What cause STN?

[revhtree Verified Admin]

For some reason all the sps frags I have been getting lately live a little while then start STN from the top down. I've never been a big sps guy but I would really like to start growing out some colonies.

Any ideas?

 

[Tank2379]

Rev... could be a few different things going on. Just depending on how your water quality is it's consistency.

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Can you list some common causes?

 

[Tank2379]

Can you list some common causes?

Alk could be one issue, I know from my experience low Alk can cause all kinds of trouble. Had corals STN for about 4 months until a friend came by with a test kit to help me verify my Hanna Checker was out of calibration.

 

[dewboy1127]

Any and all parameter fluctuations can intitiate stn/rtn ...possibly phosphateto high and no nitrates

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Actually might be RTN then. Because they start to recede and are gone within a week.

 

[JMLewis]

Keep the big 3 steady is number 1, to high or to low nitrates can be a big factor. A couple tanks back I was using a non food grade trashcan to mix my water, it took me forever to figure out where the problem was coming from, so every water change I was hurting more than helping. During that time every sps I put in the tank would RTN within 3-4 days. If your nitrates, phosphate, and big 3 are good sps should thrive.

 

[dewboy1127]

to intense or not enough lighting could also be a factor

 

[favites]

If your nitrates, phosphate, and big 3 are good sps should thrive.[/QUOTE]

totally agree--there must be some instability in the tank for sps to deteriorate that quickly. would be interested in your parameters of course, but ALK swings in my tank has been the culprit more times than not...

Mark

 

[dbrewsky]

The SPS gods are laughing at you.... :p

I don't have as much to add as some of the above, however in my experiences, STN is usually a response to chronic issues that weaken the coral till it begins to fail. RTN seems to indicate an acute issue such as a toxin or major imbalance.

I also know that some SPS may go through an event and be fine for 2 weeks and then go downhill. This seems to be a factor in trying to diagnose what actually is causing the loss. Compounding that, is most of us throw the kitchen sink at the symptoms to try and reverse it and we never really find out the factors that helped the situation. The best thing I have found is attempting to reset the parameters with large water changes if multiple corals are affected. I have had limited success with STN on single organisms be cutting the healthy portions away and re-mounting to substrate.

 

[reefwiser]

Rev acclimation to the tank parameters and lighting are the two most common causes. That was the topic of our January SPS insider.

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Thanks guys! I will report some tank parameters soon!

 

[stupidted]

Rev acclimation to the tank parameters and lighting are the two most common causes. That was the topic of our January SPS insider.

Just watched the whole video. Good points made thanks for sharing with us.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Ditto, thanks!

 

[Anthony kolodziej]

yeah in order to nail it down we would need params . not just a one time in a day measure . when I have issues I measure 3 times a day to see what is happening throughout the day . Also are you Carbon dosing ? GFO ? any and all info you can provide will help . then we can :D

 

[apex003]

If you haven't, maybe do a Triton test to see if some other parameters are off? E.g., metals

 

[Russ265]

hydrogen sulfide : stn tips down
salinity/alk swing : rtn - loss in hours
gfo overdose or 0 po4 : stn base up
lack of light : stn base up
dinos: had both stn and rtn

just some of my experiences

 

[chicago]

I would agree with that Russ265

 

[BoomCorals]

Is coralline algae growing well in your tank?

 

[Scorpius]

How old is the tank and what kind of rock did you start with. People are finding that if you use dry rock exclusively then wait 12-24 months to add any sps.