Sps are not happy. Take a look.

[lubeck]

Trying to figure out what’s going on with the reef but after I started writing I realized there were several changes in the last month. Waaay Too many changes….

documenting an update - several issues going on in the last week or so. I’ve been traveling for work the last week so noticed more damage when I got home. Several of my corals skin looks dry and some peeling. Not at the base or the tips but random spots.

• Last weekend I noticed the corals didn’t look great and chalked it up to the lighting issues and the change in schedule
• Remember I also upgraded with high intensity lenses but I did test par to align with previous levels.
• My gem tang stopped eating which I’ve been treating for flukes. However Jay says loss of appetite is not a symptom of flukes. Regardless I’ve been treating for flukes for the last 3 consecutive weeks
• During this time of treating I hade to turn off my carbon dosing. And had to stop using activated carbon for nearly a month. Could only run my skimmer 5 out of seven days a week
• I didn’t do traditional water changes after each treatment but did auto change about 8 gallons per day for 3-4 days.
• On that note. I religiously did 25-30 gal water changes the old fashioned way since December 2024 when I set the tank up. I stopped traditional water changes on November 9 2024 and changed about 3-4 gallons per day when I wasn’t treating for flukes.
• I tested nutrients last weekend and my PO4 was .57 and N 21. The PO4 could definitely be a factor because normally stay around .24. You can see I brought it down using lanthium
• Randomly remember I got a citron goby and have seen him pick randomly at several corals. But it looks like it’s picking something off not nipping.
• I got home from travel yesterday and noticed then a few corals lost some flesh and several look “dry”. But some corals have great color.
• Yesterday ended changing about 28 gallons of water and started carbon dosing and using activated carbon. I’m also changing 6.6 gallons per day via auto WC.

So what’s my plan. Good husbandry and will do two more consecutive traditional 28 gal water changes every 5 days with active carbon in addition to the daily 6.6 gal changes.

Out of 50+ sps these are the ones not doing well and were thriving before. Any ideas.

 

[IPT]

Hmm, that would be hard to pinpoint. Lots of variable changes there and as you pointed out most likely way to many to be done at one time. I'd just try and get back to stability and and maybe a routine more like you used to do and hope for the best.

 

[lubeck]

Hmm, that would be hard to pinpoint. Lots of variable changes there and as you pointed out most likely way to many to be done at one time. I'd just try and get back to stability and and maybe a routine more like you used to do and hope for the best.

Agreed. Since there were so many changes. I just need to lock in and not make any other changes, keep up with water changes and active carbon.

 

[MegabiteOG]

I'd say PO4 as it's twice what your norm is that is affecting you SPS. You have done a lot of stuff like others have said but I'd start to tackle one thing at a time. Go back to routine, but start with the PO4. Go slow with PO4. I just added a cup of Seachem PO4 remover into my sump in a bag for 6 hours and almost bottomed out my Phos. I was at .2. Test, test, and test again nutrients to where you were and things should hopefully start coming back to normal.

 

[rtparty]

PAR matched or not, the high intensity kit changed the entire spread, spectrum for each coral, and how the tank is getting light. That is a major destabilization event

How is your alkalinity consumption? Have you had to raise or lower your alkalinity dosing?

 

[Uncle99]

What are all other parameters and what kinda of flux do each experience?

 

[IPT]

I'd say PO4 as it's twice what your norm is that is affecting you SPS. You have done a lot of stuff like others have said but I'd start to tackle one thing at a time. Go back to routine, but start with the PO4. Go slow with PO4. I just added a cup of Seachem PO4 remover into my sump in a bag for 6 hours and almost bottomed out my Phos. I was at .2. Test, test, and test again nutrients to where you were and things should hopefully start coming back to normal.

A CUP! Wow, how many gallons is your system? I have about 120 gal of volume and I usually use a 1/2 tsp Rowaphos in bag in my overflow and it can drop my my Po4 by .05 in just a few hours. To think I used to use TSP's of this in a reactor!

 

[billyocean]

PAR matched or not, the high intensity kit changed the entire spread, spectrum for each coral, and how the tank is getting light. That is a major destabilization event

How is your alkalinity consumption? Have you had to raise your lower your alkalinity dosing?

Thats where I was leaning too. Perhaps the high intensity changes par quicker in smaller areas as well. Meaning..when using yhr par meter be sure to rotate the angle of yhe meter in each spot....could mean a difference of 100-200 par within a slight rotation of the meter. Just a thought.

 

[MegabiteOG]

A CUP! Wow, how many gallons is your system? I have about 120 gal of volume and I usually use a 1/2 tsp Rowaphos in bag in my overflow and it can drop my my Po4 by .05 in just a few hours. To think I used to use TSP's of this in a reactor!

