SPSs dying?

[AWD]

I have put in about 40 different sps mostly frags. On a regular basis I lose some. I'm told it is necrosis and there isn't anything I can do. I figured it is just the new corals, (usually frags) that stress. Lately I've lost and am losing some of my more established colonies. This is ridiculous.

The params are normal. cal ~400. I have 1000 watt lights and a 400 w radium. tank size is 600 gal. I have a sterilizer I run time to time.

On about half the corals they will turn a really nice blue color and for several weeks and then suddenly croak.

What is happening and what can I do about it?

 

[Anonymous]

Hmmmm. Frags usually do well. Wild-collected colonies are sensitive, and will often die no matter how well you care for them.

If established frags are dieing, there must be something wrong in your parameters somewhere. Perhaps you should retest all parameters to be sure.

Also can you describe the symptoms displayed by the dying coral?

 

[ChrisRD]

How long has this system been setup?

 

[Anonymous]

Have you tested anything else?

S.G., iodide, PH, Alk, etc....

 

[Ben1]

Also it would help to describe how they die. Does the tissue actually fall off the corals? Or is it turning white? Are there any noticible predators? Fish picking at them or anything.

What kind of current do you have in the tank?

 

[ADS]

Usually introducing wild colonies will start RTN(rapid tissue necrosis).
It can affect established colonies that were otherwise healthy. I recommend iodine dipping pre-introduction. Preferably a short quarantine is ideal. UV and ozone may help(unproven).
It is best to identify early RTN in new frags/colonies and use the dip method over a period of days if necessary. Frag disease sections of coral and discard. The pathogenesis is unclear but probably is viral due to it's rapid effect on tissue(IMO only).
Hope this helps-
Adam

 

[AWD]

On both of the two wild colonies the skin like tissue peeled off very quickly, usually a day or two. This last incident happened after the coral had been in the tank for 2 months

On the frags they usually get bleached. I just put in some new ones last week and they seem to be doing okay. I lost most of my monitiporas. The frags are the ones that will turn blue and then croak, with only one or two exceptions.

I tested everything. The iodine was low, I think .02, and strontium was just barely below sea levels.

Tank is 3-4 months old I've had the sump going for about six months.

I did the dip and it doesn't seem to work. A neat thing though, I found some little, one inch, lobster looking things. One had its tail full of little ones.

Thanks, I hope I can end this or at least know what the problem is.

 

[mehdirah]

What is your tank temperature? Maybe the water was just too hot during last summer.

 

[AWD]

Never above 82

I have a cooler

 

[Ben1]

The frags bleaching is probably from over exposer to light, 1000watt lights and a 400 watt radium is probably alot more then was used to grow them. Start your frags very low and work them up over time.

3-4 month old tank is very young for SPS. It really isnt established well at 3-4 months. The others did get RTN from the sounds of athough IME Montiporas are very hard to kill even when you do get a RTN beakout.

I wouldnt be adding anything new to the tank for anoughter 4-6 months.
Patience is the key to success with reef tanks.