SPS colonies dying.

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debdp

Premium Member
So the past week and a half I've been trying to rescue my corals.

1) 6/29 had to catch wrasses to split up and took everything out of the tank
2) Totally redid tank and scraped off all bubble algae... totally disturbed sandbed and lots of detritus in tank, running extra in tank filter; disturbance caused huge red cyano issue
3) Treated 15g with Algaefix, worked really good so treated the 40 gallon, too
4) Green slimer got darker and looked like it was "melting" so I cut 4 frags from the tips (2 were questionable, 2 looked good) Slimer colony disintegrated.
5) The Turaki skin is now turning a darker and brown. I've cut a few of the bright green tips as frags. All polyps are still extended, but doesn't look good. Turbinaria is not looking good
6) Blue tort been looking good till this morning, the base is starting to get dark and some areas skeleton is exposed
7) So far the following look okay: pavona, m. caps, purple haze, bottle brush, red planet frag, pink milli frag. Plate corals are good
8) 15gallon frag tank...lost turaki, losing blue digita, blue milli looked bad so moved to 60g soft coral tank.

I've taken multiple pictures looking for AEFW, red bugs but see none so pretty sure it's the Algaefix.

Have done 3 x 6 gallon water changes this week in the 40, 1 x 5 gallon in the 15. Polyfilter added to both tonight. Running carbon 24/7.

Tonights water test
40 gallon: alk - 10, Cal-420, Mg- 1380, pH 8.26; salinity 1.025 Nitrate, Phosphate 0 with API tests
15 gallon: alk - 7; Cal-380, Mg-1500; pH-8.22; salinity 1.025 Nitrate, phosphate also 0 with API test

Other tanks are fine, QT tank with 4 SPS frags are fine... no other tanks were treated with Algaefix.

I don't know whether I should move the few frags doing well to another tank or just leave be and keep an eye on everything. But right now feeling pretty helpless and hopeless. I didn't think the Algaefix would do this.
 
Did you do a large water change. It will help to dilute the chemical. Also run some polyfilter.
If it were me I would move the corals that are affected until things stablize. If the other systems can handle the load
 
I have used algaefix with no problems colors did fade altittle but no dying off
 
I think you need to do a much bigger water change. Like a 20g water change on the 40g.
 
Yes, I'm mixing up some more water and gonna do another change. The way it looks is the damage has already been done...like it's a slow, inevitable death. The discoloring starts at the bottom, works its way up and once it hits the top poof meltdown. Actually looks like it takes a few days, too. So I'm going to take a few more frags off the tops where the branches still look healthy.

The mushrooms, tubipora and zoas in my other tank look fine, and the caps look good, just the acros. I thought at first it was the emerald crabs that were picking at them, which they were, so they've been removed.
 
I would move them all to another tank, you see what happens when you don't so try a different approach....it can't hurt. [smilie=wink.gif]

Cheers,
 
Deb - I'm sorry to hear about this

I suspect it was the sand bed. Disturbing a sand bed will release and kill the anearobic bacteria, resulting in an ammonia spike. Even a small spike can be fatal to many corals (especially sps)
 
Is this the same tank where the thermometer broke?

I would frag off healthy pieces and move to the qt tank. For me I would measure for stray voltage and put carbon and poly filter to see what it picks up
 
So as to sort out my tanks.

My 40 gallon SPS and my 15 gallon frag tank are the ones with the issues. They are the only two tanks I treated with Algaefix. The only corals affected so far are Acropora... so far no issues with Monti caps, Purple Haze Montiopra, Porites, and Pavona. Also no issues with plate corals, tubipora, mushrooms or zoas in those two tanks.

As of this morning:
The blue tort is toast - it's in the 40 gallon.. I've cut off 3 more frags from the tips.
The3 green birdsnest colonies are all toast - they're in the 15 gallon... I cut 1 frag from one colony.
The pink milli in the 15 gallon is toast
The blue digitata is toast - 15 gallon

Water in 15 gallon appears a bit milky, not a lot but it has a very faint white hue to it.
Water in the 40 gallon is crystal clear. Right now both tanks are going through water changes.

My 60 gallon is predominately soft corals, that's where the thermometer broke, it is fine. Most of my SPS frags I'm trying to save are in that tank now.

