kyley
Active Member
Hi All,
I'm in need of some assistance from the experts here as I'm having issues with some corals lately - primarily the easiest of corals - zoanthids. I'm providing a lot of detail so you can help troubleshoot, so I apologize if this gets long. I've been running a Red Sea Max 250 (65 gallon) since December (nearly 8 months now). I'm a careful reefer - I've stocked my tank slowly, I iodine dip new corals, I quarantine new fish, I research all my purchases, etc. I've done all I can do to maintain the best possible water quality (most of this was setup months ago) - here's my setup:
Any ideas on what's going on / what I can do? I'm pulling my hair out because I'm doing all I can to keep great water quality, apparently am, but am having these issues (mainly the zoanthids)... Here's a picture of the zoanthids (you'll see some cyano, but I had cyano on the zoas previously and they never closed - so don't think that has anything to do with it):
One thing I do plan to try (when my order comes in) is Coral RX on the zoas. It just seems maybe there's another problem that I'm not seeing... Thanks in advance,
--Kyle
I'm in need of some assistance from the experts here as I'm having issues with some corals lately - primarily the easiest of corals - zoanthids. I'm providing a lot of detail so you can help troubleshoot, so I apologize if this gets long. I've been running a Red Sea Max 250 (65 gallon) since December (nearly 8 months now). I'm a careful reefer - I've stocked my tank slowly, I iodine dip new corals, I quarantine new fish, I research all my purchases, etc. I've done all I can do to maintain the best possible water quality (most of this was setup months ago) - here's my setup:
- I upgraded the stock skimmer to a Euro-Reef / Nano-Reef 2-pump skimmer
- I added a basket with Chaeto to the DT for nutrient export (plan on a fuge eventually).
- If anything, I think I underfeed rather than overfeed (always been careful with that). Plus, I rinse all my frozen food in RO/DI before adding to the tank.
- I replaced the media shelf bags with a TLF media reactor and use Bulk Reef Supply ROX carbon, High Capacity GFO, and SeaChem Purigen in the reactor (also a bit of SeaChem SeaGel [carbon/phosguard mix] too).
- Added Vortech MP20, Koralia 1, and Koralia 2 for good flow throughout the tank
- I do regular 10-20% water changes every week.
- I run a chiller to maintain a stable temperature (80 degrees).
- About 73 pounds of rock (55 was live rock); 69 pounds of sand (29 was live sand) is in the tank
- I have a dosing pump that keeps Alk, Ca, and pH stable and Mg is dosed with my ATO water; pH is monitored with a pH probe.
- I have an ATO to keep salinity constant
- I use a 5-stage RO/DI unit that reports 0 TDS.
- Alk is usually 8.6-9.3; Ca is 420-460; Mg is 1280-1320; Salinity is 1.026
- pH range is about 8.22 (night) - 8.38 (day) typically on the highest and lowest ranges.
- ATO keeps salinity stable at 1.026.
- Since cycling, I've never had Nitrates detectable above 2 (with Salifert test kit - but almost always 0) or 0 (with API test kit). Nitrites, Ammonia, and Phosphates (API test) have never been detectable either. I've tested my freshly mixed SW and have 0 on all these there too.
- Inhabitants are in my sig - but 5 small fish, about 20+ snails, 6 hermits, 1 emerald crab, 2 shrimp, 1 crocea clam, and a lot of corals.
- No algae issues - tiny amounts of hair algae in a couple places, but nothing more and it's not growing. Cyano has been a problem though.
- I've never lost a fish in my DT, and other than zoanthids and a blue clove polyp frag that I had for awhile - and a couple frags that didn't last at all - I haven't lost any other corals. I've lost some snails (normal right?) and an urchin, but no crabs or other motile inverts.
- Mainly zoanthids and palys. They all seem to be unhealthy (many unopened, apparently tissue has melted as there are now isolated polyps, etc.). Many months ago I had zoa nudis - got rid of them with Iodine dips. I had zoa pox - got rid of that with Furan-2 dips. About a month ago I started having brown gunk (apparently a brown jelly type disease after researching) on them - it appears I successfully got rid of that too with hydrogen peroxide and freshwater dips. I don't see any zoa pox, nudis, or brown jelly now, but the zoas are clearly indicating something's wrong. For whatever reason, this easy coral has been very hard to keep! Does it sound like some kind of disease? Any ideas what I can do? I have about 8-10 colonies and pretty much all of them are not looking well.
- My finger leather (specifically, green palau nephthea I believe) has been closed up for the past 3-4 days.
- I've had a substantial case of cyano that I siphoned out, treated with Microbe-lift Special Blend (simply beneficial bacteria), etc., and essentially got rid of for a couple weeks. It's come back recently (not as bad as before though) - and I suspect the zoanthids dying may be part of the reason. At any rate, I've seen enough people with cyano, yet great water quality / test results, to become convinced that cyano is a stage some tanks go through (like diatoms) regardless of nitrate / phosphate levels.
- A single green clove polyp (not GSP) is closed much of the time, though it does have a baby or two growing.
- My Duncan colony has been closed much of the past couple days.
- All SPS and LPS corals are looking fine, extending, and growing (the only exception being my Duncan which closed up a bit the past couple days). My mushrooms and ricordeas are doing great too. Toadstool leather has closed a bit, but not as bad as the finger leather.
Any ideas on what's going on / what I can do? I'm pulling my hair out because I'm doing all I can to keep great water quality, apparently am, but am having these issues (mainly the zoanthids)... Here's a picture of the zoanthids (you'll see some cyano, but I had cyano on the zoas previously and they never closed - so don't think that has anything to do with it):
One thing I do plan to try (when my order comes in) is Coral RX on the zoas. It just seems maybe there's another problem that I'm not seeing... Thanks in advance,
--Kyle