Feeling like I should give up. Nothing is working

[ps2cho]

Firstly I want to add detail, so please don't skim over 1 line and reply because it doesn't help me...

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I cannot seem to get a healthy tank whatever I do, or don't do.

Apart from a few SPS, the rest either have no growth, or STN and die, or live for a while, then die.

First equipment:

Tank started January 2014, so it is 1yr 3mo old.

Display: 60g (30" x 31" x 15")
Sump: Standard 20g long
Lighting: Reefbreeders Photon 24's x 2
Protein Skimmer: SCA 302 skimmer
Water Movement: 75x turnover using 1x Jebao WP-25, 1x Jebao RW-20, 1 Vortech MP10 + 350gph return
Dosing is BRS Dosers for Alk + Ca.

Water Production: Spectrapure 90gpd Refurb /w Maxcap DI addon.
Water change: Weekly 15% with Instant Ocean.

Tank Stats

79F
8.5 Alk
460 Ca
.08 Po4
1360 Mg
5 no3
7.9 pH

Third some photos:

FIRST PHOTO IS BEFORE Now they are all dead. Just started STN'ing over a period of a month. This was in December.

I don't run any media (have tried carbon, but it seemed to make it worse, or do nothing).

My alk and ca are stable with the dosers...I just don't understand what is wrong and why I can't succeed by any means at all.

I see people with alk swings, ca drops and they don't have these issues. PLUS my tank is over a year old!! I shouldn't be having these problems at all.

Any ideas or should I just call it quits and trash the whole tank and start again?

 

[Relativity]

What carbon blocks are you using in your RO. If your city is using harsh chemicals like chlormine it will get threw the ro and poison your tank. I would call your city water treatment plant to find out whats up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZQBDqZzu04

 

[ps2cho]

I am using Spectrapure 1micron sediment and carbon blocks.

That is one item I have not considered. Thank you for the input!

My carbon block and sediment filter are 10months old. I did research and many said 1 year is about right on a 70g tank doing 10-15% per week. Maybe though they are far gone!

 

[toothman]

You have one of the best ro/di on the market. I do not know why your phos and nitrate are so high. You really do not have many fish in it. If you want to do it similar to how I do it I would recommend the following:

Use Aquavitro salinity salt, at least it mixes near nsw.
Consider purchasing a t5 or halide light, leds are cool but harder to work with
Just changing those two things should get you near this kind of coral. There are other things also but that would be a great start. And buy a red planet frag.

 

[nashorn]

This is what I would check:
1. Use a multi meter and check for stray voltage in tank(set on AC) should be zero
2. Stop dosing for now( you don't have many coral now so should need it) one day start up again
3. Only a 5gal water changes one a month if corals look good and growing skip the change ( I have about the same water volume) but I carbon dose.
4. Look into carbon dosing again for me it was my my and day turn around. Before that I could keep basic sps alive and did weekly water changes.
Will take a mo to 2 mo if you follow the Volka chart so don't rush.
5. Check temp? Stable all day?
6. Check TDS in RO water.
7. Maybe turn down the light lvl ( I have Radion and run at55% Peak 3-4 hr rest is ramp up and down.
Positive note for you seem like there's some coralline ( mines grew like crazy at 100% led 8 hrs a day....lol
8. check for aefw (if u don't have any sps alive now wait till u break the cycle 2-3mo I think?
9. How do you topping off? I'm running a kalk reactor ( I consider the most deadly device since so many reefer killed off tanks their tanks when it fails) I use a tunze ato with a backup float power shut off)
10. What's your salinity at?
The pictures I see you're 1/2 way there to a amazing tank. I like the rock work , u have good flow etc . Stop chasing the numbers too. If corals look good don't do anything and if they don't then check why. Double check any water Q issues with test done at lfs or other reefers. And never change more then one thing at a time to correct a problem. Post problem and check with other before doing anything.
I see you are closer then most. I all have or still have problems . You just need to get it all dailed in.
Focus on sps survival...lol , growth And then color.
Like all sps tanks only disasters happen.

Sorry for my ramblings and good luck

 

[ps2cho]

I know the default response to my problem always seems to be "LEDs = no"...but I don't buy it. I've seen PLENTY of tanks having no problems. Less Color? Sure...The difference between STN'ing and not? Ehh...I doubt it. There is something else at play here.

I have a Red Planet in the 2nd pic and that is one of the frags that is doing well, and always has. It has doubled in size in the last 6 months.
My po4 and no3 used to be both 0 and that was a problem. I started feeding much more and brought up the levels higher...maybe they are too high now?

I have a Kole Tang, Yellow Tang, 2 Clowns and Royal Gramma.

#1 For the Stray voltage...what can I ground the black to in the house? I put it on a screw in the stand, and it was reading 0.800v-.8007v. I'm not sure if that screw counts as a ground though. Taking it out of the tank in the air read 0.500v....

My dosing is barely anything...the BRS dosers are only doing 3ml/day and alk is 1ml/day. It used to be more, but with everything dieing, I had to scale it back.

 

[JammyBirch]

Throw the black lead in the ground of a receptacle, you can't test from a screw it's not true ground. The ground on a receptacle is the round hole, don't put it in a slot of a receptacle.

