SPS....HELP! They're all dying!

ouccmich · 06-10-2007, 11:39 AM

Hi everyone,

So I came back from my week in Florida with my dad and sister to find all my SPS dying. My husband doesn't seem to know what I am talking about and he's been taking care of the tank..sort of. All my water testing stuff is in storage still, so I have to run some water up to the LFS tomorrow. Going to do a water change tonight, not sure what is going on. All SPS are over a year old, some older. Never had a problem. 150 gallon AGA, no CLS, 3 400 W MH's (currently bulb in the middle is out and I need to purchase a new one), protein skimmer, refugium, sump, tang tank (lots of tangs---6), 2 large BTAs doing great (these are usually more susceptible to water quality issues). I've heard of RTN coming on and wiping out SPS with no known cause...any suggestions on what I can do and what may have caused the problem?

Currently my 12 inch orange/red plate is almost entirely dead, green slimer lost 1/2 of himself, and 2 large blue SPS tips are white not fluorescent like they normally are. That's all the SPS I have....

Mixed tank otherwise (2 clams, some softies, some SPS, no LPS currently).

HELP!!

Michelle

JY13131 · 06-10-2007, 11:41 AM

Did you have your lights on a timer?

Reef-Keeper · 06-10-2007, 11:42 AM

how old are the bulbs ??

ouccmich · 06-10-2007, 03:11 PM

Yes, the lights are on a timer. Bulbs may need replacing, but would insufficient light make them turn white that quick? I cannot afford to replace 3 400W light bulbs right now..yikes....I bought the system used and he said the lights still had a lot of good life in them, but the one in the middle didn't work, so I'm not sure how old they are...

what r your thoughts?

Wiskey · 06-10-2007, 03:13 PM

I wouldn't jump right to not enough light,.. I would think something in the water,.. or too much light first.

How long have you had these lights? Is it signifigantally more light then what you had before?

Right now I'm thinking something wrong with water perams, or sudden increase in light causing bleaching.

Whiskey

Reef-Keeper · 06-10-2007, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ouccmich

I bought the system used and he said the lights still had a lot of good life in them, but the one in the middle didn't work, so I'm not sure how old they are...

what r your thoughts?

this leads me to believe that Wiskey is on the right track. i did not know that you recently upgraded the lights. how did you acclimate the tank to the new lights ?? screen method, egg crate ?? short to long photo period ??

know-it-all · 06-10-2007, 04:16 PM

how warm did it get in the house?

hng · 06-10-2007, 04:37 PM

What exactly do your sps look like? Can you post a pic?

xtopher · 06-10-2007, 04:47 PM

I will jump on the bandwagon and say too MUCH light.
Out of curiosity why would you need three 400 watt halides on a 150?

xtopher · 06-10-2007, 04:49 PM

BTW halides mostly just change colour spectrum with old age, there's a guy on RC who has been running his halides for 4 yrs.
HTH

hng · 06-10-2007, 09:18 PM

Update?

yellow submarine · 06-10-2007, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ouccmich

......My husband doesn't seem to know what I am talking about and he's been taking care of the tank..sort of.

hate to say this but what's your relationship like with your husband? was he holding a grudge you going out of town without him? does he like having the tank in the house?

I find it ODD that everything was okay for over a year, you leave town and leave hubby in charge......and you return to things dying. I'm not a detective BUT my first instinct is to look at your husband for some ANSWERS.

my guess is that he either:
1) sabotaged your tank out of spite (for some reason), or
2) made an honest mistake by trying to help with tank maintenance and really SCREWED something up by adding TOO MUCH of soemthing and now not owning-up to it.

i'm about 90% sure your HUBBY knows whats going on.....

JY13131 · 06-10-2007, 10:12 PM

That is why I asked if the lights were on a timer

ouccmich · 06-10-2007, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wiskey

I wouldn't jump right to not enough light,.. I would think something in the water,.. or too much light first.

How long have you had these lights? Is it signifigantally more light then what you had before?

Right now I'm thinking something wrong with water perams, or sudden increase in light causing bleaching.

Whiskey

I didn't recently upgrade the lights. System has been up and running since early March.

ouccmich · 06-10-2007, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yellow submarine

hate to say this but what's your relationship like with your husband? was he holding a grudge you going out of town without him? sabotaging the tank?

STRANGER THINGS HAVE HAPPENED....

I find it ODD that everything was okay for over a year, you leave town and leave hubby in charge......and you return to things dying. I'm not a detective BUT my first instinct is to look at your husband for some ANSWERS.

The relationship with my hubby is great. He doesn't notice things very quickly. He took care of the tank from March until I graduated in May. I fixed the overgrowth of aptasia when I came home that he didn't notice and some of my corals were shoved under the sand on the sandbed 'cuz of my GSM clown....so some of them are gradually coming back. I am used to "fixing" the tank a bit when I come back, but bleached plate coral in large areas (not completely dead...yet) is hard to fix. I am a vet but not a miracle worker! Come on guys! It's not sabotage!....haha!