Tank Problems

I'm having a problem keeping any zoanthids, palys, pocillapora, montipora etc.

My parameters are ok
NH4 0
NO2 0
NO3 <5
pH 8.2
meq 4
calcium 400
salanity 1.024
Temp 78

My all zoos shrink and disappear or detach from surfaces and my pocillaporas were growing strong for about 8 months and now the skin is slowly peeling away. 3 things that i think might be contributing:

my emperor angel eating them...
i have a sponge in my tank and it is dying
my lights are about 12 months old (metal halides)

My frog spawn however is growing like a weed.

this isnt asap but any help would be appreciated!

 

well bunner any of those 3 could be causing issues
The emporer could be browsing the zoas and palys ( Im sure Ive seen that happen in a LFS here)

are you running carbon 24/7? as chemical warfare in mixed tanks
is another often overlooked reason for why some corals prosper and others dont do so well

also flow is not mentioned above, Montis are a coral I associate with very high flow
and IME Zoanthids like a decent amount of flow

cant give you a specific "your problem is this" answer , sorry for that

just trying to consider other things that may be contributing

Steve

 

flow isnt a problem... i dont think i have a mp40 and and it running at about 25-30% of its max power. when its on almost full i cant put anything on the one side of my tank.

i assume the emoror is doing the most damage. i have seen him eating the pocillapora but he hadnt for months.

oh ya carbon is running as well.

 

anyone?

 

Could this loss of coral be from my old halide lights? they are over 12 months old.

 

Your best bet is the angel. He will eat the sponge, soft corals and hard corals. He may not eat the entire colony, but he will peck at them which can cause them to close up and degrade.

 

not sweet

 

the zoos are another story. he never pics at them.