Question Corals not growing/dieing What to do?

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

The Zoas that are left are there and not spreading. I have lost at least 6 other colonies that just shrunk and faded away.

The blue Zoas fell off the rock structure and need to be moved.

The frogspawns/hammers/torches all faded away and died. Even a toadstool shrunk and faded away. I had other mushrooms that all did the same. Lost acan frags, trumpet corals as well.

The Kenya tree is a piece from a colony I got rid of and a piece floated and attached to the glass. I will get rid of that as well.

Last time I tested po4 was .05 and nitrate. Was 19.

It’s been over 2 months since adding a coral. Was holding off until I saw positive growth on what was remaining. Now with the Ulva on all the rock I probably shouldn’t add anything again.

I had added a ball of chaeto a month ago that is gone now. I was running the Kessil flora light over it for 8 hours a day starting in the evening before the main tank lights went off.

So can’t grow chaeto, Zoas, mushrooms, LPs, and forget sps.

Sorry for the blue pics. iPhone stinks at tank pics.

 

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

Pic

 

[Geraud]

It is very hard to see with just the blue lights on, can you change it to a more natural color so that the phone sensor does not get to saturation levels? Or use an orange filter in front of the lens. If not available, try and use the phone app in "pro mode" and change the white balance / hue

 

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

Tired to make the lights white for the pics

 

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

Update.

Devils hand, green sinularia, some Zoas have grown and some have not. Tried a green slimmer frag - lasted a few weeks.

Mushrooms still don’t spread, frogspawn or hammers just wilt away.


Water parameters
Alk 8.5
Cal 400
Msg 1200
Amon 0
Nitrate 20
PO4 0.03
Temp 77-78
ph 8-8.1
Sal 1.024
Orp 400-420

Use Red Sea Salt

Fish: red hawk, and a talmini tang, mellenarus wrasse, red cardinal, Various snails, pincushion urchin, (Had clowns but they jumped out)

I have not added much to the tank in months, water changes every 2 months to see if that helped - no difference. Had the PAR meter and tested and removed the glass tops and cranked up the Radions XR15 Blues to 90% - no difference. Besides of the tank being just blue and no brightness. Had the ICP water test. All fine.

So back to decisions.

1. Convert to a FOWLR and get colorful active fish. Would need a IB sterilizer and new lights ( Radion Blues ate too blue and tank is dark)

2. Keep a reef
2a. Rebuild the whole tank, new LR. Water, lights
2b. Replace the lights from Radions to maybe the Reefbreeders Meridian or Kessil Apex’s
2c. Hire a company to rebuild and maintain this as I don’t know what else to try.

3. Put the whole thing on the curb

4. Other?

 

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

Some pics. The white is temporary as I turned off all the blue leds for the pic

 

[Harif87]

Looks like you have a lot of growth in your softies from the last pics you sent! Looks like your zoas took off and toadstool got huge.

Your blasto looks pretty good too.

Slimers are generally more difficult to keep....they need a pretty good amount of light and are not gonna last with 20ppm of nitrates. Also keep in mind that they dont do well with change - so if you do frequent water changes or infrequent dosing, they will have a hard time.

If you're running radions, you most probably shouldnt consider changing. How many radions are you running and what are your tank dimensions?

Also, I notice your mushrooms are high up (at least from the pic they look like closed up shrooms). They could be not opening because they're getting too much light. Generally, they should be placed pretty close to the sandbed or under a slightly shaded area if you're running radions.

Also as a side note I notice the aquascape is leading to alot of shaded areas...even areas that look like theyre getting light are probably getting less PAR. Note - I dont think this is a major issue with where your corals are placed now, but just something to know for the future.

Also, I would suggest keeping salinity at 1.026.
1.024 is pretty low.

 

[akma]

Water parameters
Alk 8.5
Cal 400
Msg 1200
Amon 0
Nitrate 20
PO4 0.03
Temp 77-78
ph 8-8.1
Sal 1.024
Orp 400-420

Looks good. I personally would raise mag and salinity to 35ppt.
90% for the lights are pretty strong for softies.

Do you have par readings?

 

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

PAR readings are earlier in this thread. Showing with glass and without glass. The glass tops I removed some time ago really restricted PAR. The glass is now removed. I have 2 Radion XR15 Blues (IMO not great for asthetics as it’s too blue).


The few mushrooms are all on the bottom left near the leather. Other ones I had all died off.

Any frogspawn, hammers, torches don’t last. The coral that is higher is a blast that is fading away. The rock in the middle has other Zoas that are gone or barely open. Ricordeas last a few weeks and shrink and die.

Would like some more color, vertical corals besides leathers but since Only softies are living I am limited.

I tried some other SPS like birdnests, monipora that all died.

 

[Harif87]

Any chance you can get closer pics of the corals?

Are these guys shrooms?
Cant tell from the pics.

Also 20 ppm nitrates are high, even for LPS like torches (wheras softies would do fine with 20ppm). We're the torches getting flow? Where was the placement?

 

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

The tor he’s were lid level and had flow. The 2 corals outlined are a blasto and a similar coral ( can’t remember at the moment). I will re measure all again tomorrow. There was a time when nitrates were about zero and did not. Change anything

 

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

Retested the tank
PO4 0.14. (Need to lower)
Nitrate 0 ( tested with Hanna and Salifert)
Alk 6.9 (low)
Ca 430
Mag 1230
Sal 1.024

 

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

Pics of some corals that don’t change/grow.