Sudden changes in corals, may be dying, need chem advice please.

[bartlettjw]

Hello, Could someone please help me out here? Thank you!

My tank was doing well until about 9/27 and I noticed that my corals have been coming out less and less, not hardly at all (except GSP). I'm pretty sure I have an uptick in the amount of pods, they are all over. I was wondering if they were bothering the coral. My Duncan hasn't been as open in a while but I figured it may be flow or light related so I have been moving it around since this all started.

I don't know of any single event or anything out of the ordinary happening. The last "live" addition was my wall hammer on 9/15 and it seemed happy. All of my coral gets dipped and blasted off with a baster and no other additions since 7/12. I do notice a green hue on the top sides of my live rock, a less than 1" patch of what I believe to be turf algae, and the glass gets slightly green. The sand has stayed pretty clean other than when I feed the crabs an occasional algae wafer to keep them off my coral.

Other than the stuff listed on my chart, I have 2 clowns and a blue chromis. Snail and crab count in the chart too.

I've posted on another forum and I've heard that my ALK is too high, NO3 and PO4 are too low. Which shocked me because I've kept the parameters pretty much in the center of any chart I've ever seen for reef tanks.

I've never been able to get my pH over 8.0, I've not really tried other than the initial dosing of Ca/Alk.

I use Brightwell Neomarine salt and use RODI from my SpectraPure MC-RODI-90-10-MF.

Per recommendation, I have removed ChemiPure Blue and Poly-Pad because they strip too much. I'm presently running filter floss from InTank, Matrix, and Carbon Matrix. It's a 32g Biocube, 25# sand, 25# live rock. I notice the glass is getting green quicker, but no changes in the coral. My GSP stays out unless a crab walks on it, even the Zoas (pictured) stay closed up a majority of the time.

I've uploaded my spreadsheet with all of my test data and a couple pictures as of now.

Entire tank pic bubbly because of fresh carbon addition.

Current parameters (see spreadsheet for history)
Temp F SG pH dKH (NO3) ppm (PO4) ppm (Ca) ppm (Mg) ppm (NH3) ppm (NO2) ppm
78 1.024 8 9.8 10 0.22 400 1200 0 0.05


Thank you!

 

[five.five-six]

Assuming you are using quality test kits, your parameters for LPs and softies are just fine, I’ve seen people grow SPS with those sorts or parameters

So, it’s something else. First thing to come to mind is chloramines. Your municipal provider may start using them with or without warning and the warnings something on some internal city hall type document so it’s probably without warning.

I would recommend getting an ICP test STAT but results take 3 weeks from all the major vendors. I like ATI because they do a lot of compounds and will test your RO/DI water separately included in the same price. They will not test for cloramines but a regular chlorine test tab will indicate with only chloramines present so test your RO water for chlorine.

If you don’t have a “chloramine buster” on your RO/DI get one, the membrane you save may be your own. You can get them at BRS and I would run one regardless.

Good luck!

 

[bartlettjw]

I have tons of test kits, constantly upgrading. I've been burnt by a bad Salifert ammonia test when I started to cycle this tank. I have Salifert, Red Sea's basics (and their Pro nitrate version too), API Saltwater, Hanna checkers for ULR phosphate and dKH. Milwaukee salinity checker that's often calibrated.

This is my RODI setup: https://www.marinedepot.com/spectrapure-maxcap-ro-di-system-w-manual-flush-90-gpd Could you please recommend a chloramine buster for it?

The odd to me part is that, I mix up at least 30g of water at a time and use it for my AWC and manual changes. This batch I'm using now was probably mixed 2 months ago and the overall life seemed much better before this whatever happened.

I'll order and ICP test, was strongly considering it.

Would you recommend a large water change? I have another 30g that I just mixed a couple days ago that is still running circulation and heat.... or I could even go to the LFS and buy the boxed "real seawater" they sell if I should suspect my city water supply.

I have a LaMotte 3027-G Test Strip, Free and Total Chlorine kit on hand. I'm not certain if it tests for what I need or not, but here's the results. FCl=0-0.5, RCl=0.

Thank you!

 

[bartlettjw]

I have tons of test kits, constantly upgrading. I've been burnt by a bad Salifert ammonia test when I started to cycle this tank. I have Salifert, Red Sea's basics (and their Pro nitrate version too), API Saltwater, Hanna checkers for ULR phosphate and dKH. Milwaukee salinity checker that's often calibrated.

This is my RODI setup: https://www.marinedepot.com/spectrap...l-flush-90-gpd Could you please recommend a chloramine buster for it?

The odd to me part is that, I mix up at least 30g of water at a time and use it for my AWC and manual changes. This batch I'm using now was probably mixed 2 months ago and the overall life seemed much better before this whatever happened.

I'll order and ICP test, was strongly considering it.

