What is killing all my acroporas?

Zombie · Mar 31, 2012

I have many years worth of Acroporas, they are huge colonies.
I had to move recently into a new system. The water parameters are perfect.
The only changes were new tank, switching from intense LED to 400 watt halides with supplemental XHO Reef brite LEDs and the use of Kalkwasser.
The system is large approximately 500 gallons. The corals brown and then RTN.
The tri colors just RTN and keep their color the entire time.
The LPS corals torches brain corals etc are doing fine on the bottom of the tank.
I lost all my montiporas right after the move.

soccerbag · Mar 31, 2012

You say you moved them into a new system. Is this system brand new or did you buy it from someone? As long as Alk, Ca, Mag, etc are in order perhaps there was copper used in this system in the past. And that would do it. I guess we need to narrow it down. Any major changes like salt mix, intensity of light, etc.?

Zombie · Mar 31, 2012

The lighting reverted back to halides due to the fact that the tank is more the twice the size of my old system. I couldn't afford to double the LEDs to get the coverage. I wish I did because halides look dim compared to the Blue Moon Aquatics LEDs.
I think that the 400 watt halides even though I have three XHO LED fixtures along with them may not be enough light.
This would make some corals brown out but not die in a week. Something else is not right.
Maybe the water is to sterile and there is very little plankton available and this is starving the corals.
I had low KH around 6 for a few days but it is stable at 9 now.

Wouldn't copper kill all my snails, worms and pods before I would see coral deaths?
The only corals that are dying are SPS corals.

Could it be that the water is too clean?
I remember the last time I moved I lost some Acros.
Most of them recovered over time.

I used Brightwell salt to make all the new water.

jerl77 · Mar 31, 2012

pics?bugs mabey?

soccerbag · Mar 31, 2012

That is strange. 6dkh is low. Perhaps this stressed the acros out - even though the alk is back at 9 it may have been too much for them. I have heard of people having STN and RTN events for no apparent reason - and it spreads to all acros in the tank but these episodes are few and far between.

You are right, the Copper would have killed other things in the tank - not just the acros. Just trying to come up with some reasons. I don't think that going from LED's to Halides would stress a coral out to the point of STN or RTN. Browning out, yes but they would typically come back over time.

Zombie · Mar 31, 2012

I think it may have to do with an unstable tank at the beginning and I may have had a PH swing that did some damage. I just hope the Acros that didn't die yet will recover.

VegasRick · Mar 31, 2012

Probably residual effects from the low dkh. With out a doubt this stressed them and you might have problems from it for awhile.
I doubt if your water is too clean.
I also doubt 400w aren't enough light, unless you need to add more fixtures or you tank is over 36 in. tall. But I doubt that would cause tissue loss. I recently cut back from 400 to 250w.
If they are large colonies then the move probably changed the water movement across them. That may result in tissue loss, usually starting at the bottom.
You didn't give much of a description on how it is occurring, tips first? base? different with every coral. Still I think I go with my first guess

skinz78 · Mar 31, 2012

Did you light acclimate the tank?

Yariel0527 · Mar 31, 2012

Few pics will help us!

Zombie · Mar 31, 2012

I can't get pics yet but it starts from the bottom up. Some very slow and some you can see it happing over the course of a day.
I acclimated the corals to the new light slowly. I got the system stable now, so I just have to wait it out.

In my old system I did almost no water changes, only a small one every now and then and for more then five years I wasn't using a skimmer or filter bags. The corals went form that to brand new clean RO-DI water with new salt with plenty of filtration and no PO4. Then a sudden PH swing from low KH.

I just hope that they spring back.

Orange bam bams · Mar 31, 2012

I would say high nutrients especially if u barely did water changes on old system ! u probably kicked up a bunch of nasties with the move and are now cycling more water changes will probably bring ur tank back up 2 par and remember tests aren't always right so use corals as your test kit if something is outta whack corals will tell you ! And water changing is usually you best bet to correcting the issue!

Zombie · Mar 31, 2012

The only things from the old system are the rock, corals and fish.
Everything including the mud and substrate are new and I tested the water with two different test kits.
The old system had PO4 at .05 all the time.

This system test today at.

ammonia 0
nitrate 0
nitrite 0
phosphate 0
dKH 9.0
PH 8.4
Calcium 400

Orange bam bams · Mar 31, 2012

Hmm.. It's possible I was wrong just wanted to toss it out there, is there any other signs visible as far as algae or something along those lines ?

Zombie · Apr 1, 2012

Nothing...

I just think it is from the move, temp swings, possible PH swing, putting them in buckets, driving a half hour to the new location, quick acclimation to the new system, caused too much stress. I just have to wait and see what else I loose.

dnov99 · Apr 1, 2012

Zombie said:
Nothing...

I just think it is from the move, temp swings, possible PH swing, putting them in buckets, driving a half hour to the new location, quick acclimation to the new system, caused too much stress. I just have to wait and see what else I loose.

I would say that is exactly what it is, always tough to do this to acros. One thing you can try in order to save them, is to cut them above the recession. I once had an ALK spike and it was causing several acros to STN, so I cut them all above the recession line and they were fine after that. Good luck, sorry to hear about your troubles.

Zombie · Apr 1, 2012

I was going to do that, but I have so many pieces I would have a hundred frag plugs.
This happened with my first move, but not as bad. Acros died off up to the tips and then over the last five years grew like weeds.
I didn't want to move them again but you know how goes.
It looks like my green slimer, most of my tri colors that take up most of my tank and all my montiporas are goners. Some of my other acros are just hanging on.
I hope I never have to move again.

andywe · Apr 1, 2012

Another ideas would be to check your potassium, iodine, iron, and strontium levels. Ultra clean water with SPS typically depletes potassium quickly, and potassium if low may be contributing. If it's low and you boost it, it may help them recover, if they will at all.