My tank is crashing

[dascharisma]

Well, it all started when I left for Las Vegas right after thanksgiving. When I got back from my trip I noticed that i had two torts on opposite sides of the tank that were from different parent colonies both peeling flesh. I also had two stylos on opposite sides of the tank, from different parent colonies looking badly. Over the course of the next week all 4 of those corals died. On the other hand, everything else in the tank looked very good. I checked all of my parameters and they were all in line. The only thing I didn't check was nitrates, since brown corals weren't my problem and my tank has very little algae growth.

On Saturday afternoon i installed my new skimmer. Everything in the tank looked good. I hadn't had any more problems since removing the 4 dead frags. I took a pic the same day I added the skimmer. Here it is.

My tank on Saturday

Sunday morning I noticed a severe lack of polyp extension on almost all of my sps. I did all of my standard tests, and this time I included the nitrate test. The Salifert nitrate test read 50ppm. I was pretty shocked to see this, becuase although i don't know what my nitrates usually are I never assumed I had any nitrates based on the way my tank looked.

Sunday night the first water change took place and i replaced my carbon. On Monday morning there was no improvement in the tank. Late in the afternoon i noticed things looking worse. My birdsnest started peeling flesh from the tips toward the base. The corals looked bleached and were all closed up. At that point I could tell that things were going to completely crash soon. I decided to put the frag tank online in order to add water to the system and dilute whatever was causing the problem.



At this point things look real bad. I am not sure what will live and what won't. I don't know what is wrong in the tank but I have a couple guesses. One assumption is that all of the current chaos in the tank was caused by something in the skimmer that didn't come off when I wiped it down before installing it. Perhaps some poison is in the tank and the high nitrates are just a product of the die off caused by the poison. I think it is less likely that the high nitrates would be the cause of all the problems, because they would have built up slowly and it is unlikely that every coral in the tank would react on the same morning to a long standing problem.

As a number of you know, I have some pretty expensive frags in my tank, and a few pieces that are irreplacable. I don't have much confidence in many of them making it through this alive. Its not so much that I am out the money (That won't sink in for a while) it is the time and effort that I have put into this tank only to watch it go to hell.



Brad

 

[overanalyzer]

BUMMER!! I have a small softie set-up if you need someoen to old some of your corals I would be more than willing to if need be. I will keep my fingers crossed for you!

 

[Coralfreak]

Brad,

Its your call, but I'd be willing to come get whatever and put them in my frag tank and try to save them, LMK.

Allen

 

[mwood]

I'm very sorry to hear it Brad. I know you were proud of your good looking tank. I hope you are able to salvage some of those frags.

Good luck!
Marcus

 

[dascharisma]

I think my plan for now is just to keep doing water changes and changing the carbon every couple of days. Assuming that dillution is effective, I figure things are better off with unchanged lighting and flow. If the situation becomes more desperate I may well take you guys up on your generous offers. JJ thinks that the high nitrates are the cause of the problems since my zoanthids and clam seem to be fine. If the problem is only with the nitrates then my water changes should be all I need to fix things.


Here is a current pic of the birdsnest that started peeling on one or two tips yesterday afternoon. Things look worse today, but most corals look the same. I hope the water changes and the carbon will do the trick.

Does anyone know what sort of readings I should get from a volt meter measuring stray current?


Brad

 

[mwood]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8828450#post8828450 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dascharisma
...
JJ thinks that the high nitrates are the cause of the problems since my zoanthids and clam seem to be fine.
...
Does anyone know what sort of readings I should get from a volt meter measuring stray current?


Brad

Not sure what reading you should get with a volt meter, but you could shut down all electrical items and see if you get the same reading as with all on. If you don't, start checking out pumps.

If high nitrates are the cause, what would the source be? You don't just get high nitrates, they are more of a symptom in my opinion. Unless you have been neglecting your tank really bad.

Marcus

 

[dascharisma]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8828539#post8828539 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mwood
Not sure what reading you should get with a volt meter, but you could shut down all electrical items and see if you get the same reading as with all on. If you don't, start checking out pumps.

If high nitrates are the cause, what would the source be? You don't just get high nitrates, they are more of a symptom in my opinion. Unless you have been neglecting your tank really bad.

Marcus

Dan Hinch told me that there would be some natural voltage measurable in the tank, so I am trying to find out if my reading is just that, or is high and indicative of a problem.

