OLD liverock

[Gary Majchrzak]

YES, it was new rock 20+ years ago when I put it in my system..

was it ever exposed to copper or other meds?

Regarding old LR not ever exposed to copper or other chemicals:
it can go "bad" but rock is a renewable resource. Clean it up (research "cooking" and "recuring") and it will function as good as new.

 

[Paul B]

When you say you have a lot of coral and fish losses, what do you mean exactly?
What did the fish look like just before they died? What do you think they died from? What types of fish did you lose? What did the fish look like when they were dead? Besides dead fish? How did the corals die? Did a bunch of them die at the same time or did they gradually shrink?
I don't think your rocks have anything to do with it.
I do have a theory with older tanks though. I add bacteria from the sea a few times a year. I feel the bacterial diversity in our systems degrades over time and we are left with questionble bacteria that may not suit our needs

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

I agree with Paul that fish losses are probably not related to the condition of one's liverock. If there's a massive problem with everything in the aquarium dying there's probably another issue with the aquarium.

Old liverock can become a source of accumulated phosphates that are seriously detrimental to coral health IME.

Here's a link to the liverock "cooking" process:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=485572&highlight=cooking

 

[tropills]

Thanks Gary. No meds ever.

Paul, I'll try to go in order.
Everything new I have put in the tank with a few exceptions has died within a week. SPS ,LPS , fish and soft Corals.
All fish were active, eating , good color and not fighting.
Corals seem to melt away over night
about a year ago I hat a total crash for no apparent reason. all my soft coral melted into mush.( it was a soft coral tank)
after that I lost several tangs,clowns,gobies,wrasses, and puffers I had had for YEARS. now, even having done total water changes over time, swishing the rock in waste tank water during a change. I can't stop the losses. it's one thing to lose the corals and fish I have had for years but new acquisitions are tough.

 

[block head]

i cheated and bought an urchin. no facts to prove it,but it seemed to help. crusty coraline rocks got stripped to bare metal.

 

[tropills]

I agree with Paul that fish losses are probably not related to the condition of one's liverock. If there's a massive problem with everything in the aquarium dying there's probably another issue with the aquarium.

Old liverock can become a source of accumulated phosphates that are seriously detrimental to coral health IME.

Here's a link to the liverock "cooking" process:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=485572&highlight=cooking

Thanks again Gary, I've read that article (thread). as for the "other issue" with the aquarium that's where I'm perplexed. I'm not saying I know everything, because I don't, but I know what I need to ,to keep a reef tank and have done so for over 20+ years till now.. I just can't figure it out whats going wrong.

 

[Conesus_Kid]

Is this still the lagoon lookdown?

I'm wondering if there's something in the liner that could be causing it.

You'll need to refresh my memory: is it some sort of EPDM roofing or pond liner material? Could there be some anti-mildew/algae agent impregnated in the liner?

Just spitballing some ideas here.

 

[Paul B]

The only thing I can think of to kill corals like that is metals. Twice I lost all of my corals to metal poisoning when my town used zinc orthophosphate in the water to control corrosion in the pipes. It happened to me 2 or 3 years ago.
But it did not kill the fish right away. The corals and clams just melted in a few hours, when I changed the water, it got worse because my new water was also contaminated. My resins became exhausted right away and for some reason, my RO did not remove all of the zinc.
That is the only thing I could think of.
I called my water company and they confirmed ths
at they used zinc just before I lost my corals, some of which I had for 12 years when it happened the first time.
I don't think your sand would be the problem now as it has been in the tank for 20 years, why now?

 

[tropills]

Nope, I shut the lagoon down and transferred everything back to the 8 foot 180 and put it in wall. I was having trouble before the going to the lagoon, So thinking it was a space thing I built the lagoon. but I guess that was a misinterpretation. So I did another tank build and moved back to the glass tank. And have still had trouble. no matter what I try or do I can't keep new coral or fish. I've changed RO systems,lights,salt,powerheads,sumps,skimmers
heaters, I just don't know anymore, thus the theory of the rock being so old.

 

[tropills]

The only thing I can think of to kill corals like that is metals. Twice I lost all of my corals to metal poisoning when my town used zinc orthophosphate in the water to control corrosion in the pipes. It happened to me 2 or 3 years ago.
But it did not kill the fish right away. The corals and clams just melted in a few hours, when I changed the water, it got worse because my new water was also contaminated. My resins became exhausted right away and for some reason, my RO did not remove all of the zinc.
That is the only thing I could think of.
I called my water company and they confirmed ths
at they used zinc just before I lost my corals, some of which I had for 12 years when it happened the first time.
I don't think your sand would be the problem now as it has been in the tank for 20 years, why now?

I'm now running bare bottom do to increased flow in the tank, I'm on well water and always have been, my RO/DI system is less then 3 months old.

 

[tropills]

I have corals and clams that are doing Great, growing and multiplying very well, but I introduce something new from anyone and within a week it's dead.

 

[NirvanaFan]

Just out of curiosity, when was the last time you did a large water change (greater than 30%)? I wonder if something is depleted in your system and some of your stuff isn't showing symptoms, but new additions are stressed and react poorly.

 

[tropills]

Just out of curiosity, when was the last time you did a large water change (greater than 30%)? I wonder if something is depleted in your system and some of your stuff isn't showing symptoms, but new additions are stressed and react poorly.

I do 25% every 2 weeks. maybe a little more.

 

[Conesus_Kid]

I apologize if some of this stuff seems obvious, but I want to make sure we've covered all bases.

Are you using a TDS meter to measure the TDS of your RO/DI water? Have you had your well water professionally tested? It may cost a few bucks, but perhaps a thorough testing might show some heavy metals or other contaminant that's causing your problems.

 

[tropills]

I apologize if some of this stuff seems obvious, but I want to make sure we've covered all bases.

Are you using a TDS meter to measure the TDS of your RO/DI water? Have you had your well water professionally tested? It may cost a few bucks, but perhaps a thorough testing might show some heavy metals or other contaminant that's causing your problems.

Not a problem Scott, I test all my own water at work. That's whats funny, I always have, and never had trouble, it always tests within my range of what I can deal with. But for some reason for the past year it's tested the same as always, within a couple points, and I can't figure out whats wrong now.

oops, sorry. no tds meter. I test my water weekly for all parameters and all are within range of what I'm used too.

 

[RandyO]

triple check your salinity. Calibrate your instrument, or check it against someone elses.

Your Magnesium levels are a little low which can indicate not enough salt in the water.

Just taking a shot in the dark for you. I feel your pain. I've had some problems with my home tank I can't figure out either.

 

[superkat]

triple check your salinity. Calibrate your instrument, or check it against someone elses.

Your Magnesium levels are a little low which can indicate not enough salt in the water.

Just taking a shot in the dark for you. I feel your pain. I've had some problems with my home tank I can't figure out either.

Greg, pretty sure you calibrated and checked your instrument with me, Jedi and Mel....correct?

 

[ggdowski]

I somehow think this is still heavy metal poisoning.
Do you have a wife that is unhappy about the number of tanks you have:hmm3:

On a more serious note... it has to be something you are not testing for.
Do you have high iron levels in your well water?

 

[tropills]

Do you have high iron levels in your well water?

They are a little high yes, but nothing out of the norm.. unless the rock has absorbed so much over the years it's leaching back out ??? But there again all the tests of tank water show very minimal amounts.

 

[tropills]

Yes Kat you are correct.