KJoFan's SCA 150g Build (1 Viewer)

[KJoFan]

sorry to hear, KZ flatworm stop, if you double the dosage that's the best in tank cure atm. since the product, don't try to kill theAEFW but instead boost up the slime production of the acro, which in turn cause the AEFW don't want to eat them. you can check out the thread in RC sps forum.

I actually used a bottle of KZ fw stop initially and while I'm not sure it killed them, I do think it kept them well in check. Only after I stopped using it did I start to see a jump in the population which led to the use of the Purge.

I have read other accounts of folks using double dose of KZ fw Stop with pretty good success, but have read it takes months (?) of use and let's be honest, that stuff isn't cheap...

 

[KJoFan]

This quote popped up in a FB post today and it fits here...

”It’s a never ending chess match. You will never win, and at best you can just stay in the game.” - Joe Yaiullo
(And he's a former MASNA Aquarist of the Year.)

Certainly fitting here. Onward and upward is the only way to go.

 

[clownnut]

I actually used a bottle of KZ fw stop initially and while I'm not sure it killed them, I do think it kept them well in check. Only after I stopped using it did I start to see a jump in the population which led to the use of the Purge.

I have read other accounts of folks using double dose of KZ fw Stop with pretty good success, but have read it takes months (?) of use and let's be honest, that stuff isn't cheap...

depend, if the cost to replace the corals will be more than the treatment, then you save the time to regrow them. if the replacement cost much less, then sometimes just have to let them goes.
taking them out do weekly or bi-weekly dipping is not fun, i did it once, will not do that again.

 

[KJoFan]

depend, if the cost to replace the corals will be more than the treatment, then you save the time to regrow them. if the replacement cost much less, then sometimes just have to let them goes.
taking them out do weekly or bi-weekly dipping is not fun, i did it once, will not do that again.

Well you’ve got a point there. Suppose I could have bought myself several bottles of it at the cost of the corals I’m losing. Then again, I didn’t expect to lose them like this either.

But, I agree, I’ve also done the bi-weekly remove and dip method and I wasn’t doing it again.

I can hope in the future not to have aefw at all, but never say never.


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[clownnut]

Well you’ve got a point there. Suppose I could have bought myself several bottles of it at the cost of the corals I’m losing. Then again, I didn’t expect to lose them like this either.

But, I agree, I’ve also done the bi-weekly remove and dip method and I wasn’t doing it again.

I can hope in the future not to have aefw at all, but never say never.


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after my 1st and 2nd aefw.
i follow simple rules
1. trust no one
2. fresh cut whenever possible
3. if fresh cut not possible, cut off the base(i know, but it's for the greater good). make sure no bare spot/dead skeleton anywhere on the acro. if you see bare spot. 1 glue over it, make sure the glue cover at least over some healthy tissue around the bare spot. 2. bandsaw around the barespot, again cut into the healthy tissue a little.
4. dip the specimen that goes through step 1-3.(bayer dip or create your own mix, just make sure you know you own mix must kill those ^*#$^@#$! i tested my dips from the 1st and 2nd aefw, it works for me)
i havent see AEFW for 9+ years now.
only there is a way to keep aiptasia out of my tank, lol. i havent had an aiptasia free tank for years now lol.

 

[KJoFan]

after my 1st and 2nd aefw.
i follow simple rules
1. trust no one
2. fresh cut whenever possible
3. if fresh cut not possible, cut off the base(i know, but it's for the greater good). make sure no bare spot/dead skeleton anywhere on the acro. if you see bare spot. 1 glue over it, make sure the glue cover at least over some healthy tissue around the bare spot. 2. bandsaw around the barespot, again cut into the healthy tissue a little.
4. dip the specimen that goes through step 1-3.(bayer dip or create your own mix, just make sure you know you own mix must kill those ^*#$^@#$! i tested my dips from the 1st and 2nd aefw, it works for me)
i havent see AEFW for 9+ years now.
only there is a way to keep aiptasia out of my tank, lol. i havent had an aiptasia free tank for years now lol.

I have read some having pretty good success with a strong dip of melafix for aefw as well. Some are finding Bayer isn’t as effective anymore apparently. Plus, if melafix can be as effective seems safer than handling chemicals.