The only source of the high nitrates would be my very heavy feeding. I feed a ton of food. I have been doing so ever since I had problems with my corals being too light. I do have a large skimmer and i siphon anything that accumulates on the bottom of the tank and sumps. I always assumed that if my nitrates were high that I would get algae and brown corals. Since I have never had a problem with either in my tank, I never tested nitrates until the other day. I also doubt that all of the corals would react to the high nitrates on the same morning, which makes me think that the nitrates are a symptom and not a cause. The funny thing is, I don't think I will ever know the truth.


Brad

 

[Double-J]

I agree Marcus, but he hasn't checked his nitrates for a long time. It could be a bunch of things but since that is the only thing that is testable that is out of wack I would guess its from that. I doesn't make sence that his nitrates are so high with such a small bioload especially since he only has a 90g with about 200+ gallons for a sump. Maybe the skimmer did add something to your system that killed everything off the rocks thus making the nitrates go thru the roof, since that is the only thing that was changed on the system. Although you did loose a couple of torts a few weeks before adding the skimmer.... For sure it's a strange situation, would be much easier to diagnose the problem if you would check your nitrates every once in a while BRAD!.

 

[Double-J]

look at your post count brad "666" maybe that is your problem, did you celebrate Christmass this year? go to church?

 

[mwood]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8828660#post8828660 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tinytool
.... For sure it's a strange situation, would be much easier to diagnose the problem if you would check your nitrates every once in a while BRAD!.

:lol: Sure, kick him while he's down. Why don't you make a bb comment while you are at it.

Just kidding about the bb Brad. I don't think that's it.

 

[Coralfreak]

Out of curiousity I checked for stray voltage in my tank. With it set on the lowest range(15V), it barely moved in my tank, though I have nothing submersible in the tank. In my sump it showed maybe .5V. I dont know if that helps or not.

 

[Double-J]

Brad- why don't you swing by and pick up the Hannah Phosphate meter, copper test, ammonia test, nitrite test. might as well test everything. If the skimmer was the cause of the problem killing off everything, you might be going thru a small cycle. Very strange to say the least. I'll let you use my refractometer also, yours could be bad, who knows.

 

[dascharisma]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8828743#post8828743 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tinytool
Brad- why don't you swing by and pick up the Hannah Phosphate meter, copper test, ammonia test, nitrite test. might as well test everything. If the skimmer was the cause of the problem killing off everything, you might be going thru a small cycle. Very strange to say the least. I'll let you use my refractometer also, yours could be bad, who knows.

Well, i just bought a new refractometer and calibration fluid, but the rest of those kits are worth doing. I will probably find out I have crazy ammonia and will be kicking myself for all of that peeing in the tank i did this weeked.


I'll be over in an hour or so.

Brad

 

[waverz]

Brad, that sucks man, hope you get stuff straightened out. Atleast you got ppl close by who are willing to help you out.

Keep us posted....

 

[rc1214b]

You said you had a couple torts rtn before you put on your new skimmer right? Did you run both skimmers together or did you just have the octopus running? What exactly did your tests read?

 

[rc1214b]

Also the pic of your birdsnest shows tissue loss at the tips, is this how most of them went or did they start more at the base?

 

[dascharisma]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8829849#post8829849 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rc1214b
Also the pic of your birdsnest shows tissue loss at the tips, is this how most of them went or did they start more at the base?

The other corals all went tip first as well.



Brad

 

[dascharisma]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8829775#post8829775 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rc1214b
You said you had a couple torts rtn before you put on your new skimmer right? Did you run both skimmers together or did you just have the octopus running? What exactly did your tests read?

Both skimmers were on the tank for two days. However, the octopus didn't start producing for the first couple of days.

My tests showed everything at the levels I keep them, temp 79.0, sg 1.025, alk 8, mag1500, etc. The only test that was strange was the calcium tested around 480. Normally it tests around 440, so things may have stopped calcification for the week before this started.


Brad

 

[mwood]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8830272#post8830272 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dascharisma
...so things may have stopped calcification for the week before this started.


Brad

How are the phosphates?

 

[dascharisma]

7 hours after the last birdsnest pic and we are at this stage.

One interesting clue might be in the next pic. If you look closely you can see that all of the polyps are gone or at lest retracted where the light hits them. On the other hand, the polyps in the shade are still there. Any new theories?

Brad