 

[ps2cho]

Ok somethings definitely wrong!! But this doesn't make any sense...

I got the MM working in the recepticle. Shows 120v.
I put Red lead into water...19v. I remove it, plug back into socket. 120v. Back into water. 19v. So I think its safe to say 19v.

I turn off return pump via phone with the Red still in water. Drops to 14v. I unplug the Jebao Pumps...it INCREASES to 17v?? The heck? I repeated this over and over and with the Jebao pumps unplugged, the voltage rises. How is that even possible?

For a check figure, I put the Red probe into my bucket of saltwater I had ready for a water change today and it read 0v...it sounds like I have a stray somewhere...

Any ideas?

 

[JammyBirch]

Un plug your heaters one time...I'd go through every single power load on your system until you get it down to 0. If you have multiple leakage then you may want to power them off one by one and leave them off.

I have no idea why the voltage would go up with the Jebaos off... Really weird.

 

[ps2cho]

I am posting a video on youtube so its easier to understand...Just waiting on the tube to finish it. It should be easier to understand whats happening.

I want to get this stupid tank fixed. Maybe I have some idea now though!

It sounds like it may be a bunch of leaks.

 

[ps2cho]

Here is the link once it finishes being accepted:

http://youtu.be/jXXJk_TAC7Q

 

[ps2cho]

Also while I am working on this stray voltage deal (maybe)...would you recommend I do a few 50% water changes to get the nitrates down to about 5, and the po4 to 0.02-0.04, or do a regiment of microbacter7 (same principle as vodka) to get the bacteria to clean everything up?

 

[JammyBirch]

You def got stray voltage...I have no idea why it would jump up when the circs are off.

Can you take the apex out of the loop? Seems when the Jebao were unplugged the voltage went up, but besides the vortex equipment, that scenario was all apex controlled equipment.

Something is leaking I wonder if the amount is based on what the apex was pushing for power. I'd throw everything on regular receptacles and see what you read, then start un plugging stuff one at a time to find out what it is.

 

[JammyBirch]

You should get a ground probe, toss it in the sump and plug the other end into the receptacle. I did some reading and found other threads with way higher stray voltage than you. You have vortex and Jebaos they create magnetic fields and create voltage, that may explain why the voltage goes up when you unplug the Jebaos, the Jebaos mag field could cancel some of the total stray voltage, like a transformer converts voltage through mag field induction.

The heaters in my mind would be the biggest player, they are literally wound wire, that creates a mag field and induce voltage.

 

[ThorEffex]

I don't think that stray voltage is your problem. water movement will cause a voltage. How do you measure salinity? Refractometer? Maby you have too much/ direct flow? Maby some kind of pest?

 

[NeverlosT]

Just make sure that you are measuring voltage in the tank correctly, one end in the water, the other end in the ground hole of an outlet (not either of the rectangular holes, the round one), the multimeter probes into the meter correctly, and V AC is being read?

Id ensure that you are feeding enough, with so few fish, it might be tough to get the corals enough nutrients. Do you broadcast feed the tank anything like oyster eggs or reef frenzy?

It sounds like you are just about there. Just need to find that stability. If you really like the LED, maybe supplement with T5 to rule that out?

 

[kevin_e]

I doubt it's stray current. I'm in the process of dealing with it and my corals have never been as colorful or as quick growing.

The lack of food, in my experience, just causes pale colors.

I'd look at your dosing. With little to know growth, your dosing is just causing your numbers to rise. Wsterchsnges bring it back down. That may be where your swing is.

 

[nashorn]

Under 20v maybe ok but if you ask 10 reefers you're get 10 differnt answers. Just make sure everything in the water is on.
http://www.bostonreefers.org/forums/showthread.php?138597-Stray-Voltage-in-Aquarium
Also you tube has some great info on how to measure stray voltage in the tank.
Voltage maybe one that you can cross off the list but it's a long list....lol
Also I'm assuming you at using a gfci?
Lightings and food is down on list so look at water Q 1st . Working towards getting sps to encrest and not die then you can work on color and growth.
What you want to do is rule things out.
Led works but needs to be dailed in which will take time.

 

[kevin_e]

I doubt it's stray current. I'm in the process of dealing with it and my corals have never been as colorful or as quick growing.

The lack of food, in my experience, just causes pale colors.

I'd look at your dosing. With little to no growth, your dosing is just causing your numbers to rise. Wsterchsnges bring it back down. That may be where your swing is.

 

[Relativity]

I am using Spectrapure 1micron sediment and carbon blocks.

That is one item I have not considered. Thank you for the input!

My carbon block and sediment filter are 10months old. I did research and many said 1 year is about right on a 70g tank doing 10-15% per week. Maybe though they are far gone!

If you watched the video that block failed at 80 gallons. It all depends on what is in the water. The universal or choloplus will give you better results but they still fail after about 800 gallons thats 800 gallons of pure and waste water so you get about 300 gallons usable water depending on boaster pump used. Go to bulk reef supply for the blocks. If they fail at 80 gallon that means those cheap blocks are really only good for 30 gallons of water when chlorime is used.