# Dying SPS and spider webs :(



## mattdean (Oct 23, 2010)

I've lost almost all my SPS. Water parameters are good, short of possibly high ALK, which was as high at 10, but mostly around 9. I was told that could be the reason.I have since lowered it to around 6.6 to 7. Otherwise, Calc is 450 to 480. Mg is 1440, Nitrates are 5 to 10 at most. No Phosphates. Lights are good and all other corals are thriving.

I did notice a spider web covering the rock and some of the dead SPS. i know there are worms that cast out a net to catch food, but I don't realy see the worms. just the web. Is this a pest of some kind I haven't been able to spot that could be the cause of my SPS failing? And if so, how do i go about remedying the problem? I can see the critters. there are several of them. think it's the worms - forget the name. I can see two antanae of sorts feeling around from the holes they are in.

Here's a pic:


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## goobafish (Jan 27, 2015)

That looks like either sliming from sps (after being damaged, removed from water or sometimes fed), or some serious RTN (rapid tissue necrosis). 

An Alk swing can cause major problems like this, mostly going from high alk to low alk. How quickly did you lower your alk from 10 to 6.6? You may have compounded the problem.

The spinnoid worms need to get pretty large to shoot webs like that, and you can snap them off really easily with a pair of pliers.


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## Diemaker (Feb 17, 2014)

looks like the sps chemical warfare how's your flow?
I would add some carbon make sure there's good flow and keep your 

mag, alk and cal at a solid number sps don't like change


the spider webs are vermin snails


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## Rookie2013 (Jan 17, 2013)

An Alk at 10 given your other parameters should not cause an issue like this BUT as David mentioned if you tried to lower it a little too fast would definetly create these issues. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## mattdean (Oct 23, 2010)

Thanks. I should have been clearer. The SPS died BEFORE I lowered the alk. And I took at least a week to lower it, but probably longer. I simply stopped dosing and let it fall naturally.

Yes. Spinnoid worms. That's it. There are quite a few. So, guess I'll snap them off.

It's not sliming. The SPS was all but completely gone before the webs appeared.


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## nc208082 (Jun 27, 2013)

I have a bunch of those worms in my tank and they've been there for a while at least over a year and they have never affected any of my sps. In fact most of the sps just grow around them. I've read of similiar things happening to a few other tanks on Reef2Reef and Rc and they believed it to be related to a bacterial infection. I can only suggest lots of carbon to clear any pollutant out of the water column and possibly UV if you dont already have one to help with any bacteria that may be harmful.


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## mattdean (Oct 23, 2010)

Thanks for that. I have run carbon but not a lot. I can try more. I ran a UV for quite a while and worries that might have affected them so I stopped. Not sure if I should put it back or not. I will make sure I run the Carbon though. 

I guess I will take out all the dead pieces. Doesn't look like they will be coming back. And just wait it out. I guess start with some easy ones to test the waters so to speak. 

It's just weird. I have always had great success with SPS. Nothing has really changed. 

Oh and I have a ton of random flow. No dead spots.


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## goobafish (Jan 27, 2015)

I am curious. Did you run carbon consistently, uv or do any carbon dosing (nopox, vodka, vinegar). I think lowering up to 0.5dkh in a 24 hour period is probably okay, I would probably do closer to 0.25dkh. After a 1dkh drop in 48 hours, I lost one of my favourite colonies to STN.


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## Rookie2013 (Jan 17, 2013)

David how would one determine if your sps is going through STN or RTN. What are the easiest signs that would lead us to believe this scenario. I have always been curious about this.

Matt I am sure you will bounce back you are doing everything right.


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## goobafish (Jan 27, 2015)

STN typically starts by a brownish/redish slime creeping up the base (dead tissue). You can usually turkey baster the tissue off, dip it in iodine and super glue over the skeleton. RTN happens much quicker, the powerheads generally rip the tissue off and you are left with just skeleton. I have experienced both, Euphyllia are by far the worst in my experience.


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## Rookie2013 (Jan 17, 2013)

goobafish said:


> STN typically starts by a brownish/redish slime creeping up the base (dead tissue). You can usually turkey baster the tissue off, dip it in iodine and super glue over the skeleton. RTN happens much quicker, the powerheads generally rip the tissue off and you are left with just skeleton. I have experienced both, Euphyllia are by far the worst in my experience.


Thanks for the info...it certainly helps with a precise description. yes I lost couple of my euphyllias for them. no matter what I did to try and save them just couldn't...I wonder what cause this when all the other corals are doing good.


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## mattdean (Oct 23, 2010)

So....I didn't run carbon consistently...I don't tend to do anything consistently. LOL! I ran the UV for a long time, but took it off, because I saw the SPS starting to fail and worried that was contributing.

I let the ALK fall naturally, so it wasn't terribly fast, but it also kept going back up with water changes because of the salt. I have switched salts now to Marin Pro. Hoping that will keep things more stable.

It's weird, because some some bleached. some browned, and some just RTn'd. it seemed random and it happened steadily over time. Couldn't see any pests and I have terrific flow and light. It's a mystery.

I just don't want to buy all new SPS until I know what happened and that I can prevent it from happening again.


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## goobafish (Jan 27, 2015)

Did you dip all dead skeletons in a cup of tap water? Frag plug and all. By far the best way to look for pests. I've started doing this consistently. If I save a STN or RTN piece, I immediately snap off anything living, dip it in lugols and sometimes tea tree oil, then reglue it. The rest of the coral goes in a clear cup of freshwater.

I've saved euphyllias with lugols and tea tree oil, it seems to be bacterial infections that often causes their necrosis.


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## notclear (Nov 5, 2011)

Another possibility is AEFW.


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## goobafish (Jan 27, 2015)

notclear said:


> Another possibility is AEFW.


The tell-tale sign of AEFW or Monti Eating Nudibranch is white skeleton marks where they are eating, tissue necrosis the tissue changes colour and falls off. Generally a piece that recovers from tissue necrosis the white will cover with algae and it will regrow over the skeleton. With AEFW it will continue to whiten further down.


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## mattdean (Oct 23, 2010)

haven't seen evidence of AEFW. I'll look closer again tonight. 

I was busy and didn't do enough to stop losing the whole thing. Funny thing is, there are a couple that are doing fine. They did brown or bleach a little at one point and then recovered. It just doesn't seem like any one obcious thing.

I'll pry out all the dead pieces and the spinnoids tonight and see if anything shows itself


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