Sudden coral death

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Dr. Dai Phan

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Jun 13, 2008
Messages
231
Hello all,

Yesterday I experienced my first loss in about a year. The finger coral just turned real dark then flopped over and then disintergrated. This happened in a span of two days. All other corals are doing well. I checked the water and nothing is out of the ordinary except for low calcium at 380. I also had the LFS tested the water and he does not know why the coral died. There was another coral nearby and I wonder if that played a factor in its demise? Please advise. DP
 
I knew that was coming from miles away! DP

It wasn't a joke though...

You've got a tank full of animals that can sense substances on the order of one part per trillion. Most folks strive to keep as many unknowns out of their tank because of the sensitivity of these animals. If you purposefully put things in a tank that are not a normal thing these animals will encounter in the wild, over time, you can probably expect to experience "unexplainable" deaths.
 
What was the other coral that is nearby?

Very similiar to the dead one (either colt or finger coral). The LFS told me that these two are different species but they look very similiar to me. The nearby coral is the one that spreads very fast when placed near by the rocks. When the coral turned dark my initial impression was the light issue but I have 8 T5 bulbs (39-54W) so that can't be it. I knew something was serious when it started to flop over and within hours, a brownish matter started to decompose from the body. My LFS asked me if I add calcium or iodine daily. I said no because I do PWC of 20 gallons every two weeks. He advised me to do Ca and Iodine supplement daily regardless of PWC and maybe that is why my coral died. I don't know if I agree on that one. Maybe you can shread some answers. DP
 
When a leather coral feels encroached upon they will exibit what we call chemical warfare. They will give off a chemical that will warn at the least and kill at the most other corals. This might have been what happened. The best thing to do would be some PWC`s and run some GAC in your tank to remove any of this chemical warfare that was going on. I would not add any iodine to the tank. Your tank gets all the iodine it needs from PWC`s. Now calcium is a different story. Test and see what your calcium levels are.
 
Another coral death

:( Hello all,

Today I noticed my toadstool coral became really dark and slumped over. It has all the signs of the other demise. The other toadstool just a few inches away are doing just fine. I believe this is due to the toxins released by other corals. I just changed 20 gallons so perhaps I should take him out completly and place in another tank? I think I should change another 20 in next few days to reduce the toxin concentration? BTW what is GAC? DP
 
What's the water temp. of your tank? You were asking about flow if I recall, How is that issue?
 
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