Would you recommend a large water change? I have another 30g that I just mixed a couple days ago that is still running circulation and heat.... or I could even go to the LFS and buy the boxed "real seawater" they sell if I should suspect my city water supply.

I have a LaMotte 3027-G Test Strip, Free and Total Chlorine kit on hand. I'm not certain if it tests for what I need or not, but here's the results. FCl=0-0.5, RCl=0.

Thank you!

 

[bartlettjw]

I've posted a reply to this thread but it's not showing up for me, anyone else having issues?

Thank you


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[bartlettjw]

Here was my post.

I have tons of test kits, constantly upgrading. I've been burnt by a bad Salifert ammonia test when I started to cycle this tank. I have Salifert, Red Sea's basics (and their Pro nitrate version too), API Saltwater, Hanna checkers for ULR phosphate and dKH. Milwaukee salinity checker that's often calibrated.

This is my RODI setup: https://www.marinedepot.com/spectrap...l-flush-90-gpd Could you please recommend a chloramine buster for it?

The odd to me part is that, I mix up at least 30g of water at a time and use it for my AWC and manual changes. This batch I'm using now was probably mixed 2 months ago and the overall life seemed much better before this whatever happened.

I'll order and ICP test, was strongly considering it.

Would you recommend a large water change? I have another 30g that I just mixed a couple days ago that is still running circulation and heat.... or I could even go to the LFS and buy the boxed "real seawater" they sell if I should suspect my city water supply.

I have a LaMotte 3027-G Test Strip, Free and Total Chlorine kit on hand. I'm not certain if it tests for what I need or not, but here's the results. FCl=0-0.5, RCl=0.

Thank you


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bartlettjw]

I have tons of test kits, constantly upgrading. I've been burnt by a bad Salifert ammonia test when I started to cycle this tank. I have Salifert, Red Sea's basics (and their Pro nitrate version too), API Saltwater, Hanna checkers for ULR phosphate and dKH. Milwaukee salinity checker that's often calibrated.

Could you please recommend a chloramine buster for it?

The odd to me part is that, I mix up at least 30g of water at a time and use it for my AWC and manual changes. This batch I'm using now was probably mixed 2 months ago and the overall life seemed much better before this whatever happened.

I'll order and ICP test, was strongly considering it.

Would you recommend a large water change? I have another 30g that I just mixed a couple days ago that is still running circulation and heat.... or I could even go to the LFS and buy the boxed "real seawater" they sell if I should suspect my city water supply.

I have a LaMotte 3027-G Test Strip, Free and Total Chlorine kit on hand. I'm not certain if it tests for what I need or not, but here's the results. FCl=0-0.5, RCl=0.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Soryu]

The odd to me part is that, I mix up at least 30g of water at a time and use it for my AWC and manual changes. This batch I'm using now was probably mixed 2 months ago and the overall life seemed much better before this whatever happened.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

BRS recently did a study that found a lot of the top brands of salt mix don't maintain parameters for very long. Oddly enough Reef Crystals was just about the best for long term storage. I find that Salinity precipitates so fast that I have to use it within a 6 hour window. It might be something to look into.

I did my own study (before the BRS video existed) and found similar results in my testing as BRS did which convinced me to just start mixing about 6 hours before my water change with RSCP for my tanks with corals. But i tend to keep my parameters a bit higher than NSW and closer to the values stated on the RSCP bucket.

 

[outssider]

Salinity should not change over time..... Alkalinity....now that's another story. I use Reef crystals and mix it a day before. It probably drops a bit in alk over 24hrs but it mixes up so high it shouldn't be an issue

 

[Soryu]

Salinity should not change over time..... Alkalinity....now that's another story. I use Reef crystals and mix it a day before. It probably drops a bit in alk over 24hrs but it mixes up so high it shouldn't be an issue

Reef Crystals scored the highest on their tests, I believe after several days their Alk/Calcium levels slightly elevated. Now salinity will increase over time if evaporation happens. When I was using salinity if I waited 48 hours or more my values cratered. I would see from 11dkh/430Ca to 6dkh/380Ca and everything would be coated in precipitated calcium.

I just know I've had a lot of issues with long term storage of mixed water. I don't let me mix sit more then 8 hours now and I test and equalize the major parameters before I perform a water change.

 

[Soryu]

I can't seem to edit my posts, but to clarify, my original salt mix was Aquavitro Salinity, not to be confused with actual tank parameters of salinity.

 

[bartlettjw]

Thanks for the replies, I followed BRS testing and picked my salt mix due to the stability they showed and availability local.

ICP results are back: https://lab.atiaquaristik.com/publicAnalysis/92910

ICP results for my RODI: https://lab.atiaquaristik.com/publicAnalysis/94103


Any advice? I have always thought my salt mix (Brightwell NeoMarine) had a high sulfur smell during mixing.

Thanks!