Active Carbon and SPS isues

[StarF]

atm pretty bare. zeobak 6 drops 2 times a week, 0,6ml start2, i recently startet to add. 6 drops of sponge power, 3 times a week, waiting with coralvitalizer until my no3 drops.. i dose 2x of pauls xtra 5ml. 6 drops of poly pocci glow, 2 times a week.

running around 1,5liters of zeovit, 640L/h.

there are coraline on my rocks, and glass, spreading slowly. No alge, other than a bit of dino´s i have ben battleling those for ½ year time. atm the tank is clean of them, usaly gives the tank a few days of no light every couple of week, to keep them down.

here are some pictures, that are 2 weeks old.

i restarted not from dry though, i exchanged all my rocks, and did a 14 day run in, of the zeovit, starting to add fish 1 month later.

 

[JSeymour]

I don't think it would be carbon either, but there are a couple possibililties. How often do you change your carbon, and what type/brand?

Old carbon is known for leaching out compounds as they reach "saturation", as more reactive molecules replace less reactive molecules on the carbon surface. Some carbons are not useful in saltwater, with different marine grade carbons working better and longer then others. Lignite carbon is amongst the best marine carbon available. There is another carbon for twice the price, but it is very high quality with enormous absorbion properties, BRS's premium ROX carbon. I believe it's a lignite source carbon.

Personally, I run lignite carbon only for about 12 hours after water changes once a week.

 

[StarF]

JSeymourA> i change it every month. its a german fish store brand, they specialise in saltwater fish, and i have ben using it in 3 years, also when i had a sps tank with out problems.

the other coral i dipped dident show anything aswell. no pests on it.

 

[29reef]

It's been a while sens I've done zeo but you dosing sounds about right for a tank of your age. Have you posted on the zeo forum? I think you should try turning up your mp40s and feed a little more. Maybe try an amino additive as well. How often do you do water changes and what salt do you use? I think it's something in the water, how's the acroporas growth rate?

 

[StarF]

acropora growth rate is low.
tryed the zeoforum no luck in finding a cause.
my mp40 is almost turned up to max, if i go any higher there will be a sandstorm, i feed pretty heavely as i have anthias, how ever fince i gotten them, the corals are doing better than before, but still not super good. I have amino, but i was told to wait to use it, until my no3 is lower than it is now, same with coralvitalizer.

i have ben struggeling with this isue for over ½ year. I use aquamedic salt, and i usaly do a water change everyweek.

 

[29reef]

Well IMO nitrate levels in the range of 0-8ppm is pretty normal and healthy in a sps tank. I would think that you should be okay to slowly start adding them to the tank. I feel that the sps are starving for some nutrients in your system and by adding "foods" you'll cure your problem. Most reefkeeping can be a stab in the dark as it is. I suggest just trying some added feedings of rotifers as well. Just take it slow and watch for unwanted cyano and other indicators of overdose. Also you might want to have someone else test your water with a different brand and possibly newer test kit, just to make sure your results are the same.

 

[StarF]

the sps are in my main fishtank. sorry if i was unclear about that.

 

[JMBoehling]

I've had similiar issues with GAC and my SPS. Most people have had no issues running GAC at all, but every time I try and run some, passively or in a reactor, I have similiar issues you described (Purples turn pale, slight base nercosis, unhappy SPS...) I've try Rox.08, Black Diamond, Rowacarbon, and others and have similiar issues I only use Seachem Purigen now. I purchased 3 bags and rotate them every 3 or 4 weeks, bleach them clean during the rotations... You might want to give it a try, seeemed to solve my problems a while ago

 

[StarF]

How fast do you see improvements ?

I am gonna try using less, and if that dosent improve it, stop using carbon for a while.

 

[JMBoehling]

How fast do you see improvements ?

I am gonna try using less, and if that dosent improve it, stop using carbon for a while.

For me, about 2 weeks or so.. Full color back in a month. I am assuming that all your other paramters are in check. Please keep this thread updated as I'd love to know if you had similiar end results.

Thanks,

Jim

 

[StarF]

Will do, i will prob try and give it a few days with out carbon.

 

[Santoki]

FWIW,
I've experienced the same symptoms as Jim after carbon use. Only recently have I discovered it had to do with Iodine deficiency in my case. Someone has already posted this earlier, but carbon will remove more iodine than water changes will replace.
-Robert

 

[fishypets]

I know you said you checked your salinity with your GHL but you might double check that vs a refractometer. I had a similar issue and my GHL probe was off and had to be recalibrated. I lost color in all my acros and a few starting receding from the base up.

 

[29reef]

Iirc you won't want to remove all carbon from the system while on zeovit.

 

[StarF]

I know you said you checked your salinity with your GHL but you might double check that vs a refractometer. I had a similar issue and my GHL probe was off and had to be recalibrated. I lost color in all my acros and a few starting receding from the base up.

its only 2 weeks since it was calibrated and i havent added salt since..

also my floater is almost saying the same as the ghl.. the salt was the first think i checked, and that was the reason i got the ghl, to be sure it is and never will be a isue (i tryed lossing loads of sps due to a bad refragtometer)

 

[StarF]

I am considering stopping zeovit, and just go back to the old fashing way with a no3 sulfate filter... depens on how things are going from now on.. i will post here, what the added iodine and less carbon has done...

so far 3 have gone worse since yesterday sadley... my plate monti are growing fine though.

 

[StarF]

A update:

got a hold of a saliffers iodine test, and it was a bit low. How ever in the mean while i have lost 5 sps (acrora corals) and the rest have started to show rtn on the base. All color from my acro is also washed out, and pale.

my monti and hysterix are fine though. I have desided to stop zeo, and take a breath with acro´s. How long should a tank be stable before it should be safe adding acroporas?

i have started to do a few big water changes.