HELP - SPS Under attack?!

DB9181

DB9181

New member
Alright, All my SPS seem to be quickly and rapidly dying from not only the tips but from the center as well (specifically the birdsnest).
29gal standard w/ 4 Gal HOB fuge - set up since Aug '11
Everything has been stable. Did a 72 hr blackout for slight cyto but left the fuge light on to keep pH pretty stable. Gradually brought the lights back on.

The rapid dying has been VERY quick. The pics of the birdsnest are 2-3 days apart. Red bugs? Something else? What should i do to treat? Dip again? I don't want to lose all my SPS Frags and it seems to be spreading....

Sorry for the crappy pics - they were taken with my phone.

Birdsnest
birdsnest1.jpg


Birdsnest 2-3 days later taken lastnight... looked even worse this morning (5 hrs later)
birdsnest2.jpg


Monti Digi - All the tips are skeletons and spreading
montidigi.jpg


Acro - White in the middle (hard to see in pic)
SPSAcro.jpg


SPS.jpg


Please give me some idea as what I should do - I have much smaller frags as well and am afraid I will lose those very quickly....
 
I do realize that lol ... I'm currently at work so I won't have those till later today but can post them - Take has been running fine/stable w/ regular weekly changes, etc and then all of a sudden this started to happen. I'll post results later this afternoon/evening.
 
If AEFW... treatment? I'm thinking i need to treat TONIGHT otherwise theres not going to be anything left... :(
 
BADGUS said:
At first glance it seems like AEFW but do post your parameters.Def looks like a pest.
Click to expand...

Would be the first I've heard of Birdsnest coral being affected... Why every time someone has a tank issue someone always seems to jump the gun and cry wolf about it being some bug? The guy hasn't even posted parameters yet! Why get the guy more worried and worked up when it could be nothing more than a salinity or alk issue?
 
Alright, I Believe I had a bit of a spike last week but gradually got it back in check. After Its back in line, would it still continue to cause rapid dying? I will post all my current perimeters later tonight.
 
Ugh... those pics are both heartbreaking and frustrating.

Also, how about placement in your setup? It is difficult to tell from your pictures but the frags look like they are placed near each other. Could the frags/other inhabitants have stung each other? Your acro specifically looks like chemical warfare/burn.
 
What's your Alk at and are you doing any proboitics? To me it looks like it could be a High Alk issue if you are using probiotics (vodka, sugar, biopellets, vinegar, glucose). There appears to be some tip burn on some corals. High alk isn't normally too big of a problem unless using probiotics. Excessively high alk can be a problem anytime 13+dkh

But post some parameters so there is no guessing.
 
HappyCoral said:
What's your Alk at and are you doing any proboitics? To me it looks like it could be a High Alk issue if you are using probiotics (vodka, sugar, biopellets, vinegar, glucose). There appears to be some tip burn on some corals. High alk isn't normally too big of a problem unless using probiotics. Excessively high alk can be a problem anytime 13+dkh

But post some parameters so there is no guessing.
Click to expand...

Did you mean to say "carbon dosing" instead of "probiotics" (Probiotics are live beneficial bacteria additives.)

It is true that the alk needs to be kept lower if carbon dosing.
 
Alright - birdsnest is completely gone except for the last 1/4in on all the tips...but it seems to have stopped there. Doesn't seem like the rest of the affected corals have gotten much worse (at least not nearly as rapidly as the birdsnest).

I did do a large(r) water change 2-3 days ago when I saw the birdsnest first start rapidly dying. Normally do about 4gals - did a 7-8gal change. (Crystal Sea Marine Mix).

Here are the perimeters as of tonight - API Tests (yes I know some ppl dont like API...)

Temp: 79
Saltinity: 1.026
pH: 8.4
Ammonia: 0
Nitrate: 0 < 5
Nitrite: 0
PO4: < .25
Cal: 420
kH: 7

Also running Carbon & GHO media bags in a canister filter.

MH & Actinics are on timers: Actinics: 1p-11p // MH: 2-10p
Bulbs are due for a changing
Fuge light is on all day.

Everything seems to be in-check - As mentioned I did have a saltinity spike amount a week ago.... I'm thinking thats what caused it. Nearly all my SPS were at least slightly affected, accept for my Green Slimmer (placed 3in away from birdsnest) is 100% fine... If it were bugs, I'd think it would have been hit too.
 
Thanks Dre thats very kind of you :)

Cubbies: No nothing just before the dying... GFO was added a week or so before it started. Again once it started it was VERY rapid.
 
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