A little help please. Monti's slowly dieing

[ou812pezz]

My caps and digi's recently have started to slowly die. Its starts with a white spot and by the end of the week it's all white. I don't see anything visible on the live or dead pieces. My other Sps and Lps are fine. Tested my water parameters and they are in range. I noticed a few times that the PH would spike in the evenings to 9.? but generally it stays at 8.2. I'll recalibrate my probe before I trust that to be accurate. Has anyone had a similar situation? I'm running carbon and have done a 25% water change.

[JimD]

Since it seems to be Monti specific, Im gonna have to suggest Monti eating nudis. When yo say "die" what eactly are the symptoms? Montis are usualy pretty tough.

[ou812pezz]

I'm assuming dead because all thats left is a white polypless skeleton. Are you able to see nudis?

[Ross]

yes, normally but they are very small. I'd pull the surviving ones out and do a good lugols dip

[ou812pezz]

started dipping an hour ago but the caps are fused to the rock. I clipped some mushrooms off some rocks in the tank as well as some palys. Is it possible the toxic slime from these could have caused this?

[Instar]

I clipped some mushrooms off some rocks in the tank as well as some palys. Is it possible the toxic slime from these could have caused this?

Absolutely! Montipora's have severe allergic reactions to the chemicals of several other species of corals, particularly some of the soft corals. This can even happen just simply because they are in the same tank even when they are not aggrivated by something such as fraggin' in the tank. Palys are extremely toxic and all corals should be fragged out side the tank, rinsed in salt water and then put back in. I suggest you run carbon and do some water changes but it may be too late from the sounds of it for your Monti's. Once they have a servere allergic reaction and are all white, that can be the end. If they don't over grow with algae and you get the situation reversed completely soon enough, occassionally they will grow back from the withdrawn polyps within the skeleton. It's not necessarily an allergic reaction, so take the time to rule out adding some other thing in there with a frag from someone or somewhere too, just to be safe.

Next is the pH of 9.0 - that is possible with a macro refugium and lots of light all day on the same cycle as the tank. Or combined with buffer additions plus the algae's photosynthesis process.

[ou812pezz]

Thanks instar, that's a big help. I'll have to find another way to groom unwanted growth. I inspected the corals and dipped them. No bugs or eggs.
Just so happens I have a macro fuge as well. Is there a way to counter such a large fluctuation in ph?

[z28pwr]

Thanks instar, that's a big help. I'll have to find another way to groom unwanted growth. I inspected the corals and dipped them. No bugs or eggs.
Just so happens I have a macro fuge as well. Is there a way to counter such a large fluctuation in ph?


Put a light in your refugium and leave it off while your main tank light is on, then when your tank light goes off turn on your refugium light and vice a versa, that way there is always light somewhere, either in the fuge or the tank but not both at the same time.

[Instar]

that way there is always light somewhere, either in the fuge or the tank but not both at the same time.

That is correct for the opposing photo periods and really is the preferred method to keep the pH from swinging. The CO2 vs O2 making cycles will counter each other in the two different tanks that way and keep the pH up but should not spike it like that.

[ou812pezz]

I have been doing that actually.

[Instar]

Check different places in the system at several times during the day to try and determine where exactly the pH is getting too high first. It may give clues to the source. Then try thinning the macro out a little. Then monitor the pH at different times. If it is still swinging too high, check the affluent of the macro fuge to be sure that is the source. If it checks out, then try adjusting the lights for a slightly shorter time. Take it slow in case it doesn't need much adjusting.

Do you have a control to be sure your test kit is reading properly?

[z28pwr]

Las time I had large PH swings like that was because my PH Probe needed replacement. Like Larry said make sure your measuring system is not the one at fault.

[ou812pezz]

I'm using a pinpoint electronic monitor. I'll recalibrate it. It's only 5 months old. I do have a lot of cheato though. I'll thin that as well. Thanks guys.