Question Corals not growing/dieing What to do?

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

Picked up the Hanna nitrate and phosphate checkers so I don’t have to guess at the Salifert colors.

PH 8.0
Nitrate 17.5
Phos 0.18
Mag 1290
Alk 8.2
CA 430
Temp 77

 

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

Picked up the Hanna nitrate and phosphate checkers so I don’t have to guess at the Salifert colors.

PH 8.0
Nitrate 17.5
Phos 0.18
Mag 1290
Alk 8.2
CA 430
Temp 77

So now I have more readings the phosphates are high. And nitrates are a little high. So now that I fed the tank I need to get more additives to get the excess out of the tank. Bonkers.

 

[Josh]

What non-SPS/LPS corals have you had in the tank aside from the toadstool?

What fish are in the tank right now? How are they doing?

What does your RODI water test at?

When did this problem begin?

 

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

Corals never took off and most fade away. A few mushrooms, Zoas, Zoas are starting to look better.

Fish are fine
2 ocellaris clownfish
Flame hawkfish
melunaras wrasse
2 flame cardinal fish
Splendid psuedochromis


To/di. Meter says 0. I change the DI resin it once I see it increase.

 

[Josh]

OK, so it seems like there was some sort of issue that caused the finicky corals to die.

What I would do now is the following:

• Do not feed the tank, just feed the fish (remember, corals are mostly photosynthetic)
• Do not add any scleractinian corals (nothing hard), just zoas, toadstools, leathers, etc - this means you do not need to dose anything at all for a while
• Do regular 10% water changes every 3-4 weeks - if the tank starts to develop algae you can do these more frequently
• Test No2 No3, pH, SG, temp every week

I would follow the above and just be very patient. In a couple months if the soft corals are thriving and growing then you can add an easy hard coral, like some candy canes, basic (cheap) frogspawn, or a scolymia, NO SPS or torches until you are able to keep the LPS alive. At that time you will need to test a bit more frequently to see what the Ca/Alk is doing.

 

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

Update. Add some rowahos. Stopped feeding the reed roids.

PH 8.0
Nitrate 17.5
Phos 0.06
Mag 1310
Alk 7.0
CA 400
Temp 77
Sal 1.025

Phosphates dropped. Nitrates have not budged. Alk / Cal are being consumed. Trying to start dosing b-ionic.

 

[Josh]

When did the nitrate get so high? It wasn't that high in your original message?

 

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

Corals look the same. Have not lost any in 2 weeks. Only feeding the fish mysis every other day. Should expect the PO4 to drop using the rowaphos in a reactor?

Nitrates should be ok. Want to try the refugium if I can find any macro/cheato locally.


PH 8.0
Nitrate 17.6
Phos 0.06
Mag 1300
Alk 7.0
CA 400
Temp 77
Sal 1.025

 

[TMallan]

Get an ICP test done ASAP

 

[BD_Reefing]

Bring your ph up to 8.3 and watch your tank flourish


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

Well about lose the last torch. All parameters are inline. I stopped adding anything but mysis for the fish since a week and a 1/2 ago. I lowered the lights to 70%. Have not had time to order a iCP kit. Has to be something in my source water (city) that the ro/id filter can not remove so there is no fix for that. I doubt it’s the LR as coraline is everywhere. Fish appear fine but can keep a tang alive.


Either I find a service to come figure this out but Most likely Going to look to tear it all down and sell what I can. What a waste of money.

Anyone want a complete setup?

Parameters:
PH 8.0
Nitrate 10.5
Phos 0.05
Mag 1350
Alk 8.1
CA 450
Temp 77
Sal 1.025

Setup:
90 G Aqueon Reef Tank/Stand/Glass Tops
Eshopps AR-200 sump (no refugium running)
Eshopps Axium 160 Skimmer
Kessil Flora for the Refugium (not in use)
Sicce return pump
2 Titanium heaters
Inkbird controller
Apex Neptune monitoring PH, ORP, Temp, sump water level and power
MP40
MP10
Radion XR-15 Blue (G5 and a G6)
Phoban reactor powered by a small Sicce pump
Auto Top Off
Salifert Test kits
Hanna Test meters (Po4 and Nitrate)
Refractometer (Calibration fluid)
Red Sea Pro Salt
4 Stage RO/DI

 

[Josh]

Do the ICP test.

 

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

Where can I get one? Besides ordering online?

 

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

Never mind. Ordered now let’s wait a month for results and more coral deaths.

 

[Geraud]

Never mind. Ordered now let’s wait a month for results and more coral deaths.

You get the results in just a couple of days (at least when I've done it with Triton)

 

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

Ok. Still trying to imagine what could be in the water source that would cause this. And say it is the water source. That means I can have a tank. If the parameters come back OK then what? The lights?

 

[Geraud]

I remember a while back, someone had problems like yours, the issue was that they lived in a recently built building, as a result the water contained residue of soldering (tin etc) that the RODI did not remove. ICP helped them figure this out. Of course it meant having to buy RODI for some time.

When you do the ICP, it is worth doing both your aquarium water, but also your RODI water.

 

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

Just lost another hammer. It was open yesterday and gone now.

 

[E.intheC]

Did you check your PAR?
Some LFS rent PAR meters. I know Country Critters does.

 

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

Have not found anyone in Rockland. Only 2 LFS here that sell corals and they don’t.