Who Gives A Fish Forums

Hey all, I'm having some issues with my Lps. Over the past month or so, I've noticed they're receding, mainly on the hammers in one of my tanks. I've got another display and a frag tank on the same system, but it's just the hammers that are giving me trouble. They're not opening as much day by day, and now they're not opening at all. Same thing's happening with my Zoas - they stop opening, then just vanish. Any advice would be great, thanks.

To help you out, can you give us the lowdown on your water parameters, tank size and all that jazz. The more details you can provide, the better equipped we'll be to help you figure out what's going on with your LPS.

I'd also recommend checking for any magnetic items in your tank, such as frag holders or feeders, to ensure they haven't rusted. In my experience, a rusted magnet can cause significant problems - I once had a few corals start dying off, and after some investigation, I discovered that a magnet was leaching into the water. Removing the magnet and performing a series of large water changes resolved the issue, and everything returned to normal. Hopefully, this helps, and you're able to get your corals thriving again.

Thanks for the responses. Water parameters are all good, system's been running for 3 years now, 1500 liters total. Two reef tanks and a frag tank all on the same water. In the main tank where the hammers are struggling, I also lost a whole acan garden. My other display tank is having issues with the Zoas too - they just close up and disappear one by one, not sure if it's related though.

We still need actual numbers for your water parameters, though. Also, what kind of lighting setup are you running?

Kh is 9, Mg is 1560, been like that forever. Ca is 430, Po4 is 0.04, No3 is around 2.

The numbers appear to be in order, which is actually part of the problem. Let's look at some other factors - what's your salinity, temperature, flow, and lighting situation like? The easy ones, right? Now, contaminants, heavy metals, electrical issues, or something more sinister - those are the tougher ones to track down. It's a bit of a puzzler, I'll give you that.

I'm stumped, that's why I'm reaching out for help here. Everything that can be tested and measured has remained the same - flow, temp, lighting, salinity, all constant.

Welcome to the community.

To get meaningful opinions, it's really helpful if you provide a detailed rundown of your system - think lights, flow, tank size, filtration, husbandry, the whole nine yards. A quick rundown of your tank, maintenance, and equipment list can rule out a bunch of potential issues and get you answers faster. Without the basics, it's tough to give an educated opinion.

There are so many things that could be going on - too much light or flow, not enough, an alk spike, changing salt brands, swapping out lights, old bulbs, new bulbs, brown jelly, pests... the list goes on. But without more info or pictures, we're just guessing.

When I have a random issue, the first thing I do is add some carbon and do a larger-than-normal water change. Having a poly filter on hand is also a great way to rule out contaminants - it'll change colors depending on what's in the water. Those two things are always in my arsenal, just in case.

Still having trouble posting pics, will try sort it out later, cheers.