Lost multiple LPS in my mixed reef- any ideas?

[blizariondds]

Hey guys, I've had my RSR 900 for 2 years. For the first 1.5 years, all my corals did fine. Within the last 6 months I lost about half, despite not adding any new fish or corals in that time, mostly on the left side of my tank.
I've lost a large euphyllia colony, frogspawn, a small plate, a torch, acan, etc.
Before changing my water, I took all my parameters (Tuesday):
Mg: 1400
Ca: 400
Alk: 8.3
Nitrate: 9
Phos: .08

I've also done an ICP test - no heavy metal contamination.

There have been some variations from time to time, but basically within that range.

I haven't been able to explain anything as I had not changed anything at all! The first sign was when one head of the euphyllia started dying - then everything else started to die off soon after. My soft corals seem to have survived this purge, but everything else, no.

Any ideas of what has happened? I'd appreciate any thoughts. Thanks!

(Not my actual tank, but identical to what happened)

 

[IKD]

Everything on your ICP test was fine? Have you looked/calibrated your salinity levels? What salt do you current use?

 

[IKD]

Forgot to ask, did you see brown jelly disease in the corals? If it’s isolated to one side of the tank, seems like something possibly spreading out from a source.

 

[PeterC99]

Have you tried taking one of those LPS frags out and dip it in a pest solution? See if flatworms, black bugs, etc. come off the frag.

 

[blizariondds]

Yes everything was in normal range. Here's the test link, from December:
https://www.triton-lab.de/en/showroom/icp-oes/132797
I used Quantom LPS Salt previously, and switched back to IO Reef Crystals, but it continued on with both.
Salinity has always been 1.025-1.026 with my refractometer. My Apex Salinity probe has always been "off" (reads 51-52 ppt instead of what it should be) number wise, but constant with the salinity. I've tried 3 different probes, but it's always done this since the very beginning set up.

I did not explicitly see BJD, but I may not have known what to look for - it definitely seemed like a "disease" as healthy frags would literally die overnight. And it all was a domino effect since that first euphyllia head died.

 

[blizariondds]

Have you tried taking one of those LPS frags out and dip it in a pest solution? See if flatworms, black bugs, etc. come off the frag.

Yes I tried SeaChem Iodine and Brightwell. I think it may have prolonged the life slightly, but nothing significant. No pests that I noticed myself.

 

[Cell]

Yes I tried SeaChem Iodine. I think it may have prolonged the life slightly, but nothing significant. No pests that I noticed myself.

Iodine is not a pest dip though.

 

[blizariondds]

https://www.seachem.com/reef-dip.phpI used that, sorry.

 

[J1a]

Sometimes necrosis can set in when the corals start to sting each other.

If the necrosis feeds some harmful bacteria/cilliate etc, they can potentially infect the near by corals.

I find a reliable way to deal with this is to use a rigid airline to carefully siphon out the dead tissue, and thoroughly clean out the dead polyp. You will look that polyp, but the rest of the coral has a good chance of surviving.

Taking the coral out may end up spreading the harmful stuff all over the aquarium.

 

[blizariondds]

Sometimes necrosis can set in when the corals start to sting each other.

If the necrosis feeds some harmful bacteria/cilliate etc, they can potentially infect the near by corals.

I find a reliable way to deal with this is to use a rigid airline to carefully siphon out the dead tissue, and thoroughly clean out the dead polyp. You will look that polyp, but the rest of the coral has a good chance of surviving.

Taking the coral out may end up spreading the harmful stuff all over the aquarium.

Thanks for the reply!
I’ve sort of suspected that it may be something similar to what you’ve described and I think my inexperience may have inadvertently made it worse. Although it seems too late now, since nearly all the damage is done, if it happens again that sounds like good advice !