Anthony Calfo
New member
cheers, Tom... excellent to hear of the save! Its one of the beauties about communications like these wonderful message boards in the Information Age 
best regards,
Anthony
best regards,
Anthony
Still at my wit's end - 3 mos. later -- would you start over?
- Thread starter Dag
- Start date
Dag
Premium Member
Anthony, your question about metal in the tank has been haunting me, causing me to repeatedly search for something I missed -- and, lo and behold, there was a small screw in the water. I have a gate valve regulating my skimmer, and the valve is partially submerged, including the screw that secures the knob. Upon inspection, the screw was a bit rusty but otherwise seemed intact.
Could that have been my problem? If so, I'm amazed at how sensitive the system is -- imagine a bit of rust in a 300 gallon system .....
Could that have been my problem? If so, I'm amazed at how sensitive the system is -- imagine a bit of rust in a 300 gallon system .....
Anthony Calfo
New member
alas... I must admit that a single partially rusty screw in a 300 gall really is nothing. Truly no concern at all and certainly not the cause of your problems. We must keep looking... sigh
scotty1234
New member
Dag,
I have had a very similar incident happen to me in a 36 gallon bowfront tank I set up. Fish would live just fine but corals would die within weeks if not days. Have you had any mushrooms die in that tank? I was sort of wondering where you got your live rock?
I have had a very similar incident happen to me in a 36 gallon bowfront tank I set up. Fish would live just fine but corals would die within weeks if not days. Have you had any mushrooms die in that tank? I was sort of wondering where you got your live rock?
Ocean Image
Premium Member
Just a thought......When is the last time you replaced your RO/DI elements or checked your TDS out of the unit?
Anthony Calfo
New member
no biggie... just a sponge. And while they can be quite noxious or toxic, it tends to be moreso a problem with fishes in aquaria. And even then only when the sponge is eaten or suddenly dies en masse or in quantity (relasing noxious compounds).
no worries... a handsome incidental growth
Anthony
no worries... a handsome incidental growth
Anthony
Dag
Premium Member
Anthony, I hope you have the patience for small case study.
Here's the frag I picked up last Sunday (4 days ago). It was from an established home tank and a 7 year old colony. It had been cut and mounted on a small rock, three days before I got it. Here's the picture right after I put it in my tank:
There was a bit of mucus right after I put it in, but was soon gone. Typically, if my past experience is the pattern, I watch and wonder whether it is fading, but the decline is so gradual, and I am usually in denial, so I hardly recognize the death until it's all gone, full of algae, or eaten by snails.
Here's today's picture -- I thought it was fading at the tips, but I can't be sure, and I can't really tell by comparing to the old picture whether there's actual change in the frag or just variation in the camera picture:
Here's the frag I picked up last Sunday (4 days ago). It was from an established home tank and a 7 year old colony. It had been cut and mounted on a small rock, three days before I got it. Here's the picture right after I put it in my tank:
There was a bit of mucus right after I put it in, but was soon gone. Typically, if my past experience is the pattern, I watch and wonder whether it is fading, but the decline is so gradual, and I am usually in denial, so I hardly recognize the death until it's all gone, full of algae, or eaten by snails.
Here's today's picture -- I thought it was fading at the tips, but I can't be sure, and I can't really tell by comparing to the old picture whether there's actual change in the frag or just variation in the camera picture:
Anthony Calfo
New member
I do wish I could help here my friend... but diagnosis from pics is tough as it is. And in this case, your subjects are not full frame shots and the resolution is, with all due respect, below average to poor.
A bit of a camera tip: do not use the digital zoom on your camera if you need clear close up shots. And if you must, never zoom in all the way (instead... pan in full zoom and then back off slightly). Its a glicth/artifact of the process of digital zooming but simply ruins many good shots.
The proper habit is to get the camera as close to the subject as possible (camera near the glass and subject moved forward neer the glas if/when possible). Then... if you still need to get closer for the subject to fill the frame, proper close up lenses are called for. And again, if you otherwise need to use the digital zoom... use as little as possible and never use it at full extension (do some test shots of full extension and slighly backed off - you willbe amazed on your pc screen the difference in resolution).
FWIW
Anthony
A bit of a camera tip: do not use the digital zoom on your camera if you need clear close up shots. And if you must, never zoom in all the way (instead... pan in full zoom and then back off slightly). Its a glicth/artifact of the process of digital zooming but simply ruins many good shots.
The proper habit is to get the camera as close to the subject as possible (camera near the glass and subject moved forward neer the glas if/when possible). Then... if you still need to get closer for the subject to fill the frame, proper close up lenses are called for. And again, if you otherwise need to use the digital zoom... use as little as possible and never use it at full extension (do some test shots of full extension and slighly backed off - you willbe amazed on your pc screen the difference in resolution).
FWIW
Anthony
i thought you weren't supposed to keep halimeda in tanks with SPS...
