corals impacted thus far:
Sunset Monti, Bubblegum monti
3 unnammed acros, garf bonsai acro
Rainbow Stylo, milka stylo
Green Poccilopora
Mushroom - looked like an interstellar mushroom, but was blue and red instead of a black and orange

Un-impacted inhabitants:
Zoas, Euphyllia (torches, hammer and frogspawn)
3 leathers
2 gorgonians

Filtration
Canister filter
I always have had chemipureblue in the system
I recently added cuprisorb after finding that a clip holding dosing cables started to rust. Replaced the holder to something that wouldn't rust. the cuprisorb did not change color, but it has not been removed yet (only been present in the system about 2 weeks)
HOB protein skimmer

Flow:
2 - icecap 1k

Tank - 55 gallon

Wait. Did you add anything new from the frag swap? If so did you dip them first?

 

[Altoid8]

i always dip first. I added the mushroom that melted, plus a favia (which died during the die off), an interstellar mushroom (doing great), a rainbow milli (appears to be dead in the last 48 hours) and a small clam. The small clam died. I also have a 4-5 inch clam that i've had 6 months and is doing great.

The small clam kept getting picked and dragged by a melanarus wrasse. The clam was not dipped, but the shell was scrubbed several times by a brush. In hindsight, i believe that was the first casualty.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Canisters are great supplement filters Bu8t not primary.
You'll have to change /clean at least bi-weekly. Use bio bead ceramic, chemipure blue, Purigen and a teaspoon of GFO to make it somewhat effective. Hang on Back refugium will prove more effective for you

 

[Shufflepig]

i always dip first. I added the mushroom that melted, plus a favia (which died during the die off), an interstellar mushroom (doing great), a rainbow milli (appears to be dead in the last 48 hours) and a small clam. The small clam died. I also have a 4-5 inch clam that i've had 6 months and is doing great.

The small clam kept getting picked and dragged by a melanarus wrasse. The clam was not dipped, but the shell was scrubbed several times by a brush. In hindsight, i believe that was the first casualty.

If this all started when you added something from the swap you have to believe you brought something in. I just don’t know what would get through the dip. What did you use to dip?

 

[Altoid8]

@Shufflepig I will get the name shortly. it's some kind of an iodine based dip.
@vetteguy53081 I clean it every other week for that exact reason. I've debated adding a fuge but i don't have any notable algae in the tank other than the cyano currently

 

[vetteguy53081]

@Shufflepig I will get the name shortly. it's some kind of an iodine based dip.
@vetteguy53081 I clean it every other week for that exact reason. I've debated adding a fuge but i don't have any notable algae in the tank other than the cyano currently

Probably coralRX or revive for dip.
As for fuge- don't wait for algae but rather stay ahead of it. You can place chaeto or macroalgae in HOB fuge for nitrate removal

 

[Altoid8]

Just looked - seachem reef dip

 

[Shufflepig]

Just looked - seachem reef dip

Never used seachem reef dip but it is an iodine dip which should work. How long after adding the new frags did your established corals start to have problems?

 

[Altoid8]

~2.5-3 weeks. everything I added except for the mushroom looked OK. The mushroom deteriorated after about a week. Interestingly enough, my child has a tank as well and bought a baby one of those mushrooms and his also melted in about the same time frame. The tanks are not plumbed together.

 

[Shufflepig]

I wonder if the dying mushroom released a toxin?