coral necrosis newbie help fish death diatom algae everywhere

[davehead86]

Personally heres what i think ...

Most of that is water quality, over feeding, and a light schedule thats too intense. Not that you havent acclimated properly but that the light is just up too high. I keep mine at like 35% and that cut down my algae growth. These lights are SUPER powerful.

You need MAD snails in that tank. Go get a variety from the LFS. I like nassarian and asteria snails. They clean the sand and the glass and eat tons of stuff. I also have 1 crab. I had more but they ended up fighting with eachother so its down to just one.

Your powerheads are in a bad position. That center overflow presents an interesting dynamic for water movement. Its take the one thats next to that overflow on the back wall and move it towards the top and pointing across the tank on the display side. Id take the other powerhead, keep it low and put it in the front of the tank on the same side.

 

[champion6sigma]

I can't stand all the nessarian eggs on the back of the tank....not sure if they are the only ones that lay them.

I used to have maybe 20 snails/crabs..possibly more...you just can't see them. Perhaps some of the crabs died, they do fight. Snails are there. Just don't know how many. Have some margahrita nessaries, and asteria.

Putting the powerhead that is on right of center overflow...more forward to front is where I used to have it.. I'm actually getting excessive flow now.....thats why I put it in back....I really do have overkill with one mp40....thats why I have to keep power low...

My hope was to use the other one to have zero dead spots in the back of the tank behind all the rocks and in all the nooks and crannies back there. The flow pattern of an mp40 is fairly large....

That being said I'm still not happy with the setup placement. I might move the one back to front and create turbelence from powerheads making water hit in front center of tank....but thats where I currently have the two corals....and I don't know if its too much flow hitting them. In reality I can always ramp up my mp40 on left of center and I can get immense flow in all of tank. I probably should mess with the settings that cause stop and go flow....reef conditions etc... I probably need to play with it a lot more.....My fish don't even seem to be able to swim in front of it now...they are blown to center at the speeds they are on....which is slightly problem I had when I had the othe mp40 on right of center further to front of tank on same glass. Fish were blown to left side of tank then get hit by that mp40 blowing to front of tank...I honestly don't need anything in front of tank probably cause each one has the power to move water on opposite side of tank its on....with ease. The constant flow pattern on the coral leave the polyp extensions just flowing in the direction of the water without any movement...

Its tricky....like driving a ferrari in heavy traffic....my other thought is maybe turn these things on at different times of day to change movements...If I can figure out best possible permanent placements. I do want to break the surface of the water I think that is good from what I read...and im currently doing it with my return nozzle. If I can raise one of the mp40's to the right height to create surface agitation and water movement below that would be ideal. Instead of relying on the return nozzle but maybe return nozzle is better. Lost power today..I have to raise nozzle so that no water is reversed into sump...it will reverse until the nozzle is free from being submerged. Once power is restored I need to resubmerge nozzle so that water doesn't shoot out of tank or upwards....so ideally if i have power issues while not home....I should have nozzle always pointed fairly downward...

i've already been feeding much less, out of necessity and because only 3 fish now...sometimes I'll even skip a day. I started doing this when my clown died.

 

[champion6sigma]

delivery

 

[champion6sigma]

I also increased my dlsr resolution to something respectable for future pictures. I'm probably also going to order one of those viewing circles to view downward from above

 

[champion6sigma]

New pics. My filter sock has overflowed, will be replacing that with a clean one soon. I'm hoping you all can see the white finger leather...where the hole was is now a weird orange looking "item"? Not sure if its alive could this be a worm or parasite?

I'll be testing the water today or tomorrow...and will start making water tomorrow.

 

[champion6sigma]

Additional higher res pics of issues

 

[champion6sigma]

Using a different lens. A 70-300 taken a few feet away from tank

 

[champion6sigma]

Every little white speck on the rocks are bubbles. My anemone still doesn't want to open up...this last water I got from LFS was extremely ugly looking...looked dirty. salt was at around 1.023....unlike the other place which goes slightly above 1.026 with the reef crystals.

I'm glad that I won't be buying water anymore from these stores.....or testing....I don't trust this last one ....I trust the other one more.....doing things yourself is the way to go

 

[champion6sigma]

Testing completed

Testing completed

2016-03-01 12:30 Calcium 375
2016-03-01 12:14 Phosphate 0
2016-03-01 12:05 Alkalinity 12.96
2016-03-01 11:44 Nitrate 0.5 Might be between .5 and .2 but"¦
2016-02-29 11:35 Magnesium 1320

Current temp
80.1
COND 34.4 about 1.0255 specific g
PH 7.68

apex makes this so easy to log the test kits! saliferts readings/labeling are built in.

 

[champion6sigma]

I'd start by fixing the water situation.
You need tests for alkalinity, calcium and magnesium. I use Salifert because it gives numbers.
You need reef salt, if you've been using anything else: Instant Ocean is good moderate level salt.
You need supplements for alk, cal, magnesium. I use Kent.
If your water is deficient in magnesium, start with that. Dose only so much as the instructions tell you, wait 8 hours for it to dissolve and work through the system, then dose again. When your mg (mag) is up to 1300, stop dosing that and test your alkalinity. Do the same routine until your alk is 8.3. Never mind the ph.
Then do the same thing with calcium, until it reads 420. DO IT IN THAT ORDER.
If you have stony coral, you will need a calcium supplement, because it will eat up more calcium than your salt mix has to offer.
RUn these tests weekly. If that's not enough, run them more frequently.
If your corals are taking more than a teaspoon of calcium supplement a week, you need to put kalk into your topoff, and you can ask about that when you need to.
YOur skimmer is SUPPOSED to pull black stuff. That's good.
If you can see white skeleton on any coral, that's not good.
Test your nitrate. If your nitrate is higher than .2 ---do water changes until you've lowered it at least below 20 and ideally to the point where you have to do the sensitive version of the nitrate test to detect it.

