Mystery Tank Crash from... Caulerpa?

[AcanSamDC]

108g FijiCube (display)
10g Fiji Cube (anemones)
30g Fiji Cube Sump

34ppt salinity
8.1-8.2 pH
77 Fahrenheit
6.8 dKh
350 Cal
1550 Mg

5 x Bartlett's Anthias
4 x Blue Chromis
1 x Yellow Tang
1 x Radiant Wrasse

Anthias are suffering from something. They have no blemishes or sings of infection, but won't eat and are not acting like themselves at all, choosing to hide all day. They are usually out all the time. Other fish are fine.

Corals are also not happy. Acro and Monti polyps are noticeably less extended than normal, Euphyllia appears under-inflated and stringy, and Gonis are hardly extended at all. None of this is normal and was not true yesterday.

I think the culprit is wild growing cualerpa in my anemone tank, most of which turned white and then to mush five days ago. I don't know why I didn't act when I noticed it originally. And over the last five days I have lost 5 random heads of Euphyllia.

Could the Anthias be suffering from the side effects of the Caulerpa crash? I added a polyfilter and carbon to the sump and an air stone to the display and did a 15% water change. Doing another 15% in the morning and also dimmed the lights big time. Anything else I should consider?

I don't have test kits for the Nitrogen cycle because pretty much everything just thrives in the system and has for a while, but I wonder if there is an amonia spike. The tank is exceptionally clean other than some spots of cyano.

It is worth mentioning that the system was on week 6 of continuous Fluco (3 treatments total) to treat Bryopsis, which is now totally gone. The Fluco may have killed the caulerpa, but I can't imagine that's effecting the Anthias?

I also had some Alkalinity/Calc/Magnesium issues 10 days ago that let to some swings that I know my Euphyllia will not be happy about, so I'm not sure if the coral is reacting to that or whatever is bothering the Anthias.

Any thoughts on what is going on? Caulerpa sound most logical?

 

[vetteguy53081]

108g FijiCube (display)
10g Fiji Cube (anemones)
30g Fiji Cube Sump

34ppt salinity
8.1-8.2 pH
77 Fahrenheit
6.8 dKh
350 Cal
1550 Mg

5 x Bartlett's Anthias
4 x Blue Chromis
1 x Yellow Tang
1 x Radiant Wrasse

Anthias are suffering from something. They have no blemishes or sings of infection, but won't eat and are not acting like themselves at all, choosing to hide all day. They are usually out all the time. Other fish are fine.

Corals are also not happy. Acro and Monti polyps are noticeably less extended than normal, Euphyllia appears under-inflated and stringy, and Gonis are hardly extended at all. None of this is normal and was not true yesterday.

I think the culprit is wild growing cualerpa in my anemone tank, most of which turned white and then to mush five days ago. I don't know why I didn't act when I noticed it originally. And over the last five days I have lost 5 random heads of Euphyllia.

Could the Anthias be suffering from the side effects of the Caulerpa crash? I added a polyfilter and carbon to the sump and an air stone to the display and did a 15% water change. Doing another 15% in the morning and also dimmed the lights big time. Anything else I should consider?

I don't have test kits for the Nitrogen cycle because pretty much everything just thrives in the system and has for a while, but I wonder if there is an amonia spike. The tank is exceptionally clean other than some spots of cyano.

It is worth mentioning that the system was on week 6 of continuous Fluco (3 treatments total) to treat Bryopsis, which is now totally gone. The Fluco may have killed the caulerpa, but I can't imagine that's effecting the Anthias?

I also had some Alkalinity/Calc/Magnesium issues 10 days ago that let to some swings that I know my Euphyllia will not be happy about, so I'm not sure if the coral is reacting to that or whatever is bothering the Anthias.

Any thoughts on what is going on? Caulerpa sound most logical?

These macro algaes can foul water. Remove it, do a water change and add carbon or ChemiPure blue to sump. Test water with a reliable test kit to confirm both ammonia and nitrate

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

108g FijiCube (display)
10g Fiji Cube (anemones)
30g Fiji Cube Sump

34ppt salinity
8.1-8.2 pH
77 Fahrenheit
6.8 dKh
350 Cal
1550 Mg

5 x Bartlett's Anthias
4 x Blue Chromis
1 x Yellow Tang
1 x Radiant Wrasse

Anthias are suffering from something. They have no blemishes or sings of infection, but won't eat and are not acting like themselves at all, choosing to hide all day. They are usually out all the time. Other fish are fine.

Corals are also not happy. Acro and Monti polyps are noticeably less extended than normal, Euphyllia appears under-inflated and stringy, and Gonis are hardly extended at all. None of this is normal and was not true yesterday.

I think the culprit is wild growing cualerpa in my anemone tank, most of which turned white and then to mush five days ago. I don't know why I didn't act when I noticed it originally. And over the last five days I have lost 5 random heads of Euphyllia.

Could the Anthias be suffering from the side effects of the Caulerpa crash? I added a polyfilter and carbon to the sump and an air stone to the display and did a 15% water change. Doing another 15% in the morning and also dimmed the lights big time. Anything else I should consider?

I don't have test kits for the Nitrogen cycle because pretty much everything just thrives in the system and has for a while, but I wonder if there is an amonia spike. The tank is exceptionally clean other than some spots of cyano.

It is worth mentioning that the system was on week 6 of continuous Fluco (3 treatments total) to treat Bryopsis, which is now totally gone. The Fluco may have killed the caulerpa, but I can't imagine that's effecting the Anthias?

I also had some Alkalinity/Calc/Magnesium issues 10 days ago that let to some swings that I know my Euphyllia will not be happy about, so I'm not sure if the coral is reacting to that or whatever is bothering the Anthias.

Any thoughts on what is going on? Caulerpa sound most logical?

While Caulerpa can go through a reproductive phase where masses of it turn pale and die off, I suspect that the Fluconazole is the primary culprit. The animals are likely reacting to a flood of compounds in the water from the internal cells of the algaes that were killed. I would consider performing multiple, larger water changes.

 

[AcanSamDC]

Final loss: 1 (of 5) Bartlett's Anthias, a previously damaged Torch (8 others fine), and one out of about 100 heads of various hammers.

I think it was the combo of the Caulerpa die-off and Bryopsis die-off coupled with 5 weeks of no skimmer or WC.

30% WC, poly filter, carbon, and air stone and most everything survived. It looked baaaad though for a while.

Thanks for the help!