Raja Rampage Chalice sudden decline - suggestions ?

[VintageReefer]

Tank raised this captive bred frag from a 2” disk into a colony over 8” across

Suddenly, over the course of a week, it’s begun bleaching rapidly and I don’t know why. I got a spot on the right side where a bit of skeleton became exposed, checked parameters and nothing was off and I figure it would heal with stable conditions. Then over a few days massive amounts of bleaching started all over. I found my alk was low at 7.6, it’s normally 8.4. I don’t know how I had a sudden alk drop, maybe I screwed up a all for reef dose. I raise back up to 8.4 over course of 2 days.

All other parameters and lighting are unchanged. I have had alk drop to 7.6 and 7.8 before in the past and never had an issue. I’m not sure it’s related but I wouldn’t be surprised.

Any suggestions besides keeping on top of alk?

Salinity 1.026
Alk 8.4
Ca - 410
Mg 1345
Nitrate 6.6
Phosphate .09

June 5 and June 6 -

June 18

The bleached happened quick. Within the last couple days. The recession on the right has been there a few weeks. The center spot missing color has been there months. I had coral boring worms and ended up with two holes in the center of the colony, they were eliminated and this has been healing consistently and getting better and more closed up / filled in each month

 

[VintageReefer]

I’m in here post 5 and 7 with pics a few months apart

On a Rampage!!!

Definite tank favorite and one of the OG to the system. Not from Adam @ BC just used the ruler for measurements. I do enjoy his sps and @Battlecorals i hope ur feeling better.

www.reef2reef.com

 

[VintageReefer]

Alk has never been my strong point but the chalice has never reacted like this

I have done other testing that was unlogged if the numbers were in the 8.4-8.6 range. I just don’t log everything every time when all tests come back normal

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

Sry about the troubles. Any new pics? Nothing changed except the alk which is graphed?

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

It’s within tolerances for reef systems, but it does swing some. I live from 8.0 -9.0 which is a full point. I wish I logged stuff. Test daily but ….

 

[VintageReefer]

Nothing changed. No new additions. It was less than a point going from 8.5 to 7.6 over the course of 6 days. I really am not too stable with alk but I’ve had this guy since Jan 2023 and alk has never caused an issue.

I took these pics about 5 min ago

And every other coral is fine. Including other chalice

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

The other lps look good from what I can see. Sry about the issue. I don’t think the alk would have done that. Can u take the coral out?

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

Wonder if it’s a bacterial issue. I had 2 rainbow dynamites grow, look great and then just crash. Can’t say that’s ur issue but just an idea

 

[VintageReefer]

I saw a hermit on it around a week ago. Which was odd to me because I never see hermits or snails on it. Possible the tissue got injured or irritated.

I don’t know if I can easily remove it, I haven’t tried moving it since it was much smaller. it appears to be attached to my overflow and grown around the branch rock under it. I don’t know if it’s encrusted on them, or simply growing over them

 

[VintageReefer]

I have cipro, amoxicillin, and chemi clean and have used cipro and chemiclean once in the past for a full tank treatment. I’m very hesitant though because I really don’t know the full impact to the biome when you dose antibiotics in a reef tank.

 

[GlassMunky]

Those ALK readings are all over the place. I’d try and get to actually be stable and see if things recover. A small change over time isn’t bad but to keep jumping up and down constantly has got to be stressful.
I’d suggest getting some kind of dosing pump to keep it at a constant rate.

 

[VintageReefer]

I also don’t think alk is the root cause.

And those pics were taken during a normal lights out period, so that’s why a few corals aren’t fully open. Everything looks great in the day/evening. Only thing affected is the raja

 

[GlassMunky]

I have cipro, amoxicillin, and chemi clean and have used cipro and chemiclean once in the past for a full tank treatment. I’m very hesitant though because I really don’t know the full impact to the biome when you dose antibiotics in a reef tank.

ABS in a tank will destroy the biome and skew it harshly. It’s a bad idea and last resort only.

 

[VintageReefer]

It’s a lps tank and been like this for 3 years. I get what your saying because I have kept sps reefs for many years and have dosing pumps available but this tank has never cared nor needed them

 

[VintageReefer]

ABS in a tank will destroy the biome and skew it harshly. It’s a bad idea and last resort only.

I agree and I don’t think I would do that to save one coral

 

[GlassMunky]

I also don’t think alk is the root cause.

And those pics were taken during a normal lights out period, so that’s why a few corals aren’t fully open. Everything looks great in the day/evening. Only thing affected is the raja

I’d bet it’s def not helping the cause… on nov 29 for example in under 12 hours you jumped up from 7.3 to 9.2 and that’s just one big jump I see.
Your ALK may not be the root but it’s def not helping anything with it being so variable from day to day week to week

 

[GlassMunky]

It’s a lps tank and been like this for 3 years. I get what your saying because I have kept sps reefs for many years and have dosing pumps available but this tank has never cared nor needed them

I know it’s lps, but that doesn’t really matter. Stability is stability and corals like that.
Seems everything was working fine until it’s not… which is now.

Good luck

 

[VintageReefer]

I’d bet it’s def not helping the cause… on nov 29 for example in under 12 hours you jumped up from 7.3 to 9.2 and that’s just one big jump I see.
Your ALK may not be the root but it’s def not helping anything with it being so variable from day to day week to week

It was an unexpected result. I was attempting to raise by .9

 

[VintageReefer]

It’s isolated to one coral. It’s not a tank crash

Heres pics from a few hours before lights off

 

[GlassMunky]

I guess I just don’t understand your aversion to keeping it stable.
Sure it’s handled it fine before, but why not make it easier on you (less time) and more stable for the corals at the same time if you already have doing pumps, your not spending any new money or anything.

And at the very least, it’s one less variable for you to consider when things like this happen.