Before adding the biopellet reactor, ---try the water changes. They'll work much, much, much faster.

I'm going to get some magnesium supplement now that I've done testing, done water changing. I just want to clarify...the magnesium will not raise alkalinity at all?

Secondly..if my alk is already way high...I can just skip that and move on to calcium once the magnesium levels are up to par? Or do I need to wait on calcium until alk drops... your directions were clear to do procedure in order....

thank you

 

[champion6sigma]

The magnesium and calcium I ordered should hopefully be here by tuesday or wednesday. I'll start dosing magnesium immediately. I read what its capable of increasing, since mine is so low, I'll probably run the test after 2 or 3 days so that it builds a little.

Picked up a gourmet defroster hopefully that works well. Also got the nitrite test. I'm eventually going to get all of them...with the non essential runs just run very occasionally maybe twice a year OR if I have a tank emergency, a fish dies, etc....

BRS salifert tests are cheaper than marine depot still.

 

[ijnoj09]

coral necrosis newbie help fish death diatom algae everywhere

Testing for nitrite is basically useless once your tank is established and pass the initial cycle. The ammonia will be converted to nitrite and then to nitrate too quickly for you to test for it.

 

[champion6sigma]

Testing for nitrite is basically useless once your tank is established and pass the initial cycle. The ammonia will be converted to nitrite and then to nitrate too quickly for you to test for it.

I was trying to read up on the gas exchange process...nitrite to nitrate...and I just figured maybe there is some abnormality in tank....which would account for excess diatoms and bubbles....

I sent email to try and remove nitrite test from my order..

I guess if I had a true nitrite bad level my remaining fish would die. Is the oxygenation test important if I do have excess bubbles. I'm looking at tank today...seems like nothing in morning, it may just start when lights ramp up ....I need to reread the stickies on chem / gas exchange / algae / etc..

 

[champion6sigma]

Need some help URGENT

Need some help URGENT

I'm having some problems with my coral growth, anemone vitality. Other than those two visual issues, there's no apparent issues with fish, sand, algae, or other problems.

Water parameters have gotten better for my goals set by ska8er.


ALK on march 1 was 12.96. ALK march 30 is 9.9.

Magnesium feb 29 was 1320, on march 15 was 1335, march 19 1350, march 30 today is 1395. I have not added mag supplement in maybe 2 weeks. I'm strictly using my magnesium plus dd2 salt. do a 5 gallon change every week.

calcium on march 1 was 375 , on march 30 is 405. Have not done a single calcium dose yet.

Now for the other issues

phosphate march 1 was 0 now it around .1 (ppm?) on the salifert tests
nitrate march 1 was 0.5 and now is 10....

both tests were truly difficult for me to decipher but those are my best visual choices


Ph is 7.5 currently with lab grade apex probe. I've been reading the low ph sticky weblink...i'm now unsure what my issue is but its narrowed down.

PH in tank does go up during day (as indicated in weblink) and then goes down in nightime. has been highest at 7.72 in last 3 weeks. low of 7.5 (recently) and now (nightime).

webarticle states could be CO2 problem since my alk is still above normal...and ph is chronic low.

could be aeration problem ( or general CO2 tank only issue) or it can be a CO2 issue in the house affecting the tank....


I always have my mp40's on extreme low power....one is mid high but doesn't cause much aeration...other is mid low and does nothing to surface. I have the return nozzle locline thing upward so that it breaks surface but output is slow...( I still don't know my true gph)

Please provide some suggestions to get my corals growing ( or not dying) my anemones thriving....one is bleached , and the which was previously on a rock at bottom part of tank moved to the underside of tank (gets no light) and opens up slightly during day...

Suggestions for lowering nitrates and phosphates.

My thought on that is immediate water change? 5 gallon immediately...and then how soon until next one and how much?

What to do about PH increasing, ALK lowering. I do have mag and calc supplements if I need that in future to increase....(calc is slightly low so i might add some soon unless anyone thinks otherwise)

I also have ph buffer if now is the true time to use it.

Should i replace my powerheads so that one mp40 is truly near surface and getting serious water ripples....plus increase my vectra pump....and maybe increase water movement on the other mp40

Thank you for all your help.

Eric

 

[champion6sigma]

I don't know if I need to add plants to home or get an erv or hsv system installed so we have better air quality if our air quality really is the culprit. We have 2 adults 1 baby two 10 pounds or less dogs. and aquarium. new home of 3 years age.

Even with mp40's on low and good pump...could i have a tank only CO2 issue strictly from aeration or is there another issue affecting pH to be low....

My ALK was extreme high when I originated my post...after the water changes instructed and buying my own tests, they have consistently lowered.

I added a true clean up crew....many snails crabs, and all algae hair cyano everything is beyond clear. My sand is white...i only get some stuff on glass which magnetic thing takes care of ...my flipper.

Did the CUC completely change my nitrates and phosphates?