NeverlosT
A bit fishy
Hello All,
Please take a moment to read about my situation and provide insight. Our beloved 140g SPS dominated cube is in a 5 week downward spiral. We have lost colonies to STN and continue to lose more.
First, so you dont think that I am new to this, I have been reefing since the mid 90's and here is an "ok" vid of our cube a few months before before its decline. (apologies, I cant tell how to embed a vid in the post)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2i5cSvPahw&t=14
Typical water parameters in the reef are:
PO4 - 0.025ppm
Nitrate - rarely test, usually at bottom of test kit range
CA - 460
ALK 9.5 dKh
Mag - 1450-1500
SG - 1.026
pH wanders between 7.95 and 8.13 night to day.
I very sparingly dose aminos and feed a mixture of rods reef, PE mysis, and dry pellet food.
The reef has an ATI skimmer that does a great job, a reefdynamics CA reactor with large reef-rubble media.
I use a UV sterilizer at night and the tank runs carbon and GFO in reactors.
There is a refugium on a reverse photoperiod that grows caulerpa like no tomorrow. There is no algae in the main tank, the glass gets dirty once a week and must be cleaned.
The reef is mixed, with a small amount of LPS, a Ritteri anemone that stays put and is very well behaved, and a large amount of Acropora, Montipora, Millipora, pocillopora, stylopora, and seriotopora, among others.
Fish list is:
Two snowflake clowns.
three resplendent anthias
two Squampinnis anthias
four rock blennies
one Japanese elegance blenny
One achilles tang
one sailfin tang
one radiant wrasse
one potters wrasse
one naoko wrasse
Water is changed once a month, 20 gallons at a time, reef crystals salt is used.
Now for the problems:
1. 6 weeks ago I tried to plumb the CARX effluent into the skimmer intake to increase tank pH. This was an issue since I couldnt see the drip rate, it got plugged and the ALK fell from 9.7 dKh to 8 dKh in 6 days. Coral tips singed. Growth stops. Some tissue recession
2. 5-4 Weeks ago I go back to old method of effluent introduction, ALK rises, but corals were singed, not growing and using ALK, and ALK rose to 10 dKh over a period of two weeks, even as I raise the reactor pH to try to slow the rise. Coral unhappiness continues.
3. 4-3 Weeks ago I decide to get really serious about monitoring ALK. I check alk about 40 times in a 3 week timeframe. I get it stable, wandering at times from 8.8 - 9.2 dKH depending on the time of day I measure or the particular day. There are not 0.5 dKh swoops though, it changes slowly over weeks.
4. 1-2 weeks back, Corals still not happy with that amount of ALK movement, I increase reactor pH, increase effluent rate to prevent changes in flow rate, and over the last 1.5 weeks, ALK has been rock solid at 8.9-9.1 dKh, which is within the error of my Hanna Test Kit. Changed carbon and GFO.
5. Now: Alk is stable at 9 dKH, but corals still dying. Lost red dragon, 30K lokani, and an 8" pearlberry colony is rapidly dying back. reeftek starburst is on the ropes. Situation is worsening. 20g water change.
I am watching years of growth die, and honestly, over the course of 1 month, a very gradual wandering of 1 dkH should not result in massive death (after the 10dKh spike the alk sat between 8.5 and 9.5 as I got it more stable). Loss of color, yes, maybe some singed tips, but I can't help but think that something else is at work here.
I am totally open to comments and suggestions. Please be helpful. Just swooping in to say "Oh yeah alk needs to be within 0.001 dKh all the time" is not helpful. If you have never grown an acro beyond a frag, I am less interested in your input as I am of those who have successful SPS gardens. Thank you in advance for your help.
Share your experiences. What do you consider to be an ALK swing? 0.5 dKh? Do you think that ALK is the root of this problem?
I'll test anything and try just about anything. I have been at this for weeks and cannot stem the tide of destruction. Please help.
Lastly, the first corals affected were Seriotopora (birdsnests), and now that the ALK is stable, if the decline continues, my next plan of action is to change the CARX media for fear that there is some impurity in the media I have in there.