Pete I monitored nitrates and ammonia and neither registered in the 40 gallon. I thought maybe it stressed the corals and adding the algaefix was the icing on the cake, but this doesn't explain the 15 gallon where I didn't do any major changes, just added the Algaefix.

I've changed from B-Ionic to Bulk Reef Supply 2 part, so I've been monitoring those really, really close till I get the right dose figured out. The numbers have been the best they've ever been. With 4 tanks and a QT tank I've run all the possibilities everything points to Algaefix. For whatever reason my acros in those two tanks couldn't handle it.

Here's the blue tort. As of last night only about 1/8 inch of the base was missing tissue. As of this morning it's working its way up.
 
it does sound like the algeafix . i did some reading on it but haven't found any issues about it yet, i'll keep looking as time permits
 
Thanks Pete. Just found my emerald crab in the 15 gallon dead. So far the peppermint shrimp, snails and Royal Gramma are okay.
 
Myself and mbz use algaefix he uses reg dosage I do double dosage with nothing dying except the nuisance algae. Algaefix is herbicide but really in a small dosage.
 
Pampee, I know, lots of people use it with no issues. That's why I had no problem dosing it in my tanks. And in research haven't found where somebody had their SPS dying. And as far as killing the algae in my 15, it's gone. Even the few nuisance bubble algae in there died. So the stuff does work. But why it affected the corals I'm clueless.

So far all the frags in the 60 from the dying colonies look good. Just pulled the pink milli colony from the 15 gallon it's bleaching.
 
My thought are that when it kills the algae it turns it to nitrates or phosphates as my skimmer pulled out some nasty stuff when I used algaefix. If you are running macroalgae might check to see if it went asexual also
 
So those last big water changes seemed to take care of it. By last night the blue tort was rapidly losing tissue so I pulled it, but I did get 4 nice frags from it. All the frags I pulled from the colonies that died so far look good. The Turaki is still in the tank, not looking great but not seeing any tissue coming off. The only coral still not looking good is the blue milli.

I hadn't thought about it at the time I used it, but I've had this bottle a while and I checked last night, a code on the bottle ends in 1007 which I would think is the expiry date. That may have been the problem.

So although most of the main colonies were lost, I still have the frags, and an opportunity to re-scape the two tanks.

Thank you everyone for all the different suggestions on what it could be.
 
I used the algaefix and all my fish died but two out of 9. (two perc clowns, yellow tang, 3 blue chromis, my fav a green and red fat mandarin) The only two that lived were a Bangaii Cardinal and a rainbow watchman goby. Alot corals bleached, died, discolored. Snails all dead...surprisingly both shrimps( coral banded and cleaner) and starfish lived. Major mess! Tank foamed and foamed for days with skimmer off. I say skimmer off but i mean letting it overflow...thinking maybe it will aireate it some?...did water changes and finally turned skimmer back on after about 3 days and it still foamed like all heck. More water changes...still foaming...more water changes...helped. Finally under control two weeks later. My tank looks baron....but what the heck i guess i will start all over. What else can i do. I think the oxygen goes down to nill and kills all the fish or maybe a spike in something. Dont test never have except salinity, nitrates and ammonia... I just know i wont use it again. I went by the directions. SO who knows. If this helps any all my fish were either under a reef rock or stuck in a reef rock...the dead ones. As of today though the tank is pretty much clear of any alage. So i guess it worked....there are a few different brands of this stuff i have seen. I used the one in the red package. Got it from DNA. I had some annoying shrooms, not anymore. Well they might regrown in time. Sorry to hear you had such trouble hope your tank gets back to normal soon. Me.. im looking on the bright side, blaming it on global warming. I cant tell you how depressed i was...i think you all know.
 
Saltpro, I'm so sorry for your losses. The product I used was API Algaefix and it was outdated which may or may not have contributed. I've used it a few years back with no problems. I lost a cleaner shrimp this morning, but unsure why it died. It was looking pale and hanging upside down but almost motionless so I moved it into a breeder container to observe. It was pretty weak as I moved him with my hand easily. He died an hour later. But the other cleaner shrimp is fine so far. I don't think the product itself is bad. Too many people use it without issues. That said everybody's tank is different and it's impossible for a company to replicate every possible scenario in testing their product. Good luck with your tank.
 
Deb,

I sent you a PM. FWIW, I've used Algaefix for some dictoyota algae that I got from Robert. I've dosed higher than reccomended and I've never had any issues with color or coral health. Great product.
 
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