All of my coral died

[Sniperhank]

Since switching over to my 55 on Thursday, all of my corals have died after expelling their zoo. I'm assuming this is what it was as it was all brown and stringy. All corals lost were LPS.

Parameters:
Salinity 1.031 a tad high, but bringing it down and shouldn't be cause of death in such a short period of time
Temp 78
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Copper Negative

I'm at a loss. Lighting is 2 Radions running at 10%. They slowly start coming on around 7 and then work their way off at 7. Only other inhabitants of the tank are an indigo dottyback, some nerite snails, and a couple blue legged hermits that aren't showing any signs of stress.

The corals that were added on Thursday, acan, chalice, and worm brain were starting to show signs of stress and either bleaching or expelling their zoo. I moved them into my 36 and placed them in the middle of the tank, 4 bulb T5HO. All corals in the 55 were located in the sandbed.

Any ideas here? I've run out as to why corals that were doing fine or thriving in my 36 have now perished in under 2 days in the new tank. The 55 has an attached fuge w/ cheato (24 hr lighting) and runs carbon and pfo.

 

[melosu58]

Just thinking out loud but I would take your water to another tester to make sure there is no problem with yours. Also do you have a ground probe in your tank in case there is some stray electricity in the tank. Also the higher the salinity the less oxygen in the tank. I would move it slowly down to 1.025. Sorry about what happened.

 

[mr_X]

Were you running GFO (I'm assuming that's what you meant) on the other tank? Was the PH of both tanks the same?

 

[Sniperhank]

No GFO on the othe tank. Ph is the same, both tanks sit at 8.

Voltage might be a viable idea here. I shocked myself when I first went to take my remaining corals out this morning. No ground probe though...if thats the case I might have to burn my LFS down since I picked up a heater from them that has done nothing but frustrate me. When I get home I'll switch out the heater with one that came with the tank if I get shocked when I get home. Still odd though, that was the first time it did that in the 2 months its been up and running.

I'm aware also about the salinity and it is on its way down. Just with doing 15 hours yesterday at work and now 7-3 today I haven't had time to do another PWC. I have the water already mixed up for it.

 

[mr_X]

I don't think it was the salinity. I rented a booth at MACNA when it was in Atlantic City, NJ a couple years ago and set up a big coral tank. Someone (can't remember who at the moment) donated all of the water. This was supposed to be natural sea water so I didn't even think to check the salinity. It was cloudy and all of the corals were sliming, and showing their objections. 2 days we all (the entire convention) suffered with ugly corals until someone decided to check the salinity. My point is, 2 days under higher salinity and no one lost anything. That water was .033.

 

[Sniperhank]

Agreed. All of the corals that died were in my 36 and lived through my salinity being higher than .030 for months until I got my refractometer. But like stated, it is on its way down.

Would stray voltage hit the coral and not the snails and hermits? They would be grounded, so I don't think it would be voltage because of this. Also in hindsight that testing the copper was a waste of time as it would have done the inverts in too...and def not that quickly. I'm just at a loss as what caused it.

I temp acclimated them for 2 hours floating and lights were turned off, not coming back on till tomorrow.

 

[Sniperhank]

I could simply test for stray voltage with a voltmeter right? Just stick each probe at different ends of the tank.

 

[grinder]

I could simply test for stray voltage with a voltmeter right? Just stick each probe at different ends of the tank.

No,you would test for voltage by sticking on lead (probe) in the neutral side of an electrical outlet and the other lead in the tank water.Start at least at the 120v range,then continue checking (each lower voltage setting on your meter) all the way down to millivolts.If voltage is found,thats probably your culprit.You can unplug all electric equipment one at a time to find which one is causing the trouble (sounds like i'd start with your heater,lol)

 

[Sniperhank]

But if it was an electric current, the inverts would also be dead due to also being grounded.

 

[grinder]

But if it was an electric current, the inverts would also be dead due to also being grounded.

It would depend on how much voltage there is and is it full time or off and on (such as your heater turning on/off)? I was also just answering your question on how to properly test for voltage in a tank,not trying to pin point your issue.But it does sound like a likely cause.

On another note,you mentioned your parameters,but where is your mag/cal/alk at? I'm curious,at your SG,if alk might have a factor in this since it was just lps that died.Although i would think your inverts would have troubles here too.

 

[Sniperhank]

I haven't bothered testing it TBH. With all the coral dying at once my water went to ****, my skimmer went nuts, and I had a cyano bloom. So I've been cleaning that up. And it wasn't just the LPS that died. I had 2 rics in there that I'm hoping pull through. They were orange, they are currently grey. I also had a pink birds nest in there that kicked the bucket. Just most of my tank was LPS.

 

[Innovator]

Your original post stated "since switching over to my 55" so does that mean you also switched out your sandbed too? New tank cleaned with chemicals prior to?

 

[cosmo]

If you're getting "shocked" when you put your hand in the tank, no wonder things are dying. I'd pin point that ASAP. And like previously stated, when you moved over your tank, how did ya do it? Its really weird for hardy corals like those to die that quick. I'd get a second opinion on your water param's! Something ain't right.

 

[Sniperhank]

The sand was not switched, it is a brand new sand bed. Rock was the only biological filter that was switched over. The sump was also originally attached to the 36, but is now plumbed into the 55.

It was simple to pin point where the issue was, it was my heater. I have again tested my parameters and they are all at 0. Still concerned of course, but the inverts in the 55 continue to go about their day without an issue. Should I move the 3 remaining corals back to the 55? My current thought is to keep them in the 36 for a week so not to stress them out more than I have to. Still worried that they will not pull through, hard to tell at this point if they have stopped spitting their zoo/bleaching.

They are under 4 T5HO in the 36, chalice and acan are on sandbed and the wormbrain is about halfway up.

 

[Sniperhank]

Update. Got up and did some more testing to my tank.
kH-8
Calcium- 400
Phosphate- 0
Nitrate- 0
pH- 7.8

All of those I wasn't surprised by except my pH, but I just realized it is 730 in the morning and that it will go up as the day goes on. My backup heater is turned all the way up and is unable to get my tank above 72 degrees. Will be getting a new one today when I go for groceries. We have any other ideas here?