It's been a tough year

sb1227 · Post by **sb1227** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 8:46 pm

I am at that "don't know if I can do it anymore" point. I have no idea...have bruised my brain trying to figure out what may have caused what's going on right now and I can't come up with anything solid. Maybe it's the culmination of stresses from the storms coupled with the parasite issue earlier this year. Who knows...but I almost wish a storm had come thru and wiped out everything in a much less painful manner.

So I've lost probably 30 to 40% of my Acroporas in the last few weeks. STN.....painfully slow tissue necrosis. It is amazingly difficult to watch loved animals slowly die, and I've tried everything I know to try...can't find any parasites, a few red bugs...but they don't cause this. I even treated them to see if they would perk up to no avail. I have wondered if it could be a problem with my sand bed, had I not had the new tank sitting I would have switched it out this year. Or if it could possibly be an effect of possible toxins due to an unusual type of cyanobacteria that plauged the tank for a short time (99% gone now). I've upped the water changes for lack of anything else to do. Some of these corals have been in my tank for years, I'm utterly sick and disgusted. The really hard part for me is I can tell now that a number have begun the process of STN...corals I got a few years ago dying from the LFS that grew to be healthy, beautiful Acroporas. And for those of you who don't know me, my Acroporas and Montiporas were my joy.

So far, the other corals are doing ok....

Irony loves me, I think. This began just as I had set up the new tank. I can't do the move for at least a couple of weeks, as I have to brace the floor joists and my work schedule is hectic for the next two weeks. So I guess....
I just take what, if anything is still alive as soon as I can move tanks.

I don't know if I have the heart to do any more SPS for some time....I'm sure I will someday, so any of you who have gotten frags from my tank, if they are still alive and growing.. keep me in mind for a frag someday. Sorry for the whining, but the final straw came tonite when one of my oldest corals started STN. Most people really don't understand the loss quite like other people in this hobby.

Wish us luck.

Redfish · Post by **Redfish** » Sun Aug 06, 2006 3:26 pm

I feel your pain, I have been having my own troubles Sue. Not a lot of coral death, but fish and invert problems. Lots of algae problems as well.

sb1227 · Post by **sb1227** » Sun Aug 06, 2006 8:21 pm

How about your wrasses? I'll try to give you a call Mon or Tues.

I think I may have found at least part of the problem, I had thought about checking the skimmer pump for rusting screws and remembered it had just been replaced with a new pump. While changing the filter sock I noticed my ground probe, an old stainless one and yep, it had some good corrosion on it. I changed some water, put new carbon in and put a titanium probe in. I guess I'll try to do another water change tomorrow and just maybe...... what hasn't completely gone will be able to hang in there.

GermanShepherdGirl · Post by **GermanShepherdGirl** » Mon Aug 07, 2006 11:25 pm

Hey Sue,
I'm sorry to hear bout your acro problems. I've been having a problem with one of the acros you gave me. It was doing wonderful and growing then suddenly a couple of weeks ago I noticed none of the polyps on it were out anymore. Then part of it started turning white. Then suddenly the polyps reappeared but not as fully as they once were. So I'm not sure what the deal is. One of the others died within a month or so and the other seems to be doing fine but not as much growth...but still alive. I seem to have better luck with softies and montis. I think I may stick to those.

Redfish · Post by **Redfish** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 10:44 pm

Most of the wrasses are OK. I did lose one of my Regal angels.

casey · Post by **casey** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 2:43 am

Sorry Sue hang in there,I know how bad it hurts.

sb1227 · Post by **sb1227** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 7:16 am

Thanks Casey, it sucks....but I'm resigning myself to it. So far quite a bit has hung in there, but I've lost all of my A. Millipora (except for the blues). The big Secale is gone too, almost cried over that one. Damn shame, some of them were sweet. The rest seem to be holding their own so far.

Brandon · Post by **Brandon** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 8:21 am

You don't think it could be the red bugs do you?
I'm having some real issues with mine to, and to tell the truth most days I don't even have the heart to look at it.

Redfish · Post by **Redfish** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 10:35 am

Sue, I have decided to take all the rock out and "cook" it. Kind of a mini start over. I just wasn't happy. I am going to dip or treat all the corals. I have not been losing sps, but I want to get everything under control. All the sps look funny on eggcrate.

casey · Post by **casey** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 12:18 pm

Well good luck to you Sue and Redfish keep us posted on how it goes.

sb1227 · Post by **sb1227** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 8:44 pm

Brandon: I really don't think the red bugs are the issue, they do stress some of them, mainly the ones with alot of space between the corallites. I've not seen them on the Milliporas. I took the Caroliniana out, treated it and put it in the 40 a while back till I could move it into the new tank. I plan on treating them all before putting them in the new tank. They don't seem to bother Milliporas nearly as much, maybe because they're so "Hairy". That's what makes me so sick, the Milliporas are generally pretty hardy.
Honestly I still can't figure out what may have caused this, but I've done alot of big water changes and it seems to be helping some, or at least I like to think it is.

Phil are you going to treat the Acros in the tank? I'm a big advocate of the single twelve hour treatment and remove them from the tank for 5 days instead of the three treatment regimen if you have another tank to hold them in. You can take the crabs out and put them in plastic bags in the sump for the treatment...get some skeletons and they just hang on to them.

Believe it or not I have much less algae than I've ever had in that tank, go figure.

I can't get past thinking that that bout with the Funky Cyanobacteria had something to do with all this, but can't prove it. It's gone now, but it does spread easily...I'm battling it in the 40 now. I might just have to get violent if this keeps up.

And I thought a year with no storm would make everything better.

sb1227 · Post by **sb1227** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 11:22 am

On a brighter note, it seems like things are looking up. I noticed some growth on one of the Blue Staghorns, most of the Acropora show no more signs of STN, there is one I'm still watching. It has that "look" that they get before tissue damage starts, but so far shows no signs of it. Some actually are starting to look better. One of the blue/purple Millipora still looks very good, the other one bears watching.
All in all I am much more hopeful. I'm just about decided that the trouble stemmed from the corrosion on the ground probe. Many large water changes later, I think the tank water is back to normal enough to support the corals without stress. If my theory is correct, I can say with some conviction that A. Millipora, as hardy as they usually are, do NOT do well with water issues due to metals.
Now I just need to get over the feeling guilty part. Poor Acro crabs are just packed into the colonies I have left that they like.

Bumping into each other and getting a little grumpy. A little peice of mysis now and then seems to keep them happier though.

Redfish · Post by **Redfish** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 1:51 pm

I'll adopt any you don't want!

sb1227 · Post by **sb1227** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 2:14 pm

Somehow I'm not surprised.

I almost called you to take them when it was getting so bad. I knew when they would move from a colony it was a goner. That big A. Secale had three of them in it. They just don't seem as happy in the longer branched Acros. I still have two or three cluster types that they'll hang out in, but you'll be the first one to know if they need a home, AFTER you treat your tank.

casey · Post by **casey** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 3:58 pm

Glad things are looking better Sue.