Coral Problems-Help!

farmrgurl

Hi,
I have a 65g acrylic tank that has been in operation for about a year. I began adding corals last fall and my zoas are thriving, but my hairy mushrooms just shrink and sluff off. Also, My frogspawn and xenia are not doing good. My nitrates got a little high when I went on vacation. (my housesitter did the best he could). When I got back, my frogspawn were shrinking and the xenia went limp. I did a 20% water change tonight and the frogspawn began emitting a slimy/hairy type stuff out of them. Are they beyond hope? I have a bakpak filter/skimmer and a hot magnum cantister. I added purple up and some vitamins. My other parameters are testing fine and the nitrates are going down. Any suggestions???? or, are they goners???? Inverts and fish are fine.

Chitown1

What type of lighting do you have?
Are you testing for phosphates?
I would not say they are beyond hope, I have seen and brought back corals that looked like they were pretty much gone.

farmrgurl

I have a 10,000K daylite and a ultra actinic (power compact) with lunars. Phosphates are not an issue. What do you recommend????

Chitown1

First I would look into supplements, second in order to keep corals you will prob. need to upgrade your lighting, PC fixtures do not have the specteum, intensity or focus to keep corals. They will work fine for a fish only or a FOWLER but corals are much more light needy. If you can afford it look into metal halide, you can get them used from ebay for a good price, if you cant do MH, you can look into T5, but even with them you are limited on the types of corals. In the meantime, raise your corals as high in the tank as you can to get them closer to the fixture.

Achilles

How long have you had these corals and how many watts of compacts do you have. I agree with chitown on the better lights, but The corals you mentioned should do fine under power compacts. Im not trying to argue with chitown, but power compacts with enough wattage works fine for lots of corals. I take care of several tanks for yrs that have only PC's and have those same lights. I think i would look into a different reason for this sudden onset of a problem. Lighting problems usually start with a slow onset of symptoms.
Todd

Chitown1

Corals kept under PC lights may survive for up to a few years, corals under the correct intensity will live for decades, not to mention growth and coloration. Here are a couple good articles on lighting:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2005/12/aafeature2

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-03/atj/index.php



There is a huge difference on using something to get by vs. using what is truely needed.

rayjay

Again, we have multiple opinions on a topic. This does not mean some are wrong and some are right, it only means that what they are saying is true based on their experiences with different hobbyists having different experiences.
In my experience, pc lighting works well enough for the corals mentioned based on London are hobbyists that have been using them since they first came out many years ago.
I use all NO fluorescent lighting for all 13 yrs I've been in the hobby and while I don't keep sps, I keep crocea clams and squamosa clams, anemones, pretty well all types of LPS corals, and softies.
HOWEVER, I saw no mention of wattage of the pc's, nor how many, so if there is only a pc set up suitable for a 20g tank, you cannot expect it to work for a 65g tank. The color temperature is not the determining factor.
In my tanks, while I use NO's, that doesn't mean stick a couple of pairs up and all will be well. My four foot tanks with front to back of about 18" all have 8 NO fluorescent lamps over them.
The same will apply to the pc's in that you have to have enough of them and at a power level suitable for the size of tank being used.
I would be looking for a water quality issue in this problem.
Nitrates alone are unlikely to be the culprit, but it is possible.
Repeated water 25% water changes will take care of the nitrates if the original cause has been taken care of, and, will possibly take care of other problems that may not be as apparent at this time.

rayjay

T5HO lighting WITH proper designed reflectors, especially SLR's (single lamp reflectors) work extremely well for all types of coral we normally keep in our tanks.
Without these proper reflectors, they aren't going to cut the mustard, so to speak, but like NO's, if you have enough of them you will make up a little for the lack of reflectors enough to be able to keep softies and a lot of LPS.
Considering the cost of the extra lamps and ballasts though, it would be more economical to use SLR's.

Achilles

i wished i would have gotten the slr on my t-5's . And i agree with what you say completely. I have several of my own tanks and my 125 reef has metal halide w/ actinic supplement, 70 gal. reef has t-5's and my 29 reef has power compacts. ive seen corals flourish under all types of lighting, when i 1st started with actinic ho only.Not everyone can afford Metal halide and i dont want someone being discuraged and giving up on a reef tank because there told you cant do this or you have to have this. Anything can be done if you know your limitations, i have a purple, yellow and blue hippo all in 1 tank and they get along fine, occasionally they will flap tails, but rarely. they have been together 3 yrs. Also have 3 yellow strip maroons together. I wished everyone could have metal halides, it would be great, But we have to be able to help everyone no matter what they have to get the best from what they can afford.
Todd

Chitown1

Simply put, there is no option for lighting your reef aquarium that is currently available offering as many benefits as metal halide lighting. The preferred lighting for SPS reef tanks the world over, metal halides feature significantly higher PAR (photosynthetically available radiation) than other lighting options; such as VHO (very high output flourescent), PC (power compact flourescent) and the latest entry T5 (narrow bulb, medium output flourescent). This translates into faster growth, brighter colors and overall improved health for photosynthetic organisms. While it is certainly true that there will always be successes with other lighting types, the use of metal halide lighting on reef tanks is undoubtedly the best bet to ensuring success.
Most users of metal halide lighting opt to accentuate the color spectrum of the bulbs by combining them with either VHO or T5 actinic flourescent lighting. Actinic lighting is extremely blue in color, a look that is pleasant to the eye and brings out the luminescence of certain corals and clams.
Metal halide lighting is available in several different types of systems. Metal halide pendants are most popular with reef aquarium users opting not to use a canopy to cover their tank. The primary advantage of this method is temperature control, with an open top allowing maximum air exchange to keep reef tanks cool (particularly an issue with reef aquariums not using expensive chillers). Pendants are often suspended from the ceiling or brackets mounted securely to the wall behind the aquarium.
Pre-assembled metal halide lighting systems are available from many manufacturers that offer an easy solution to reef aquarium lighting; by combining metal halide light bulbs, actinic light bulbs, all necessary ballasts and electronic wiring and usually cooling fans, into a single attractive box to place over the aquarium. These solutions range dramatically in price and quality. These systems are most recommended for reef aquarists who don't tinker, as they do not offer the easy upgrades and updates that the other systems do.
The most popular lighting systems, as well as the most flexible systems, are called retrofit metal halide lighting. Retrofit systems are comprised of a combination of several components; a metal halide ballast, desired spectrum of metal halide bulbs, reflectors and wiring. Many reef hobbyists with canopies over their tanks opt for retrofit lighting solutions, as they offer the greatest flexibility and can be designed to fit within more limited spaces.