johnstonstms3
Active Member
Wow
Very interested to watch the SPS under the Led's.... Pictures soon please.
Very interested to watch the SPS under the Led's.... Pictures soon please.
rossco's 210 gallon SPS reef
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- Thread starter rossco
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OP
OP
Thanks for all the interest! When I started this thread, I was preparing for the great reveal as the tank was almost where I wanted it. Growth was phenomenal. Everything was filling in and after a year already looked like a mature reef.
Unfortunately that was not to be as I have been having some problems, apparently but not confirmed, to be the result of an alk swing back in September. . My very successful SPS reef has started a meltdown. I am having a STN/RTN event that has me baffled. No signs of Red Bugs or AEFW. Only acropora are involved. More than 2 months ago, I had an Alk dip to 6 when my CO2 bottle emptied. Over 3 days I brought my alk back up, overshot it a bit and then let it settle to the normal 9.5 that I run. At the same previous CA reactor settings, the alk slowly crept up again after that to 11.5 which after the fact may have indicated that trouble was brewing as the corals were not utilizing carbonates as fast as they were before. My mag was also a touch low at 1260. About a month after the dip, one of my acros lost a bottom branch. Then another. Then a different coral was affected and so on until now I have recession, either on the base or sometimes in the middle of nearly every acropora I have. The coral looks totally healthy one day, the next a branch or more base is gone. The base recession is slower, the branches go so fast there is flesh flapping in the current. These are corals that have doubled in size in the last year, and are still growing at the end of the branches. Places where I took frags from skin over and grow a new terminal polyp and then the recession hits a few weeks later and wipes it out. Big colonies and small colonies are involved. Millis, torts, tricolors, speciosa, granulosa, tenuis, carolinina, sarmentosa, turaki, loripes, desalwi, even my green slimer and my Red Dragon! I did see a spot on my green stylophora yesterday as well, the one and only coral other than acropora showing any problems. The colors in my corals are as good or better than they ever have been. The polyps are extended and appear happy right next to the recession. The next day they may or may not be gone. Honestly, it looks alot like the written descriptions I have read about white band disease, which no causative organism has been conclusively isolated. Theory is that it is an immune modulated process which the dead tissue from one colony sparks a like reaction in the colony it lands on.
My sump which is also one of my frag tanks is mostly unaffected, same water and system as the display, the only barrier from the main display is a filter sock. All acans, scolys, caulastrea, chalices, cyphastrea, montipora, seriatophora, and softies like zoas and ricordia are unaffected. Once is a while frags in two separate systems will die, but for the most part are doing well .
So far I have tried changing salts, checked refractometer with pinpoint solution, water changes including over 60% water change over 10 days or so, changing my RO/DI cartridges even thought TDS was reading zero, cutting chaeto way back, feeding more (after the undetectable readings for nitrates and phosphates), checked for stray voltage and put in a ground probe.
My parameters are spot on for what I usually keep them at:
Alk 9.5
CA 450
Mag 1400
Salinity 35 ppt (lowered by a point recently to see if that helped - it didn't)
Nitrates undetectable
Phosphate undetectable via Hanna meter.
At this point, I have lost the main colony but still have frags of Red Dragon (have quite a few frags and a nice mini colony though), Your Reef green Turaki, ORA Red Planet,Ora Hawkins, ORA Chips, ORA Blue Polyp Acro, Ora Pearlberry, Upscales blue Speciosa, Turaki & Loripes, Purple Nana, Oregon Tort, Cali Tort, Blue/Green Gomezi, Sarmentosa, Your Reef Raspberry Prostrata, Blue Milli, Bubblegum Milli, Red Milli, Paletta Pink tip, Ora Bellina, Purple Bonzai, Plana, & a nice tricolor that I can think of right now.
Totally gone are the Your Reef Yellow singer, Upscales Suharsonoi, a lokani with yellow tips, & a granulosa.
I have backups of most in either/and/or my sump frag area, my separate frag tank, and at my friends house (Scoly here on R2R - thanks Dwayne)
I did take a few pictures back in August, so this is what once was.
