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LPS Coral Growth Deficiency Investigation. NEED YOUR HELP!


Fiesta_reef_time

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Fiesta_reef_time

Hello All,

 

I've been gone on from home for 4 weeks. I left for two weeks, came back did a waterchange, then left for two weeks again and came back and did a waterchange.

 

In the second leave my goby was killed by a gorilla crab hitchhiker who ate him.

 

Today before my 45% waterchange I measured tank parameters.

 

They are As Follows:

 

Ammonia: 0.30-0.40.

Nitrite and Nitrate: Both 0 PPM

PH: 7.8-8.1

Calcium: Around 540PPM (Which is much higher than it used to be a few months back).

 

For the past 3-4 weeks my frogspawn and anchor coral in particular have been much, much smaller than usual.

 

Here's some photo documentation.

 

This is My Frogspawn Roughly 1 1/2 Months Ago

102nga8.jpg

 

This is My Frogspawn about a Week Ago (Picture Taken By Friend)

24fmej7.jpg

 

This is My Frogspawn directly after the Water Change. It Was just a tiny bit bigger before the WC

2ag6l3t.jpg

 

 

As you can see my frogspawn's (Anchor is somewhat the same) size has SIGNIFICANTLY diminished. I have no clue as to why and I'm really, really worried. My tank parameters didn't look terrible, though I need some conformation on that calcium and ammonia reading.

 

I really want to know if my LPS corals will recover and go back to normal. After today's waterchange I added

1 1/2 capfuls of PRIME for the Ammonia, and fed all my corals "Ultimate Frenzy Coral Growth Formula" (something of which I have only done once or twice before in the past).

 

 

Help me please NR. :(

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jedimasterben

You already know what is wrong, and have started the steps to help rectify it. Whoever watched your tank for you probably overfed by a crazy amount. Now, all you can do is wait.

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jedimasterben
I guess I missed that thread

From the OP:

 

Ammonia: 0.30-0.40

PH: 7.8-8.1

Calcium: Around 540PPM (Which is much higher than it used to be a few months back).

 

 

 

 

Ammonia, fluctuating pH (how long does it take to fluctuate that much?), and high calcium (though that is the least of OP's worries).

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I think he is just ballparking the Ph because its hard to tell the color difference on his kit or something. When you said, "whoever watched your tank for you probably overfed it a crazy amount", I assumed there was a thread somewhere where he mentions a tank sitter and the probability of it being overfed or overdosed (they are two different things)

 

The ammonia is what is most alarming. Still, with calcium that high, it is likely the tank is dosed in excess.

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Fiesta_reef_time
You already know what is wrong, and have started the steps to help rectify it. Whoever watched your tank for you probably overfed by a crazy amount. Now, all you can do is wait.

 

So hopefully my corals will recover?

 

And I am ballparking both the PH and ammonia readings the actual reading should be within those ranges. Its really hard to tell under artificial light, the sun has gone down where I live.

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jedimasterben
I think he is just ballparking the Ph because its hard to tell the color difference on his kit or something. When you said, "whoever watched your tank for you probably overfed it a crazy amount", I assumed there was a thread somewhere where he mentions a tank sitter and the probability of it being overfed or overdosed (they are two different things)

 

The ammonia is what is most alarming. Still, with calcium that high, it is likely the tank is dosed in excess.

Oh, thought you meant something else lol. Nevermind. :)

 

So hopefully my corals will recover?

 

And I am ballparking both the PH and ammonia readings the actual reading should be within those ranges. Its really hard to tell under artificial light, the sun has gone down where I live.

You've done the best you can so far, so now just have to wait. Do another water change in a few days and keep checking the ammonia daily.

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Fiesta_reef_time

Ok. Here the most latest pic of the Frogspawn. Just got back from work and snapped this image 2 min ago.

 

4n6tl.jpg

 

 

So IMO it looks as if it is doing a bit better than yesterday, but definitely not reaching its full potential, same as the anchor in the back. Hopefully this is the first step in a successful recovery. I've yet to do today's ammonia reading, which I'll do later tonight and post results.

 

My tank water also looks kinda murky, even after this waterchange it isn't crystal clear like it always used to be after a waterchange. Anybody have any idea? I bought a UV sterilizer a month back and haven't really noticed it doing its job in making the water clearer. Is there any way to help make my water clearer?

 

But the real question is, Will my LPS recover?

 

Thanks!

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jedimasterben
Ok. Here the most latest pic of the Frogspawn. Just got back from work and snapped this image 2 min ago.

 

4n6tl.jpg

 

 

So IMO it looks as if it is doing a bit better than yesterday, but definitely not reaching its full potential, same as the anchor in the back. Hopefully this is the first step in a successful recovery. I've yet to do today's ammonia reading, which I'll do later tonight and post results.

 

My tank water also looks kinda murky, even after this waterchange it isn't crystal clear like it always used to be after a waterchange. Anybody have any idea? I bought a UV sterilizer a month back and haven't really noticed it doing its job in making the water clearer. Is there any way to help make my water clearer?

 

But the real question is, Will my LPS recover?

 

Thanks!

You probably have a bacterial bloom from the increased ammonia readings (though the bloom would be the bacteria that convert nitrite into nitrate, they replicate significantly faster than the ones that convert ammonia to nitrite), your water may be murky for a while til all this clears itself up.

