Soft corals are slimeing

[bluwtr]

Gerwin, I"v noticed over the past week and a half or so that all of my soft corals keep getting brown stringy crap on them. It almost looks like they are shedding, but if I blast it off it comes back within an hour or so. I've got plenty of flow--2200gph from just powerheads, and my parameters are as follows: Ca 480, Alk 2.9 meq/L, Mg 1305, NH4, NO2, NO3 and PO4 all 0, pH 8.3, SG 1.026 and Temp 82. I changed out GAC and GFO in the media reactor this past weekend. It almost looks like Cyano, but I'm 99% sure it's not. Could it be some sort of bloom due to bulbs needing to be changed? They are all over 6 months old. As a side note, the one SPS and the couple of LPS I have are all doing great and growing well. I will try and throw some pics on later.

Thanks for the advice,

Wes

[Redfish]

Soft corals shed, almost like a lizard and are usely closed up during this period. Is this what you are seeing?

[bluwtr]

No. They've shed before and this is nothing like that. At first that's what I thought it was, but this stringy crap is sticking to my return nozzle as well as a couple of spots on the back glass. It is really wierd. It's not bothering the RBTA, the palys or white finger you gave me or my Pocillopora or red monti cap. I'm kind of lost as to what's going on.

[Gerwin]

tell me exactly what coral are doing this, instead of a broad statement
Thanks

[bluwtr]

Green leather, neon sinularia, white finger leather and Xenia. Attached are some pics but they generally suck--camera is old. The pics of the corals themselves were really bad but here are pics of the sinularia and parts of the tank. I"m wondering if adding a third power head that has much greater flow has just stired up nutirnets and I"m getting a bloom and the polyps are just catching the bloom?

[Roger]

Looks more like an algae possibly cyno problem than coral shedding, best way to get rid of that is to suck it out. Also more flow and chemi clean will probably help, maybe even a u.v. Sterilizer if you dont already have one.

[bluwtr]

Yep, I've got to agree. I don't understand why though. Cyano is found in low flow areas and high nutrients. I've stopped feeding for the past two days and will continue for the next 3 or so. I've got three power heads each at 700gph plus my return flow--in a 55 you would think that is enough. Does anyone know/remember is a light out period will help knock out cyano? I can't recall.

If things don't straighten out soon, I'm may take drastic meaures--I'm getting tired of nutrient problems and their related issues.

[Gerwin]

black out rarely works in my experience, (for cyno)
my guess from the pics is Dinoflagellates
for this do one day of blackout, followed by 4hours per day until gone, also increase ph to 8.4, by additions of Calcium Hydroxide (drip)
I know you changed gfo, but do it again, replace carbon as well
they say stop additions of all trace elements as they will only further help the algae take off in your tank.
then do all the usual things, siphon off etc to keep off your corals

[Gerwin]

also plus 1 on UV, if you have is it bulb changing time?

[bluwtr]

Okay, thanks Gerwin. I will give that a shot. I am also on a no feed for a few days. I do not have a UV--how much do they run?

[Gerwin]

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