Not sure what's wrong...need help

[Johnic]

I noticed that my spreading plate style corals was getting really dark, now its dying...it seems to turn real dark colored then it dies off...
My Alk seems to stay level at 8.4-8.9
Calc is 460
Mag is 1360
Salt is 1.024 - Low ??
Nitrates seem high at 5ppm
I have a ATS that grows good stuff..

See pic as i need some help...frustrated. I also noticed some other corals are stressing out too.

See pic.

 

[picoreef]

Just out of curiosity, what kind of salt are you using?

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[Johnic]

Just out of curiosity, what kind of salt are you using?

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Instant ocean reef crystals. For years now.

Wonder if my nitrates are too high ?

 

[picoreef]

I had the same problem right after i went from reef crystals to vibrant sea. I was mixing the sg at 1.026 as i had been doing for reef crystals but when you mix VS at that level the potassium goes through the roof. For the longest time i couldnt figure out what was wrong as all the basic params were dead on and stable.

Are you dosing potassium?



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[Johnic]

I had the same problem right after i went from reef crystals to vibrant sea. I was mixing the sg at 1.026 as i had been doing for reef crystals but when you mix VS at that level the potassium goes through the roof. For the longest time i couldnt figure out what was wrong as all the basic params were dead on and stable.

Are you dosing potassium?



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No...but the last 5 gal bucket toward the end of it was clumped up due to moisture and I had to add a unusual amount of salt to get the level to 1.026 when i was mixing my new batch in my 50 gal container. It was a lot more to get the salt level..in doing so i wonder if it had unusually high level potassium and other minerals ??

 

[Johnic]

Wondering how these are working with folks?

XPORT NO3 DIMPLED BRICK NITRATE REMOVER - BRIGHTWELL AQUATICS

 

[bertoni]

Those bricks probably work reasonably well. They are effectively artificial live rock, so it might take a lot of them to make a difference.

I'm not sure what's happening with the coral. The SG is a bit low, and I'd raise it, but I wouldn't expect that level to cause much trouble, assuming the measurement device is accurate.

What corals are in the system? Are any still growing?

 

[Johnic]

Those bricks probably work reasonably well. They are effectively artificial live rock, so it might take a lot of them to make a difference.

I'm not sure what's happening with the coral. The SG is a bit low, and I'd raise it, but I wouldn't expect that level to cause much trouble, assuming the measurement device is accurate.

What corals are in the system? Are any still growing?

I have a mixed reef currently, 90 percent are doing well. I just cant explain why this one which was growing like crazy and looked the best in the tank looks like this now.

 

[picoreef]

I suggest getting you potassium tested and see what your levels are at. Mine were off the charts. Once i went back to reef crystals i started having succes again with my montis and birdsnests corals. But i never had a clumping issue.

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[clevername]

it all comes down to one thing... testing.
If you really want to know whats wrong with your water, spend the 50$ for an ICP test. You'll know EXACTLY whats wrong.

Iv looks at those tests as a rip off BUT if you re-frame your thinking as "spend 50$ get the answer to your problem" it became worth it.

 

[bertoni]

The ICP tests often are fairly inconclusive. You might get some information from them or not. For $50, it might be worth the shot, though.