What happened?

[DonW]

I get up every day and check my tank and feed fish every other day. Yesterday morning everything looked beautiful. I come home last night 10 hrs later and all my acro colonies are dead and covered in cyno. Only acros, monti caps and digi look fine. Frags are looking great just the larger colonies are effected. I have not touched or change a thing for weeks. I use no chemical additives, no rowa, no kalk or carbon. The skimmer skimmed the same as it always does. Thermometer memory reads temp never went up or down. Water parameters are great except mg was a little low (1100), I dont think that caused it. Nobody was home all day so grandkid to play in the sump. I'm baffeled and see no reason for this.

Any ideas?

Don

 

[reedman]

Man that sucks! Sorry to hear that Don. I have no idea what would cause just acros to die that quick. Hope you can figure it out

 

[kevinpo]

That's terrible Don Usually it has to do with temperature or lighting (they get sunburned). Did you check for a cracked bulb or lens? How long have you had the corals in your tank?

Kevin

 

[DonW]

That's terrible Don Usually it has to do with temperature or lighting (they get sunburned). Did you check for a cracked bulb or lens? How long have you had the corals in your tank?

Kevin

Kevin,

These were in the tank for a few months I'd guess (bad memory) and have grown a few inches each. Bulbs are good 6mo old with no cracks. I did just talk to Mojo about changing my reflectors. Every time I talk to Mojo, something dies or one of my cars break down.

Don

 

[esmith]

That's terrible to hear Don, I'm sorry for your losses.
Out of curiousity, were there any heavy chemicals/paint being used around the tank? I've read about people having chemical fumes leach into there tanks and cause all kinds of untraceable problems.

-Eliyah

 

[DonW]

That's terrible to hear Don, I'm sorry for your losses.
Out of curiousity, were there any heavy chemicals/paint being used around the tank? I've read about people having chemical fumes leach into there tanks and cause all kinds of untraceable problems.

-Eliyah

No, nothing like that. I'd think that if it was MH bulbs the frags in the growout would have burned, their only 3" under the surface.
I've burned corals before but never seen a whole 9" colony die and grow cyno in 10 hrs.

Don

 

[Beeba]

Last summer I had a similar instance only mine was a large rock full of red mushroom corals. By the time I got the cyano to stop coming back on them I had lost over half of them. It was bizarre. I just came home one afternoon and found that rock and the sand right next to it next to the glass was covered in cyano and everthing was dying. My RBTA was drawn into the rock as well. I was able to save a few mushrooms and the RBTA but it was a long few days.

 

[mojoreef]

Oh yea blame it on Mike, lol. Man thats weird Don. Has your PH changed at all?? Thier always has to be a reason?


Mike

 

[DonW]

Oh yea blame it on Mike, lol. Man thats weird Don. Has your PH changed at all?? Thier always has to be a reason?


Mike

Not according to the probe or test kit. Unless it made some drastic swing during the day. That big brown one went from brown to almost all purple and grew 2". Within 24 hours of you leaving my shop driveway it had no tissue and cyno growth. :lol:

Don

 

[sryder]

is it possible one has nothing to do with the other? maybe the cyano was already growing and the corals already dieing? just saying it could be two seperate problems. what I dont know. what i understand is cyano is in there from excess nutrients. would that kill the corals? would they realy cover enough to kill them in 10 hrs? or are they just recessed. clean them off. Are the colors still correct? just some thooughts don.....steve

 

[DonW]

is it possible one has nothing to do with the other? maybe the cyano was already growing and the corals already dieing? just saying it could be two seperate problems. what I dont know. what i understand is cyano is in there from excess nutrients. would that kill the corals? would they realy cover enough to kill them in 10 hrs? or are they just recessed. clean them off. Are the colors still correct? just some thooughts don.....steve

Cyno starts on dead spots like burned or recessed tips. It usually follows death or tissue recession.

Don

 

[reefer]

Sorry about your losses. Are you sure you didn't go on a drunken bing and think you got back 10 hours later? That was really fast

 

[DonW]

Sorry about your losses. Are you sure you didn't go on a drunken bing and think you got back 10 hours later? That was really fast

I dont think so. Havent touched the stuff in the 10 years.

Don

 

[NaH2O]

Don - sorry to hear about the colonies. If mojo is to blame...then maybe he can give you some corals out of his tank. His is too full anyway lolol (ducking for cover ).

I would suspect a major swing of some sort. I don't know too much about RTN, but going off of Mike's thought about a pH swing - I would think a major swing could cause enough stress for the corals to RTN. I just can't figure out what would cause a pH shift and back again to where it is unnoticed. How long have they been in the tank, Don?

 

[DonW]

Don - sorry to hear about the colonies. If mojo is to blame...then maybe he can give you some corals out of his tank. His is too full anyway lolol (ducking for cover ).

I would suspect a major swing of some sort. I don't know too much about RTN, but going off of Mike's thought about a pH swing - I would think a major swing could cause enough stress for the corals to RTN. I just can't figure out what would cause a pH shift and back again to where it is unnoticed. How long have they been in the tank, Don?

Nikki,

Actually the biggest loss was one colony Mojo was kind enough to give me out of his tank. I was most proud of the acro, didnt look like much. Just a plain brown acro that didnt like Mikes tank. It had turned almost all purple and was growing very fast. I just wonder why it happened so fast to only the large corals. I didnt even have time to cut frags to restart. Wierd!

Don

 

[Boomer]

I would suspect, some chemical you can't test, for rose up from the bottom. And "said chemical" did not set well to the acro's liking.

 

[DonW]

I would suspect, some chemical you can't test, for rose up from the bottom. And "said chemical" did not set well to the acro's liking.

Could you explain how this could happen?
Tank is BB with abosolutly no dead spots. I do not have to syphon at all.

Don

 

[Boomer]

No, I can not expalin it Donny I did not know you where BB :lol: BUT something in the water pissed them of

 

[CarlaW]

Don, sorry to hear this, I'll be following along to see if you ever find the resolution.

 

[wrightme43]

That sucks Don. Sorry to hear about it. Did someone spray bug spray or oven cleaner or something the night before. Maybe making them sensitive to light maybe making to much oxy in the tissue? I dont know man, just tossing ideas out. I hope you figure it out. Steve