I will let things settle down, get my growout tank plumbed in and then regroup.

As for aiptasia I had a few but my CBB took care of them. Seems like if you handle one pest there’s always another one waiting to irritate us.


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[KJoFan]

Current state of things.

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[Davy Jones]

Current state of things.

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I am very sorry to see this. Has happened to me a number of times, which is why I have transitioned to zoas and anemones. Best of luck tracking down the issue and moving forward!

 

[jlanger]

Current state of things.

Ouch; that's much more painful than my totes of dead montipora from last year.

 

[spsick]

Sorry to hear. Hurts my heart to see that pic. Been there. I mirror Li’s sentiments re: dip/inspection/addition in lieu of QT availibility but that doesn’t help you much right now. PM me for some fresh cuts FIF when you’re ready.

 

[abhishek]

Sorry to hear Karen ! I can too help with some fresh cuts if interested in acros .
AEFW was the foremost I left the hobby for 7 years ! Its hard to see your 4-5 inch acros of purple monster and pink panther die out when you grew them for 6 years from nubs .
Hate AEFW to death and I can only imagine your pains !

Regards,
Abhishek

 

[whotzler]

I can also FIF some sps when your ready. Im close enough!

 

[RSnodgrass]

On a positive... albeit a very limited positive, you can use those old frags for some really unique encrusting montipora plugs!

 

[KJoFan]

I appreciate all the kind words and offers of help. I will likely reach out to those of you who've offered some help when I'm certain the trouble is behind me. AEFW are terrible, and I do hope to never encounter them again going forward. But, I now kind of wish I had just dealt with them rather than try the treatment I did, as I am pretty certain that's where my issues started. However, that product has worked for many which is good to hear. It just sure didn't work for me. But, lesson learned.

LPS and zoas also are looking sad and closed up, so if I can get those turned back around and healthy, I will then consider adding back some sps. Until then, I know something is still off in the tank. I'm running carbon and doing small waterchanges to try to help out, while not making any massive changes.

I hope to have a more positive update soon!

 

[KJoFan]

On a positive... albeit a very limited positive, you can use those old frags for some really unique encrusting montipora plugs!

Suppose I could also dump them in my sump for a calcium source, but that whole AEFW thing just made me want to take them out.

 

[KJoFan]

Ok, I'm looking for some others' input/thoughts on something. I've been trying to determine what actually happened with my tank/corals, specifically sps. I've checked pumps and magnets and heaters and current and salinity and everything checks out. Nothing was changed that would point to a major disaster (except the AEFW treatment, but...not sure that was it).

However, the one thing I did hit on was my lighting. I run GHL Mitras fixtures using a pre-determined profile. The profile is a bit too high intensity for my tank so I run their acclimation mode and reduce the overall intensity to 65% of full intensity. Well, as with most acclimation features, you set the timeframe. Turns out my acclimation mode ended on October 18th without me realizing it. So, that means for 2-3 weeks prior to the deaths really starting, lighting was running with some channels at 90-100% intensity.

I have since throttled it back down and some zoas are opening, but nothing looks great as yet. Some hammer heads bailed on me, my plates were all shriveled and showing skeleton, but are starting to come around.

I do have nutrients present (some hair algae here and there) but nutrients never register for me on test kits, so I know they are relatively low.

Now, what do you all think? Have I found the cause of my issues? Or, at least the culprit that stressed things and the Purge just topped them off?

Honestly, I'm about 60% over the entire hobby since this happened but trying to just ride it out. But, I also don't want to add any corals back until I know I've found and corrected the problem.

I do still have my MH's in a box downstairs, maybe I should hang those back up. No chance of mucking up settings on those.

 

[Fishfoo]

Sounds like it was likely a combination of them all. I have no experience with GHL Mitras, but if there’s a way for you to ramp down that custom schedule without using acclimation mode I would do that. That would at least keep lighting as consistent as possible.

 

[Adam G]

So I have been doing this hobby for a long time and I like to think I know what I’m doing. One thing we always read over and over again is keep things stable and consistent. Typically I try and do that but sometimes I forget and make a few changes all at once.