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=414866&highlight=halimeda
or do a search for 'sps' and 'halimeda'
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=414866&highlight=halimeda
or do a search for 'sps' and 'halimeda'
Dag
Premium Member
Anthony, even with all the limitations of this medium, your advice and attention and is very helpful and appreciated. Here's another picture of this frag at 15 days (this time using manual focus):
In the picture there appears to be open polyps which is difficult to see with the naked eye.
I also added this new frag today, and the polyps were obviously open within an hour:
In the picture there appears to be open polyps which is difficult to see with the naked eye.
I also added this new frag today, and the polyps were obviously open within an hour:
Anthony Calfo
New member
a good sign After two weeks they look quite good. I'm pulling for you, and know that you have been working hard to overcome this challenge!
Anthony
After two weeks they look quite good. I'm pulling for you, and know that you have been working hard to overcome this challenge!Anthony
Anthony Calfo
New member
ah, yes... and much better image quality too with your manual focus! Kudos
Dag
Premium Member
Ah, Anthony. I wish I could say no news is good news.
It's been more than three months, and both of pieces pictured a few posts back have joined the legions of skeletons before them.
I've been in a funk, unable to write, especially since these are not the only two that bit the dust. I thought I was on the road to recovery, and therefore couldn't resist loading up on SPS frags, encouraged by what appeared to be clear growth in a certain green SPS frag, which initially did well but then turned brown and the tips turned white and now looks like this:
It's still alive, but doesn't look great.
Several Bali cultured acro frags, and an ehinata perished, but strangely one of them still is alive (again not doing obviously well). It has brown stems and turquoise tips:
'
It's been more than three months, and both of pieces pictured a few posts back have joined the legions of skeletons before them.
I've been in a funk, unable to write, especially since these are not the only two that bit the dust. I thought I was on the road to recovery, and therefore couldn't resist loading up on SPS frags, encouraged by what appeared to be clear growth in a certain green SPS frag, which initially did well but then turned brown and the tips turned white and now looks like this:
It's still alive, but doesn't look great.
Several Bali cultured acro frags, and an ehinata perished, but strangely one of them still is alive (again not doing obviously well). It has brown stems and turquoise tips:
'
Dag
Premium Member
There is a bright spot, which I'll soon share, but let me finish this tale of woe.
This stag frag is sort of typical. It just kind of withered, but you can see on the bottom live flesh while the top turned white and is now covered by algae. At first it seemed to be doing well for at least a month, then it withered, and it's been holding on in this state for another month (it's now held in a little adjunct tank):
Not much better luck with montipora capricornis frags (green with purple rim, and orange) yet this red montipora frag has outlived them and seems to be doing ok:
This stag frag is sort of typical. It just kind of withered, but you can see on the bottom live flesh while the top turned white and is now covered by algae. At first it seemed to be doing well for at least a month, then it withered, and it's been holding on in this state for another month (it's now held in a little adjunct tank):
Not much better luck with montipora capricornis frags (green with purple rim, and orange) yet this red montipora frag has outlived them and seems to be doing ok:
Anthony Calfo
New member
sadly, I'm at a loss too... there is something uncommon if not unnatural at hand here perhaps (contaminent in the rocks/substrate or some recurring input?)
do these corals look fine in QT for the first month before moving to the display then begin to suffer? And have frags of these corals fared well in other tanks. I'm thinking this may be a problem with your tank if not habits.
My apologies for a tardy reply too... I'm off soon for a long trip/conference and have limited time here on the board in the next 2 days.
Anthony
do these corals look fine in QT for the first month before moving to the display then begin to suffer? And have frags of these corals fared well in other tanks. I'm thinking this may be a problem with your tank if not habits.
My apologies for a tardy reply too... I'm off soon for a long trip/conference and have limited time here on the board in the next 2 days.
Anthony
Dag
Premium Member
Here's the bright spot.
This green cup coral appear healthy and has been doing well for over a month, which is encouraging since I previously had a yellow scrow coral (turbinaria) and brown pagoda, which did not last too long.
Any thoughts, Dr. Calfo? I have that awful feeling riding a dropping stock. You can't bring yourself to sell it, and yet you can't stand the pain of watching it drop further. Am I crazy to keep riding this horse?
Here's my latest acquisition, a beautiful Wesophyllia (I had two trachyphillia and several open brains which died about a year ago). I'm hoping my tank is fit for this now.
This green cup coral appear healthy and has been doing well for over a month, which is encouraging since I previously had a yellow scrow coral (turbinaria) and brown pagoda, which did not last too long.
Any thoughts, Dr. Calfo? I have that awful feeling riding a dropping stock. You can't bring yourself to sell it, and yet you can't stand the pain of watching it drop further. Am I crazy to keep riding this horse?
Here's my latest acquisition, a beautiful Wesophyllia (I had two trachyphillia and several open brains which died about a year ago). I'm hoping my tank is fit for this now.
