Corals are heading south..

FlyinBryan

FlyinBryan

New member
Only rose tips, wall hammer, Duncan, leather finger (stopped growing seems to be shrinking) acanth are all doing ok..but trake (never opens unless lights are off and I've doused heavy liquid reefs and then barely), toad stool, pipe organ and several others are just dyin fast. Just did a 30% water change..every week to two weeks..

I use Brightwell products Alkaline 8.3, Reef Snow, Liquid Reef, Phytochrome, feed also with oyster feast, ..ph is constant at 8.3.. Calcium is 460-480..nitrites/nitrates are nil..hardness is like 180..

Nothing seems to keep these corals from heading south!! Good flow..temp is 78-80..lights are all new t5's and 14k metal halide..refuge light is all replaced and new..Tunze ozmoleter

Something is in my tank and I can't figure it out..is there some place I can send water to get tested for everything?

I use a plastic garbage can to make water (ONLY thing that has ever been in there)..pump it in with hose and separate pump.

Now, I will say I was lazy with vacuuming sand for several months..I claim naivety on the importance of that..does the sand need to be replaced?

I'm not spending anymore $$ on corals because I have no idea if they'll survive!! I've had 3 clams die in this tank..gave up on those too.

Fish are all good though. Healthy and well fed.

Help??
 
Any shrimp, snails in the tank? You may bring water to Advance Aquatic for testing. Make sure you test for copper too,
 
You're adding waaaaay too much crap to your tank. Stop: Reef Snow, Liquid Reef, Phytochrome.
Test for ammonia. What test kits are you using? How long has the tank been set up? Skimmer?
IO is for FO tanks, you should be using Reef Crystals for a reef tank.
 
I would agree with Jeni, don't add anything to your water! Check phosphate. I don't see it in your water parameters. I wouldn't be surprised if it was high with all the stuff you put in the water. If high enough, it will kill corals. I couldn't keep anything alive in my tank with the phosphates being high from cycling new rock.
 
you shouldnt need to dose any of that stuff with mainly softies and a couple lps, water change should be enough, is your skimmer sized right? Do you have any filter sponges/filter socks with something decaying caught in them? Phos? Find it hard to belive your nitrates are zero with all that food you are dumping in, what test kit? If your nitrates are really always zero that would kill the clams, other possibilites are PM, What size tank is this? Its possible you have too much light. Just not enough info here, but most of those corals should be pretty hard to kill. Did you get a fish and add the bag water to the tank? Alot of places have copper in their fish systems.
 
Thanks everyone..sorry for delayed response..

@Smitty..I'm using ro/di water filtered here at home through the BRS 6 stage ultimate..lighting is aquatic life with 2 - 75 watt 14k metal halides..have stopped all dosing.

@maidia have peppermint and fire shrimp plus a couple of Sally crabs and all minds of snails..will take water in to get tested

@puffer..ok no prob..I took your advice and stopped dosing..don't have a test kit for ammonia..using API test kits for calcium, ph, carb hardness..tank is about 15 mo's old..have skimmer can't remember name..but it seems to do good..don't know what io is..

@tgunz..good suggestion..I'll look into it..

@markitekt..don't have a phosphate kit..

@fwadiver I have a sponge I've never pulled..I'm using the sponge that came with proflex4 refuge I bought 15 months ago..I rinsed it out once..filter socks are changed out and cleaned every 3-4 days..I use a very small amt of bleach in wash machine (no detergent) I have a 150 gallon 31" deep RR tank..will test for copper

@kratos may take you up on offer..

I've heard the light was great for corals..I run the halides abt 6hrs per day..stepping up from just LEDs..to t5's to halides.

I haven't dosed anything since all the resposnses..save one dose of c-balance to get calcium up..it was at 440..corals are abt 5% better..no standout changes..just not worse..

I'm making another 40 gallons of water tonight..the ppm is 0 coming out..it has a monitor on it..

Thanks for all the advice!! I'll keep trying!!!
 
Yeah. Test it twice so you get a good reading. Also, if Phosphates are an issue, the algae in the tank might be giving you a bad reading because chaeto and algae will be chomping down on your tanks phosphate numbers.
 
Is the reading under .25? My phosphates are usually under .10 and you want them as low as possible. Mine read at .07 last night.

Again, keep in mind that phosphate readings are always wrong if you have algae in your tank. The algae is always consuming phosphates so always assume your readings are a few notches higher then the reading displays.
 
Are you sure the salt level is correct. I know someone that lost a lot of livestock because he never replaced his cheap instant ocean meter. He took his water in to get tested and found out that the salinity was off the charts.

He spent hundreds of dollars on equipment and all he had to do wad get a new tester for $5
 
@keisha..good question! I may have to get an electronic one..I'm sick today so I have a little time to run up and get a carbon bag to put in tank to see if that fixes anything..may go to go/carbon reactor. Thoughts?
 
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