Is it possible that MH 150 w lights left on overnight could cause massive coral deaths?
I have a 180 gallon reef community tank. Mostly softies, zoos, lps. Fish, clams, a shrimp, one anenome, etc. Its almost 11 months old.
Saturday at 3 pm it was fine. We left the house empty, came back Sunday at 6 pm. In the interrim a babysitter came by to feed the fish. She's done it before with no issues at all. All of the corals were severely stress. Also the tank looked a little dirtier, filmier than usual. The protein skimmer was working over time. The sump smelled a little foul.
I immediately suspected the lights because 2 or 3 times in the past, the dial-type light timer missed its trigger to turn them off. Luckily each time we were home and turned them off manually. I replaced them once. Anyway, if that is what happened, they would have been on for 36 hours straight by the time I turned them off. The babysitter said when she fed them earlier on Sunday, the corals were more closed then usual.
The only other possibility I can think of, is a sea hare I bought a week ago that dissapeared immediately. I hear that they can become toxic when they die. But it was only one in a 180 tank. I suspect the lights. Sunday night I did a 10% water change. On monday I basically reset the lights to the same normal schedule, after a long night of recuperation, thinking that would be ok. But when I got home after they'd been on for about less than 6 hours, the tank looked even worse. I must have 80% of my corals dead. Now the tank smells even more foul. My cleaner shrimp is dead. The corals that are surviving (a mushroom, an open brain, some zoos) are barely surviving. The fish all seem fine.
Anyone have anything similar ever happen? I thought the overillumination, followed by additional toxicity as corals started to die as my main guess. Any thoughts or ideas? I've put it together and added stuff by the book. Weekly 10-15% water changes. No issues. All parameters have alsways been stable (other than minor salinity variability) No miscellaneas chems or anything like that.
- ready to give it all up.
I have a 180 gallon reef community tank. Mostly softies, zoos, lps. Fish, clams, a shrimp, one anenome, etc. Its almost 11 months old.
Saturday at 3 pm it was fine. We left the house empty, came back Sunday at 6 pm. In the interrim a babysitter came by to feed the fish. She's done it before with no issues at all. All of the corals were severely stress. Also the tank looked a little dirtier, filmier than usual. The protein skimmer was working over time. The sump smelled a little foul.
I immediately suspected the lights because 2 or 3 times in the past, the dial-type light timer missed its trigger to turn them off. Luckily each time we were home and turned them off manually. I replaced them once. Anyway, if that is what happened, they would have been on for 36 hours straight by the time I turned them off. The babysitter said when she fed them earlier on Sunday, the corals were more closed then usual.
The only other possibility I can think of, is a sea hare I bought a week ago that dissapeared immediately. I hear that they can become toxic when they die. But it was only one in a 180 tank. I suspect the lights. Sunday night I did a 10% water change. On monday I basically reset the lights to the same normal schedule, after a long night of recuperation, thinking that would be ok. But when I got home after they'd been on for about less than 6 hours, the tank looked even worse. I must have 80% of my corals dead. Now the tank smells even more foul. My cleaner shrimp is dead. The corals that are surviving (a mushroom, an open brain, some zoos) are barely surviving. The fish all seem fine.
Anyone have anything similar ever happen? I thought the overillumination, followed by additional toxicity as corals started to die as my main guess. Any thoughts or ideas? I've put it together and added stuff by the book. Weekly 10-15% water changes. No issues. All parameters have alsways been stable (other than minor salinity variability) No miscellaneas chems or anything like that.
- ready to give it all up.
