Brain Died now hammer(frog spawn) dying !

[Capt. Nemo]

The show case for the last 3 years has been my Hammer(frogspawn) About six months ago I added open brain coral.
within a week the flesh of the brain began leaving its skeleton. I constantly worked to keep it on the hard corral but finally it separated.
about three months ago my beautifull hammer which was budding started losing its flesh first the smaller heads now the largest are.

At first I thought my attack on the aptasia was causing the problem. So I stopped and just did water changes every week.
Little to no change.

Now my hammer/frogspawn is almost gone.

Water test almost perfect.

Only other unrelated casualty was my cleaner shimp almost 2 years old.

Tank is 120 80 lbs LR 1.5" live sand.
Tempeture is constant 78 degrees
Lights are changed every 8 months.

Last suspect of the cause was either the brain was containing something when I got it.
Or the mysterious alge (kelp) that appeared before the arival of the brain and has grown quit large maybe causing it but there is no information on the kelp.

Calcium levels are slightly about normal.

Fish: Hippo Tang, sixline wrasse, 2 green Chromis, bicolor bleenie, Maroon clown,

[BigAir]

What's the Mag.? Do you feed the corals you mention? More details about the system will help.

[Capt. Nemo]

I feed them Rotifers. zooplanton, and scraps (tiny pieces) from the feeding of mysis to the fish.

I do not know what you mean by Mag (Magnisium?)

[Capt. Nemo]

System Sump-overflow filtration, Power Compact lighting white and attenic, Berlin skimmer with Rio powerhead, An inline chiller with digital thermostat.
The live rock is not 80 but 140 lbs of live rock. (forgot I add more rock thats how I got the kelp)

[BigAir]

Yes, magnesium is Mag.
By the looks of the aiptasia you have, that may be what is doing them in. Aiptasia are very invasive and can sting the crap outta other corals.

[aanntthhoonnyy]

are you topping off with saltwater?


I killed alot of **** like that in my beginning days

[Nick_Kun]

If that brown algae/kelp thing growing at a fast rate, there must be a phosphate and nutrient source somewhere. Did you stir up your sand bed recently? 3 yr. old sand has a lot of built up phosphate, amonia and nutrients.

- Nick

[treylane]

looks like aiptasia stinging the snot out of everything.

I'd recommend running phosguard/rowaphos/whatever in LPS tanks regardless of the numbers being spewed out from the phosphate test kits - LPS are sensitive to phosphates, and the tests can be inaccurate due to phosphate uptake by algae, and/or testing for the wrong kind of phospahtes.

[Capt. Nemo]

For the last year any aptasia near the Hammer/frogspawn was eaten by the frogspawn.
Concerning phophates there is a small patch of hair algae that I keep as an indicator of the phosphates which has not grown and is bearly surviving.
Same as a small patch of red algea (cytobacteria) I allow to exist to indicate an inbalance, it also has been the same for the last four months very small and bearly serviving.
I do not know this algea/kelp I can not find information on it anywhere.
Before, Weekly I would attack the aptaisia with pickling lime (same as Joes juice) untill my Brain coral started to loose its flesh. Its so strange because the flesh is so briliant and full, no indication of any problems, until it begins to separtate and even after separaton the flesh will live on for about five days without the skeleton.
Because of the death of the brain I stopped my attack on the aptasia.
Its been 4 months since my attack on the apastia.
They have mutiplied greatly.
As for the topoff ( replaceing evaporated water) I ad the R/O freshwater to the sump to be mixed with the saltwater with an 1/4 " tube then it is delivered to the tank through the power head.
The indications of exesesive Phosphates produce a different symptom than what I am experiancing unless my referances are wrong.
In the tank the creatures that keep the sand stiring are the narsisus snails (10) and the bull dosing Hippo Tang who likes to rearange things in the tank and finds it fun to find the bottom of the tank forcing the sand into mounds using his tail.
My mushroom coral are doing fine except for the sting of the aptasia near them.
Of the 21 heads on my Frogspawn there is now only two left.
I will get the Phosguard

[Nick_Kun]

Sounds like your tank's Skyrocketed with your attempt to kill your aptasia using picking lime/kalk. Did you do water changes after the kalk attack? Higher elevations of alk can really piss off LPS corals.

- Nick

[Capt. Nemo]

Always,
In fact I still do water changes since I stopped four months ago that is 15 water changes since last attack on Aptasia

[Capt. Nemo]

Thank you all for your support and assistance.

I am thankful all those who posted.