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Unread 05/28/2008, 11:21 AM   #1
ktar
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Help Chalices are Melting Away.

I have had two of my favorite chalice or echino melted away. It would first recede on only one side of the chalice and then the side that is receding will separate from the skeleton and then the echino will start to melt and soon nothing but skeleton.
i been testing all parameter for like two weeks now and nothing has been off. i dont water changes and still no luck any idea what is going on. I also have a nice lobo that is receding also. Not all the Lps are doing this only some. Mainly my lobo and chalices. Here are my parameters

Alk: 10
Cal: 400
Mag: 1350
temp 78-80 degrees
salt: 1.024
nitrate: .10

My LFS is experiencing the same thing he has lost to colony of his echino and all his acan has melted away also. Forgot to add i have two colony of aussie acan melted away also in the past three week.


I have tried to dip in Tmpcc and nothing no effect of recovery. Any suggestion will be helpful.


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Unread 05/28/2008, 11:48 AM   #2
Emc2
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Ktar, I don't have a clue whats going on but I'm so sorry. I hope your able to stop it. Have you thought about fragging healthy portions and isolating them?

Erin


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Unread 05/28/2008, 12:21 PM   #3
ktar
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i tried it but it did not stop the receding it not doing it with all the chalice just some.


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Unread 05/28/2008, 01:41 PM   #4
maxheadroom
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do you get your water from your LFS?


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Unread 05/28/2008, 02:14 PM   #5
ktar
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no from home. do you guys think it could be some kind of bacteria or parasite. i am planning on getting a uv sterlizer for my tank. i hope something works i am losing alot of corals.


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Unread 05/28/2008, 02:18 PM   #6
Justin74
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Do you think there may have been a shift in your alkalinity within this past month? 10 is ok, lil high for me, but sweet numbers are only relative to what they were and have been. If last month your tank was being kept stable at 7-8 then something changed to push it up to 10 that could be an issue. Although 10 is considered within a good range of dkH; the jump of 2-3 pts within a short period of time isnt. This may not be the case at all, but since your perameters are presently pretty spot on, seems like the only thing you can do is look back at what may have been different up to this point..Any ideas we can work with?

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Unread 05/28/2008, 02:24 PM   #7
Emc2
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I'm also wondering if the water temps have been stable. It's a tough time of year to keep things in kilter. The swings in my tank have been pretty dramatic despite central air.


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Unread 05/28/2008, 02:58 PM   #8
texasarrowhead
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Hope it wasn't the Melting pot!


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Unread 05/28/2008, 04:35 PM   #9
ReefMonger
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I have had that happen to my chalices and some favias and lords. The only thing I found that worked was an interceptor treatment.
Do your echinos have a white line around the receding parts?


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Unread 05/28/2008, 04:44 PM   #10
Justin74
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Quote:
Originally posted by ReefMonger
I have had that happen to my chalices and some favias and lords. The only thing I found that worked was an interceptor treatment.
Do your echinos have a white line around the receding parts?
what made you try that in the first place out of curiosity? Is your thinking it could be a parasite like red bugs?

-Justin


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Unread 05/28/2008, 05:20 PM   #11
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Mine is doing the same thing... could this be a seasonal thing? How about a foreign parasite that is coming from Australia? Here is a pic of my Hillae... I would hate to lose this colony!!!!! Please help




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Unread 05/28/2008, 05:26 PM   #12
roktsintst
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I have that white line down the middle of my bazooka joe. I have no idea what it is it just appeared one day. And my joe hasn't looked too good for a while now????


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Unread 05/28/2008, 07:01 PM   #13
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Bazooka joe was the first chalice to go for me too. i am losing my mummy eye also and half of my orange sherbert is dying. i have my water parameter check every week sometime every nite when i see thing not doing so great. i have central air and it has been 70 all year round in my apartment and both tank are set for 78 degrees the most i seen my tank is at 82 degrees and that just sometimes when the kids shut off AC. I lost two colonies of aussie acan they just melt away. i tried to dip and nothing seem to work. i am pretty sure that is not my water quality. My LFS guy is having the same problem, i just found out from him that he think is some kind of aussie parasite and the UV sterilizer should take care of it. He just put in a UV sterilizer and 24 hours later everything seem to be doing better. He has lost over half of his acan in his display tank. i will check for the white line when i get home tonite. thanks for all the help so far guys and gals. Patedship that is exactly how my acan look when it starting to recede and then it just melted away in like a week and nothing stop the receding.