Net 170 gallons. Thats what I get for following directions. Just check today (2 days later) and sitting at a good spot with .08 phos.

 

[lubeck]

PAR matched or not, the high intensity kit changed the entire spread, spectrum for each coral, and how the tank is getting light. That is a major destabilization event

How is your alkalinity consumption? Have you had to raise or lower your alkalinity dosing?

PAR matched or not, the high intensity kit changed the entire spread, spectrum for each coral, and how the tank is getting light. That is a major destabilization event

How is your alkalinity consumption? Have you had to raise or lower your alkalinity dosing?

Alk consumption is very little.

PAR matched or not, the high intensity kit changed the entire spread, spectrum for each coral, and how the tank is getting light. That is a major destabilization event

How is your alkalinity consumption? Have you had to raise or lower your alkalinity dosing?

I turned off my dos on November 27th which was before the lens switch. I do dose kalk at 3400 ml per day. And do auto water changes. But since I had to turn off my alk and cal I know something is up

 

[lubeck]

PAR matched or not, the high intensity kit changed the entire spread, spectrum for each coral, and how the tank is getting light. That is a major destabilization event

How is your alkalinity consumption? Have you had to raise or lower your alkalinity dosing?

Double post

 

[lubeck]

PAR matched or not, the high intensity kit changed the entire spread, spectrum for each coral, and how the tank is getting light. That is a major destabilization event

How is your alkalinity consumption? Have you had to raise your lower your alkalinity dosing?

I agree with this and have turned it down a few points yesterday and a couple more just now. However, where the tissue
Loss is on the side or under like these two.

 

[lubeck]

What are all other parameters and what kinda of flux do each experience?

Ph and salinity and temp have all been steady. I don’t test for anything else.

 

[Reginald Reefer III]

Have you had any kind of ICP done lately - specifically ICP-MS? What was the SAC254 (dissolved organics) number? Only time I have had this issue is when that was through the roof high and causing major polyp/tissue irritation.

 

[Reginald Reefer III]

Also - what activated carbon are you using? Not all carbon is the same and some will strip EVERYTHING out of the water column causing major issues with high PO4 causing burns and dry spots like you have observed.

 

[Reginald Reefer III]

I know this goes against the grain a bit, but the old mindset of acros must have pristine water with major water changes all the time is not necessarily the right thing to do in my mind. Acros are sensitive to very quick swings and changes in alkalinity and want stability more than anything. As long as you are keeping up with understanding the big 3 and are keen about your trace levels and maintaining nutrient balance, in my mind water changes should only happen when you NEED them.

Fire away.

 

[lubeck]

Have you had any kind of ICP done lately - specifically ICP-MS? What was the SAC254 (dissolved organics) number? Only time I have had this issue is when that was through the roof high and causing major polyp/tissue irritation.

It’s been a while, summer if this year. . I’ve only done one ICP since being in the hobby since the 90s. I do have all new filters including a membrane for my rodi unit.

 

[lubeck]

Also - what activated carbon are you using? Not all carbon is the same and some will strip EVERYTHING out of the water column causing major issues with high PO4 causing burns and dry spots like you have observed.

That’s the thing. I haven’t run carbon in over a month. But I was using seachem and switched to black diamond yesterday when I fired up the reactor.

 

[Reginald Reefer III]

It’s been a while, summer if this year. . I’ve only done one ICP since being in the hobby since the 90s. I do have all new filters including a membrane for my rodi unit.

My 2c - get an ICP-MS completed and see what it says. Could be you have something like a rusting magnet you were oblivious to causing Neodymium to leach into the water. Something like that could absolutely cause these symptoms. If everything looks good there, then you start chasing something else until you figure it out. GL!

 

[lubeck]

I know this goes against the grain a bit, but the old mindset of acros must have pristine water with major water changes all the time is not necessarily the right thing to do in my mind. Acros are sensitive to very quick swings and changes in alkalinity and want stability more than anything. As long as you are keeping up with understanding the big 3 and are keen about your trace levels and maintaining nutrient balance, in my mind water changes should only happen when you NEED them.

Fire away.

I don’t disagree , plenty of very successful sps tanks that don’t do routine water changes

Honestly the tank was about to go into cruise control I was doing my routine weekly changes and then setup automatic water changes so there be even less of a disruption and my hands out of the tank. Things were going well. Until they weren’t.

I’m going to change all my filters. It’s interesting my neighbor @Yazannreef is having issues as well so we may have a source water problem.

I have found at least with my tank it thrives when it’s on the “clean” side.