Please help me to solve corals dying mystery.

[MixedFruitBasket]

Sorry, don't see that, respectfully.

I do the same thing all the time.

 

[AdamB]

I am having the same problem .My tank looked great 2 weeks ago . Tank Running too clean I assume and I all this happened after I added recommended amount of carbon matrix In my 80 gallon tank with cheato in refugium . My nitrates and phosphates are at 0 and alk at 9 . I should have know better and paid attention! Lol! I do a 20% water change every two weeks. December will be 1 year anniversary for tank running and I’m disappointed as well. Looks like I’ve lost my acros, montis’s and other sps!
My acans / blasto/ Hollywood stunner/and 2 others are the only one not suffering.
So , just wanted to say your not alone!!!

 

[Ali-F]

Water is too clean. Also in the pics it doesn't really look that bright. Are you running mostly actinic T5 bulbs? By wattage you should have enough light (depending on height off the surface) if you have the right mix of bulbs but it just doesn't look very bright in any of the pics.

Pictures were taken at morning time where the light is still not bright.

My light mix is as follow:

4x ATI blue plus
2x ATI Actinic
1x ATI Coral plus
1x ATI Purple plus

Light Maximum intensity is 55%.

 

[Jimmyneptune]

I see low PO4 and you said undetectable NO3. This is very dangerous and could be the very reason why your corals are dying.

I agree. You could try to spot feed some of your corals.
Coral frenzy, BRS Reef chili, any other similar item. Spot feeding may help them directly and help your water from being to clean.
Also, have you tried a par meter to see if they are getting the right light. Will uln increase light intensity?

 

[Ali-F]

I do the same thing all the time.

I feel sorry for all the lost corals and frustrated as it seems corals are dying for no clear reason after doing so good.

 

[Ali-F]

I agree. You could try to spot feed some of your corals.
Coral frenzy, BRS Reef chili, any other similar item. Spot feeding may help them directly and help your water from being to clean.
Also, have you tried a par meter to see if they are getting the right light. Will uln increase light intensity?

No I did not measure the lux. But I can increase the intesity gradually to 90%.

I am worried if I add any coral it will die. So I will wait until I come to know the reason/s behind it and solve it first

 

[Jimmyneptune]

No I did not measure the lux. But I can increase the intesity gradually to 90%.

I am worried if I add any coral it will die. So I will wait until I come to know the reason/s behind it and solve it first

Thats not what I meant. Your intensity might be too high.

 

[Ali-F]

I know this is going to sound weird, but have you checked for stray voltage? Might be something to look into...

I overlooked your reply. Can you please elaborate more?

 

[Jimmyneptune]

I wouldn’t add any corals. Spot feed the ones you have. Use a turkey baster or a small liquid oral syringe.

 

[Ali-F]

Thats not what I meant. Your intensity might be too high.

I don't think this is the problem. The light fixture is 30cm above the tank + 70cm to the bottom.

 

[ScottR]

I feel sorry for all the lost corals and frustrated as it seems corals are dying for no clear reason after doing so good.

Don’t be afraid to feed your tank. I don’t know how you run your tank, but many eek at the sight of algae and kill feedings which is never a good thing.

You said you’re feeding Red Sea energy A+B and that’s good. It should help up your nutrient levels but perhaps not as much as typical feedings will. I also use energy and my NO3 went up slightly but not significantly. Not sure about my PO4 with energy. Seems to not have changed.

 

[ScottR]

I don't think this is the problem. The light fixture is 30cm above the tank + 70cm to the bottom.

I agree. T5’s are the safest lights in my opinion. You can overboard (or underboard) without fail. Your lighting is similar to what I used to run. I wouldn’t point my finger at lighting one bit.

 

[Ali-F]

I wouldn’t add any corals. Spot feed the ones you have. Use a turkey baster or a small liquid oral syringe.

Usually I turn off the return pump and then I wait for the water level to go down. Then I add Reef Energy A & B in the display tank for 15-20 min. After that I turn on the return pump and turn off the skimmer for an hour..

 

[Ali-F]

I agree. T5’s are the safest lights in my opinion. You can overboard (or underboard) without fail. Your lighting is similar to what I used to run. I wouldn’t point my finger at lighting one bit.

Also I feed the fish till they refuse to eat and I don't have cleaning crew except snails. So any left over of the food can because NO3.

 

[Ali-F]

Could it be parasites ? If yes, what are the possible ones that feed on SPS and LPS at the same time?

 

[Backreefing]

I would stop useing any type of GFO or other similar media. Feed the fish . There poop feeds the coral .
btw the coraline algae is awesome. And crank those t5 s up it’s the LEDs that burn things.

 

[Backreefing]

Btw that’s a nice light set up 8 bulb t5 , And a decent bulb selection to .
I have a sps tank and I never feed . At least in the past 6-8 months. Fish poop and ammonia are the corals food . If you notice most of the most beautiful aquariums with the most stunning corals are filled with fish .

 

[Ed Hutchings]

I agree. T5’s are the safest lights in my opinion. You can overboard (or underboard) without fail. Your lighting is similar to what I used to run. I wouldn’t point my finger at lighting one bit.

The fixture is nice but he's running it at 55% with the light suspended 12 inches off the surface and almost 28 inches from the bottom, if his cm measurements are correct. That's not enough light especially for that clam on the bottom.

I'd swap one of the blue T5s out for a white like a 10K maybe and increase the intensity up to 90% and maybe even lower it some.

That being said most of your problem is probably lack of nutrients.

 

[ScottR]

Also I feed the fish till they refuse to eat and I don't have cleaning crew except snails. So any left over of the food can because NO3.

Regardless of what you feed and how much at this time, you said your NO3 is bottomed out. Therefore, you can add more fish, add varied feedings, pull GFO, adjust water changes accordingly, etc. Obviously something needs to change.

As for parasites, can you provide close up pics of affected corals? Not aware of any particular parasite that eats all corals - and I am no expert. There are fish and other creatures that do eat corals. A stocking list of fish and inverts as well as pics would be helpful

 

[Tuan’s Reef]

Have you considered dosing nitrate and phosphate ?