Help - Corals Look Bad

[kill4u]

Please help,

I am extremely frustrated and would like some expert advise on what could be going on with my coral frag tank...

I established the tank in July and added a few corals and everything was looking good...... Here is the tank on Aug 24..

On Sept. 3rd a friend's tank started leaking and I was forced to add a bunch of corals to the tank... Things are still looking good a couple days later (Sept 5)...

About 3 days ago (Oct 9) the tank started looking horrible..... And it continues to get worse...

When I noticed the tank starting to look bad I checked my water parameters:
Temp: 79.3
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0.1
Nitrate: 1
pH: 7.99
Salinity: 1.024
Calcium: 557 <-- High
Phosphates: 0.22 Phosphorous ULR: 69 <-- Not Good
Alkalinity (CaCO3): 121.00 KH: 6.8 <-- Not Good

My pH and Alkalinity have always ran on the low side......

The tank is a 40G Breeder with a 30g Sump.....
So I immediately did a 10g water change.....
The protein skimmer level of production has remained unchanged.....
The LED light schedule has remained unchanged.....

But the tank continues to decline...... Tonight I added 1/2 tsp of Alkalinity to the tank to try to improve the low alkalinity........


This is not the first time I have had similar problems...... I seem to do ok for a couple of months and than everything starts looking bad and dies over the course of a couple days.......

I am at my wits end......:headwalls:

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.......

Thanks,
Brian

 

[AboutAcans]

You're pH is too low and your calcium is too high. One thing that you probably already know is zoas in a frag tank that small should usually have some form of activated carbon because with the sweepers from the torches/frogspawns/hammers (whatever they are) being as close as they are the zoanthids will release palytoxins in attempt to survive and essentially poison the entire tank. I only noticed that because you have a pretty big colony there. I would say 99% sure everything is stinging something else is being poisoned by the zoanthids. I would get some carbon running and straighten out the parameters. Maybe remove the zoas altogether.

 

[Jeff4777]

Sounds like you know whats wrong since you have those parameters. Do a large water change again. This will dilute the calcium a bit and add trace elements for the corals that may of been depleted. This will help with reduce nitrate, phosphates, and boost dKH. Continue dosing for alkalinity to slowly bring it up to 9. If you have an ATO put kalkwasser in it. This can be cheap way to maintain water chemistry if you already have an ATO in the first place. It will also raise pH. Put in fresh GFO and carbon. I'd recommend monitoring alkalinity daily until you figure out your daily consumption rate. Doubtful chemical warfare is damaging your tank considering the test results, if anything the torch coral or another LPS could sting something. I would give the torch coral a lot of room though.

 

[Reeferfourlife]

Well, you have a couple of issues. You need to bring your alk up slowly to 9. Also you have very low nitrate. That is why your phosphate will have trouble coming down. Run a reactor for gfo. Also another reactor for carbon to clean your water since you have massive die off. Do a big water change. Do you have any fish in there? If you do, feed more to bring nitrate up to 5 to 10. Zoas and softies love dirty water.

 

[Sk8r]

Also run carbon. You put some unhappy softies in with stonies and they spit discouraging chemicals. Plus fix the chemistry. Shoot for 8.3 dkh alk, which gives you wiggle room.

 

[Ron Reefman]

You're pH is too low and your calcium is too high. One thing that you probably already know is zoas in a frag tank that small should usually have some form of activated carbon because with the sweepers from the torches/frogspawns/hammers (whatever they are) being as close as they are the zoanthids will release palytoxins in attempt to survive and essentially poison the entire tank. I only noticed that because you have a pretty big colony there. I would say 99% sure everything is stinging something else is being poisoned by the zoanthids. I would get some carbon running and straighten out the parameters. Maybe remove the zoas altogether.

My only comment is that a pH of 7.99 is not too low, it's just fine. And a Ca of 577 is very high, but it's VERY unlikely that that Ca level is causing any of your issues. I've been there before in a 180g tank full of sps, lps and softies and never had any issues.

I'd go along with running some carbon, do more water changes and try to get you parameters under control (not that they are too far off, but they aren't right either).

 

[kill4u]

All,
Thanks for all of the feed back..... I will throw a reactor with carbon on the tank ASAP....
And do a more significant water change.....

One thing I just found out was that someone (had to be me) must have hit a button on the light controller and it was in manual mode...... ie: running 24 hours a day...

Thanks....
Brian

 

[robs.mark]

Be carefull with the amount of carbon, it can strip a body of water very quickly. 10ppm nitrates is not good advice, aim for 2-3ppm nitrates 0 p04 low. Your alk is low as your calcium is too high, correct it and the cal will follow. What is your magnesium doing? Also an important parameter. I would start doing a series of 10% water changes.

 

[snorvich]

Test weekly. Ca about 430, alk about 8.5, magnesium about 1350 is what you should be shooting for.