Dieing SPS

Milad · #1 06-02-2011, 03:13 AM

A few months ago I purchased some SPS from someone. As I was putting one of the SPS pieces in, i dropped it and it broke in a few pieces but I still put most of it back in.

A few weeks goes by and it looked like it was doing fine and then boom, white in one day.

Next SPS that ive had for about 8 months which was around 8inches wide turns white in one day.

Last week, one more of my sps goes white and today another went white.

Any ideas what could be causing it? All of them look like they encrusting at the base, growing at the tips. Could it be because of high calcium? Should I be looking out for some critters? Should I changed my lighting faster (150mh that are almost 2 years old, i know i know)?

Nitrates 0
Phosphates 0
calcium 450
Alk 8.7
K 450

chris88 · #2 06-02-2011, 04:06 AM

critters are not going to take down a large colony in one day. it sounds like rtn or a beacking episode. a contaminent may have enterd your tank. Something like a rusting metal or copper may cause sps to bleach that fast, or a really high ammonium spike could do the trick as well. its hard to say becuase it could be any number of things. that is kind of the risk you run with trying to sps. they will be great forever and then one die out fo norwhere they might die.

whatcaneyedo · #3 06-02-2011, 04:08 AM

It could be the old bulbs. Swapping them out for new ones won't bring anything back from the dead. But I'd do it anyways.

What is your flow like? I've found that many species of coral both soft and stony can appear to do fine for months with inadequate flow and then suddenly die.

Double check your salinity and temperature just to be sure. My old Neptune controller was once out by 2 or 3º which caused me some problems until I re-calibrated it.

Milad · #4 06-02-2011, 04:26 AM

flow is high. two tunze 6105s and 1 large wavebox

double checked temp and salinity, 78 degrees and 1.025

I guess ill just speed up this major light change

lastlight · #5 06-02-2011, 06:30 AM

Your light upgrade is LED tho. Personally I'd want to make sure I knew what was up currently before throwing another wildcard in there.

SeaHorse_Fanatic · #6 06-02-2011, 09:25 AM

If you change out your MH bulbs, make sure you don't light shock the corals. Add egg crate or raise the lights or reduce photoperiod for a week or two.

wickedfrags · #7 06-02-2011, 01:01 PM

sometimes SPS just go white...............I had a tank with perhaps 125 different SPS, and if 90-95% were happy, well the tank is doing fine IME. remember that these corals come from all over the world, and it is impossible for them to all be in their ideal environment as it pertains to light, current, salinity water temperature etc.

whatcaneyedo · #8 06-02-2011, 01:05 PM

I guess I should have asked, when you say they go white do you mean they're bleaching or is the flesh disappearing to reveal the white skeleton underneath?

fishytime · #9 06-02-2011, 01:13 PM

I doubt very much that old bulbs would cause rtn......maybe loss of color or browning, but not rtn ( if thats whats happening).....your calcium is a bit high and that could be the cause.........whats your Mg at?

gobytron · #10 06-02-2011, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fishytime

I doubt very much that old bulbs would cause rtn......maybe loss of color or browning, but not rtn ( if thats whats happening).....your calcium is a bit high and that could be the cause.........whats your Mg at?

+1

I find alk/ca are usually the culprits in my own experience.