So recently I bought some new clams and they were in my sand bed. I didn’t want them there but they moved off of their clam cradles And attached to the bottom glass under the substrate within a day. I thought no problem, I will just crank up my LEDs a little bit and make sure I’m getting good PAR down there for them.

I then noticed that they were getting some substrate blown into them so I thought no problem, I will just rampdown my MP40’s a little bit keep the sand from irritating them.

About this time I noticed a little bit Algae starting to grow so I thought no problem, I will just order a nice big cleanup crew since it has been a while since I did that. I found out later that many snails did not take to shipping well and they burrowed into the sand, died, and then rotted upping nutrients.

About this time Bryopsis started appearing along with Cyano. Things were going absolutely perfect and the tank was so clean and pretty in fact I decided to embark on a big tank build. All within 2 months my tank turned horribly ugly and several SPS colonies STN’d on me.


It also turns out clams love ALK and lowered my KH level.

So:
More Light
Less Flow
Increased nutrients
Lower KH

This all equals mayhem in a well established tank. And I thought I was and “expert”. Reading through your situation I wonder if perhaps this is what happened to you? Multiple factors and changes threw off the balance and your SPS suffered?

 

[KJoFan]

So I have been doing this hobby for a long time and I like to think I know what I’m doing. One thing we always read over and over again is keep things stable and consistent. Typically I try and do that but sometimes I forget and make a few changes all at once.

So recently I bought some new clams and they were in my sand bed. I didn’t want them there but they moved off of their clam cradles And attached to the bottom glass under the substrate within a day. I thought no problem, I will just crank up my LEDs a little bit and make sure I’m getting good PAR down there for them.

I then noticed that they were getting some substrate blown into them so I thought no problem, I will just rampdown my MP40’s a little bit keep the sand from irritating them.

About this time I noticed a little bit Algae starting to grow so I thought no problem, I will just order a nice big cleanup crew since it has been a while since I did that. I found out later that many snails did not take to shipping well and they burrowed into the sand, died, and then rotted upping nutrients.

About this time Bryopsis started appearing along with Cyano. Things were going absolutely perfect and the tank was so clean and pretty in fact I decided to embark on a big tank build. All within 2 months my tank turned horribly ugly and several SPS colonies STN’d on me.


It also turns out clams love ALK and lowered my KH level.

So:
More Light
Less Flow
Increased nutrients
Lower KH

This all equals mayhem in a well established tank. And I thought I was and “expert”. Reading through your situation I wonder if perhaps this is what happened to you? Multiple factors and changes threw off the balance and your SPS suffered?

First, I don't mean to laugh at your situation as it's always frustrating, but as I'm reading along I had to chuckle at all the seemingly "little" things that added up to one bigger issue for you. This is exactly how it goes and sometimes we don't realize it and/or track it back in that fashion.

Certainly could be the case for me, at least as far as the sudden incrase in light and a possible change in nutrients. Flow never changed and KH never changed as far as my testing showed. But even those two things coupled with a relatively new tank could have just added up to no good. And then the AEFW treatment was the kicker.

Of course, after I discovered the lighting, stopped the Purge and started waterchanges and carbon I expected the remaining corals to bounce right back, even though I of course know better. But I look at them daily and scrutinize them for ANY sign of improvement to let me know I'm on the right track. I haven't been in the hobby forever, but I do have about 11 yrs under my belt. Then again, seems like every system, tank, situation is always a bit different with a different combination of factors. Not to mention I am only a couple years into my acro experience which hasn't gone the greatest as yet. No blue thumb for me!

I think the plan is to just stay the course with the newly reduced lighting schedule, feed the fish, keep on general maintenance and see what the new year brings. I hate to be a quitter!

 

[OldNemo]

Ug! Just getting caught up. That sucks! I think you have the best plan to stabilize and get things on track and then slowly move forward. Nothing good happens if you rush things and it seems there is always the desire to rush. At least I feel that way. I know I would be at my wits end. In fact I am now as well and am on the verge of just taking big break. I cant for the life of me keep a fish alive in QT. So frustrating!