Corals dieing

[starionesir]

Heres two of the corals that aren't really opening. A hammer and duncan.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

After reading all of this and looking at your pictures, I think I'd go with a 25% wc today and see how things look by tomorrow. Keep the gfo offline but run your skimmer. If there is the slightest improvement do another equal wc in two days. Same if that one gives improvement then do another in two days. After those 3 I'd go to a 15% per week wc and see how it goes from there. I agree I believe the water has been stripped and needs to be replenished.

 

[rt67ghy]

Yes, water changes seem to be in order now. After the first water change you could run GAC at 3x (in grams) the volume of your water ( in litres). This would help to get rid of all the organics/chemicals being released by your affected corals. After 3 days of running GAC I'd toss it and hopefully things will start looking better.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

I would run nothing other than the skimmer. Don't go doing too many things at once, if you do you have no idea what it is that you did that "fixed" the problem. One thing at a time.

 

[starionesir]

So just to be clear. I'm currently running 3 reactors. I have one that has BRS high capacity GFO. The second is a recirculating reactor running biopellets. The third is running GAC.

Currently I have stopped the gfo but am still running the biopellets and gac.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Take all three reactors offline, only do the wc's as I outlined above. Also don't dose anything else accept food ie Kent Microvert or similar.

 

[starionesir]

Okay. As for the biopellet reactor. Am I going to have a issue with taking it offline and then turning it back on later? The gfo and carbon I'm going to throw away and leave the reactors dry but with the biopellet if I let is sit isn't it going to get nasty from bacteria? Should I drain it and let the pellets dry out?

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Personally I'd drain them all and take them offline. The point I'm getting to with doing this is to reassess your tank and it's needs. In most cases all you need you can get from wc's depending on the number and requirements of the hard corals that are in your system.

For instance in my tank I've got a good mix of SPS, LPS softies leathers and mushrooms and one HUGE toadstool plus two BTA's. My two week wc's take care of all my corals pull from the system I've got no need for dosing. You may or many not need to be running anything.

As far as the reactors for algae there are some things you can do to eliminate it as I have without running any reactors.

So pull them off an lets see where you are with the wc's. You will have to do quite a bit of testing over the next two weeks but it will get you the information that you need going forward.

 

[starionesir]

I appreciate all your help and info. I have a bad habit of over thinking things sometimes and thought running the reactors with different media would help but I guess over time they've just stripped too much. They have been running for a while but I guess it takes time to strip the tank.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

I can understand your over thinking things as I'm guilty myself at times. I just see your tank as one needing to be reset and the best way to do that is take all dosing down, do some good sized wc's until 100% is reached and test each day before the wc and after the wc. Then after the 100% is reached test water every other day for a week. Decide that time if you will do a wc or wait a week. All the while confirming wc data.

Like I said it will take some work but you will know in a week what's going to be protocol from then forward.

 

[starionesir]

What do you recommend to deal with the algae that you can see from the pictures? I'm assuming I can keep the fuge online to help deal with it some. I just don't want to have a bad bloom.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

I hadn't said anything, just put it in a bucket or another tank until the testing is done.

 

[DubiousMaximus]

Id think several water changes close together would also stripe nutrients, which may also slow algae growth (tank+refug). Remove algae from display at that point either by siphoning or vacuuming out + herbivores. I agree somewhat with reassessment of your consumption / export needs in terms of slow simple changes at a time

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Water changes export the bad and replace the good, pretty much that simple. Water changes are not buffering the water like a reactor does.

 

[starionesir]

Here is a pic of the birdsnest in question. As of last night all 3 reactors have been shut down. I have started making some more ro water just need to get to the store to get some more salt.