 

Progress doesn't usually happen overnight. :)

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Fiesta_reef_time

This is starting to get really weird.

 

I tested ammonia today and it was zero. So now I have no idea what the problem could be. And to make it even worse, the frogspawn and anchor were smaller than yesterday. WTF is going on here?

Here's a picture of today's reading:

sxk6s3.jpg

 

 

I have zero clue as to what's going on and have re-titled this thread as an investigation. I really need some help... :unsure:

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Fiesta_reef_time
Eeek. What's your alkalinity level?

 

Thanks for reminding me to test it. Just tested my KH (Alkalinity) and its 165.1 ppm KH (roughly 9dKH). Which I believe is high, so I think this may be the problem. how do I go about lowering it?

 

I don't have a lot of knowledge on Alkalinity. Is it also a very important factor?

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I had the same problem as you it looks like. My frogspawn that was doing absolutely amazing decided one day that it wanted to be "sick". 2 weeks went by, each day it would look worse and worse. Even after water changes, it still would not be its normal happy self. So, I just patiently waited, turn down my powerhead as low as it could go, and now its doing great! since the whole thing happend, it has grown another head. Just give it time. Patience is a virtue.

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Fiesta_reef_time
I had the same problem as you it looks like. My frogspawn that was doing absolutely amazing decided one day that it wanted to be "sick". 2 weeks went by, each day it would look worse and worse. Even after water changes, it still would not be its normal happy self. So, I just patiently waited, turn down my powerhead as low as it could go, and now its doing great! since the whole thing happend, it has grown another head. Just give it time. Patience is a virtue.

:)

Some really supportive words man! I really needed that. I'll take your advice on the powerheads, and just tough it through this hard time. After those two weeks of waiting would you say that you frogspawn looks as good as it did before?

 

light and tank size?

 

The tanks a 10 gal and T5s.

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jedimasterben
CAn't tell for sure if that ammonia reading is zero. But if its not than its super close.

It's not zero.

 

Thanks for reminding me to test it. Just tested my KH (Alkalinity) and its 165.1 ppm KH (roughly 9dKH). Which I believe is high, so I think this may be the problem. how do I go about lowering it?

 

I don't have a lot of knowledge on Alkalinity. Is it also a very important factor?

9dKh is normal, and yes, it is very important.

 

Just give it time. Patience is a virtue.

Listen to this guy.

 

 

Can you an entire round of tests to let us know the numbers? pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, calcium, dKh, magnesium if you've got it.

 

You don't have a growth deficiency, you just have a pissed off coral. They don't like change, so once things get back to the way it was, it will open back up and be ok.

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Fiesta_reef_time
Can you an entire round of tests to let us know the numbers? pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, calcium, dKh, magnesium if you've got it.

 

My Salinity is 1.024~1.025

Temp 82F

Phosphate: 0.05ppm~0.10ppm

 

 

Don't have any other test kits, including magnesium.

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jedimasterben
My Salinity is 1.024~1.025

Temp 82F

Phosphate: 0.20ppm~0.25ppm

 

 

Don't have any other test kits, including magnesium.

:huh:

 

then how did you test before?

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Fiesta_reef_time
:huh:

 

then how did you test before?

 

What do you mean?

I meant I have no other kits besides the ones already tested before and phosphate that I just tested right now.

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jedimasterben
What do you mean?

I meant I have no other kits besides the ones already tested before and phosphate that I just tested right now.

Ok, but you didn't give the results of the other tests you just did. Just because you gave them a couple of days ago doesn't mean they are the same today.

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DreTheReefer

So what is your setup? Wattage of t5s and what type of filtration are you using? Is there an ATO? Was someone watching your tank for you while you were gone? What was the salinity before you did those first 2 water changes? High swings in salinity have bothered my frogspawn in my pico. The only thing I think you can do are a bunch of small water changes and baby the tank and Wait it out. The only thing you can do right now is wait or rush into something and throw things off more.

On another note are you away for a month at a time often? Because if you are this might just be the first Of a lot of issues. Tanks are like children they can't be left alone or in the care of others to long or they just don't grow right.

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It looks better than it did before this happend. Like i said, it has grown another head, and i just looked at it today when i got home from work, and one of the heads is starting to split, and there is 2 more baby heads growing at the base. Don't freak out too much and trying to rescue it. It'll decide what it wants to do. The more you mess with it, the worse it could get.

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Fiesta_reef_time
So what is your setup? Wattage of t5s and what type of filtration are you using? Is there an ATO? Was someone watching your tank for you while you were gone? What was the salinity before you did those first 2 water changes? High swings in salinity have bothered my frogspawn in my pico. The only thing I think you can do are a bunch of small water changes and baby the tank and Wait it out. The only thing you can do right now is wait or rush into something and throw things off more.

On another note are you away for a month at a time often? Because if you are this might just be the first Of a lot of issues. Tanks are like children they can't be left alone or in the care of others to long or they just don't grow right.

 

Don't know what the wattage on the lights is, but its the least of my concerns. They've been good for the last year now so they arent the problem. Filtration is my two Eheim powerheads and a UV sterilizer. Salinity was higher before, like 1.027 because the water level dropped 10% in the time I was gone. But I'm gonna try and stabilize it out again and keep it at 1.025.

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