Think I'm about to have my first fatality :(

[TwistedMind]

So, this was a pink birdsnest Frag yesterday, as you can see, I think I killed it all. Sigh, Lps and Nem has been doing so well in my tank I thought I should try SPS, apperently one doesn't correlate to the health of the other.


dieing.jpg

[allan]

I've had such a hard time with pink birds nest.... I've gotten them to a certain size, bam, done. I'd break off a few pieces, two would survive, cycle would repeat.

I've been keeping my last frag for the last year and so far so good. It's delicate enough that I'd not purchase another if I ever lose this one.

Sorry to hear about that though.

[TwistedMind]

I dont think i will be buying anymore SPS. This kind of depresses me. Not a huge $$ lose, only paid 30 bucks for that huge frag but I don't like dead things.

So my understanding is it isn't really 100% dead until its been skelaton for a couple of months right? It's still got some tissue clinging in a couple of places so I am hoping it will still pull through.

Are there any SPS that are more forgiving? I thought birdsnest was a easy one but I may have gotten my information turned around somewhere.

[FireWater]

Sps can be wicked at times. Like Allan I have some colonies that have rtn'ed for no reason at all.

Can't really tell from the pic, but how did you mount that frag? Any chance it was loose and rubbed on the live rock around it?

[Scutterborn]

I think maybe green birds nest is a bit more forgiving. I'll frag some up for ya free of charge and when we cross paths, it's yours.


-Ben-

[Fishstix@JewelsOfTheSea]

Same here, I've had a pink birdnest that was doing well and grew very large. Then one day had some white showing then it infected the entire nest. Before I knew it about 90% died but luckily I cut a small frag off and placed it in another tank. The bird nest made a recovery and was able to put back into the tank and it took off. I've noticed in my experience, the thinner the branches of an SPS, the more difficult they are to bring back from whiting out. Again this is just my experience.

[sergiotami]

Sorry to hear about your birds nest... How old is your tank, how often do you change your water, what kind of lighting do u have? Just curious? My 90 gallon Oceanic has been running for three years, recently crashed when I changed my pump and sump, crashed because I stirred the sand and had an ammonia spike that killed all my sps, now when I do water changes I run carbon in a canister filter to prevent this, but what I'm getting at, is, they've all been replaced and are growing like crazy...I can hook u up w some small frags for Free if u'd like to try again... Alot of the fellow forum members were Great in helping me when my tank crashed, least I can do is help a fellow member...

[TwistedMind]

Thanks for the words of encouragment.

The tank is still very new, 3.5 months give or take.

Sal 1.023 ( I thought it was 1.026 but I got some calibration fluid in yesterday and I was running hypo and didn't realize it ) May be why the Birdsnest crashed ( It was also fresh cut ) another possability
ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 10
cal 480
mag ?? I don't have a test and can't find one locally
po3/4 was .25
DKH 8-9
temp 79-80
Lighting Maxspec Mazzara P LED 2 modules with 100 degree optics ( Might be another reason for the coral bleaching, was under MH in the LFS )
on a 75 gallon display with a 55 gallon sump running approx 35 gallons volume

I haven't been running, but I just put my GFO and Carbon online today, seperate fluidization reactors running in series

[OrionN]

Bird nest is a harder SPS. They don't encrust much but just grow. I would try to get hardier SPS. I am in Corpus, if you want get in toudh with me and I can give you a few SPS frags. I brought a bunch of Green Acropora that is very hardy to GCReef about 2 weeks ago. They do not have them under enough light and Bright green with orange tip turned to brownish green. If you can get a piece of that, it will do very well. Almost indestructable.
What do you use to check salinity? If you don't already have a refractometer, I would spend 40 dollars and order one online. You don't have to have calibration fluid. Just use RO water (or even tab water) to calibrate you refractometer.