newbie2014
New member
......my corals are dead/dying.
Hi. I just started a saltwater tank about 3 months ago. It's a 40 gallon breeder. It has about 30 lbs of live rock and 30 lbs of live sand. It's equipped with an aquamaxx skimmer, 110 aquaclear power filter (with just sponge), and 3 koralia powerhead ( one 425 and two 240's) for flow. I use a marsaqua 300W LED (hung 11-12 inches above the tank) that stays on for 9hrs a day at 50%blue and 25% white intensity. I only use RO/DI water (0ppm), and Instant Ocean and/or Reef Crystal salt.
According to API test results, the tank was cycled in about a month. I, then, added a pair of clown fish. A week later, I added a bangaii cardinal. A week after, I added some two small zoas frags and a leather frag to the tank. Those coral didn't even open, and they started melted away the next few days.
All that time, my water parameters were 0/0/0-5 for ammonia/nitrite/nitrate and the fish are fine and healthy. My salinity is 1.024-1.026 and temperature is 77-78. Two weeks later, I was offered a great deal on some mushroom, 3 small toadstools and a kenya tree, so I brought them home. These corals opened for 2-3 days, then closed up and started melted away again. And the water parameters stay the same. I change 10-20% water every other week.
About a week ago I added a royal gramma and 2-3 patches/frags of GSP. The GSP patches have not opened yet. All fish are doing great.
So, my question to you experts is what could be wrong/off in my tank? I know I haven't tested for Ca and Alk, but their level shouldn't be that bad to cause such a melt down. And all the corals that I got are supposed to be very hardy.
Thanks a bunch
Hi. I just started a saltwater tank about 3 months ago. It's a 40 gallon breeder. It has about 30 lbs of live rock and 30 lbs of live sand. It's equipped with an aquamaxx skimmer, 110 aquaclear power filter (with just sponge), and 3 koralia powerhead ( one 425 and two 240's) for flow. I use a marsaqua 300W LED (hung 11-12 inches above the tank) that stays on for 9hrs a day at 50%blue and 25% white intensity. I only use RO/DI water (0ppm), and Instant Ocean and/or Reef Crystal salt.
According to API test results, the tank was cycled in about a month. I, then, added a pair of clown fish. A week later, I added a bangaii cardinal. A week after, I added some two small zoas frags and a leather frag to the tank. Those coral didn't even open, and they started melted away the next few days.
All that time, my water parameters were 0/0/0-5 for ammonia/nitrite/nitrate and the fish are fine and healthy. My salinity is 1.024-1.026 and temperature is 77-78. Two weeks later, I was offered a great deal on some mushroom, 3 small toadstools and a kenya tree, so I brought them home. These corals opened for 2-3 days, then closed up and started melted away again. And the water parameters stay the same. I change 10-20% water every other week.
About a week ago I added a royal gramma and 2-3 patches/frags of GSP. The GSP patches have not opened yet. All fish are doing great.
So, my question to you experts is what could be wrong/off in my tank? I know I haven't tested for Ca and Alk, but their level shouldn't be that bad to cause such a melt down. And all the corals that I got are supposed to be very hardy.
Thanks a bunch