Unfortunately that was not to be as I have been having some problems, apparently but not confirmed, to be the result of an alk swing back in September. . My very successful SPS reef has started a meltdown. I am having a STN/RTN event that has me baffled. No signs of Red Bugs or AEFW. Only acropora are involved. More than 2 months ago, I had an Alk dip to 6 when my CO2 bottle emptied. Over 3 days I brought my alk back up, overshot it a bit and then let it settle to the normal 9.5 that I run. At the same previous CA reactor settings, the alk slowly crept up again after that to 11.5 which after the fact may have indicated that trouble was brewing as the corals were not utilizing carbonates as fast as they were before. My mag was also a touch low at 1260. About a month after the dip, one of my acros lost a bottom branch. Then another. Then a different coral was affected and so on until now I have recession, either on the base or sometimes in the middle of nearly every acropora I have. The coral looks totally healthy one day, the next a branch or more base is gone. The base recession is slower, the branches go so fast there is flesh flapping in the current. These are corals that have doubled in size in the last year, and are still growing at the end of the branches. Places where I took frags from skin over and grow a new terminal polyp and then the recession hits a few weeks later and wipes it out. Big colonies and small colonies are involved. Millis, torts, tricolors, speciosa, granulosa, tenuis, carolinina, sarmentosa, turaki, loripes, desalwi, even my green slimer and my Red Dragon! I did see a spot on my green stylophora yesterday as well, the one and only coral other than acropora showing any problems. The colors in my corals are as good or better than they ever have been. The polyps are extended and appear happy right next to the recession. The next day they may or may not be gone. Honestly, it looks alot like the written descriptions I have read about white band disease, which no causative organism has been conclusively isolated. Theory is that it is an immune modulated process which the dead tissue from one colony sparks a like reaction in the colony it lands on.
My sump which is also one of my frag tanks is mostly unaffected, same water and system as the display, the only barrier from the main display is a filter sock. All acans, scolys, caulastrea, chalices, cyphastrea, montipora, seriatophora, and softies like zoas and ricordia are unaffected. Once is a while frags in two separate systems will die, but for the most part are doing well .
So far I have tried changing salts, checked refractometer with pinpoint solution, water changes including over 60% water change over 10 days or so, changing my RO/DI cartridges even thought TDS was reading zero, cutting chaeto way back, feeding more (after the undetectable readings for nitrates and phosphates), checked for stray voltage and put in a ground probe.
My parameters are spot on for what I usually keep them at:
Alk 9.5
CA 450
Mag 1400
Salinity 35 ppt (lowered by a point recently to see if that helped - it didn't)
Nitrates undetectable
Phosphate undetectable via Hanna meter.
At this point, I have lost the main colony but still have frags of Red Dragon (have quite a few frags and a nice mini colony though), Your Reef green Turaki, ORA Red Planet,Ora Hawkins, ORA Chips, ORA Blue Polyp Acro, Ora Pearlberry, Upscales blue Speciosa, Turaki & Loripes, Purple Nana, Oregon Tort, Cali Tort, Blue/Green Gomezi, Sarmentosa, Your Reef Raspberry Prostrata, Blue Milli, Bubblegum Milli, Red Milli, Paletta Pink tip, Ora Bellina, Purple Bonzai, Plana, & a nice tricolor that I can think of right now.
Totally gone are the Your Reef Yellow singer, Upscales Suharsonoi, a lokani with yellow tips, & a granulosa.
I have backups of most in either/and/or my sump frag area, my separate frag tank, and at my friends house (Scoly here on R2R - thanks Dwayne)
I did take a few pictures back in August, so this is what once was.
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OP
OP
Things aren't as pathetic as is sounds though. I still have some nice colonies left. I was trying my new top down viewer yesterday and got a few decent pictures.
Upscales Microclados
ORA Joe The Coral (right center), ATL Raspberry Lemonade Nasuta (left center), Wild Blue polyp Nasuta (lower center) all grown from frags. Evident is the recession on my Red Planet and at the 1 o'clock position Pink Jade. Both of those colonies are now fragged up and gone from the display.
Montis- Reeftech Starburst, Tyree Idaho Grape, Tyree Flower Petal, Tyree Aquatuberculata, Undata. The Loripes in the middle is just a few tips now. Bellina at the top is just one frag of about 5 little tips.
Green Milli, Forest Fire Digi, Purple Digi. You can see some recession in the center of the efflo and the base of the Red Robin acro (far left).