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Unread 05/28/2008, 08:57 PM   #14
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Well it looks like I will be getting a UV very soon.


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Unread 05/28/2008, 10:01 PM   #15
ReefMonger
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UV sterilzer didnt do jack for my tank. The parasites have to be in the water column for the sterilizer to work. The parasites are going to be on the coral.

Justin,
I decided to try interceptor on my tank because I had tried everything else under the sun to save my corals. I lost an easy $2500 worth of echinos and lords and micros. I had tried
Iodine Dips
Freshwater Dips
Peroxide Dips
Sterilizers
Lots of water changes

Nothing seemed to work and all my echinos had this white mucusy line on it and my echinos would have those little white threads that come out of corals when they are irritated. I would lose 1/4-1/2 in of flesh in a day so that only thing I could think of that would do that is a parasite. I figured what the heck Ill try interceptor its not going to hurt anything. A day after I did it the white mucus lines at the point of recession were gone and by the 3rd day I say the flesh puffy back up and the recession stopped.
I have since done it a few other times with pretty good success

I did 2 of the large tablets in my 180


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Unread 05/28/2008, 10:33 PM   #16
Ian
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Just wondering... Do you guys dip your LPS before it enters the tank??


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Unread 05/29/2008, 12:52 AM   #17
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This is crazy. In the last month, I lost a chalice and two acan lord colonies. The chalice piece melted away in 2 days. I fragged it and I have about 1/4 of it saved. It stopped receeding, we'll see if it makes it. Same with the acans. I saved 1 polyp from 1, and 2 polyps of the other.


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Unread 05/29/2008, 12:54 AM   #18
All Delight
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Quote:
Originally posted by bigian
Just wondering... Do you guys dip your LPS before it enters the tank??
I do


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Unread 05/29/2008, 12:55 AM   #19
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Sorry but that UV idea is pure coincidental. If it was a parasite feeding on LPS why would they stop and swim around to be zapped by the UV? Not hardly, there gonna sit there fat buts down till the food is all gone. Thats there nature.

On a grand scale this? What is your level of phosphates? Considerable algae or cyano/diatom bloom recently?

With an alk of 10 what's your pH?

Not to be rude, your LFS may be the coolest dude on earth. But I think you need to make sure you cover all your bases before chasin ghosts that you dont even know exist. To me this sounds of phosphates and/or alk flux with pH burns without knowing more..

-Justin


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Unread 05/29/2008, 01:47 AM   #20
ianiwane
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Just a crazy question, to all the people that are loosing stuff, what salt are all you guys using?


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Unread 05/29/2008, 02:01 AM   #21
Justin74
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Quote:
Originally posted by ianiwane
Just a crazy question, to all the people that are loosing stuff, what salt are all you guys using?
Actually that's pretty good, could be the common link between him and the fish store?

-Justin


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Unread 05/29/2008, 08:02 AM   #22
roktsintst
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I have been struggling to keep my alk up. I just checked it after getting back into town and it was at 7. my kalk rx just came in so i put that online yesterday to help my reactor. No ph swing though and i use reef crystals for salt.


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Unread 05/29/2008, 08:34 AM   #23
ktar
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I use Reef Crystals salt mix. I think that the local fish guy is just trying to help any idea rite now will be helpful. i am losing some very hard to get corals and i dont think i can even get it again if it dies. My Ph is at 8 and i really dont know what my phosphate is at rite now i did not check that. Not to be rude but i have been in the hobby for about 6 years now and this has never happen where things are just dying for no reason or a reason where i can not seem to pinpoint. That is why i am posted on the site to see if anyone has any clue. I am not the only facing this situation i am pretty sure there are other whom has this problem too just dont want to speak up. I personally check my water parameter every week and since this has happen i have been checking everyday and all parameter seem to be fine but things are still receding and not all just some. One chalice down it moves on to the next that is why i was thinking it could be parasite. As of rite now i will try anything to try and save my collection of LPS. No SPS is affected at all. ReefMOnger thanks for the info on the interceptor i will give that a try too. Thanks for the help so far.


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Unread 05/29/2008, 09:01 AM   #24
All Delight
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Quote:
Originally posted by ianiwane
Just a crazy question, to all the people that are loosing stuff, what salt are all you guys using?
I buy mine mixed from the LFS, Tropic Marine non pro


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Unread 05/29/2008, 10:34 AM   #25
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I use Tropic Marin Pro, mix it myself. One of my buddies has a diamond band saw and I may be going over there to cut off the infected parts of the coral.


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