I am a idiot.....

[nashorn]

So what I killed in my tank
https://flic.kr/p/WXcdU4
This one too in the middle
https://flic.kr/p/WXccSe

Anyone remember my post of why my tank's salinity is stable even thought I didn't perform any water changes for about a year?
Well I got complacent and didn't check for 2 months. A sps that I thought was bullet proof which had survive 2 tank crashes started to RTN from the base up.
Base up so must be low alk ....lol... nope
Only this one rtn and all others had color and good PE so I was thought its a localize problem. Something stung it ,sps fighting for space...etc

I kind of let it go since I thought it would stop on its own but by that time found the problem it was too late.
My salinity dropped to 1.020
I lost all but 3 branches.

This happened a few weeks ago and I was too embarrass to share till now.

Well this post helps someone else.

 

[bif24701]

So what I killed in my tank

https://flic.kr/p/WXcdU4

This one too in the middle

https://flic.kr/p/WXccSe



Anyone remember my post of why my tank's salinity is stable even thought I didn't perform any water changes for about a year?

Well I got complacent and didn't check for 2 months. A sps that I thought was bullet proof which had survive 2 tank crashes started to RTN from the base up.

Base up so must be low alk ....lol... nope

Only this one rtn and all others had color and good PE so I was thought its a localize problem. Something stung it ,sps fighting for space...etc



I kind of let it go since I thought it would stop on its own but by that time found the problem it was too late.

My salinity dropped to 1.020

I lost all but 3 branches.



This happened a few weeks ago and I was too embarrass to share till now.



Well this post helps someone else.

That's tough man. I must say though it is very difficult to grow and keep SPS colonies if you go so long without taking care of the basics. ALK and Salinity are the most important and easiest parameters to check with a Hanna dKH Checker and refractometer. I check both almost daily though I haven't had any fluctuations or problems with either since my reef reached its Final Form last August. Keep things simple and easy so you are more likely to do them.

I've made my fair share of mistakes but I've learned that diligence and patience are the biggest keys to success and happiness in this delicate hobby.

My ATO and ALK/Cal supplement system has got to be one of the simplest and yet most effective ever conceived, I can say that with no ego.

32 gallon Brute with RODI, Kalk, and 2 cups vinegar mixed with lid.

BRS 50ml ATO pump takes the Kalk from the Brute and adds it to my sump. The pump is activated via APEX relay socket for 4 minutes every 1/2 hour.

ALK is perfectly steady at 10.5. Salinity never sways ever. It was easy to determine how long my pump needed to run to keep up with evaporation. As my ALK consumption increases I started adding vinegar to the Kalk to increase its potency. Easy mode.

The Hanna Checker takes 60 seconds to accurately test ALK, fats and easy!

I don't calibrate the refractometer. I note the reading of the calibrating fluid and match my new water too it. As the temperature of the refractometer changes so does the readings, that's why I done change it. I also put my calibration fluid in the water to reach the same temperature for testing. Makes perfect water.




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[reefmutt]

ouch! lesson learned!
onward and upward!!

... was a pretty nice coral tho....

that always stings..

soooo been there!

 

[Leopardshark]

I feel sorry for your loss, but 1.020 isn´t too low does it?

 

[jda]

What is the take-away that you want folks to learn? Do water changes, or just check more stuff more often? ...or both?

I am sorry for your loss. I know how much it can hurt, especially when you think back about all of the signs that you missed or read wrong. I am glad that you have some left to start over with.

IMO, a quick dip down to 1.020 will be fine for otherwise healthy corals, I think that what he is trying to say is that it could have been down there for a while.

 

[Horace]

I feel sorry for your loss, but 1.020 isn´t too low does it?

1.020 is VERY Low.

It should be 1.026. If I had to raise the salinity by .006, it would require several cups of salt in my 180g....

Honestly I dont know how you get that far out of whack. I understand a few points, but not 6. You must have been taking alot of water out w/out adding any salt over that time.

While i think the guy above who is checking his salinity every day is WAY overboard, you probably should be checking salinity every month at a minimum. Any time you do a WC you should also take note if the salinity is down a bit so you can compensate when you do the WC to get things back in line.

 

[kevin.st]

Is it common to calibrate your refractometer each time? I do.

 

[nashorn]

Yea I drop the ball on this one.
I have the digital salinity meter too.

 

[Horace]

Just a heads up, you should read this article on refractometers too. Most do NOT measure sea water salinity accurately (they often measure 5% higher than normal). It is definitely worth it to make sure yours is properly calibrated

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-12/rhf/index.php