Upscales Microclados
ORA Joe The Coral (right center), ATL Raspberry Lemonade Nasuta (left center), Wild Blue polyp Nasuta (lower center) all grown from frags. Evident is the recession on my Red Planet and at the 1 o'clock position Pink Jade. Both of those colonies are now fragged up and gone from the display.
Montis- Reeftech Starburst, Tyree Idaho Grape, Tyree Flower Petal, Tyree Aquatuberculata, Undata. The Loripes in the middle is just a few tips now. Bellina at the top is just one frag of about 5 little tips.
Green Milli, Forest Fire Digi, Purple Digi. You can see some recession in the center of the efflo and the base of the Red Robin acro (far left).
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Many thanks for posting the photo. It's such a shame it's not easy to figure out the cause of the tissue necrosis. Your tank looks beautiful in any event. I too hope things get better.
johnstonstms3
Active Member
Good luck. I am very interested in seeing how this goes. I have a 150 with Led's and want to see how the SPS does.
swannyson7
Moderator/Acro Aficianado
Excellence Award
Reef Of The Month
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CTARS Member
Moderator Emeritus
Sorry to hear about your tank troubles, Scott. I hope you figure out the issues and get everything growing again. You have an amazing tank and I'm sure it will be back to its full glory soon!
jtgordon20
Active Member
Sorry for the losses. Your tank is really beautiful and with the great colonies you still have, I'd be pleased to have their color and size.
You said you changed salt, from what to what? How do you like it?
Also, I've briefly read people talking about grounding probes being bad because if their is a current of voltage in the tank, the probe would complete the circuit and allow the fish and such to feel it. anyone else can chime in and confirm that?
You said you changed salt, from what to what? How do you like it?
Also, I've briefly read people talking about grounding probes being bad because if their is a current of voltage in the tank, the probe would complete the circuit and allow the fish and such to feel it. anyone else can chime in and confirm that?
OP
OP
Thanks for all the support!
I was using Reef Crystals, changed to Seachem Reef salt. Didn't notice a difference in the way the corals responded, but maybe the change is partially resonsible for the better colors but who knows.
The grounding probe made no difference either. I just left it in since I had it.
Hopefully things will stabilize now that I removed the colonies that had the biggest issues. I will report back.
I was using Reef Crystals, changed to Seachem Reef salt. Didn't notice a difference in the way the corals responded, but maybe the change is partially resonsible for the better colors but who knows.
The grounding probe made no difference either. I just left it in since I had it.
Hopefully things will stabilize now that I removed the colonies that had the biggest issues. I will report back.
jtgordon20
Active Member
Still amazed every time I see your pictures!
Can we get some "under the hood" shots? My favorite.
Can we get some "under the hood" shots? My favorite.
Reef Fever
Valuable Member
Didn't read through everything but do you produce your own RO or do you get it from somewhere. Before I got my own unit I was buying it from what I thought was a trusted source and I got RTN because the "RO" TDS reading was actually worse than my tap..
OP
OP
Thanks!
It was how I spent most of my time off during the summer.
(Unless I was mountain biking)
Thanks! "Under the hood" as requested:
I had my topoff reservior made to the same height and depth as the sump so when slid together they look like a single unit.
Spare parts
Mike&Terry
Wrasses, Angels, & Tangs, Oh My!
Those are some beautiful colonies in your pics. Sorry to hear about your STN/RTN issues and know how frustrating it can be. Hope things settle down and your SPS begin to thrive again.
-M&T
-M&T
Lindsey1984
New Member
OMG how freaking Beautiful!!!! You've done an AMAZING job!!!! I only HOPE mine will look like this someday! I started as a fishtank only, i've had it two months but I've changed quite a bit already but I still am at a stand still because i need much better lighting. Either way, this is SOOOO gorgeous! Keep up with this, you obviously know what you're doing!!!
Good Luck! I hope things have stabilized. Two years ago, during our bad drought, the local municipality changed the reservoir from where the city got their water. I was unaware of any of that. I had started to slowly see STN occur at some of my 5 year old colonies. I lost quite a bit. Turns out, I was getting direct NH4 from the water and thru my R/O DI into my tank. As you would guess, H2O changes only made things worse. I would have never checked my NH4 levels if others in my local MAS weren't having the same issues.
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