Please take a moment to read about my situation and provide insight. Our beloved 140g SPS dominated cube is in a 5 week downward spiral. We have lost colonies to STN and continue to lose more.
First, so you dont think that I am new to this, I have been reefing since the mid 90's and here is an "ok" vid of our cube a few months before before its decline. (apologies, I cant tell how to embed a vid in the post)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2i5cSvPahw&t=14
Typical water parameters in the reef are:
PO4 - 0.025ppm
Nitrate - rarely test, usually at bottom of test kit range
CA - 460
ALK 9.5 dKh
Mag - 1450-1500
SG - 1.026
pH wanders between 7.95 and 8.13 night to day.
I very sparingly dose aminos and feed a mixture of rods reef, PE mysis, and dry pellet food.
The reef has an ATI skimmer that does a great job, a reefdynamics CA reactor with large reef-rubble media.
I use a UV sterilizer at night and the tank runs carbon and GFO in reactors.
There is a refugium on a reverse photoperiod that grows caulerpa like no tomorrow. There is no algae in the main tank, the glass gets dirty once a week and must be cleaned.
The reef is mixed, with a small amount of LPS, a Ritteri anemone that stays put and is very well behaved, and a large amount of Acropora, Montipora, Millipora, pocillopora, stylopora, and seriotopora, among others.
Fish list is:
Two snowflake clowns.
three resplendent anthias
two Squampinnis anthias
four rock blennies
one Japanese elegance blenny
One achilles tang
one sailfin tang
one radiant wrasse
one potters wrasse
one naoko wrasse
Water is changed once a month, 20 gallons at a time, reef crystals salt is used.
Now for the problems:
1. 6 weeks ago I tried to plumb the CARX effluent into the skimmer intake to increase tank pH. This was an issue since I couldnt see the drip rate, it got plugged and the ALK fell from 9.7 dKh to 8 dKh in 6 days. Coral tips singed. Growth stops. Some tissue recession
2. 5-4 Weeks ago I go back to old method of effluent introduction, ALK rises, but corals were singed, not growing and using ALK, and ALK rose to 10 dKh over a period of two weeks, even as I raise the reactor pH to try to slow the rise. Coral unhappiness continues.
3. 4-3 Weeks ago I decide to get really serious about monitoring ALK. I check alk about 40 times in a 3 week timeframe. I get it stable, wandering at times from 8.8 - 9.2 dKH depending on the time of day I measure or the particular day. There are not 0.5 dKh swoops though, it changes slowly over weeks.
4. 1-2 weeks back, Corals still not happy with that amount of ALK movement, I increase reactor pH, increase effluent rate to prevent changes in flow rate, and over the last 1.5 weeks, ALK has been rock solid at 8.9-9.1 dKh, which is within the error of my Hanna Test Kit. Changed carbon and GFO.
5. Now: Alk is stable at 9 dKH, but corals still dying. Lost red dragon, 30K lokani, and an 8" pearlberry colony is rapidly dying back. reeftek starburst is on the ropes. Situation is worsening. 20g water change.
I am watching years of growth die, and honestly, over the course of 1 month, a very gradual wandering of 1 dkH should not result in massive death (after the 10dKh spike the alk sat between 8.5 and 9.5 as I got it more stable). Loss of color, yes, maybe some singed tips, but I can't help but think that something else is at work here.
I am totally open to comments and suggestions. Please be helpful. Just swooping in to say "Oh yeah alk needs to be within 0.001 dKh all the time" is not helpful. If you have never grown an acro beyond a frag, I am less interested in your input as I am of those who have successful SPS gardens. Thank you in advance for your help.
Share your experiences. What do you consider to be an ALK swing? 0.5 dKh? Do you think that ALK is the root of this problem?
I'll test anything and try just about anything. I have been at this for weeks and cannot stem the tide of destruction. Please help.
Lastly, the first corals affected were Seriotopora (birdsnests), and now that the ALK is stable, if the decline continues, my next plan of action is to change the CARX media for fear that there is some impurity in the media I have in there.
I suspect ALk by itself is not the issue, but if corals are already stressed for some reason it might push them over the edge.
